Beacon

Beacon
PENDING REMOVAL This item will (likely) be removed in a future update. Currently only used as an ingredient in an alternative recipe.
Unlocked by	Tier 1 - Field Research
Class name	BP_EquipmentDescriptorBeacon_C
Item
Stack size	100
Sink points	320

The Beacon is a deprecated tool that can be placed down to label a location on the compass and map. Due to being functionally replaced with map markers, using Beacons for markers is a waste of resources, as placing markers directly is free. Loading a save with previously placed Beacons converts them to map markers automatically.

It remains in the game only because it is used in the  Uranium Fuel Unit alternate recipe. Despite this, it still has an alternate recipe of its own, which can still be unlocked by scanning  Hard Drives.

Obtaining

Crafting

Recipe	Ingredients	Produced in	Products	Unlocked by
Beacon	3 × Iron Plate22.5 / min 1 × Iron Rod7.5 / min 15 × Wire112.5 / min 2 × Cable15 / min	Manufacturer 8 sec Equipment Workshop  × 4	1 × Beacon7.5 / min	Tier 1 - Field Research
Crystal Beacon Alternate	4 × Steel Beam2 / min 16 × Steel Pipe8 / min 1 × Crystal Oscillator0.5 / min	Manufacturer 120 sec	20 × Beacon10 / min	Tier 3 - Basic Steel Production OR MAM Quartz Research - Quartz Crystals

Alternate recipes analysis

The following shows different ways to produce 1 Beacon / second, or 60 / min:

Recipe	Iron Ore /min (WP)	Raw Quartz /min (WP)	Crude Oil m3/min (WP)	Copper Ore /min (WP)	Caterium Ore /min (WP)	Total WP	Total Energy /item (MJ)	Space (m2)	Building counts
Default	518.72 (73.70)	-	-	-	-	73.70	1297.79	11113	90.49
Crystal	43.08 (6.12)	38.57 (36.73)	7 (5.98)	16 (5.54)	10 (9.06)	89.33	697.95	4264	19.18

• Weighted Point is the weighted consumption rate which is calculated by: (resource consumption rate / maximum extraction rate) * 10,000. The lower the better.
• Energy per item can be used to measure how much power is consumed for the entire production chain. The lower the better.
• Space refers to building space, excluding belts and pipes. The lower the better.
• Among multiple ways to produce each of the ingredient, the recipe with the lowest WP is chosen. The exception is mentioned below:
  • Iron Plate#Alternate recipes analysis - Default
  • Iron Rod#Alternate recipes analysis - Default
  • Wire#Alternate recipes analysis
  • Cable#Alternate recipes analysis
  • Steel Ingot#Alternate recipes analysis
  • Crystal Oscillator#Alternate recipes analysis

Usage

Research

 Beacon is used for research in the Quartz Research chain in the MAM.

Equipment

Beacons, once equipped, can be placed down to place a map marker. The marker can then be edited and removed only through the map UI.

Crafting

Recipe	Ingredients	Produced in	Products	Unlocked by
Uranium Fuel Unit Alternate	100 × Encased Uranium Cell20 / min 10 × Electromagnetic Control Rod2 / min 3 × Crystal Oscillator0.6 / min 6 × Beacon1.2 / min	Manufacturer 300 sec	3 × Uranium Fuel Rod0.6 / min	Tier 8 - Nuclear Power OR MAM Quartz Research - Quartz Crystals

AWESOME Sink

 Beacon can be sunk into the AWESOME Sink to yield 320 points.

Tips

• With the "Iron Wire" Alternate Recipe, it is possible to make a Beacon only using iron.

Gallery

• 

  A player holding a Beacon as seen in the E3 2018 presentation.

History

• Patch 0.6.0.0:
  • Removed Beacon map functionality
    • Beacons currently disappear when used and are automatically converted to a Map Marker that look like this: ⚠.
    • All previously placed Beacons will automatically be converted to Map Markers
  • Removed Beacons from Building costs and unlock requirements
    • Beacons are currently still used for the Alternative Uranium Fuel Unit recipe
• Patch 0.2.1.8: Added the ability to set view distance for Beacons on the Compass in the Map
• Patch 0.1.5: Can now be automated in a Manufacturer
• Patch 0.1: Fixed Beacon names not appearing on the Compass