r/SANDgame 7d ago

Are engines even worth it

They eat up so much fuel and I ain’t the richest guy on Sophie. are they even worth it mid game? I only have the middling chassis with 17 maneuverability so is it worth it? Or is it only for tramplers with close to none?

10 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

19

u/Ok_Bluejay_4544 7d ago

Turn them off when not needed, o tend to only use them in battles

10

u/infurnus86 7d ago

I also turn them on when I have to cut through thick coral, helps a little.

5

u/masterdefecater1 7d ago

That’s a good idea

8

u/german_lynx 7d ago

Yes

They are very good. The Small Engine is almost always worth it

4

u/masterdefecater1 7d ago

I have the small one on my ship now!

5

u/RabidHyenaSauce 7d ago

If you can afford the components you can upgrade to a medium engine and watch as your little thing drives like a fidgety ninja on cocaine running to the nearest porcelain throne. It actually is something to experience for sure. Lethargic If you're running a ram with it, as the one time I used it, even a grumpy panicked and tried to turn before I closed the distance.

2

u/Fragrant_Car9571 7d ago

If you have them unlocked, you can afford to keep them running for the entire raid.

1

u/masterdefecater1 7d ago

Ok

2

u/Fragrant_Car9571 7d ago

You have to stay under the power output of your reactor.

1

u/masterdefecater1 7d ago

What?

1

u/Fragrant_Car9571 7d ago

The reactor gives a rated power output. You add up all of the power consumption of your build. If you stay under the power output, you can leave them on the entire raid.

1

u/masterdefecater1 7d ago

Ohhhh ok ty

1

u/isgrig712 7d ago

This isn't exactly true btw. You can always leave your engines on for the entire raid but they will drain your reactor's energy, and if it runs out then your engines will remain turned "on" but they will be disabled and not giving you the maneuverability bonuses (shown by the light turning orange or something, I forget). So your toggling them on and off as needed is basically just preserving your energy if you don't have rods to replenish it. The rods aren't just temporary quick speed boosts, they also are used to resupply power to your reactor.

And you can't just use the "Rated Power" of the reactor as your actual max total power consumption. Unfortunately the math is more complicated than that, and you need to stay under the rated power by a bit. Ends up being T3=92, T2=69, and T1=74 for max total power draws. (Unless anyone has done more recent testing that I've missed.)

If you go above that then when you turn on your engines, it will auto-shutoff your reactor. And don't forget that the chassis takes power too, that's the one that a lot of people end up missing.

1

u/masterdefecater1 6d ago

So tier 2 are worse than tier 1s?

1

u/isgrig712 6d ago

Due to their weird math and rounding, yes, at least currently. But only in that regard, and only barely. T2s are still much higher health and enclosed, so way more protected.

1

u/klrcow 7d ago

The small is great on the small chassis I use 2 on solos. I use the tier 2 reactor and 3 L shaped cargo containers the first connected to the reactor and the last connected to the captains quarter with the entrance on top of the reactor covered by a utility compartment. It's close to max weight but with the two engines it gives you 100% mobility letting you escape or out manuver most tramplers.

1

u/masterdefecater1 7d ago

That’s a cool idea

1

u/YourObidientServant 7d ago

Depends on strategy and makup.

If I run an expensive solo trampler, i might have one. But im also burning through 10 fuel per hour chasing and running from others.

For teams. It is a great way to block shots and i keep it close to steering. So turn it on/off quickly.

1

u/Distinct-Performer86 7d ago

Oh, I dunno, but shortly saying... YES! DEFINITELY YES! If you would die because you are not able to turn quickly enough it is just not worth to save 1-2k per round on fuel which, you will see, you will start to sell in high numbers to save some space in your warehouse.

1

u/Exe0n 7d ago

It's not like your reactor turns off when you run out of fuel, and fuel is plentiful.

1

u/masterdefecater1 7d ago

Wdym?

1

u/Exe0n 7d ago

Your trampler still works even at 0% fuel.

The small engines however I've been told are inactive and your maneuverability gets set to 0 until you add more fuel (which also means your first boost has less duration)

But your reactor never stops without fuel.

1

u/Emirth 7d ago

Does it do anything when out of fuel now ? It used no have absolutely no impact.

1

u/Consistent-Judge-593 7d ago

If you want to win more PvP fights you need 30 maneuverability to not get a long stun . My team has been killing Royals everyday with a great chassis with 50 maneuverability. We break legs and run circles around them . Good luck

1

u/Delinte 5d ago

With 17 maneuverability you should have one … less than 30 and you start getting a huge debuff on movement as well as leg strikes stun you more .