Power

Overview
Every Structure in the player's Soup factory consumes power. Power is generated by the Office, which has a meter displaying the base's current power usage. If the power capacity is exceeded, Structures will lose power. Additional power can be produced by building Power Generators, and then providing them with Power Crystals found on the planet.

Generating Power
Power is generated by the Office when it is built for 150 Matter at the start of a mission, and it supplies power to all Structures touching it or touching other powered Structures. The meter on the Office shows the base's power usage; if the meter touches the red zone the base will lose power until some Structures are demolished or otherwise disconnected.

The power generated by the Office is typically sufficient for over a week in Galactic Conquest mode, and often will be the only power source needed for a successful mission. If more power is needed, the player may build a Power Generator for 300 Matter. However, before it can generate power it needs a Power Crystal. While the Power Generator is empty, waypoints will direct the player to nearby Power Crystals, which must be mined from the ground with the Buzzsaw or other weapons and then carried back to the generator. The Power Generator will then activate, with a similar meter showing the power usage and capacity.

Power Generators will, like the Office, provide power to all adjacent Structures, and any Structures touching other powered ones. However, they do not need to be in the same power network as the Office. The player may construct separate bases on a planet with individual power sources.

Some planets may have pre-existing Power Generators, or in some cases a pre-built Office. Often the Power Generators will be connected to hidden Storage Units containing rare Soup Ingredients. These are typically found deep underground and are generally impractical to repurpose for other uses. If the planet already has an Office, the player will be unable to place one of his or her own, and must find it and build a soup factory around it.

Power Networks
Many structures such as Soup Machines and Rockets, Defense Towers, and even Corridors must be powered to serve their function. For power to be transmitted to a structure, it must be touching a power source, either directly or through a chain of other adjacent structures. While unpowered, Soup Machines and Rockets will not function, Defense Towers will be unable to fire upon enemies, and Corridors will not provide Oxygen or allow vertical flight. Powered Structures are lit-up and unpowered ones are dimmed.

Some ruined, unpowered networks of Structures may be found on planets. They may be used by the player if they are powered and missing parts are replaced. However, connecting such networks to one's power network may cause a large spike in power consumption.

If a Soup Machine loses power while it is processing Soup, the procedure will be paused; restoring power will allow it to continue. However, if a Soup Rocket launches Soup and loses power while the rocket is in transit there is potential for disaster. If the launch pad does not receive power by the time the rocket attempts to land, the rocket will crash through the launch pad and cause an explosion below it, damaging players, creatures and terrain. The Soup Rocket will cease to function and will need to be demolished and replaced. Players should manage their power with care and ensure their Soup Rockets are consistently connected to their power network to avoid this hazard.

It is useful to note that structures that do not require power, including Struts and Girders, may still transmit power to other structures. This makes it possible to, for example, elevate Defense Towers by placing them on Struts, or connect parts of a base horizontally using Girders to save on Matter costs.