I am a bit of a newb, just started playing a few days ago and I just signed in on this forum for my first time.
Anywho; is there a way I can use car parts to make a generator so I can power things like batteries or appliances. Can appliances even be powered? I looked at the furniture.json, but I didn’t see anything that would make the fridge for example be powered so it would preserve food or be powered at all. Is there a way to make a microwave or a tv, vcr, dvdplayer as an activatable funiture? In order to make them things would I have to edit the source? I took a peek at the source and my eyes bled, plus it looks to be a fair bit outdated. 0.6 it says. But that could mean something else, I don’t know.
general forum is for regular chat. Bunker is where the game is discussed. so you wont get many responses to game questions here.
i dont think they added generators. id like that too. there is a ‘yeah butt’. you can generate electricity from a car. you have to build it. Building cars is rather complex. i have not really dug into it myself. there are posts in the bunker with tips and in the wiki. it will take time to figure out the mechanics.
i do like the idea of generators then you can add lights, computers, powered traps, etc… but it does not exist. i believe it has been suggested. this would be a pretty big mod.
Ya, okay. I guess I have to go beat my brain with a hammer aka try to learn this code. Thanks… hmm, is the source outdated? I like the current version a lot, not that I tried the previous versions. But it have more stuff now, should I wait for the next release before I try to create it? Of course, I am going to learn this code first. But should I hold off actually trying to make this until next release?
A frame with a solar panel and a storage battery mounted on it functions as a power generator, for all intents and purposes. Quite a lot of vehicle-mounted appliances have been added recently, from minifridges to electric kitchens to forges and chemistry labs. It’s not particularly complicated to put one together once you have all the materials.
Construction items have been added to the .jsons, so I don’t think it would be too hard to make an item that functions similar to a storage battery as a furniture item. The question becomes how to connect faraway appliances to the generator? For a vehicle, anything attached to the same frame is connected, but for furniture items, it’d be a bit harder.
Hmm… I was thinking doing like on minecraft buildcraft or ic2. Wires and whatnot. Of course; I highly doubt this can be done with how things currently are. A roundbout way to do it, I think. Is to make a non mobile vehicle in your base and use it for it appliances. I wonder if there are ways to make furniture a part of vehicles.
There was also a forum where someone was talking about making it where you can power walls and any furniture attached to the wall would be powered.
The non-mobile thing is generally how most of us handle it, with the exception of those who cut out the middleman and build a giant vehicular base for permanent residence. And maybe wires would be a good idea, although building an entire furniture electric system from scratch is quite a task if you’ve never touched the code before.
Well ya, but I like to start big… Just don’t hold your breath for this.
I think there’s nothing stopping you from building a giant wheel-less car and living in it.
Can have lights, walls, rooms, doors, windows, storage, etc.
And of course you could add wheels to it one day.
How to make a generator:
- Some frames
- A battery - any will probably do
- An engine - the lower the fuel consumption, the better, IIRC
- Vehicle controls
- Gasoline tank
- Gasoline
- Optional materials like solar panels if you’re keeping it outside, a floodlight if it’s underground, a muffler to reduce its noise, crafting terminals because why not, maybe wheels or casters if you aren’t making a ten-ton shack.
Weld the frames together depending on how many things you want to attach to your generator and where you want them.
Install the battery, engine, controls, fuel tank.
Fill tank.
Start engine. (’^’+direction towards controls)
Wait.
Start using power-consuming additions whenever you feel comfortable.
Don’t forget to turn off the engine when you’re close to 100%. Unless you’re using power faster than you make it, anyway.
Gasoline generators were not a particularly complex modification AFAIK, and the ability for combustion engines to generate battery power was added a while ago, as part of vehicle headlight rebalancing.
Could just use solar cells if you’re using it outside. No need for an engine.
Yes, there are generators…
I’m the only one who tried defence mode ever, arn’t I 
Probably… Why play defense mode?
But if you do use an engine, then it is extra awesome 