Lightning rod - Revision history

Dagorad62: /* Net Efficiency */ terminology clarifications

2026-10-11T03:30:17Z

Net Efficiency: terminology clarifications

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:30, 11 October 2026
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	===Implications===		===Implications===

	~~Adding coverage area~~ increases the maximum sustainable net efficiency achievable by increasing the highest sustainable base demand that can be met. ~~For an~~ isolated large ~~island of ~25 chunks~~, ~~this implies~~ the ~~following table. The~~ table below assumes 30 chunks are ~~covered~~ and ~~coverage~~ per rod equivalent to 3.14 x ~~Range²~~. Even at very high power consumption the stochastic nature of lightning strikes and large area means that multiple lightning rods will be powered simultaneously. The best case number of simultaneously powered rods (caused by perfectly spaced lightning) is shown in the table.		Increasing the size of the lightning rod network increases the maximum sustainable net efficiency achievable by increasing the highest sustainable base demand that can be met. As mentioned this will reduce the energy lost to the drain. This leads to a non-linear effect where e.g. going from a network with 30 chunks in range to 150 chunks in range increases the max sustainable power by 10x rather than 5x.

			Since isolated large islands are common, the table below assumes 30 chunks are within range and range per rod equivalent to 3.14 x building_reach². Even at very high power consumption the stochastic nature of lightning strikes and large area means that multiple lightning rods will be powered simultaneously. The best case number of simultaneously powered rods (caused by perfectly spaced lightning) is shown in the table. This means the power figures in the table are more of an upper bound.

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|-		\|-
	! Quality !! ~~Coverage~~ (Chunks) !! Rods per Large Island !! Simultaneous Powered Rods !! Night-time Power (MW) !! Net Efficiency Achieved		! Quality !! Range (Chunks) !! Rods per Large Island !! Simultaneous Powered Rods !! Night-time Power (MW) !! Net Efficiency Achieved
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_normal.png\|15px]] Normal \|\| 0.7 \|\| 44 \|\| 1.5 \|\| 200 \|\| 10%		\| [[File:Quality_normal.png\|15px]] Normal \|\| 0.7 \|\| 44 \|\| 1.5 \|\| 200 \|\| 10%
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	\|}		\|}

	Total continuous power achievable over the entire day requires halving the above~~. The above should be thought of as a realistic upper bound for a single large island~~. Again, larger tilings of connected lightning rods will be able to achieve higher net efficiencies, but convergence of net efficiency to listed efficiency is slow. Even arrays ten times larger than the table above will have net efficiencies which are still only 90%-95% of listed efficiency. In practice, net efficiency will be ~~significantly~~ lower than listed efficiency unless one ~~uses foundation and big power poles to bridge separated grids~~.		Total continuous power achievable over the entire day requires halving the above. Again, larger tilings of connected lightning rods will be able to achieve higher net efficiencies, but convergence of net efficiency to listed efficiency is slow. Even arrays ten times larger than the table above will have net efficiencies which are still only 90%-95% of listed efficiency. In practice, net efficiency will be noticeably lower than listed efficiency unless one merges the network of several large islands.

	One should note that increased quality leads to the following effects:		One should note that increased quality leads to the following effects:

Dagorad62: /* Implications */

2026-10-11T03:20:10Z

Implications

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:20, 11 October 2026
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	* Quality lightning rods can reach further into the oil ocean, effectively increasing the coverage area for a given island.		* Quality lightning rods can reach further into the oil ocean, effectively increasing the coverage area for a given island.
	* The vast majority of the increased efficiency of higher quality lightning rods comes from the higher base efficiency. This means re-tiling is not usually necessary unless many rods are active simultaneously and power-density of the base is quite high.		* The vast majority of the increased efficiency of higher quality lightning rods comes from the higher base efficiency. This means re-tiling is not usually necessary unless many rods are active simultaneously and power-density of the base is quite high.
	As the table above indicates, in smaller networks the increased number of active drains with higher quality dramatically dampens the benefit of increased quality. In larger networks each increase in quality allows for an ~20% increase in max sustainable power.		As the table above indicates, in smaller networks the increased number of active drains with higher quality dramatically dampens the benefit of increased quality. In larger networks each increase in quality allows for an ~20% - 30% increase in max sustainable power.

	== History ==		== History ==

Dagorad62: /* Implications */

2026-10-11T03:19:21Z

Implications

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:19, 11 October 2026
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	* Quality lightning rods can reach further into the oil ocean, effectively increasing the coverage area for a given island.		* Quality lightning rods can reach further into the oil ocean, effectively increasing the coverage area for a given island.
	* The vast majority of the increased efficiency of higher quality lightning rods comes from the higher base efficiency. This means re-tiling is not usually necessary unless many rods are active simultaneously and power-density of the base is quite high.		* The vast majority of the increased efficiency of higher quality lightning rods comes from the higher base efficiency. This means re-tiling is not usually necessary unless many rods are active simultaneously and power-density of the base is quite high.
	As the table above indicates, in smaller networks the increased number of active drains with higher quality dramatically dampens the benefit of increased quality. ~~However~~ larger networks ~~do not have this problem~~.		As the table above indicates, in smaller networks the increased number of active drains with higher quality dramatically dampens the benefit of increased quality. In larger networks each increase in quality allows for an ~20% increase in max sustainable power.

	== History ==		== History ==

Dagorad62: /* Implications */ Updated table to reflect updated estimate of lightning strikes per night.

2026-10-11T03:14:43Z

Implications: Updated table to reflect updated estimate of lightning strikes per night.

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:14, 11 October 2026
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	! Quality !! Coverage (Chunks) !! Rods per Large Island !! Simultaneous Powered Rods !! Night-time Power (MW) !! Net Efficiency Achieved		! Quality !! Coverage (Chunks) !! Rods per Large Island !! Simultaneous Powered Rods !! Night-time Power (MW) !! Net Efficiency Achieved
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_normal.png\|15px]] Normal \|\| 0.7 \|\| 44 \|\| 2 \|\| ~~300~~ \|\| 10%		\| [[File:Quality_normal.png\|15px]] Normal \|\| 0.7 \|\| 44 \|\| 1.5 \|\| 200 \|\| 10%
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png\|15px]] Uncommon \|\| 1.2 \|\| 26 \|\| 2 \|\| ~~490~~ \|\| 16%		\| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png\|15px]] Uncommon \|\| 1.2 \|\| 26 \|\| 1.5 \|\| 340 \|\| 16%
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_rare.png\|15px]] Rare \|\| 1.8 \|\| 17 \|\| 2.5 \|\| ~~580~~ \|\| 19%		\| [[File:Quality_rare.png\|15px]] Rare \|\| 1.8 \|\| 17 \|\| 2 \|\| 390 \|\| 18%
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_epic.png\|15px]] Epic \|\| 2.5 \|\| 13 \|\| 3 \|\| ~~770~~ \|\| 24%		\| [[File:Quality_epic.png\|15px]] Epic \|\| 2.5 \|\| 13 \|\| 3 \|\| 430 \|\| 18.5%
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_legendary.png\|15px]] Legendary \|\| 4.3 \|\| 8 \|\| 4 \|\| ~~1100~~ \|\| 32%		\| [[File:Quality_legendary.png\|15px]] Legendary \|\| 4.3 \|\| 8 \|\| 4 \|\| 640 \|\| 25%
	\|-		\|-
	\|}		\|}
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	* Quality lightning rods can reach further into the oil ocean, effectively increasing the coverage area for a given island.		* Quality lightning rods can reach further into the oil ocean, effectively increasing the coverage area for a given island.
	* The vast majority of the increased efficiency of higher quality lightning rods comes from the higher base efficiency. This means re-tiling is not usually necessary unless many rods are active simultaneously and power-density of the base is quite high.		* The vast majority of the increased efficiency of higher quality lightning rods comes from the higher base efficiency. This means re-tiling is not usually necessary unless many rods are active simultaneously and power-density of the base is quite high.
			As the table above indicates, in smaller networks the increased number of active drains with higher quality dramatically dampens the benefit of increased quality. However larger networks do not have this problem.

	== History ==		== History ==

Dagorad62 at 03:07, 11 October 2026

2026-10-11T03:07:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:07, 11 October 2026
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	{{:Infobox:Lightning rod}}		{{:Infobox:Lightning rod}}
	{{About/Space age}}		{{About/Space age}}
	The '''lightning rod''' is a building from [[Fulgora]]{{SA}} that protects an area from getting struck by lightning from the nightly storms. When struck, they generate [[Power production#Lightning power\|power for a limited time]]. The peak power production is limited only by the demands of the connected [[electric system]], but the internal storage is subject to a 150 MW drain in addition to the load from the electric system. It is unlocked by researching the [[Planet discovery Fulgora (research)\|Planet discovery Fulgora]] technology.		The '''lightning rod''' is a type of lightning attractor, a building from [[Fulgora]]{{SA}} that protects an area from getting struck by lightning from the nightly storms. When struck, they generate [[Power production#Lightning power\|power for a limited time]]. The peak power production is limited only by the demands of the connected [[electric system]], but the internal storage is subject to a 150 MW drain in addition to the load from the electric system. It is unlocked by researching the [[Planet discovery Fulgora (research)\|Planet discovery Fulgora]] technology.

	The lightning rod cannot be crafted on any planet other than Fulgora, as other planets lack the same strong magnetic field.		The lightning rod cannot be crafted on any planet other than Fulgora, as other planets lack the same strong magnetic field.

Dagorad62: /* Lightning Mechanics */

2026-10-11T03:02:00Z

Lightning Mechanics

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:02, 11 October 2026
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	For the purposes of understanding lightning rods, there are a few important behaviors of lightning. First is that one can expect 6.48 lightning strikes per night per chunk (32x32 tiles). Each strike contains 1 GJ which can be used to recharge lightning rods and [[lightning collector]]s. The net efficiency of the lightning rods will significantly lower the amount that can be converted to usable energy (see [[Lightning rod#Net Efficiency\|net efficiency]] below). The reach of lightning is 10 tiles and Lightning strikes do 100 electric damage to struck entities.		For the purposes of understanding lightning rods, there are a few important behaviors of lightning. First is that one can expect 6.48 lightning strikes per night per chunk (32x32 tiles). Each strike contains 1 GJ which can be used to recharge lightning rods and [[lightning collector]]s. The net efficiency of the lightning rods will significantly lower the amount that can be converted to usable energy (see [[Lightning rod#Net Efficiency\|net efficiency]] below). The reach of lightning is 10 tiles and Lightning strikes do 100 electric damage to struck entities.

	Most importantly, each lightning strike will have a "source" and a "target". If the source of a strike is within <code>~~range~~ + lightning_reach</code> of a lightning attractor, then that strike is guaranteed to only hit lightning attractors.		Most importantly, each lightning strike will have a "source" and a "target". If the source of a strike is within <code>building_reach+ lightning_reach</code> of a lightning attractor (i.e. within <code>range</code> meters, then that strike is guaranteed to only hit lightning attractors.

	== Coverage ==		== Coverage ==

Dagorad62: /* Coverage */ Updated to include blue coverage area behavior. Also clarified range = building_reach + lightning_reach to put a name to the first number in range.

2026-10-11T02:55:52Z

Coverage: Updated to include blue coverage area behavior. Also clarified range = building_reach + lightning_reach to put a name to the first number in range.

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:55, 11 October 2026
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	== Coverage ==		== Coverage ==
	Lightning rods protect buildings within ~~their~~ coverage zone ~~by attracting lightning~~. ~~As lightning rods have 100% electric [[resistance]], they take no damage. The~~ coverage zone of a lightning rod ~~network~~ is ~~shown when lightning rods are~~ selected or hovered over~~. In terms of actual building protection, the center of a building must be within the coverage zone to guarantee protection~~. Hovering over ~~any~~ lightning ~~rod~~ will cause unprotected buildings to display a red border around them. This can be useful when buildings lack power as the plug warning icon will override the thundercloud warning icon.		Lightning rods are guaranteed to protect buildings whose center is within the blue coverage zone. This coverage zone is made visible whenever a lightning rod is selected or hovered over. Hovering over or selecting lightning rods will also cause unprotected buildings to display a red border around them. This can be useful when buildings lack power as the plug warning icon will override the thundercloud warning icon. Protection occurs by simply making the lightning rod become the target of the strike. But since lightning rods have 100% electric [[resistance]], they take no damage when struck. For reference, a large island on [[Fulgora]] can be ~25 chunks, requiring between ~8 - 45 lightning rods depending on rod quality, tiling, and island shape.

	~~The~~ coverage zone of a lightning ~~rod can extend further than their listed~~ range ~~due to~~ the ~~ability~~ to ~~bridge small gaps between~~ the ~~default~~ coverage ~~areas~~. ~~As quality increases this becomes less~~ important ~~but for normal and uncommon quality this can result in a substantial boost to~~ coverage ~~per lightning~~ rod~~. For reference~~, a ~~large island on [[Fulgora]]~~ can ~~be ~25 chunks~~, ~~requiring~~ between ~~~8 - 45~~ lightning ~~rods depending on rod quality, tiling,~~ and ~~island shape~~.		Technically, the blue coverage zone doesn't actually do anything; it is merely a visualization aid. All protection is caused by the fact that lightning with a source within <code>range</code> meters of an attractor will target the attractor. Remember that <code>range</code> = <code>building_reach + lightning_reach</code>. The blue coverage zone is merely a reflection of which tiles cannot be the targets of any generated lightning. Another way to express this is that a location will be within the blue coverage zone if and only if all locations within 10 meters are within the range of a lightning attractor. This has two important implications.

			First, the blue coverage around an isolated rod or collector is, by default, equal to a circle of radius <code>building_reach</code> since lightning with a source just outside <code>range</code> can "reach in" <code>lightning_reach</code> meters and hit objects just outside the circle. Second, attractors whose ranges begins to overlap will remove potential sources for lightning strikes targeting tiles in the ring between the building reach and the range. As they get closer more potential lightning sources for tiles in the region are removed and eventually all potential sources for some tiles are removed. When this occurs the blue coverage zone will expand to include them.

	=== Tiling Options ===		=== Tiling Options ===
	An equilateral triangular tiling is most efficient as this maximizes circle packing when arranged in a hexagonal tiling. For all lightning rods a nearly equilateral triangle of <code>base: 2 x ~~Range~~</code> and <code>height: 0.87 x ~~Range~~</code> will work and provide plenty of flexibility to move the vertices to accommodate interference from buildings. If flexibility is not needed, one can stretch out the size of each tile to the maximums described below.		An equilateral triangular tiling is most efficient as this maximizes circle packing when arranged in a hexagonal tiling. For all lightning rods a nearly equilateral triangle of <code>base: 2 x building_reach</code> and <code>height: 0.87 x building_reach</code> will work and provide plenty of flexibility to move the vertices to accommodate interference from buildings. If flexibility is not needed, one can stretch out the size of each tile to the maximums described below.

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
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	Keep in mind that these are center-to-center distances. The gap between rods will be 1 less than these.		Keep in mind that these are center-to-center distances. The gap between rods will be 1 less than these.

	Islands on Fulgora are relatively small and jagged so one will still be required to fill in gaps on the edges in an ad-hoc manner. With reasonably good tiling lightning rods will, on average, cover at least the circular coverage implied by their ~~range~~ (3.14 x ~~Range²~~) even accounting for the edges of islands. This makes circular coverage a useful estimator for max power.		Islands on Fulgora are relatively small and jagged so one will still be required to fill in gaps on the edges in an ad-hoc manner. With reasonably good tiling lightning rods will, on average, cover at least the circular coverage implied by their reach (3.14 x building_reach²) even accounting for the edges of islands. This makes circular coverage a useful estimator for max power.

	To align with a 50x50 tiling of roboports one can tile rare lightning rods in an isosceles triangle pattern or epic lightning rods in a square pattern. More generally, aligning with a M x N grid (with M > N for simplicity) with triangles requires that the base > M and height > N. With squares aligning requires that side > M.		To align with a 50x50 tiling of roboports one can tile rare lightning rods in an isosceles triangle pattern or epic lightning rods in a square pattern. More generally, aligning with a M x N grid (with M > N for simplicity) with triangles requires that the base > M and height > N. With squares aligning requires that side > M.

Dagorad62: /* Lightning Mechanics */ Updated with more correct information and info relevant to how the blue coverage area is set.

2026-10-11T00:56:04Z

Lightning Mechanics: Updated with more correct information and info relevant to how the blue coverage area is set.

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:56, 11 October 2026
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	== Lightning Mechanics ==		== Lightning Mechanics ==
	~~Each lightning strike contains 1 GJ and, when averaged over the night, lightning strikes approximately once every 10 seconds per chunk. This energy can only be used to recharge lightning attractors (~~i.e. lightning rods and [[lightning collector]]s). This means lightning attractors have access to ~100MW per chunk. The net efficiency of the lightning rods will significantly lower the amount that can be converted to usable energy (see [[Lightning ~~rod#Net Efficiency\|net efficiency~~]] ~~below).~~		<i>Main article: [[Fulgora#Lightning]]</i>

	Lightning strikes do 100 electric damage to struck entities. ~~See [[Fulgora#Lightning]] for more details~~, ~~including immune buildings~~ that ~~do not require~~ lightning ~~attractor coverage~~.		For the purposes of understanding lightning rods, there are a few important behaviors of lightning. First is that one can expect 6.48 lightning strikes per night per chunk (32x32 tiles). Each strike contains 1 GJ which can be used to recharge lightning rods and [[lightning collector]]s. The net efficiency of the lightning rods will significantly lower the amount that can be converted to usable energy (see [[Lightning rod#Net Efficiency\|net efficiency]] below). The reach of lightning is 10 tiles and Lightning strikes do 100 electric damage to struck entities.

			Most importantly, each lightning strike will have a "source" and a "target". If the source of a strike is within <code>range + lightning_reach</code> of a lightning attractor, then that strike is guaranteed to only hit lightning attractors.

	== Coverage ==		== Coverage ==

Dagorad62: /* Tiling Options */ collectors -> rods

2026-10-09T22:31:35Z

Tiling Options: collectors -> rods

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:31, 9 October 2026
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	\|}		\|}

	Keep in mind that these are center-to-center distances. The gap between ~~collectors~~ will be 1 less than these.		Keep in mind that these are center-to-center distances. The gap between rods will be 1 less than these.

	Islands on Fulgora are relatively small and jagged so one will still be required to fill in gaps on the edges in an ad-hoc manner. With reasonably good tiling lightning rods will, on average, cover at least the circular coverage implied by their range (3.14 x Range²) even accounting for the edges of islands. This makes circular coverage a useful estimator for max power.		Islands on Fulgora are relatively small and jagged so one will still be required to fill in gaps on the edges in an ad-hoc manner. With reasonably good tiling lightning rods will, on average, cover at least the circular coverage implied by their range (3.14 x Range²) even accounting for the edges of islands. This makes circular coverage a useful estimator for max power.

Dagorad62: /* Tiling Options */ Made note of distances being center to center

2026-10-09T22:31:16Z

Tiling Options: Made note of distances being center to center

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:31, 9 October 2026
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	! Quality !! Triangle !! Square		! Quality !! Triangle !! Square
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_normal.png\|15px]] Normal \|\| Base: 41 Height: 34 \|\| Side: 34		\| [[File:Quality_normal.png\|15px]] Normal \|\| Base: 42 Height: 34 \|\| Side: 35
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png\|15px]]Uncommon \|\| Base: 51 Height: 43 \|\| Side: 40		\| [[File:Quality_uncommon.png\|15px]]Uncommon \|\| Base: 52 Height: 43 \|\| Side: 41
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_rare.png\|15px]]Rare \|\| Base: 59 Height: 50 \|\| Side: 47		\| [[File:Quality_rare.png\|15px]]Rare \|\| Base: 60 Height: 50 \|\| Side: 48
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_epic.png\|15px]]Epic \|\| Base: 65 Height: 56 \|\| Side: 54		\| [[File:Quality_epic.png\|15px]]Epic \|\| Base: 66 Height: 56 \|\| Side: 55
	\|-		\|-
	\| [[File:Quality_legendary.png\|15px]]Legendary\|\| Base: 81 Height: 70 \|\| Side: 66		\| [[File:Quality_legendary.png\|15px]]Legendary\|\| Base: 82 Height: 70 \|\| Side: 67
	\|}		\|}

			Keep in mind that these are center-to-center distances. The gap between collectors will be 1 less than these.

	Islands on Fulgora are relatively small and jagged so one will still be required to fill in gaps on the edges in an ad-hoc manner. With reasonably good tiling lightning rods will, on average, cover at least the circular coverage implied by their range (3.14 x Range²) even accounting for the edges of islands. This makes circular coverage a useful estimator for max power.		Islands on Fulgora are relatively small and jagged so one will still be required to fill in gaps on the edges in an ad-hoc manner. With reasonably good tiling lightning rods will, on average, cover at least the circular coverage implied by their range (3.14 x Range²) even accounting for the edges of islands. This makes circular coverage a useful estimator for max power.