Power

Power is a resource in Screep's that is used to increase a user's Global Power Level. Power is processed by transferring it (along with energy) into a PowerSpawn structure and executing https://docs.screeps.com/api/#StructurePowerSpawn.processPower at the cost of 50 energy per 1 power. Global Power Level allows you to spawn Power Creeps which have special powers and are considered the hero units of screeps.

Power appears in Power Banks which spawn in highway rooms on the map. Power can also be sold/bought on the market--NPCs regularly sell it on the official world.

Global Power Level starts at 0 and requires 1000 power to be processed to reach GPL 1. Each level after GPL 1 requires 2000 power more than the previous level. The actual formula used to determine Global Power Level is Math.floor(Math.pow((runtimeData.user.power || 0) / C.POWER_LEVEL_MULTIPLY, 1 / C.POWER_LEVEL_POW)) where 'runtimeData.user.power' is your current processed power, and 'C.POWER_LEVEL_MULTIPLY' and 'C.POWER_LEVEL_POW' are constants which can be seen in the official api.

Power Banks

Power banks are structures that spawn in highway rooms. They will contain some amount of power between 500 - 10,000 that is randomly determined at spawn time. They have a health of 2,000,000 hits and need to be destroyed to access the power contained within. Attacking a power bank reflects half of the damage dealt back to the attacking creep, so it is recommended that creep(s) dispatched to destroy the structure have some way to heal.

Once destroyed, the power bank's stored power can be collected from the ruin. The ruin will decay after 5 ticks and leave any remaining power decaying on the ground.

Power Harvesting

To acquire power from a power bank, a player first needs to locate a power bank in a highway room (typically via a scout Creep or Observer). Players can also locate power banks manually via the client UI, but the short expiration timer relative to the power bank's high hit points makes this infeasible.

Once a power bank is located, the player must spawn creeps to attack the power bank and heal damage sustained by the attackers. Note that power banks cannot be dismantled by creeps with WORK parts as they are not buildable structures. As such, melee attacks provide the highest and most cost-effective single-target DPS. Since a creep cannot perform a melee attack and melee heal on the same tick, many players dispatch teams of separate melee attack and heal creeps.

Carrier creeps be near the power bank and ready to collect its power as soon as the structure is destroyed to minimize/prevent power loss due to decay.

Power Creeps

Power creeps are considered hero units in screeps. They have a unique appearance, they can use unique powers, and they are immortal. While they can expire or be killed, they can be respawned after an 8 hour cooldown.

To create a power creep, a player must allocate one of their free Global Power Levels and assign a name to the new creep. Created power creeps are bound to the player's account, and their names cannot be edited after they are created. Power creeps can be created, upgraded, and deleted via either the in-game UI (click "Manage Power Creeps" from the Profile Overview page) or the PowerCreep API.

All power creeps start in an unspawned state after they are created. They can be spawned at no cost from any of the player's active power spawn structures via PowerCreep.spawn. Spawned power creeps will expire after C.POWER_CREEP_LIFE_TIME ticks (5,000), but the timer can be restarted by moving the power creep adjacent to a power bank or owned power spawn and using PowerCreep.renew.

Each power creep has an associated level, as well as levels for each of their class's powers. Newly-created power creeps start at level 0, and they have no useable powers (i.e. all power levels also start at 0). The player must allocate unused GPL to level up the creep and its powers. Each allocated GPL increases the level of the power creep and one of its powers by 1. The level cap for power creeps is 25, and the level cap for each of their powers is 5. Each level of each power requires a minimum power creep level to unlock, so it is not possible to immediately max out a single power, nor are all powers available at power creep level 1. The powers available for each power creep are class-specific. Power creep upgrades are permanent. The allocated GPL may only be regained by deleting the power creep.

A player can delete power creeps from their account, but this will cause the player's GPL to permanently decrease by 1, and the deletion takes 24 hours. The lost level will need to be re-earned by processing more power. The player can delete power creeps instantly without losing GPL by activating an experimentation period beforehand.

Players start with 30 experimentation periods. These periods are normally granted when content that impacts power creep mechanics is released (such as when the Factory structure was added) to allow for players to adjust to the new mechanics without penalty. A player can only have a maximum of 30 experimentation periods at a time, and there is not a set schedule or time that they replenish.

Power creeps can use a variety of powers specific to their class. These powers may have a resource cost associated with them. For example, most Operator powers consume "Ops" resources from the power creep's cargo.

Powers typically have a cooldown. Power cooldown timers are independent of one another, and the cooldown for each power starts on the tick the power is successfully used. Barring other limitations (ex: resource costs to use the power, range to target, etc), this means that a power with a cooldown less than or equal to the power's effect duration can be used repeatedly on a target without interruption. For example, an Operator can use Operate Lab to boost the production rate of several labs indefinitely as long as it has enough Ops and is within range to reuse the power when the effect expires.

Powers have additional restrictions on their use:

• StructureController.isPowerEnabled must be true for the room's controller, or the room must not have a controller (ex: highway rooms, source keeper rooms).
  • Power can be enabled for a room with a controller via PowerCreep.enableRoom. The power creep must be adjacent to the controller, and that controller must be owned by the power creep's owner.
• Powers cannot be used while a room is in safe mode. Effects from powers triggered before the safe mode activation will stay in effect.

Once power is enabled in a room, it cannot be disabled unless the controller reaches RCL 0 (either by being unclaimed or downgrading).

Currently, the Operator is the only class of power creep that has been released. It starts with 1,000 hits and 100 carry capacity. Each time it is upgraded, it gains an additional 1,000 hits and 100 carry capacity.

Unlike regular creeps, power creeps do not accumulate fatigue while moving. This means that they can move once every tick over any obstacle-free position, regardless of terrain or used carry capacity.

Operator

The first released class of power creep, operators can handle a wide variety of tasks from economy to defense and attacking. Many of their powers cost Ops--a special resource which is consumed from the user's cargo--but some have no resource cost. Ops can be generated with the Operators "Generate Ops" power or purchased from the market.

Generate_Ops

A power that generates the resource Ops that is used in a variety of the operator's powers as a required resource. It can also be sold/purchased though the market. Generated Ops are added to the user's cargo as soon as the power is triggered. This power has a cooldown of 50 ticks. It does not have an Ops cost.

Operate_Spawn

A power that reduces the time it takes to spawn a creep, the amount of time depends on the level of the power and, has a duration of 1000 ticks. It costs 100 ops to use with a range of 3 and, a cooldown of 300 ticks.

Operate_Tower

A power that increases the damage, repair and, healing of a tower for a duration of 100 ticks. It costs 10 ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 10 ticks.

Operate_Storage

A power that increased the total capacity of a storage structure for 1000 ticks. It costs 100 ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 800 ticks. If the effect is applied runs out and more resources are in the storage then the default 1m capacity, the resources remain in the storage however nothing new can be transferred to it until the effect is reapplied or enough resources are removed to bring it below the default capacity.

Operate_Lab

A power that increases the amount a lab can process on a runReaction() call for 1000 ticks. It costs 10 ops to use with a range of 3 and has a cooldown of 50 ticks. An important note is that this does not create additional resources, but merely allows the lab to use more of the already supplied resource in one tick then it would otherwise.

Operate_Extension

A power that allows you to instantly fill an amount all extensions in a room dependent on level of the power (up to 100%), by targeting a Storage, Terminal or Container that contains enough energy to do so, the effect is instantaneous. It costs 2 ops to use with a range of 3 and a cooldown of 50 ticks.

Operate_Observer

A power that grants unlimited range to an observer structure (normally a range of 10 rooms) who's duration is dependent on the level of the power. It costs 10 ops to use with a range of 3 and, a cooldown of 400 ticks.

Operate_Terminal

A power that decreases the energy cost of deals and the cooldown when dealing of the affected terminal for 1000 ticks. It costs 100 ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 500 ticks.

Operate_Disrupt_Spawn

A power that pauses the spawning process of a targeted spawn, its duration is determined by level of the power. It costs 10 ops to use with a range of 20 and, a cooldown of 5 ticks.

Operate_Disrupt_Tower

A power that reduces the damage, healing and, repair of a tower, its duration is 5 ticks. It costs 10 ops to use with a range of 50, there is no cooldown for this power.

Operate_Disrupt_Source

A power that pauses the regeneration of source, the duration is determined by the level of the power. It costs 100 ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 100 ticks.

Shield

A power that creates a un-repairable rampart ontop of the powerCreep for 50 ticks. It does not cost ops to use with a range of 0 and, has a cooldown of 20 ticks. The health of this rampart is variable depending on the power level and it can not be created on an existing rampart.

Fortify

A power that makes a wall or rampart invulnerable to all attacks and powers, the duration is determined the level of the power. It costs 5 ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 5 ticks.

Operate_Factory

A power that is applied to a factory structure for the duration of 1000 ticks. If the factory has no previously set level, the effect will set the level of the factory allowing for the production of more advanced commodities. Once a factory's level is set, it can not be changed. A factory can only produce at the level it is set to, while this power's effect is applied to it, else wise it will allow for level 0 productions, as if its level had not been set. It costs 100 ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 800 ticks.

Regen_Source

A power that regenerates an amount of energy based on the power's level, every 15 ticks for a duration of 300 ticks. It costs no ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 100 ticks.

Regen_Mineral

A power that regenerates an amount of the targeted mineral based on the power's level, every 10 ticks for a duration of 100 ticks. It costs no ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 100 ticks.

Operate_Power

A power that increases the amount a powerSpawn can process power dependent on the power's level, for a duration of 1000 ticks. It costs 200 ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 800 ticks. Its important to note, the increased power processing keeps the same energy consumption rate of 50 per 1 power processed. As such, the powerSpawn will use more energy per tick proportional to the level of power applied.

Disrupt_Terminal

A power which blocks withdrawing resources from a terminal for a duration of 10 ticks. It costs a variable amount of ops to use depending on the power's level with a range of 50 and, has a cooldown of 8 ticks.

Operate_Controller

A power that increases the maximum amount of energy that can be sent to a level 8 controller when upgrading, variably depending on the power's level for a duration of 1000 ticks. It costs 200 ops to use with a range of 3 and, has a cooldown of 800 ticks.

Executor

Announced, but awaiting release. The creep is stated as of last update to be a creep that works alone and if effective at Attacking & Economy.

Commander

Announced, but awaiting release. The creep is stated as of last update to be a creep not useful on its own, but most powerful with other creeps that directly affects individual or groups of creeps.