Science & Industry

Ok, so I feel like I'm missing something here. These new fuel blocks seem like nothing more than a giant pain in the butt.
From what i have gathered its going to be roughly 50% more expensive, 44% more volume to haul and just one more step in getting the fuel. If I am indeed missing something can someone please get me up to date.

None of that makes sense to me... no offence. If its more expensive who the hell cares if its using less that becomes meaningless. and the fact that before this we could fuel our poss for 90 days with a single freighter full and now is far from that just makes it even more of a pain. Just nothing about this seems better, in any way shape or form. Anything that it has made easier by making the fuel one item is nullified by the fact that you have to make and move the more expensive and bigger fuel.

Your math is wrong. Look at the numbers in both blog posts. Currently, they are pricy because they are new on the market, not to mention some increase in cost is to be expected from PI changes.

^^^ this. If you just ran the numbers and compared it to how much it used to cost, than your math error comes from the spike in PI prices because of the POCO add and the change in price indicies/rise in taxes.

The only way that is at all possible is if you were only using 50% of both PG and CPU, in which case, the increase is more a cause of them switching how that works than the fuel blocks. They would have done that anyway (from what i have read), the fuel block thing was just an extra pirk. If however you were using anywhere above 50% cpu and power, then you have a math error and should try again.

Fuel bays were made larger, so they hold a bit more fuel than before.

* Fuel bays are now 140k / 70k / 35k (was 110k / 55k / 27.5k)

For three large towers:

3 * 140,000 m3 = 420,000 m3 which easily fits in any freighter (was 330,000 m3 which fits in some JF)

That's an increase of only 90,000 m3. Lasts me about 6 days longer than before.

... that is to fill the towers not to fuel them for the same period of time we have been in the past. like i said around 40% more space needed to move them.



This would work if it didn't require way way way more m3 of space to move the amount of the old fuel mats it takes to make the new fuel blocks. The 1 robotics part it takes is already bigger then the whole fuel block.

Just makes the probelm worse since now you are hauling 225m3 for every 200m3 of finished product.

The cost issue and the size issue are only a factor if you are significantly below 100% for CPU and Power.

I prefer the new system. Sure its an extra step to make the blocks, but it is a heck of a lot easier to load and run the tower, and see my fuel reserve when all I have to do is divide on ething by 40, and not 8 things by different numbers.

Let me repeat that : numbers for a LARGE regular tower with no fuel consumption bonuses...

BEFORE fuel blocks:
108.5 m^3/hour for mandatory fuel
UP TO 60 m^3/hour for powergrid
UP TO 60 m^3/hour for CPU
= total of UP TO a maximum of 228.5 m^3/hour at full MW/tf load
Assuming 90% CPU load and 65% grid load, that's (108.5+54+39)m^3/hour = 201.5 m^3/hour

AFTER fuel blocks - always 200 m^3/hour, regardless of CPU/grid load.

P.S. Before the patch, assuming a 50% load on both CPU and grid (at which time you could have just as well just bloody switched to a medium tower) that's a 168.5 m^3/hour use, vs 200 m^3/hour use, or only 31.5 m^3/hour difference (+18.7% total fuel volume).

P.P.S. Assuming the absolute worst case scenario which is highly unlikely to EVER happen in reality, that of 51% to either CPU or grid usage and negligible (let's say 4%) use in the other, that's still 141.5 m^3/hour of fuel used in the old system, with a WORST CASE SCENARIO difference of 58.5 m^3/hour, or +41.3% fuel volume use. In a situation so unbelievable it almost only happens on paper.

If you mean you have to haul more PI stuff to make blocks, then yes that may be true depending on your old-style consumption.

Of course you don't have to haul the PI stuff to a POS to make blocks. You can make blocks at any station, then haul the blocks.

Even hauling PI to one POS to make blocks for all other POSes is possible, and more convenient and efficient than manufacturing blocks at every POS.

I bought 5 BPO so I could make a lot of fuel blocks very quickly, so I didn't have to spend much time doing that. Otherwise it takes 1 day to manufacture 12 days of fuel (less when manufacturing time reduction bonuses are applied). So I can make 2 months worth in less than a single day.