Is there a way to protect crops from lightning?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Phea, Dec 7, 2017.

  1. Phea

    Phea Big Damn Hero

    The storms are great because I can make batteries, but on the other hand, they kill some of my crops. Whenever there's a storm I find at least 2 dead plants, and there's always that sound of trees being broken down but I don't know which trees the lightning hit. Is there a way of stopping lightning from hitting crops? I know lightning rods don't protect them.
     
    • BouncingCactus

      BouncingCactus Big Damn Hero

      Eh, what? Lightning rods have a good chance at intercepting lightning strikes, unless they've already done so. Presumably just getting enough rods and it's no longer a problem, right? How many do you have?
       
      • Phea

        Phea Big Damn Hero

        Really? I read in this discussion: https://steamcommunity.com/app/413150/discussions/0/365163537817916003/ that lightning rods don't affect the safety of my crops. I have around 5 now I think, is this enough?
         
        • BouncingCactus

          BouncingCactus Big Damn Hero

          Huh, that's interesting. I'm going by this https://stardewvalleywiki.com/Lightning_Rod
          Most notably the "If it doesn't succeed, though, the lightning is more likely to strike trees than crops." part. I'm not sure now how this works, given CA's response. It was before the game was released, so maybe that has changed since then but that's just speculation.

          As for amounts, I have clear memories of having 8+ processing rods after a single day of storms, but I can't say I know any exact numbers.
           
          • ShneekeyTheLost

            ShneekeyTheLost Master Astronaut

            Yea, originally they weren't very helpful, but that has since changed. As of... I'm wanting to say 1.07 update? Anyway, I'd suggest a dozen lightning rods. If those get filled up, keep adding more until you find that not all of your lightning rods are being used.

            Also, keep in mind you can have two stormy days in a row, but your lightning rods will still be processing the previous day's strikes, which can cause a dramatic increase in number of unwanted strikes to occur until processing throughput normalizes.
             
              Last edited: Dec 7, 2017
            • guitardude_324

              guitardude_324 Big Damn Hero

              I'm going to guess, based on my experience... The more rods you have, the less likely your crops will get fried. I have about 20-24 lightning rods on my farm, and it is very rare that I find a tree, or crop that has been hit. And I have almost 950 crops growing on my farm.

              I usually put 2 rods next to each scarecrow, and I keep them close to the crops.
               
              • Stryder87

                Stryder87 Giant Laser Beams

                I usually put 1 rod behind every scarecrow, behind every other tree (in my orchard area) and a half dozen scattered about as well. I haven't lost a crop or tree to lightening in ages.
                 
                • margotbean

                  margotbean Existential Complex

                  That was my experience too! But I decided to "clean up" the farm, and moved them all to one row across the bottom of the farm. ...I started losing crops the very next storm. Coincidence? :/
                   
                  • Stryder87

                    Stryder87 Giant Laser Beams

                    I suspect you need them scattered around your farm since lightening doesn't just strike along the bottom of the farm, but all over. If you have one in the general vicinity, then it's more likely to hit the rod. If you have them all along the bottom, then they're only going to draw the ones that would strike at the bottom leaving the top and middle wide open.
                     
                    • nekoCrimson

                      nekoCrimson Subatomic Cosmonaut

                      I'd have expected that they have an area-of-effect radius, like scarecrows and sprinklers, but apparently according to the wiki they do not:

                      "Since rods do not protect a specific area, the exact placement of a rod on the farm has no bearing on its chance to intercept a lightning strike. A Lightning Rod has a very good chance of intercepting a lightning bolt if it isn't already processing one. If it doesn't succeed, though, the lightning is more likely to strike trees than crops."​

                      So either this is outdated information, the wiki is wrong, or it's somehow just a coincidence. Double check that they're not already processing, too. That can be possible if you get 2 storms in a row.
                       
                        margotbean likes this.
                      • Odd Farmer

                        Odd Farmer Big Damn Hero

                        I usually surround my fields with lightning rods. Call me paranoid, but my farm has about 30 of them around all my crops and fruit trees.
                         
                          margotbean likes this.
                        • margotbean

                          margotbean Existential Complex

                          Well, I looked at the code, and it seems that it doesn't matter where the ligntning rods are placed. I say "seems" because there's RNG involved, and the random number is seeded with the location of the lightning rod, among other things. (Basing this on memory, don't quote me).

                          @MouseyPounds is the resident expert on seeding and RNG, perhaps s/he has further insight into why something that is supposed to be random may not actually end up being random? :D
                           
                            nekoCrimson likes this.
                          • Lilliput

                            Lilliput Supernova

                            Patterns are also part of randomness. Especially since your brain is structured to look for and assess patterns, even where none may exist.
                             
                              MouseyPounds likes this.
                            • oinkgamer

                              oinkgamer Cosmic Narwhal

                              I usually just line the back and sides of the farmhouse with lightning rods, until I get a coop/barn and use them as fences for the animals. Never had a crop struck by lightning before.
                               
                              • Lilliput

                                Lilliput Supernova

                                I arrange my lighting rods along the edge of my laboratory, so that when a terrible thunderstorm hits, I can channel the fury of the lightning into the resuscitation of lifeless tissue to infuse the unholy simulacra of life!!

                                Worst part of living in Pelican Town? The graveyard is so tiny.
                                 
                                  Stryder87, nekoCrimson and oinkgamer like this.
                                • MouseyPounds

                                  MouseyPounds Cosmic Narwhal

                                  Quite a few things in this game are predictable because of the way the RNG is seeded; although I don't know why, my instinct is that it was done to prevent "save-scumming" and/or to make troubleshooting easier. It looks to me like lightning strikes are processed in StardewValley.Utility.performLightningUpdate() and in that function the RNG is seeded with (uniqueIDForThisGame + DaysPlayed + timeOfDay). This should mean that you'll see the same results if you replay the day and that the lightning rods' exact locations don't matter. I would say it is random enough in this instance.

                                  The basic process seems to be that lightning strike possibility is checked every 10 minutes. There's a ~ 2.5% - 22.5% chance that a strike will happen; the range is due to luck and higher daily luck actually increases the chance. If it does happen, 2 lightning rods on the farm are randomly sampled, and if one of them is "empty" the strike will be intercepted and the chosen rod will start processing a battery pack. If the strike wasn't intercepted, another roll occurs and there is a ~15% - 35% chance (again luck matters; this time higher daily luck is a lower chance) that a random "terrain feature" on the farm will be hit by the strike. What happens then depends on the type of thing hit, but it is generally bad--crops die, flooring is uprooted, fences take damage, fruit trees temporarily become coal trees, etc.

                                  The three main takeaways here are:
                                  1. Lightning damage cannot be 100% prevented.
                                  2. Location of lightning rods does not matter -- any rod on the farm can intercept any lightning strike.
                                  3. Having more lightning rods increases the chances of interception and therefore decreases the chances of damage. If your main worry is crop loss, having lots of lower-value targets like fences and pathing is also beneficial too.
                                   
                                  • Stryder87

                                    Stryder87 Giant Laser Beams

                                    Well, I've been educated!
                                    I still like to have lots of rods. it makes me feel safer. :)
                                    Although, even with 30+ rods, I've still lost a pathway once of twice, so yeah... there is that... haha
                                     

                                    Share This Page