Electricity gone, solar unavailable, generators dangerous - how about...

[BlackSun]

I've seen it mentioned off the side already a few times, bust most of these topics are from many years ago - now, with a vehicle parked around every 5th corner, what about...

 

 

Fair warning tho, before you watch: that guy is a professional putting on an act, showing everything that can go wrong actually go wrong to raise awareness and for comedic effect, with a fair bit of swearing. =D

 

So basically,

car battery/batteries + power inverter (hardware store, gas station, ...) + wires + electrician + house = Power for simple appliances?

 

You wouldn't power the fridge, oven or microwave with this, but anything else? Having the lights (even TV if you want to drain it faster) actually work in the whole house when you need them at night would be great already. And not forgetting to turn them off after would be important too, instead of leaving them on all day. My friend's pretty much blind in the dark apparently, while I still can see my surroundings.

 

On that note - is there any other light source, other than the flashlight and lighter (which really doesn't do all that much)? Torches that you could maybe even swing as a weapon or put in secondary? Wood, rags, flammable stuff, lighter. Huh. Never tried to do that, but the stuff to make one would already be available... maybe you could even take a torch from a camp fire, reducing its burn time each time you do.

Edited July 21, 2018 by BlackSun

[EnigmaGrey]

Solar simply doesn't fit the time period of the game. It was pretty uncommon in the early 90s, aside from some children's toys, calculators, and apparently road maintaince signs (something I've never seen, personally, nor know when they started being used). Wikipedia provides a good timeline: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_solar_cells You can see that they only entered mass production the 80s. Similar thing with biodiesel, the darling of the millennial $180 barrel of oil.

 

Fortunately there can be other ways to get power in the game, such as repurposing motors for things like a wind turbine, or using a compressor and wood gas generator with a generator, possibly by refilling lead-acid batteries (don't remember if replacing the electrolyte would result in a charge). 

Of course, a good counter-argument would be "it's possible to do in real life, so it should be possible in game. Just much rarer, more specialist knowledge!" but . . . . then things start getting weird. (How  do you decide what can be in the game and what can't be/how does this affect its setting -- it should feel "80s/90s"?)

[martingee]

Approximately 1:30

... wouldn't be very practical as it would attract zeds to your base though.

[EnigmaGrey]

38 minutes ago, martingee said:

Approximately 1:30

... wouldn't be very practical as it would attract zeds to your base though.

Ha ha. Inefficient, but I mean . . . 

 

Had forgot about alt-fuel trucks, such as kerosene or alcohol.  The latter would result in a renewable resource.

[Faalagorn]

5 hours ago, BlackSun said:

On that note - is there any other light source, other than the flashlight and lighter (which really doesn't do all that much)? Torches that you could maybe even swing as a weapon or put in secondary? Wood, rags, flammable stuff, lighter. Huh. Never tried to do that, but the stuff to make one would already be available... maybe you could even take a torch from a camp fire, reducing its burn time each time you do.

There's candles, but I didn't really used them much and I think they can't be placed, and the carpentry standing lights made from the flashlight you have to change battery. I also didn't tested it extensively, but I assume that all the heat sources give some light as well – including campfire, charcoal bbq, propane bbq and ancient oven, but I may be wrong on that. You can also use strategically placed vehicles' headlights to lighten things up, either by draing fuel or remaining battery current.

[BlackSun]

On 21.7.2018 at 2:33 PM, EnigmaGrey said:

Solar simply doesn't fit the time period of the game. [ ... ]

That's why I said unavailable. Unavailable at the time, in that location. The main point was the power inverter, these were around!

 

With power inverters from a hardware store, a wire and electrician 2 or 3, you could very easily build something like in the video, even in the 90s. Right? Would be a cool thing to get at least the lights up and working again.

Edited July 22, 2018 by BlackSun

[EnigmaGrey]

15 hours ago, BlackSun said:

That's why I said unavailable. Unavailable at the time, in that location. The main point was the power inverter, these were around!

 

With power inverters from a hardware store, a wire and electrician 2 or 3, you could very easily build something like in the video, even in the 90s. Right? Would be a cool thing to get at least the lights up and working again.

Sure, no reason you can't have an inverter. For el-cheapo generators, you'd need a separate one anyway. I had one of those growing up . . . was never used because Dad wouldn't fork over the $100 for one.

 

Wouldn't mind seeing a low, mid, and high tier (built in inverter, less chance of break down, better fuel economy) generator in the game. Would give  you something more to search for.

 

[BlackSun]

11 hours ago, EnigmaGrey said:

Sure, no reason you can't have an inverter. For el-cheapo generators, you'd need a separate one anyway. I had one of those growing up . . . was never used because Dad wouldn't fork over the $100 for one.

 

Wouldn't mind seeing a low, mid, and high tier (built in inverter, less chance of break down, better fuel economy) generator in the game. Would give  you something more to search for.

 

Sure would be noice. Also, might end up teaching someone about these stuffs and options for real life situations, which is always a plus. =D