Difference between revisions of "Power Plant"

Latest revision as of 12:39, 3 September 2015

A Power Plant currently in the 'On' state. This side of the Power Plant contains the green control panel.

A Power Plant currently in the 'Off' state.

A Power Plant that has just been activated, the burst of energy killing any nearby bunnies

The Power Plant, is a preset structure that is on a map. It is the structure responsible for generating the passive ¢ income of the incumbent Robosaru. The Power Plant has two states: the 'On' state and the 'Off' state.

While in the "On" state, the Robosaru enjoys their passive 20¢ per 2 second income, in addition to their current reign bonus. If Robosaru is subverted, they will automatically drop 15% of their score (or 200¢, whichever is higher) as directives at the Drop Site.

While in the "Off" state, the Robosaru does not collect any passive ¢ income at all, although Robosaru's reign bonus still builds in the background. If Robosaru is subverted while the Power Plant is OFF, they are pardoned from dropping any subversion penalty money.

The Power Plant features a climbable slope with a jet flame protruding from the top and a control panel inside an aperture that is located on one side of a structure. The jet flame is only active when the Power Plant is in the 'On' state; it is deactivated in the 'Off' state, as are the glowing elements decorating the emplacement.

Robosaru Interaction

Robosaru may interact with the Power Plant by using the 'Next' key (Default: E) while the crosshair is on the Power Plant to toggle it between the 'On' and 'Off' state.

When turned ON, the Power Plant will emit a burst of energy that will burn any bunnies on or next to it.

Note that while a Power Plant can be switched to the 'On' setting, any items that protrude the exhaust port on top of the Power Plant (where the jet flame would be) will cause the Power Plant to switch back to the 'Off' setting after a server tick occurs. The items will need to be relocated or destroyed to prevent the Power Plant from automatically switching 'Off', and then the Power Plant must be manually reactivated afterwards, as it does not automatically switch back on.

Upon subversion, any items blocking the exhaust may be forcibly destroyed.

Bunny Interaction

Bunnies may only ever switch a Power Plant from the 'On' setting to the 'Off' setting; there is currently no way for a Bunny to do the reverse. A Bunny can do this in one of two ways:

1. Touch the green control panel located inside an aperture found on one side of a structure. If switched back 'On' by the Robosaru, a Bunny currently pressed up against the control panel will need to back up slightly and move into the panel again to switch the Power Plant back 'Off'.

2. Place an item of any type (corpses included) onto the top of the power plant to block the exhaust port.

Alternate Map Arrangements

On maps without a Power Plant, Robosaru earns income and suffers subversion penalties as if the Power Plant were ON. There is no way to disable Robosaru's income, or protect against dropping money on subversion on a map without a Power Plant.

In the case of multiple Robosarus, the Power Plant contributes the benefits and penalties to the Robosaru it is linked to. A Power Plant can only be linked to a single Robosaru, but there can be multiple Power Plant for a single Robosaru.

If two or more Power Plants are linked to a single Robosaru, each Power Plant constitutes a fraction of Robosaru's regular income, and a fraction of the subversion penalty. For example, if there were two Power Plants on a map, and one was OFF, then Robosaru would only earn 10¢ every 2 seconds (instead of 20¢) plus half their reign bonus, and would lose 7.5% of their funds upon subversion (instead of 15%).

The 100¢ minimum subversion penalty is not reduced by having Power Plants partially disabled. All Power Plants must be OFF in order to drop no money.

Strategies

The Robosaru's very high passive income is a very critical part of OBEY. It would be wise for all players to treat Power Plants as an important set piece to the playing field. The following are a few strategies that can be used for each the Robosaru and the Bunnies.

As the Robosaru:

• The Power Plant serves as an extra set piece with an important role. It is an added source of cognitive load that the Robosaru player will need to keep track of. Be mindful of the location of your Bunnies while scanning between points of interest (i.e. the Drop Zone, the Feed Box, and the Power Plant).
• Keep an eye on your passive income from time to time. If you notice it not ticking up, then the Power Plant is switched off. On the plus side, you might be able to catch a disOBEYing bunny if you are quick enough (and if he's at the Power Plant, it might mean he's not actively trying to subvert you!).
• If you suspect you are about to be subverted, it is in your best interest to immediately switch off the Power Plant. This prevents you from losing money to other OBEYing bunnies when the subversion occurs.
• Nothing good can come from bunnies hanging around the Power Plant. Bunnies may try to switch it off to shut down your passive income. Smart bunnies can use the jet flame of the Power Plant to generate corpses and then try to use those corpses with the feed box and make you lose even more money! You should try to conscript bunnies to help protect the Power Plant by erecting laser fence walls, plant mines, sensors, lights, etc. At the very least, you should warn or shoot bunnies who try to get near it.
• Certain maps have the Power Plant placed very far away from the normal zone of operation of OBEYing bunnies (that is, between the Drop Zone and the Feed Box). In these cases, you can typically shoot any bunnies who approach the Power Plant knowing that they were planning on disOBEYing anyways. However, there are some maps where the Power Plant is much closer to the Drop Zone or Feed Box which makes regulating bunny behavior more difficult.
• You can use the Power Plant as a bargaining chip to help bring order to rioting Bunnies. By deliberately switching the Power Plant into the Off state, you are creating a state where Bunnies (wearing collars or not, or in the drop ship) generate more passive income than you do. Bunnies might be more willing to OBEY if you propose this.
• Smart bunnies may try to hold precious items 'hostage' by placing them on top of the exhaust port of the Power Plant. This presents the Robosaru with a dilemma; either blow up the valuable items to be able to switch the Power Plant back on, or leave the items there at the expense of your passive income. If this is the only source of disOBEYing occurring and you can afford to focus on the Power Plant, you can actively keep toggling the Power Plant to the 'On' state at the right moment and collect your bit of passive income before the game server tick turns it back off. (That'll show you, you silly Bunny!). Alternatively, you can try to negotiate with the disOBEYing bunny to remove the items (though shooting first is probably the safer option).

As the Bunny:

• The Robosaru has to keep track of the Power Plant, on top of everything else. Use this to your advantage when planning your escape!
• On some maps, the Power Plant may be located very close to the typical zone of operation of OBEYing bunnies (i.e. near the Drop Zone or Feed Box). You may be able to find opportunities to 'bump' into the control panel when the Robosaru is not looking.
• On some maps, the Power Plant will be quite far away from where OBEYing bunnies are expected to go. Be very cautious when interacting with a Power Plant in this case. An attentive Robosaru player will be able to quickly determine someone is messing with the Power Plant and, therefore, know exactly where you are!
• If you are planning to subvert a Robosaru player, you will want to keep track of the current state of the Power Plant. If the Robosaru player is in the lead, you will want the Power Plant to be on, so that the Robosaru player will lose money to other OBEYing bunnies. However, if the Robosaru player is not in the lead, but an OBEYing bunny is, then you will ideally want the Power Plant to be off instead (or be quick enough to shoot the OBEYing bunnies before they can collect the money from the subversion).
• The Power Plant in the 'On' state is the only source of fire that is actively available to Bunnies (thanks to the jet flame located on the top of the Power Plant, where the exhaust port is). Bunnies may use this as a way to generate corpses, even prior to having a dropship available or using laser walls or flamethrower fuel or even Robosaru machine gun fires.
• Use the Power Plant as a bargaining chip! If a Robosaru player is doing exceptionally well, you may be able to convince the Robosaru player to turn off the Power Plant to lower the likelihood of rioting Bunnies. Threatening to crash a dropship if the Power Plant isn't switched off could possibly be a correct avenue of play!
• You can hold precious items 'hostage' by placing them on top of the exhaust port of the Power Plant. This presents the Robosaru with a dilemma; either blow up the valuable items to be able to switch the Power Plant back on, or leave the items there at the expense of the Robosaru's passive income. Be prepared to be killed if you get caught doing this though!