# Non Drive Train Engines
**URL:** https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888
**Category:** The Drawing Board
**Created:** [June 20, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888 "2017-06-20T18:07:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/1 "2017-06-20T18:07:37Z")
How about adding a way to add engines that are not attached to the drive train. Aka, pure power generators. Is this possible without a lot of additional coding?
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### Author:  [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/2 "2017-06-20T18:45:47Z")
I looked into it and it doesn’t really look all that hard.
The problem is defining the drivetrain: either non-drivetrain engines become new parts (bad idea, because every engine would need a new part) or drivetrain becomes a new part.
So drivetrain would need to become a new part.
The problem with adding a new essential part is adding it to existing vehicles, of which there are tons. Some in mods. Non-core mods would get hit the hardest because all the vehicles in them would be broken until authors added drivetrains to them manually.
Then save compatibility, but that’s easy: every vehicle from old saves would get a drivetrain on every engine for free.
Later on we could split drivetrains into more complex ones: truck drivetrain, car drivetrain, bicycle “drivetrain”. But at first it would probably be just universal, perfect drivetrain that weighs next to nothing, has no transmission loss and no limits on usage.
tl;dr Not much coding, totally doable (just not before 0.D, because feature freeze)
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### Author:  [@deoxy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/deoxy)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/3 "2017-06-20T21:21:08Z")
I would think you could also specify a different vehicle part that takes the same non-vehicle part (like board, quarter panel, and roof all take sheet metal). That seems safer on saves and mods.
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### Author:  [@tarburst98](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/tarburst98)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2017, 12:53am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/4 "2017-06-21T00:53:02Z")
just do like how you have wheels that are steerable and non. adding more “engine(drivetrain)” is the same as adding more “wheel(steerable)”
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### Author:  [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2017, 9:05am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/5 "2017-06-21T09:05:06Z")
The problem is that you don’t have “engine” part, it’s “V12 engine”, “V8 engine” and so on.
Moving engine data to items would break mods (not exactly the biggest deal but still) and would make it hard to identify which kind of engine was used (this one is a problem that would require UI rewrite).
So I’d much rather go with a new drivetrain item instead.
It would probably be simpler code-wise too.
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### Author:  [@tarburst98](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/tarburst98)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2017, 9:49am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/6 "2017-06-21T09:49:00Z")
and you have 10 inch wheels, 38 inch wheels, etc, and those can all be made steerable and not. and maybe reverse it, engines are all the same but you can now install a “v12(non drive)”, the only current vehicle that would be changed by it is the portable generator that spawns in garages. which would have it’s engine be non drive and attached to the generator. anything else would have the engine report the exact same information as normal.
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### Author:  [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/7 "2017-06-21T13:51:44Z")
Tarburst is talking what I was thinking.
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### Author:  [@kaluce](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kaluce)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/8 "2017-06-21T14:17:19Z")
I like this idea, because I could make something that can run independently on my doombus that doesn’t consume my diesel, or making a long running hybrid car viable. IRL example: I think it’s the Nissan Leaf that has a tiny backup engine for power generation that is used to specifically charge the batteries. The motor has no effect on the driveline. It’s specifically used to increase the range of the EV engines.
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### Author:  [@deoxy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/deoxy)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/9 "2017-06-21T18:15:57Z")
> [@Coolthulhu](#):
>
> The problem is that you don’t have “engine” part, it’s “V12 engine”, “V8 engine” and so on.
Unless it’s a horrendous hack under the covers that you want to avoid duplicating, yeah, as tarburst pointed out, wheels and steerable wheels already to EXACTLY what you are complaining about implementing for engines…
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### Author:  [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/10 "2017-06-21T19:21:24Z")
Vehicle part UI is already terrible, doubling the number of engines is a good way to make it worse.
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### Author:  [@Maddremor](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Maddremor)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 12:13pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/11 "2017-06-22T12:13:53Z")
Would it be possible to implement the the lack or presence of a drive train on the code side, but leave the current engines as having a built in drive train by default? To to test the system a “viritual part” could be installed like an altenator, having no item req., named “detached drivetrain” as a placeholder until a plan for a painless migration is agreed upon. Heck, use a mod to actually make a player facing change to the in game vehicles.
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### Author:  [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/12 "2017-06-22T13:14:13Z")
As I said above, it would be most likely migration code that would attach actual drivetrains to engines, for free.
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### Author:  [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/13 "2017-06-22T14:36:47Z")
I think doubling the number of non-electric engines would be far from the worst thing that ever happens. You already have to scroll through a lot of parts.
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### Author:  [@nick0010](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/nick0010)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/14 "2017-06-22T18:10:19Z")
> [@Miloch](#):
>
> I think doubling the number of non-electric engines would be far from the worst thing that ever happens. You already have to scroll through a lot of parts.
(X) is already on fire so we can just pile some more wood on it no problem
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### Author:  [@John\_Candlebury](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/John_Candlebury)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/15 "2017-06-22T18:25:06Z")
How do you imagine the drive train would work Coolthuhu?
An actual multi-tile piece traveling across vehicles or just an abstract “drivetrain connection” installed on each engine.
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### Author:  [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/16 "2017-06-22T18:39:04Z")
Abstract, one tile “this engine is connected to drivetrain” part.
Multi-tile would be a giant pain to manage with current vehicle construction system. It would require an overlay or some other big UI rework.
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### Author:  [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/17 "2017-06-22T19:07:31Z")
I was thinking the simplest would be to add additional parts that be made with the same engines that don’t add to the vehicles propulsion. I’m not a coder, I have no idea how hard this would to implement.
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### Author:  [@tarburst98](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/tarburst98)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/18 "2017-06-22T20:59:35Z")
what about a REVERSE mending situation? as in, you can remove the drivetrain from an engine or attach it by mending it?
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### Author:  [@Miloch](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Miloch)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2017, 2:12pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/19 "2017-06-23T14:12:51Z")
Not 100% on what exactly you mean, but if it starts off as a drive train engine then it’ll require a higher skill to install as multiple engines running in sync on the drive train requires more knowledge and skill to do.
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### Author:  [@tarburst98](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/tarburst98)
#### Post date: [June 23, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/non-drive-train-engines/13888/20 "2017-06-23T15:24:29Z")
just install your false engine, un train it, then install your real engines.
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