Added instructions on how to use the Dyson Sphere Editor
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The '''Dyson sphere''' is the ultimate end goal of the Dyson Sphere Program. It is a permanent mega-structure built around a star that constantly produces huge amounts of power, which can then be brought to that star system's power grid using [[Ray Receiver|Ray Receivers]]. | |||
== Main Info== | == Main Info== | ||
A Dyson sphere has 2 components: [[Solar Sail|Solar Sails]], which form the bulk of the Dyson sphere's power generation; and [[Small Carrier Rocket|Small Carrier Rockets]], which form the frame that gives the Dyson sphere its structure. | |||
Launching Solar Sails without a Dyson sphere frame in place is possible, in which case they form a '''Dyson swarm'''. However, the Dyson swarm is ''not'' a permanent installation, and Solar Sails will expire after a set amount of time. The lifespan of each Solar Sail can prolonged with the [[Solar Sail Life (Upgrade)|Solar Sail Life]] [[Upgrades|upgrade]]. | |||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
|+ | |+ | ||
!Item | !Item | ||
!Output | !Output | ||
!Cost | !Energy and Material Cost | ||
!Description | !Description | ||
|- | |- | ||
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50 ores, 80MJ per 1MW | 50 ores, 80MJ per 1MW | ||
|Sails in Dyson | |Solar Sails in the Dyson swarm will expire after some time, based on corresponding research. The base lifespan is 1.5 hours. The number of Solar Sails that can be in the Dyson swarm at one time is not limited. | ||
Once a Solar Sail is integrated into the Dyson sphere, it becomes permanent. | |||
For comparison, [[Solar Panel| | For comparison, [[Solar Panel|Solar Panels]] cost 150 ores and 130MJ per 1MW. | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[File:Icon_Small_Carrier_Rocket.png|link=Small_Carrier_Rocket]] | |[[File:Icon_Small_Carrier_Rocket.png|link=Small_Carrier_Rocket]] | ||
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3500 ores, 5800MJ per 1MW | 3500 ores, 5800MJ per 1MW | ||
| Each node in the Dyson sphere gives a maximum of 30 structure points. | | Each node in the Dyson sphere gives a maximum of 30 structure points. | ||
The frames between nodes | The frames between nodes give structure points based on their length. | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[File:Icon_Solar_Sail.png|link=Solar_Sail]] | |[[File:Icon_Solar_Sail.png|link=Solar_Sail]] | ||
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May produce [[Critical Photon|Critical Photons]] instead of electricity, greatly increasing power to 120MW, or 240W when using a Graviton Lens. (research required) | May produce [[Critical Photon|Critical Photons]] instead of electricity, greatly increasing power to 120MW, or 240W when using a Graviton Lens. (research required) | ||
|} | |} | ||
==In the game== | ==In the game== | ||
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===Deconstructing=== | ===Deconstructing=== | ||
It is possible to deconstruct a Dyson Shell, at any stage of its construction. Take note, however, that doing so will ''not'' return all of the materials to the player. All Solar Sails that had been absorbed into the shell will be jettisoned back into space, immediately beginning their lifespan countdown timer again. If left alone, they will spread out into an orbital ring. The Frame segments that were constructed of Small Carrier Rockets are converted into Solar Sails upon deconstruction, and these too join the new swarm and get a lifespan timer. No Frame segments or Small Carrier Rockets are returned to the player. | It is possible to deconstruct a Dyson Shell, at any stage of its construction. Take note, however, that doing so will ''not'' return all of the materials to the player. All Solar Sails that had been absorbed into the shell will be jettisoned back into space, immediately beginning their lifespan countdown timer again. If left alone, they will spread out into an orbital ring. The Frame segments that were constructed of Small Carrier Rockets are converted into Solar Sails upon deconstruction, and these too join the new swarm and get a lifespan timer. No Frame segments or Small Carrier Rockets are returned to the player. | ||
== The Dyson Sphere Editor == | |||
The Dyson Sphere Editor is used to design a Dyson swarm/sphere for the current star system, or modify existing Dyson swarms/spheres. | |||
=== Orbit Designer === | |||
A star's Dyson swarm can contain up to 20 orbits. Each orbit's radius, rotation, and inclination can be freely adjusted, although an orbit cannot come too close to a planet's orbit. Orbits can overlap with each other, however. The player may also choose a color for the Solar Sails in an orbit, although this is purely cosmetic. | |||
An orbit that currently contains Solar Sails can still be modified, although the existing Solar Sails will not move into the updated orbit and will remain in the original one until their lifespan runs out. | |||
Clicking on an orbit in the list will pull up a panel containing information about it, such as its dimensions, total power generation, and number of Solar Sails. | |||
=== Shell Designer === | |||
A star may have up to 10 Dyson shell layers. Like Dyson swarm orbits, each shell's radius can be adjusted, but cannot come close to a planet's orbit. Additionally, shells cannot overlap; their radii must be at least 1000m apart. | |||
==== Shell Grid ==== | |||
The first step to designing a shell layer is to select what grid type to use. There are 3 triangular grids, 1 square grid, and 1 completely blank grid. The grid chosen will dictate where nodes and frames can be placed. | |||
==== Build Plan Designer ==== | |||
There are 3 components of a layer: nodes, frames, and shells. Nodes are single points that are the endpoints of frames, and shells are closed polygons formed by frames. To design a shell, first draw a network of frames, then fill the framework with shells. The framework will be constructed from Small Carrier Rockets, and the shells will be formed by absorbing orbiting Solar Sails. | |||
Researching the [[Dyson Sphere Stress System (Tech)|Dyson Sphere Stress System]] [[Technologies|technology]] is necessary to build a larger Dyson sphere. Without any research, it is only possible to build a very narrow ring. Each successive upgrade expands the range of possible construction, until it is possible to fully enclose the star. | |||
Notably, frames have 2 different types. Geodesic frames are straight lines that connect both endpoints, and graticule frames will follow the curvature of the Dyson sphere. As a result, using geodesic frames results in a slightly smaller Dyson sphere that uses fewer components, although this difference is generally negligible. | |||
Frames have 3 different styles to build with, and shells have 7 different texture patterns. Additionally, the player can recolor nodes, frames, and shells with the Decoration tab. All of these changes are purely cosmetic. | |||
== Endgame == | |||
To generate the terawatts of Dyson sphere power required for leaderboards, pro players have to take more things in consideration: | |||
* Common yellow stars with ~1x luminosity will inevitably be phased out in favor of blue stars, the best of which have a ~2.5x luminosity. | |||
* A Dyson swarm becomes less useful after days of playtime, because of its limited lifespan. | |||
* The Dyson shell is a better long-term energy source than a Dyson swarm, as frames and sails absorbed by the sphere remain forever. | |||
** However, the Dyson shell itself has considerations when it comes to which grid pattern to use: the default triangle grid gives 15% less power than the crossed triangle grid (drawing triangles on 6-tris hexagons, so each triangle is just 3 trin and not 4), and the crossed triangle grid itself gives 15% less power than the perfect grid with fewer triangles can (you can disable grid by choosing it twice). | |||
* The highest-luminosity stars, Blue Giants, are a necessity. With a perfect frame grid with 10 layers, the Dyson shell will yield 12TW. The best seeds have 3 Blue Giant systems, resulting in 36TW total. | |||
* Note that while the game's optimization of Dyson sphere elements continues to improve over time, players should expect an increase in RAM usage and a decrease in game performance (lower FPS/UPS) as the number of sails/frames/shells increases. | |||
==Mathematics== | ==Mathematics== | ||
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Further code inspection could lead to the complete understanding of the Dyson sphere power computation. But I can understand that some people would prefer to make more "conventional" research and that direct code inspection could spoil that fun. So should I continue and extend this post with more information? | Further code inspection could lead to the complete understanding of the Dyson sphere power computation. But I can understand that some people would prefer to make more "conventional" research and that direct code inspection could spoil that fun. So should I continue and extend this post with more information? | ||
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== Trivia == | |||
In the real world, a Dyson sphere is a hypothetical mega-structure that completely encompasses a star and captures some of its power output. Even capturing a small percentage of a star's power is an unfathomably large amount of energy, since stars produce an incredible amount of power constantly. The first concept of a Dyson sphere appeared in the 1937 science fiction novel ''Star Maker'' by Olaf Stapledon. This book inspired physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson to formalize the concept in his 1960 paper "Search for Artificial Stellar Source of Infra-Red Radiation," published in the journal ''Science''. There is no known real-world example of a Dyson sphere, as constructing one would require an immense quantity of raw materials and ultra-advanced technology, both of which are inaccessible to the human race (at least, for now). | |||
{{DSP Navbox}} | {{DSP Navbox}} | ||
[[Category:Astronomical Objects]] | [[Category:Astronomical Objects]] | ||