Power generator

T1 Power Generators
Generates Energy. Construct next to other structures for adjacency bonus.[ e ]
Build costs	-750 -75 125
Production	20
Max health	600
Weapon: Death weapon
Damage	250
Damage radius	2

T2 Power Generators
Mid-level power generator. Construct next to other structures for adjacency bonus.[ e ]
Build costs	-12000 -1200 2000
Production	500
Max health	2160
Intel (radius)	Vision: 20
Weapon: Death weapon
Damage	1500
Damage radius	5

T3 Power Generators
High-end power generator. Construct next to other structures for adjacency bonus.[ e ]
Build costs	-57600 -3240 5400
Production	2500
Max health	9720
Intel (radius)	Vision: 20
Weapon: Death weapon
Damage	8000
Damage radius	10

T1 Hydrocarbon Power Plants
Generates Energy. Must be constructed on hydrocarbon deposits. Construct structures next to Hydrocarbon power plant for adjacency bonus.[ e ]
Build costs	-800 -160 400
Production	100
Max health	1600

Power generators are buildings that serve to primarily generate energy.

Generators are vital parts of a base where they provide power for the base, and reduce the power drain of buildings next to them. Without enough generators, shortages and fluctuations in energy will lead shield defenses and intel structures to deactivate, production to slow, and Artillery structures will not reload and fire effectively. This is called an energy stall. Once building is finished they cost nothing to maintain.

There are three generator tiers for every faction: Tech 1, Tech 2 and Tech 3 power generators, each with increasing power outputs and efficiency once completed.

Production[]

Power generators can be built anywhere on land by engineers and (S)ACUs/command units. T1 have a size of 1x1, T2 a size of 3x3, and T3 a size of 4x4; a T3 generator is the same size as a factory.

The only exception is the Hydrocarbon power plant, which can only be built on hydrocarbon deposits. Like mass extractors, hydrocarbon have limited areas on maps where special plants can be built upon. They're also stronger and non-volatile, compared to their counterparts.

Various adjacency bonuses affect the placement of generators. Their production can be increased by placing energy storage around them, giving them a extra 50% bonus. Placing a power generator, next to a power consuming building such as a shield generator, will lower its consumption. In particular, air factories, radar, SMD, mass fabricators, and T3 artilleries are often surrounded by T1 power generators; T2/T3 shields can be placed next to a T2 power generator to reduce the impact of them.

Flammability[]

GeneratorBoom — Generators explode on death.

It is vital that generators are placed in a secluded location or otherwise defended as they are classed as "volatile" and thus explode on death. Chained explosive reactions are deadly if multiples are placed next to each other. Leaving 1-2 spaces between each structure, as well as using shield generators can improve the durability of the generators and make them less susceptible to damage. While the wreckage can be rebuilt rapidly by engineers, this destruction will undo the build power sunk into it, that could have been used for more useful tasks.

With T1 power, it is inadvisable to build them all next to each other in a row as this makes them an easy target for T1 attack bombers, especially the UEF Scorcher. This also means if one is hit, the AOE DOT and the death explosions will be enough to take out the whole lot. For land factory adjacency, sometimes a one-tile space is left in between the two corner ones, in the following pattern for each side:

xPPxPPxPPx
PFFFFFFFFP
PFFFFFFFFP
x........x

While T2 and T3 power is less spammy, it is wise to leave some space, mostly if not direct connecting to air factories or shields. The large free space around the shield's base helps minimise the damage they take from "adjacent" generator death explosions. However the generator is still an easy target and a shield-adjacent setup is not ideal in the long term, as later in the game with T3, power is generally very plentiful.

Build order[]

At the start of the game, in order not to end up in an energy stall it is vitally important to consider how long it takes to pay off a pgen's cost, in order to perform proper resource accounting. Typically power is within the first 5 structures constructed in order not to empty the storage and end up in a stall, with no energy to make new ones.

It takes 750 energy to build a T1 power generator. Therefore about 40 seconds after it is completed it will have paid for itself, producing the nominal 20 Energy/sec as expected. Note that an ACU builds a factory in 30 seconds, so building one and then a factory is effectively and approximately energy neutral by the end of the factory's construction. At this stage it is also important to note that a T1 factory roughly costs 2k energy and a mex costs about-400 mass (rounding up from 360m). Consider these figures and the payoff times to construct a proper build order.

A second consideration is that the hydrocarbon power plant can help to maintain power needs, early game until higher generators can be built. While limited in quantity, it is much more resource efficient to build. This makes the hydro integral to certain build orders where it can be the first power structure built. However, it only replaces the starting generator sequence; further generators must still be produced to scale up the economy, especially if air power is desired.

Economic expansion[]

The T1 Power generator's rate of 20 power per 75 mass invested is used as a baseline for comparison against other structures. A few generators per factory ensure constant production, particularly with factory adjacency bonuses, and ensure timely upgrades to T2. A few generators can also help provide the power needed to get critical ACU upgrades. It may be helpful to have a template layout with T1 generators placed on the sides of a 4x4 structure to expedite placement, as T1 power provides adjacency bonuses to T3 arty and other structures later in the game also. A good start to aim for is about 12-25 T1 power generators before getting T2 power.

Building a power generator costs a lot of both resources, especially when building one of a new tech level. Tech level 2 is especially expensive compared to Tech level 1. At 1200 mass the upfront cost is comparable to a couple of T2 mass extractor upgrades, a sizeable amount when trying to grow an economy. Also in terms of power, each builder will also need 2-3 T1 generators supporting the engineer during construction. So a stable income of both mass and energy production will ensure a smooth attempt to build a more advanced power generator of a higher Tech level. This level of energy production will provide greater access to T2 air and T3 land units with a total cost of around 10k energy or less.

Despite the issues of upgrading, as soon as it is possible to use the higher Tech level, build them. They will be more efficient per mass invested than those of lower tech levels. The output of T2 is 25 times higher despite being only 16x the cost allowing scaling up in the long run. The old generators can be effectively dismantled by being reclaimed, allowing the mass to be invested into the new ones. Also consider using the Resource Allocation System ACU upgrade instead of or alongside the T3 Power Generator. While insufficient as the sole source of energy for late game experimental construction, a RAS is much harder to destroy, providing a secure source of energy for the rest of the game (and also supplementing mass income).

Cost-efficiency compared[]

	Hp	Construction costs			Prod.	Prod. /mass ^{[n 1]}	Prod. /space ^{[n 2]}
	Hp	Energy	Mass	Time	Prod.	Prod. /mass ^{[n 1]}	Prod. /space ^{[n 2]}
Tech 1	600	750	75	125	+20/s	0.27	20
Tech 2	2160	12000	1200	2000	+500/s	0.42	55.5
Tech 3	9720	57600	3240	5400	+2500/s	0.77	156
Hydrocarbon	1600	800	160	400	+100/s	0.63	11.1 or ∞ ^{[n 3]}
↑ The production of energy per mass invested in the construction. ↑ The production of energy per unity of space occupied—considering that one T1 power generator occupies one space. So a T2 PGen requires nine spaces (3x3, the same for hydrocarbon plants), and a T3 PGen takes sixteen spaces (4x4, or the space of 16 T1 PGens). ↑ The space taken up by a hydrocarbon power plant is nine squares but since nothing else can be built on the hydrocarbon deposit, it could be considered the power to space ratio is infinite.

In short, as a general rule, higher tech generators are more mass efficient, apart from the Hydrocarbon which is almost always efficient. Note that the Command Unit RAS upgrade (particularly the ACU one as it arrives earlier, but also for SACUs) can be used to produce power and is about as efficient production as T2 generators, but with the added benefit of producing mass without having to integrate the 10 mass fabricators as well. It is advisable to reclaim old structures to reinvest their cost into making more efficient ones.

Factional differences[]

Except for the visuals, there are strictly no factional differences whatsoever in the factions' power generators, in either Normal SupCom or Forged Alliance. They all have identical cost, size/footprint, health, and explosion damage.

Gallery[]

[EpM-1] The production of energy per mass invested in the construction.

[EpS-2] The production of energy per unity of space occupied—considering that one T1 power generator occupies one space. So a T2 PGen requires nine spaces (3x3, the same for hydrocarbon plants), and a T3 PGen takes sixteen spaces (4x4, or the space of 16 T1 PGens).

[Zero-space-3] The space taken up by a hydrocarbon power plant is nine squares but since nothing else can be built on the hydrocarbon deposit, it could be considered the power to space ratio is infinite.

[n 1]

[n 2]

[n 3]