Suggestion talk:20070625 Solar Panels

This could work..... But how? I'm thinking, mall tech stores, necrotech. solar panels only turn on lights and do not allow for surgery, syrynge manufacture..... --Seventythree 18:54, 25 June 2007 (BST)

There probably wouldn't be any solar panels in Malton, but I believe its relatively simple to build one, no? Money doesn't matter either. --  AHLGTG THE END IS NIGH! 19:03, 25 June 2007 (BST)

I think you're thinking of solar heater Panels, which are essentialy black-painted pipes on a silver background used to heat water. Solar panels that generate electricity are called solar cells and are hard to make. However what with all the climate change panic, solar panels (in Britain at least) are becoming pretty easy to buy, I know for a fact that my local B&Q sells them, as well as several other shops around. Also It is not inconceivable that Necrotech would ahve them stockpiled as a long-term auzilary power source.--Seventythree 19:07, 25 June 2007 (BST)

Electric solar panels are impossible to make from scratch, but are pretty commonly seen in municiple applications, such as powering movable lighted street signs, emergency roadside phones, and traffic / security cameras.
Perhaps people could "salvage" such units in various outdoor locations? The normal search mechanism seems a bit wrong for that application, though. ... 19:22, 25 June 2007 (BST)

I think you've just awnsered your own question! Malton, City under seige, loads of emergency roadblocks, traffic lights, emergency units needing independent power moved in, then abandoned. They can only be salvaged at street level. Gets people out onto the streets too.--Seventythree 19:25, 25 June 2007 (BST)

Great, great! Solar panels are used alot on phones on highways. Whats to say that they aren't used inside Malton? --  AHLGTG THE END IS NIGH! 20:35, 25 June 2007 (BST)

Something else I feel needs to be cleared up with this: how can the panels be destroyed? I like the idea of being able to shoot at them from outside, but zombies can't shoot things. Would they be able to smash them like art? If so, would people be able to Solar-Panel-Kill, unlike art? I'm not certain that it would be that awful if humans couldn't smash them easily, since a generator would still be required to run the equipment, even if it didn't require fuel to power it. Mr Bound 20:10, 25 June 2007 (BST):Yell at it really loud? No, what about throwing things at it? --  AHLGTG THE END IS NIGH! 20:35, 25 June 2007 (BST)

Solar Panels could be ransackable, just like generators and radios are now. If the zombies managed to get in, they could basically destroy the solar panels on the roof or wherever they may be - if you want to make it realistic, you could assume a flat roof like some commercial buildings with roof access. As for shooting them, only survivors would be able to shoot them, if that was indeed what they wanted to do: this may fuel griefers more however. --Ryiis 20:43, 25 June 2007 (BST)

How about we assume that the link-up between the solar panels and the generators/powernetwork is a jury-rigged mess of wires, cables, junction boxes, step-down transformers and other such things, and by ransacking or destoying the generator you essentialy break the solar panels and things beyond all repair?--Seventythree 23:07, 25 June 2007 (BST)

So what your saying is that zombies can use their teeth or claws to rip the wires apart to the point beyond repair? --  AHLGTG THE END IS NIGH! 23:16, 25 June 2007 (BST).

Pretty much, yeah. Gets round the entire thing, I think.--Seventythree 23:22, 25 June 2007 (BST)

How about this. You are standing outside XXX. Jury rigged solar panels on the roof reflect the glare of the sun, burning a purple afterimage onto your retina--Seventythree 23:29, 25 June 2007 (BST)

Might be a tad bit too descriptive on the retina part. --  AHLGTG THE END IS NIGH! 23:31, 25 June 2007 (BST)

It's odd realy. In my mind, Urban dead is set around 2 AM, everything is in black and white, and it's constantly raining.--Seventythree 23:32, 25 June 2007 (BST)

I always thought of everything in shade of green, with dark clouds overhead.... Wait, a solar panel wouldn't work when theres clouds overhead. We need weather. --  AHLGTG THE END IS NIGH! 23:35, 25 June 2007 (BST)

I'm English. Don't talk to me about the weather. It's june and it's been pissing it down for a week!. But yeah, we need weather. --Seventythree 23:37, 25 June 2007 (BST)

I've been to Liverpool before. Each morning is the same, overcast, drizzling rain and cold(ish). --  AHLGTG THE END IS NIGH! 23:42, 25 June 2007 (BST)

Yup. That's England all over realy. Mind you, getting back to athe actual thingie, most of the modern solar panels can run on surprisingly little light.--Seventythree 23:45, 25 June 2007 (BST)

Wow, a lot happened overnight o.0, I'm not very good with the formatting, but back to the point. I don't see why solar panels can't be smashed, they're basically an aluminum frame with photovoltaic cells inside, it's almost as fragile as glass, a well thrown rock could easily shatter the solar cell, even if zombies can't shoot it, all they have to do is give it a good whack, at arm's length, a solar panel is pretty hard to miss....
I don't see why they won't be found in Malton, either, they're used in some streetlamps, public phones, and you'll be surprised at how easy they are to find, also, they're sometimes sold in malls. Additionally, a large portion of military equipment often runs on small solar cells that augment the main battery. That should clear up some of the "realism" issues.
So, how should this suggestion be revised? I'll most likely repost this suggestion after the first round of voting with all the suggested improvements, the voting on this one's going to get tight. -- EchelonThree 09:03, 26 June 2007 (BST)

Sure. My thoughts. Search in forts, tech stores, factories and streets to find em. Keep the percentage search rates low, very low, have up to four installed in any building, each prolonging the life of a fuelcan in a generator for 25%. Have them seen from outside, adn have them destroyed when a building is entered and the generator destroyed. --Seventythree 10:35, 26 June 2007 (BST)

All in all, I think next time this goes up for voting it will get into PR.-- dǝǝɥs oʇ ɯɐds: sʎɐʍ1ɐ! 10:42, 26 June 2007 (BST)

So, all that's really needed now is to get the final version up and see if all agree.... --EchelonThree 11:58, 26 June 2007 (BST)

73's version is pretty solid, yah. Don't forget to include an encumbrance rating. I figure that for 73's version, 20% is the minimum for one that makes a significant impact on powering a building. That means that, by weight, a generator is 8 times as powerful, which jives pretty well with "realism". If they only extended fuel life by 10% each, you could drop that to 5% encumbrance; smaller cells are less heavy per watt, as they need less of a support structure. I think the smaller ones are more realisticly the ones people would salvage myself- who's gonna lug around a 3 foot square solar panel, let alone 3 or 4 of them? (Yes, I know, the same could be said of generators... which is why I'm OK with 73's version) ... 15:44, 26 June 2007 (BST)

Hey hey hey... I'm doing the think-tanking, I'm not a developer... BTW what's the encumberance for a generator?, we can make the solar cell about that. Just a clarification, they don't extend FUEL LIFE, they improve GENERATOR EFFICIENCY, adding a cell to a fuel tank doesn't make the tank more full, it lets the fuel be consumed at a lower rate. So for example, if I have 100 liters of fuel, and it needs a liter an hour, it will use 950ml instead of the full liter, not that the fuel provides 5% more. There's quite a diff there. Maybe a cell could take 5% of the load of the gen or something. not very realistic, but it's artistic license. =P

About fuelling griefers, I've covered that my making it such that shooting the panel will give NO XP. I'll put this up for development stage pretty soon, one question, how much percent should a panel provide? The larger the percent, the rarer/heavier it has to be.-- EchelonThree 16:12, 26 June 2007 (BST)

Discussions are UP! Talk:Suggestions#Solar_Panels_Mk-II, go there and we can discuss the vital stats. -- EchelonThree 14:50, 27 June 2007 (BST)