[Twinsen][2.0.44] Spidertrons can still move if they have no fuel

[MrSmoothieHuman]

Was testing out a spidertron that used a burner fuel source instead of a void source, and they still seem to be able to move, despite being completely out of fuel/never having fuel inside of them? They move extremely slowly (my testing gave it at 5-ish times slower), but the main thing that made me believe this to be a bug instead of a feature is that their heads do not follow the movement of their legs when in this state.
I wasnt able to capture any video of this (due to my inability to even record on my PC ), but here are some images:

04-11-2025, 20-22-41.png (456.45 KiB) Viewed 1820 times

04-11-2025, 20-23-08.png (392.22 KiB) Viewed 1820 times

If the movement is a geniune bug, I beg and plead to add it in as an actual mechanic for the API - something similar to robots 'speed_multiplier_when_out_of_energy` would be absolutely perfect, and I'd love for it to still be in the game in some format.

[nethus]

IIRC you can also move trains without fuel -very slowly- since 2.0, so you're able to remotely ( and manually) drive a train out of the way or towards a refueling station. Maybe that behavior is extended to other vehicles as well?

[MrSmoothieHuman]

possibly? although i still feel like its a bug due to the aforementioned "no head movement" - or maybe it is intended and its a another bug that just slipped through the cracks

[robot256]

Does it happen when driving it normally in game? I see your screenshots are in editor mode, which makes some things go wonky sometimes.

[MrSmoothieHuman]

i’d have to double check as i dont entirely remember, but im pretty sure it happens when not in editor mode?

[Twinsen]

The intended behavior is that you get 10 extra seconds of slow movement after which it stops. The intent is that when you run out of fuel, after seeing the out of fuel notification, you get a few seconds to get to an accessible location if you happen to be walking over small islands.

Currently it never actually stops after 10 seconds, looking for a fix.

[Twinsen]

Fixed for Version: 2.0.46 with the intended behavior described above.

[MrSmoothieHuman]

….with a way to keep it? (pretty please with a cherry on top?)

[Twinsen]

You can make a modding request. But it seems like some very obscure request, given that this feature was broken for quite some time before someone noticed.
But maybe you can justify some good uses for it.

[eugenekay]

But it seems like some very obscure request, given that this feature was broken for quite some time before someone noticed.
But maybe you can justify some good uses for it.

I can make an anti-request: supporting this makes no sense, except to provide complexity for the sake of complexity. The default behavior of a Spidertron is to have infinite “fuel” for movement; which is reasonable for Vanilla. If a Mod is changing the Default to require Fuel then it makes perfect sense that the Spider would sputter and then Stop as it runs out of Fuel. If you do not want the Spider to Stop, then why are you making it require Fuel to begin with? You can’t have it both ways. Cars don’t work like this. Tanks don’t work like this.

Spiders already have a mechanism to “slow down when out of energy”: Equipment Grid energy & Exoskeletons. Mods can even nerf the base movement speed.

[MrSmoothieHuman]

You can make a modding request. But it seems like some very obscure request, given that this feature was broken for quite some time before someone noticed.
But maybe you can justify some good uses for it.

thats completely fair, thank you though (i honestly forgot api requests were a thing while writing )

If a Mod is changing the Default to require Fuel then it makes perfect sense that the Spider would sputter and then Stop as it runs out of Fuel. If you do not want the Spider to Stop, then why are you making it require Fuel to begin with?

This is not the actual spidertron itself, this is an earlier unlock that acts similar to the base spidertron. and because, plain and simply, why not? if someone runs out of fuel halfway through an expedition/attack, it'd be nice to have it not completely stop, but instead slow down (like logi/construction bots - and does it really matter that other vehicles dont do this? cars and trains dont have equipment grids, trains dont have weaponry; every single vehicle in the game has different mechanics)

Spiders already have a mechanism to “slow down when out of energy”: Equipment Grid energy & Exoskeletons. Mods can even nerf the base movement speed.

that requires the player to have put exoskeletons and a power source into their vehicle - which is not the same as fuelling the base vehicle itself

[sassxolotl]

I think a little solar panel like the one that WALL-E pulls out and unfolds when he runs low on power would be an incredibly cool detail to add to the default base in-game behavior for spidertrons out of energy currently planned for 20.0.46.

just a single little hexagon popping out. I think the fish would appreciate it.