Oxygen Not Included: How to Use Power Transformer Guide

by Falagar / Articles, Misc. Guides / 21 May 2017

How it works

Basically it allows you to split the higher output (current max at 20kW) into smaller output branches (current max at 1kW)

How to connect it

You connect the producer (generator) to the top left socket of the transformer (usually using heavy wire) and connect the consumer at the other end (usually using regular wire).

Decor Penalties

As you may already know. Some buildings or utilities have a bad decor rating.

Regular wire can hold 1kW power and has -5 decor (1tile radius).

Heavy wire can hold 20kW power and has -25 decor (6 tile radius).

You can build regular wire inside a wall/floor to hide their negative decor rating, but you can’t build heavy wire inside a wall/floor; therefore, you can’t hide their negative decor rating completely.

By game design, the developer doesn’t want you to spread this heavy wire all over the place. Currently, there is no way to deal with the bad decor produced by the heavy wire. They are just too much.

Example how bad they are:

I will also give you some tips about how to manage those in this guide. But before we get there, first I will show you some examples.

Different examples or scenarios how you can use Power Transformer

The first one is the basic use; you connect a generator to the producer using heavy wire and then connect regular wire in the consumer output to your building(s).

The second one is to show you an example of having 2 transformers to split the watt usage into different areas/buildings.

The third one is a simple example of whether you want to connect a manual generator without having trouble with the bad decor. You can connect regular wire as an input (producer) and heavy wire at the transformer consumer; this makes the transformer acts as a generator/battery. Well in a sensing transformer is just like a battery. They store 1kJ.

Power Transformer and Batteries

You can still use batteries to store your power.

The blue section’s batteries are storing power from the generator and can be used to power the transformer. So when the generator stops working, the transformer will take power from the batteries. Batteries in the green section are storing power from the transformer. When the transformer is running out of power, the buildings in each green section will then use power from their own batteries network. They will not take power from another transformer that is not connected to them.

How to distribute & deal with the bad decor

You can create something like a manhole (similar in real life).

Decor Overlay

As you can see here, I still got good decor in my hallway/corridor where my dupes are walking:

Power Grid Overlay

I use a wire bridge to cross the heavy wire through the wall/door.

Those heavy wires are connected to the other side of my base, and at that end, it also got transformers distributing power for that sector. I only have one giant power plant and distribute it all across the map.

Overview of my Colony

This is my power grid network and my decor rating.

Falagar

He is the founder and editor of Magic Game World. He loved gaming from the moment he got a PlayStation 1 with Gran Turismo on his 7th birthday.
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