Power & networks
Automatic connections, batteries, the G panel and satellite telemetry.
How buildings connect
Power cables appear automatically between compatible completed structures. A normal generator or consumer has one connection; a battery or lander is a hub for multiple devices. A reachable hub takes priority, then distance decides. Cables between producers now share a single trunk, and each device gets only a short branch; ranges, ports and how the grid works stay the same.
| Connection | Horizontal distance | Maximum height difference |
|---|---|---|
| Device to hub, or generator to consumer | 8 m | 0.15 m |
| Battery/lander to battery/lander | 12 m | 2.5 m |
Distances are between structure positions. A single terrain step can break an ordinary link. Place devices on a level area near a battery, and check the visible cables. Two nearby solar panels alone do not form a shared grid. When you place or move a machine with no producer, battery or depot within 8 m, the build panel warns that it is out of grid reach; you can still build it, but the machine will stay unpowered.
Production, demand and batteries
Each connected grid balances its own production and demand. Surplus charges its batteries; a deficit drains them. When stored energy runs out and production is insufficient, that grid’s consumers lose power. Separate grids do not share their reserves.
The lander includes solar generation and storage. Solar output changes with daylight, so leave reserve capacity for the night. The readout distinguishes a powered grid, a draining battery and a blackout.
The mining rig draws power differently from ordinary devices. In the default automatic mode it takes only the surplus of current production after other devices and never drains batteries; the manual mode sets a 1–4 kW limit in 1 kW steps and may draw from batteries. Ordinary devices keep priority in both modes; below 1 kW of available power the rig slows down or waits.
Machines move fluid only through a pump. The MK1 and MK2 vats and the tanks (including the smart tank) have a pump icon in their panel header, off by default; a pump in range connects the machine with a pipe only once you turn the icon on. The geo drill and the mining rig are always connected — their icon stays locked on — and the geothermal reactor links up automatically. The setting is saved with the world and synced in multiplayer.
The lower-left readout
Without satellite coverage, live values are available near a grid, within 16 m of a power node. Farther away the values become dashes; the panel itself remains. Pinning a grid does not bypass this limit.
With satellite coverage on your current world, the tracked grid remains readable at any distance. Auto follows nearby grids; selecting a grid in G pins it and shows a house icon. Return to Auto to follow your position again. The numbers describe one grid, never the sum of unrelated grids. Other-grid counts and satellite-enabled blackout alerts are separate.
G — power statistics
Open G near a grid, or anywhere with local satellite coverage. Select a grid to inspect production, consumption, battery charge and the category breakdown. History windows cover 10 seconds, 1 minute, 10 minutes and 1 hour.
When telemetry is available, world tabs show other worlds. Those are world totals, not one connected electrical grid: extra power on another world does not supply this base. An open map does not unlock remote monitoring; satellite coverage does.
