Power Smarts / Light switches

[ApexPredator]

During my first game I wanted motion sensors for lights. I figured it could be researched first and say would only affect standing lamps.

[CodyRex123]

Just saying, Double clicking things like lamps and beds and such lets you click all that are in the game, works with metal and food, but only if its on your screen, and it would be nice to have all my bedrooms a certain lamp color so i can click and turn off those lamps and keep my base on

[_alphaBeta_]

I came here to suggest exactly the same thing, so I thought it best to bump this thread rather than create a new one.

Before searching, I was planning to hit the suggestions forum with a concept for circuit breakers. Same singular power lines, but essentially having a circuit panel item and the ability to designate electrical devices to be in groups that can be turned off together. When an event takes place that requires power to be conserved, it would be nice to hit a few switches to set the electrical connections up accordingly. As was said, manually going around turning devices and lights off in a large base can be quite tedious.

I see some much better ideas in this thread, however, with power conservation being an automated process either by colonists having power conservation awareness turning devices off or automated to even the colonists with sensors etc. It only makes sense that colonists in a strange place would have powered devices active only when needed. You certainly wouldn't leave the cook stove, slag refinery and all lights on all night draining away on those batteries.

[johnakers]

Perhaps just adding a new light to the game which uses very little power and very short light range, just enough for a bed...  That way no micromanagement, no code needed for colonist to work switches.  Regular lights can be used in other areas that require more lighting.

[ApexPredator]

Perhaps just adding a new light to the game which uses very little power and very short light range, just enough for a bed...  That way no micromanagement, no code needed for colonist to work switches.  Regular lights can be used in other areas that require more lighting.

This sounds like a nice simple idea for this issue.

[_alphaBeta_]

I have no issue with dimmer "night lights," but it doesn't address the other power hungry items around the base that are sitting on all night, every night (and even during the day not being used). At the moment, it doesn't seem like sleeping colonists even care about the lighting situation, so I only put lights in bedrooms for my own aesthetic reasons right now. Other than the mood hit a colonist experiences from the door to the bed, there's no point at the moment. Even then being "in darkness" is a -3 hit.

For the non-light items, I'd say a simple solution would be for them to only be "on" when they're in use. That certainly makes sense, and would yield large savings. You don't leave the stove on all day when you're not cooking. For lights, perhaps they only turn on when they would have an effect on someone, simulating a motion sensor.

[Haplo]

Just for your info, if you haven't seen it:
I have a small mod named PowerSwitch that has the functionality to switch off power circuits. It has a motion and enemy detector and also a timer.