Steam Machine

Steam Machines are the first tier available to the player and, so far, seem necessary to advance on to Electric Machines. There are several Generators available and several machines available.

Generators
Steam Generators (SGs) need to be fed water to produce steam. Currently, it appears there is no difference in performance between distilled and normal water. In addition, all SGs must build up a minimum amount of heat, 10% for HPSGs and 20% for all others, before operating at an efficiency equal to their temperature (E.g., when normal SGs hit the 20% minimum, water is converted into 20% of the steam the machine provides at its maximum temperature). If a generator does not have room for all of the steam generated in a packet, it will fill the machine to full, wasting the rest of the first packet, and vent 25% of its steam when the next packet of steam is produced, losing all of the second packet.

Writer's Notes

It is unknown if it is intentional or a bug, but personal testing has revealed that most SGs will explode if heated to max and water is added when no steam is present. This could represent a steam explosion, however. To prevent this, make sure to add water to SGs BEFORE they reach their full temperature. Ideally, water can be added as soon as the machine is placed or begins to warm up, as water is plentiful and the efficiency at which it is converted to steam is irrelevant in terms of lost water.

Small Steam Coal Boiler
Warm-up Time: 2 minutes (2,400 ticks)

Heating Time: 10 minutes (12,000 ticks)

Minimum Output: 30 mBs/25 t

Maximum Output: 150 mBs/25 t

High Pressure Steam Coal Boiler
Warm-up Time: 1 minute (1,200 ticks)

Heating Time: 10 minutes (12,000 ticks)

Minimum Output: 15 mBs/10 t

Maximum Output: 150 mBs/10 t

Small Steam Lava Boiler
Warm-up Time: x

Heating Time: x

Minimum Output: x mBs/25 t

Maximum Output: 100 mBs/25 t

High Pressure Steam Lava Boiler
Warm-up Time: x

Heating Time: x

Minimum Output: x mBs/10 t

Maximum Output: 100 mBs/10 t

Steam Solar Boiler
Assuming 12.5 minutes to reach maximum temperature is correct, the SSB is the only SG not capable of reaching max temperature naturally, unless the player sleeps immediately at sunset and the weather remains clear.

Warm-up Time: 2.5 minutes (3,000 ticks)

Heating Time: 12.5 minutes (12,000 ticks) (Assumed, not yet tested)

Minimum Output: 30 mBs/25 t

Maximum Output: 55 mBs/25 t

Machines
Steam Machines (SMs) are fairly limited, offering only 6 machines total with 3 functions between them. However, they are still very useful starting out, given they double the player's ore yield, when the Macerator is used, and help increase the speed at which that ore is processed, when the Steam Furnace is used. The Steam Extractor is useless until the player develops Electric Machines, but can save on electricity (Steam Turbine might make this obsolete?) at this point before they have a fully established base.