Zicarius-PowerGridIsolator icon

PowerGridIsolator

Tag power poles into numbered isolation groups so they never auto-merge into the main grid, even in wire range. Hotkey or quick-bar toggle, drag-select with a live terrain-conforming highlight, works retroactively on existing grids.

Last updated 4 days ago
Total downloads 35
Total rating 0 
Categories Quality of Life
Dependency string Zicarius-PowerGridIsolator-1.0.0
Dependants 0 other packages depend on this package

This mod requires the following mods to function

xiaoye97-BepInEx-5.4.17 icon
xiaoye97-BepInEx

BepInEx5.4.17 mod plugin framework, Mod框架

Preferred version: 5.4.17

README

PowerGridIsolator

Give a grid its own island - tag poles so one power network never drags another down.

Version: 1.0.0 Game: Dyson Sphere Program 0.10.x (built against 0.10.34) Loader: BepInEx 5.4.17+

For anyone running a dedicated backup generator, an isolated production line, or any setup that shouldn't share load with the rest of the planet's grid.


What it does

Vanilla DSP has exactly one flavor of power network: any pole within wire/wireless range of another automatically merges into the same grid, with no way to opt out short of physical distance. This mod adds a hotkey-driven tagging mode that assigns poles to a numbered isolation group (0 = vanilla/ungrouped, 1-9 = isolated islands). Poles in different non-zero groups never merge - even if they'd normally connect

  • so a dedicated setup stays powered independently of whatever happens to the rest of the grid.

Features

  • Hotkey (Ctrl+G default) or a quick-bar icon next to the mecha energy bar opens a small window to pick the active group.
  • Left-click a pole to assign it to the current group; right-click to clear it back to vanilla (group 0). Right-click on empty ground with nothing to clear exits tag mode, same as Escape.
  • Drag-select either button to tag/clear every pole in the area at once. The selected area is a real terrain-conforming grid highlight, not a flat overlay, and the live "N pole(s) selected" count always matches exactly what's highlighted, at any camera angle.
  • Works retroactively on already-built, already-merged grids - not just newly placed poles.
  • No new building, no CommonAPI dependency - patches the existing power-pole mechanic directly.
  • Complete no-op by default - with nothing tagged, behavior is bit-identical to vanilla.
Installation

Via r2modman / Thunderstore Mod Manager (recommended):

  1. Install r2modman or the Thunderstore Mod Manager.
  2. Search "Dyson Sphere Program" and set up a profile.
  3. Search "PowerGridIsolator" in the Online tab and install.
  4. Launch the game through the mod manager.

Manual install:

  1. Install BepInEx 5 for Dyson Sphere Program.
  2. Download the latest PowerGridIsolator-<version>.zip from the Releases page.
  3. Extract the ZIP into your Dyson Sphere Program folder so the plugins\ path lands inside BepInEx\plugins\.
  4. Launch the game once. BepInEx creates BepInEx\config\com.zicarius.PowerGridIsolator.cfg with the defaults.
  5. (Optional) Edit that .cfg to taste - with the game closed, then relaunch.

Before you install

This is a BepInEx plugin - it patches the game's code at runtime using Harmony patches.

  • Only download from sources you trust. Only this mod's Thunderstore page or the GitHub repo - treat re-uploads elsewhere as unsafe.
  • Game updates can break it. A DSP update may stop this mod from working until a compatibility update is released.
  • Tags live outside your save. Group assignments are stored in a small text file next to your BepInEx config, keyed to the save name - not inside the .dsv save itself. Removing this mod leaves your save completely untouched; you just lose the tag assignments, and every pole reverts to normal vanilla merge behavior.

Configuration

All settings live in the BepInEx config file - there is no in-game settings window. Edit it with the game closed, then relaunch (config is read at launch).

Setting Default Description
General > EnableIsolation true Master switch for the group-merge filter. Off = fully inert, vanilla merge behavior unchanged.
General > MaxGroups 9 Highest selectable island id. Group 0 is always "ungrouped/vanilla" and isn't counted against this.
Hotkeys > ToggleTagModeKey Ctrl+G Enter/exit pole-tagging mode.
Diagnostics > DebugLog false Verbose logging to the BepInEx console. Off by default.

(Full reference: the .cfg file BepInEx writes on first run.)

Compatibility

  • Game version: DSP 0.10.x (built against 0.10.34).
  • Other mods: No CommonAPI dependency. Known risk (not a confirmed conflict with any specific mod): another mod that also replaces PowerSystem.OnNodeAdded's own connection logic could conflict with the group-merge filter.
  • Multiplayer: built and tested for singleplayer; untested in Nebula multiplayer.
Troubleshooting

Mod doesn't load:

  • Ensure the file is in BepInEx\plugins\PowerGridIsolator\ (not Mods\).
  • Check BepInEx\LogOutput.log for errors near Loading [PowerGridIsolator].

Hotkey does nothing:

  • Confirm General > EnableIsolation is true in the .cfg.
  • Check for a hotkey conflict with another installed mod and rebind Hotkeys > ToggleTagModeKey if needed. Config edits only take effect on relaunch.

Tagged poles still merged with the main grid:

  • Confirm they're actually tagged to the same non-zero group - the tool window shows which group is currently active while tagging.
  • If a pole was tagged but its wire still looks connected on screen, reopen or close any build panel once to force a visual refresh.

License

MIT. See LICENSE for the full text.

Support

All my mods are free and always will be. If this one made your playthrough better and you feel like buying me a coffee, that keeps me motivated to maintain these mods and build new ones: https://ko-fi.com/zicarius


KEEP YOUR GRIDS SEPARATE.