Steam Generator

Steam Generator is a mid-tier power-producing block that burns combustible items and uses water to produce electrical power for a base. It is more efficient than individual Combustion Generators when replacing multiple units, and it occupies the role of a compact, higher-output heat-and-steam power plant until thorium-based reactors become available. The Steam Generator requires a steady supply of both fuel and water; if surface water is not available it can be fed by a Water Extractor and will power that extractor after a small external start-up supply is provided.

Steam Generators convert fuel into power at a faster cycle than Combustion Generators and deliver substantially more power per fuel consumed when used to replace multiple combustion units. They consume fuel about 25% faster than a single Combustion Generator because of their shorter burn time, but produce roughly 5.5 times the power of one Combustion Generator using the same fuel. Base power output and water consumption have been adjusted in updates (base generation was reduced from 360 to 330 power per second and water use increased from 3 to 6 per second in a past version). The generator will draw and burn any combustible item placed into its fuel input; when multiple fuel types are present it prioritizes burning the least-flammable (lowest-power) fuel first — for example, Blast Compound will be used before Coal, Spore Pods, then Pyratite.

Practical usage and interactions:

• Fuel choice and processing matter. Spore Pods are usable directly but become significantly more effective when processed: pressing spore pods into oil and then converting that oil into coal yields twice as much coal as the original pod count, making indirect coal production more space- and fuel-efficient despite requiring more infrastructure.
• A Steam Generator running on Coal produces enough power to run several Shallow Water Extractors and a Cryofluid Mixer simultaneously, while also producing the water needed for itself and the mixer. This enables localized cryofluid production wherever titanium and combustible fuel are available.
• When surface water is unavailable, a single Solar Panel or Combustion Generator can be used briefly to start a Water Extractor; once the extractor provides water the Steam Generator can power the extractor and sustain itself.
• Steam Generators are vulnerable to incendiary attacks such as Flares. Protect the air path to generators by placing at least a layer of Scatters or other blockers; a damaged chain of flammable blocks can cascade into large-scale base fires. As an alternative defense tactic, place empty Combustion Generators or sacrificial flammable blocks closer to likely enemy approach paths to draw damage away from critical generators.
• Steam Generators are a good bridging technology and can carry early- to mid-game power needs efficiently until thorium reactors or differential generators are unlocked or required by resource constraints.

Steam-based electricity in Mindustry mirrors real-world steam power plants where heat converts water to steam to drive turbines; the Steam Generator serves as the game analog by converting fuel and water into usable base power.