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Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2025 12:58 pm
by pastelstoic
I'm making a mod for redox flow batteries - where an electrolyte fluid is energized to store power - and I keep running into the issue that heat capacity is the only way to reliably hold the energy content of a fluid.

The only prototype in the game that consumes fluid, generates power, and outputs a different fluid is the fusion generator, which only uses heat capacity to determine power output.

GeneratorPrototype can use fuel_value, but it can't output a different fluid. Most entities can use FluidEnergySource, but none of them can produce energy in a different form - aside from ReactorPrototype, which is hardcoded to output heat.

Right now I'm having to directly modify the heat capacity of electrolyte, which risks incompatability with other mods.

I'd like for fusion generators have the option to use a fluid's fuel value instead of heat.

On a similar note, I'd like if BoilerPrototype could have its output value overridden. It's the cleanest way to turn one fluid into another and consume energy in the process, but the output speed and output ratio both depend on the relative heat capacities of the input and output fluids. Being able to manually say "1MJ turns 10 units of fluid X into 10 units of fluid Y each second" would be useful. I know I could just use a crafting machine with a fixed recipe, but that runs into issues with quality, because then I have to manually define energy consumtion increases to match fluid output.

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2025 3:01 pm
by boskid
Ok. 2.0.67.

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2025 4:19 pm
by protocol_1903
pastelstoic wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 12:58 pm On a similar note, I'd like if BoilerPrototype could have its output value overridden. It's the cleanest way to turn one fluid into another and consume energy in the process, but the output speed and output ratio both depend on the relative heat capacities of the input and output fluids. Being able to manually say "1MJ turns 10 units of fluid X into 10 units of fluid Y each second" would be useful. I know I could just use a crafting machine with a fixed recipe, but that runs into issues with quality, because then I have to manually define energy consumtion increases to match fluid output.
Does changing the efficiency of the energy source work for that?

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:09 pm
by pastelstoic
protocol_1903 wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 4:19 pm Does changing the efficiency of the energy source work for that?
Clarify what you mean? ElectricEnergySourcePrototype has no efficiency value.

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:52 pm
by protocol_1903
pastelstoic wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:09 pm Clarify what you mean? ElectricEnergySourcePrototype has no efficiency value.
Ah, I thought ElectricEnergySourcePrototype had effectivity (i get the two names mixed up). Apparently it's only a property of burner and fluid energy sources. I believe that lever would allow you to do what you specified above.

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2025 6:52 pm
by pastelstoic
protocol_1903 wrote: Tue Sep 09, 2025 5:52 pm Ah, I thought ElectricEnergySourcePrototype had effectivity (i get the two names mixed up). Apparently it's only a property of burner and fluid energy sources. I believe that lever would allow you to do what you specified above.
It wouldn't, sadly - as far as I know, there's no way for an entity with a fluidenergysource to output electricity. Luckily, I won't need to; with above change (thanks boskid), my goals can be accomplished with a modified fusion generator and a fixed-recipe assembling machine.

I'm surprised Earendel didn't bring this up while working on Space Age - his condenser turbines would have been so much easier with this feature.

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:47 am
by Bilka
I've added FusionGeneratorPrototype::effectivity for 2.0.67 just in case it's useful.

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2025 5:19 am
by protocol_1903
Bilka wrote: Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:47 am I've added FusionGeneratorPrototype::effectivity for 2.0.67 just in case it's useful.
Any chance that could get added to electrical energy sources in general to solve the similar boiler case mentioned?

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2025 8:04 am
by Bilka
protocol_1903 wrote: Thu Sep 11, 2025 5:19 am
Bilka wrote: Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:47 am I've added FusionGeneratorPrototype::effectivity for 2.0.67 just in case it's useful.
Any chance that could get added to electrical energy sources in general to solve the similar boiler case mentioned?
That would be a quite large change so I'm not looking at this for now.

Re: Make FusionGeneratorPrototype implement burns_fluid

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2025 3:09 pm
by pastelstoic
Bilka wrote: Wed Sep 10, 2025 11:47 am I've added FusionGeneratorPrototype::effectivity for 2.0.67 just in case it's useful.
I can easily imagine that being useful - allowing multiple tiers of generator the same way there's multiple lightning attractors, or having a more effective generator that outputs an awkward byproduct.