Singularity Engine: Difference between revisions

  |contents=[[Emitter]]s, [[Field Generator]]s, [[Gravitational Singularity Generator]]

It's really not that hard to set up the singularity properly unless you've had a bad run in with [[clown|retardation]]. This guide will assume that you're doing it alone, whether because you're the only engineer that signed up, or because everyone else buggered off like they always do. First off, you'll need to know what to bring to the singularity room with you, which you can acquire handily from around [[Engineering]]. You will need

*6 [[Plasma Tank]]s

**These are located in the [[Power Storage Room]]. You can obtain them from the [[tank_dispensers|dispenser]] next to the power monitoring terminal or from [[Atmospherics]].

*[[Optical Meson Scanner]]

**This is to protect your eyes from the radiation once the singularity is active.

*[[Hardsuit]]

*set of Internals

*[[Wrench]]

*[[Screwdriver]]

First thing's first, you should configure the [[SMES]]. These are located in the upper left corner of main engineering ([[Power Storage Room]]). There are three of them. First off, make sure each of them are set to auto charge, and have the input charge slightly higher than the output. A input/output charge of 200,000/140,000 each will charge the SMES extremely quickly, and ensure the station will always have enough power fed to it. Note that to sustain this level of output, you'll need to have fully filled the plasma tanks from the cylinder in engineering secure storage, and will need to make sure the singularity stays at stage 3. If you can't do one of those two things, setting the SMESes to charge at 160,000 is a safer bet. Watch them for a few minutes to make sure they continue charging. If one or all stops (the light will turn red instead of blinking yellow) adjust one or all a bit to make sure they're not trying to charge faster than the power input to them allows.

If you have spare time, you can set up the [[APC]] (Area Power Controller) which is located on the wall to the left of the SMES. Unlock it with your ID. Ensure the power for equipment is set to ON, not auto. This is to ensure that vital engineering equipment will be the last to fail should the APC's power cell run low. You could turn off the lights too to save power, although this is not really recommended as it makes it harder to see trespassers in engineering. Don't forget to swipe your ID on the APC to lock it again. This is so that only people with proper access can change its settings (i.e. Engineers).

The [[Radiation Collector]]s are located on the port side of the engine itself, and can be accessed. [[Plasma Tank]]s may be found in the [[Tank Storage Unit]] in the [[Power Storage Room]] or in [[Atmospherics|Atmospherics' Office]]. Place one [[Plasma Tank]] in each collector array and then TURN THE ARRAYS ON BY CLICKING ON THEM with an empty hand. Do this for all six collectors, and you should be ready to continue.

If you're a real nerd, you could ask the [[Chief Engineer]] to open the [[Engineering Secure Storage]] shutters from his office. [[Engineering Secure Storage]] is located behind the shutters in the [[Power Storage Room]], or go bug [[Atmospherics]]. You can then load each of your [[Plasma Tank]]s into the [[canister]] and fill them each with the maximum amount of [[Plasma]] they can hold (note that if you do this, it is VITAL that you DO NOT open the valve when there isn't a tank attached, and you MUST close it before removing the tank. If you fail to do either of these, you will flood the area with [[plasma]] almost immediately). This will cause the engines to generate a massive energy surplus, allowing you to set the [[SMES]] to maximum input, charging them very quickly. In fact, loading these boosted [[Plasma Tank]]s into the [[Radiation Collector]]s generates enough power to charge ALL of the station's SMES at the maximum input (although additional wiring is required, more on this later)

You may also lock each [[Radiation Collector]] with your ID so that the AI cannot deactivate them remotely (which you won't notice with the radiation shutters down)

You need to set up the [[Particle Accelerator]]. Firstly, wrench them in place so you don't bowl them over while you're running around. Secondly, you'll want to wire all the pieces with a cable coil. Finally, use a screwdriver to close all the panels. This is your particle accelerator set up!

Now that you've gotten everything ready, it's time to start the engine! Run around the outside of the area, and turn on the [[Emitter]]s by clicking on them. It's a good idea to start on the port side, since there's a [[Fire Extinguisher]] handily floating in space there, and should you slip or hit the [[Emitter]]s, having it in your pack gives you a ghetto jetpack to navigate with -- and thus a chance of getting home again. Grab it before you activate the first [[Emitter]]. Once they're all on, carefully make your way to the inner circle of the area, being sure not to cross in front of any of the [[Emitter]]s, because you'll get hit by the laser and burned pretty bad.

'''It is highly recommended and a good very idea to lock each of the [[Emitter]]s by swiping your ID on them, after activating them. This will stop an AI, or anyone without Power-management access from deactivating the emitters, which will collapse the force fields and release the singularity. LEAVING THIS UNDONE IS AN INVITATION FOR ANYONE WITH A SPACE SUIT TO SET THE SINGULARITY LOOSE.'''

Now that the [[Emitter]]s are on, it's time to fire up the [[Field Generator]]s.

Make sure to stay on the outside of the [[Field Generator]]s and activate them as you move in a circle through the area. Coming into contact with any of the [[Field Generator]] beams will pop your head like a midget in a microwave and hurl your corpse through the [[Engineering]] windows at terminal velocity. It's a good idea to start on one of the inner corners, and do the [[Field Generator]]s closest to the windows first, so you don't have to worry about accidentally straying too close while the corner [[Field Generator]]s are on. Gens often have a field of effect 1 tile on either side of the beams, so make sure you leave a clear zone around any active [[Field Generator]]s, and don't linger too long when you turn them on.

Once the [[Field Generator]] beams form a box around the [[Gravitational Singularity Generator]] (the round thing in the middle) get back inside the station and head to the [[Particle Accelerator]] again.

The [[Particle Accelerator]] is used to feed the singularity and make it grow. The larger a singularity is, the more radiation it emits and consequently, the more power the collectors generate. The radiation however is very bad for humans, and will slowly alter your DNA/blind if they are not wearing protective clothing and eye-wear. As such, make sure to don a [[Radiation suit]] (although a [[Hardsuit]] works too) and some [[Optical Meson Scanner]]s.  

Move over to the Particle Accelerator Control Box and set the output to 2. Leave it this way until the singularity fills a 3x3 area (turning a pink color). This should be more than enough to fill the station's power needs. When the singularity reaches this stage, set the Particle Accelerator output to 0 but DO NOT TURN IT OFF. This will sustain the singularity's  current size without causing it to turn into a supermassive black hole.

Pretty simple, go back and check the [[SMES]] are charging. Check each are set correctly, and all online. If it says charging, you didn't fuck up and the station will now receive plenty of power! If you're still the only engineer, you may want to consider setting up the solars to ensure a source of backup power if the engine becomes unusable. This part requires a little patience, if it seems like nothing is happening, give it a minute and check again. After at least a minute, all SMES's should be going slowly from flashing yellow (loading) to red (not loading), but it's just because the singularity is a little unstable as a power source in the early stages.

# [[Emitter]]s on.

# [[Field Generator]]s on.

# [[Particle Accelerator]]'s power is on and it's output is 0.

# [[Radiation Collector]]s on.

# Engineering [[APC]] has power and is being recharged.

The singularity is the second most probable reason for a shuttle call, so you have a BIG responsibility of keeping the whole crew safe! Without any interference though, the singularity will behave nicely and be contained for at least two hours without any babysitting. But being the infamous supermassive blackhole, he's a huge star among the enemies of [[NanoTrasen]] who wish to completely obliterate the station.

It is possible to wire the engines directly to the main power ring. A good spot to do this is to the port end of engineering, near the bolted airlock. Lift the floor tiles and run a wire from there out into the maintenance tunnel and link it to the wire running through there. This allows you to charge [[APC]]s directly if somebody disables the [[SMES]] in [[Engineering]].