Generator Asset Reference

Intermediate40-60 minutesWindowsNotepad++Unity Editor

A generator asset in Unturned™ defines a placeable power source that provides electrical coverage to an area. Generators are defined by the ItemGeneratorAsset class, which inherits from BarricadeAsset. When deployed and fueled, a generator broadcasts power within a spherical radius defined by Wirerange. Players can deposit fuel into the generator using a fuel canister item, and the generator consumes that fuel at a rate defined by Burn, measured in seconds per unit of fuel. The generator is the foundational building block of every powered base - it runs the lights, the sentry guns, the powered doors, the electric traps, and any other powered barricade within its radius.

This article is the 57 Studios™ canonical reference for the generator asset type. It covers every .dat field specific to the ItemGeneratorAsset subclass, the power radius system that controls coverage area, the fuel consumption mechanics, the interaction between generators and fuel canisters, the barricade inheritance common to all placeable barricade-type items, and the complete power grid integration.

Documentation source: This article references the official Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation for field definitions and game behavior. Community-validated notes are marked where the official documentation is silent on a detail.

Who this article is for

This article is written for Unturned™ mod authors who have already completed at least one barricade mod and are familiar with the master bundle pipeline and .dat authoring workflow. If you are new to Unturned™ modding, start with Project Folder Structure and GUIDs and How to Install Notepad++ before returning here. An understanding of the barricade system (placement, health, ownership) is assumed; the Objects, Structures, and Barricades Asset Guide covers that prerequisite ground.

What you'll learn

• The full .dat field set for generator assets, including inherited barricade fields
• How the power radius system works: Wirerange spherical coverage and line-of-sight considerations
• How fuel consumption works: Capacity maximum storage, Burn rate, and the fuel canister interaction
• The relationship between generator power output and powered barricade requirements
• The barricade inheritance chain - which fields generator assets inherit from BarricadeAsset
• How multiple generators interact within overlapping coverage areas
• Worked examples covering standard, industrial, and portable generator configurations
• The fuel canister system and how it interacts with the generator for refueling
• Diagnostic guidance for common generator deployment failures

Background: how the generator power system works

The generator power system in Unturned™ is a radius-based electrical coverage model. When a generator is deployed and has fuel remaining, it emits electrical power within a spherical radius centered on the generator's position, defined by Wirerange. Any barricade within that radius that requires power (powered doors, sentry guns, spotlights, electric traps, refrigerators, and other electrically-dependent barricade items) will have power as long as the generator has fuel.

As shown in the flowchart above, the generator runs in a fuel-consumption loop until its fuel reserves are exhausted, at which point it idles until a player refuels it.

Power radius and coverage

The Wirerange field defines the radius of the spherical coverage zone. The radius is measured in meters, from the center of the generator's world position. Every barricade inside this sphere that requires power is considered within coverage. The engine does not require line of sight - the power penetrates walls, floors, terrain, and other obstructions. A generator placed in a sealed room with a 10-meter wirerange will power every powered barricade within that 10-meter sphere, regardless of whether there is a path through the building's interior.

The implication of the no-line-of-sight power model is that generators do not need to be exposed or accessible after deployment. A generator can be hidden inside a wall cavity, buried beneath a floor, or placed on a roof inaccessible to raiders, and it will still power all barricades within its radius. This is a critical defensive design consideration for competitive servers.

Fuel system

Generators are fueled by fuel canisters - a separate item type in Unturned™'s item system. The player equips a fuel canister, approaches the generator, and interacts to transfer fuel from the canister to the generator. The generator's Capacity field defines the maximum fuel units it can hold. The Burn field defines how many seconds each fuel unit lasts before it is consumed.

A generator with Capacity 100 and Burn 60 can hold 100 units of fuel and burns one unit every 60 seconds. Total runtime at full capacity is 100 × 60 = 6,000 seconds (100 minutes). A generator with Capacity 500 and Burn 30 can hold 500 units and burns one unit every 30 seconds, for a total runtime of 500 × 30 = 15,000 seconds (250 minutes).

File and folder structure

A complete generator mod requires the following files:

Workshop/Content/304930/<modID>/
├── Bundles/
│   └── <BundleName>.unity3d          ← master bundle containing the prefab
└── Items/
    └── MyGenerator/
        ├── Asset.dat                 ← generator configuration
        └── English.dat               ← display name and description

The folder name, the .dat filename stem, and the internal Name field should all match for consistency, though the engine does not enforce this equality.

Complete .dat field reference

Identity and barricade inheritance fields

Generator assets inherit all barricade identity fields from BarricadeAsset. The fields below are the minimum identity block for any generator item.

Field	Type	Example	Required	Purpose
ID	uint16	4030	Yes	Numeric item ID. Must be unique across all loaded mods. Use IDs in the 50000+ range to avoid collision with vanilla and established community mods.
GUID	uint128 hex	a1b2c3d4e5f64a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d	Yes	128-bit globally unique identifier. Generate a new GUID for every new item. Never reuse GUIDs.
Type	enum	Generator	Yes	Must be Generator for generator items.
Useable	enum	Barricade	Yes	Must be Barricade - generator items are a barricade subtype.
Build	enum	Generator	Yes	Must be Generator - this is the build type that drives the placement logic and the radial power emission.
Name	string	MyGenerator	Yes	Internal name. Used in console commands and cross-reference in other .dat files.
Rarity	enum	Uncommon	No	Controls the inventory highlight color. Values: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, Mythical. Defaults to Common.
Slot	enum	None	No	Generators are placeable items; they use None because the item is placed in the world, not equipped into a player hand slot.
Size_X	uint8	3	Yes	Width in inventory grid cells.
Size_Y	uint8	3	Yes	Height in inventory grid cells.
Health	uint16	200	No	The hit points of the deployed generator. When health reaches zero, the generator is destroyed and power ceases.

Barricade placement fields

Generator assets inherit placement fields from BarricadeAsset.

Field	Type	Default	Purpose
Range	float	1.0	The maximum placement distance from the player.
Placeable_On_Surfaces	flag	not set	Controls which surface types accept placement (terrain, structure, etc.).
Place_Effect	GUID	not set	Visual effect GUID to play on placement.
Place_Sound	enum	not set	Audio category for the placement sound.

Generator-specific fields

The fields below are unique to the ItemGeneratorAsset class and control the power and fuel systems.

Field	Type	Required	Default	Example	Purpose
Capacity	uint16	No	0	200	Maximum units of fuel that can be stored in the generator. A value of 0 means the generator cannot hold fuel and will never produce power.
Wirerange	float	No	0	16	The radius in meters around the generator that is provided electricity. The radius is spherical and does not require line of sight. Valid range is 0 to 256. A value of 0 means the generator powers nothing.
Burn	float	No	0	30	How many seconds it takes to burn one unit of fuel. Higher values mean slower fuel consumption (each unit lasts longer). A value of 0 means the generator never consumes fuel and has infinite runtime while it has any fuel.

Burn rate design intuition

Burn is the inverse of consumption rate. A higher Burn value means the fuel lasts longer. A generator with Burn 60 consumes one fuel unit per minute. A generator with Burn 10 consumes one fuel unit every 10 seconds - it is six times thirstier. Design Burn so that the total runtime at full capacity matches the intended refueling interval. A generator that players must refuel every 30 minutes of active play creates different gameplay than one that runs for 3 hours on a full tank.

Runtime calculation

The total runtime of a generator at full capacity is calculated as:

Total runtime (seconds) = Capacity × Burn

Capacity	Burn (seconds per unit)	Total runtime	Typical use case
100	60	6,000 seconds = 100 minutes	Standard base generator, refueled once per play session
200	30	6,000 seconds = 100 minutes	Same runtime, larger fuel buffer
100	120	12,000 seconds = 200 minutes	Efficient generator, long intervals between refueling
500	20	10,000 seconds = 166 minutes	High-capacity industrial generator, moderate burn rate
50	10	500 seconds = 8.3 minutes	Portable emergency generator, fuel-hungry
1000	60	60,000 seconds = 16.6 hours	Large compound generator, overnight runtime

Wirerange coverage planning

The Wirerange field is a float bounded between 0 and 256. The coverage zone is a sphere centered on the generator's world position. Every powered barricade inside that sphere receives power, regardless of line of sight.

Wirerange value	Coverage diameter	Typical structure coverage
4	8 meters	Single small room (1-2 foundation tiles)
8	16 meters	Medium room or small base (4-6 foundations)
12	24 meters	Large room or medium compound
16	32 meters	Large base, multiple rooms on one floor
24	48 meters	Very large compound or multi-story structure
32	64 meters	Entire small base including exterior defenses
64	128 meters	Large compound with perimeter defenses
128	256 meters	Full compound with satellite outposts
256	512 meters	Map-covering power (admin or creative use)

The wirerange values above are cohort-validated for typical base sizes. A wirerange larger than 64 meters produces coverage extending into adjacent player compounds on densely populated servers, which can create visual and gameplay conflicts. The cohort recommendation for PvP servers is to keep wirerange at or below 32 meters so that each generator serves one base rather than multiple nearby bases.

Multiple generators and overlapping coverage

When two or more generators are deployed within the same coverage zone, all powered barricades in the overlap area receive power as long as at least one generator in the area has fuel. The generators do not share fuel - each generator's fuel reserves are tracked independently. If Generator A has fuel and Generator B is empty, the barricades in the overlap still receive power (from Generator A). If both generators have fuel, the barricades still receive power - there is no load sharing or efficiency bonus from having multiple generators.

The overlapping coverage model means that a base with multiple generators is more resilient to fuel exhaustion: as long as at least one generator still has fuel, the base's powered defenses remain active. Raiding parties must either destroy all generators or drain all fuel reserves to disable the base's power grid.

Complete .dat example: standard base generator

A mid-range generator suitable for a small base compound. Provides 16-meter coverage with a balanced fuel economy.

ID 50420
GUID a1b2c3d4e5f64a7b8c9d0e1f2a3b4c5d
Type Generator
Useable Barricade
Build Generator
Name StandardGenerator

Rarity Uncommon
Slot None
Size_X 3
Size_Y 3
Health 200

Capacity 200
Wirerange 16
Burn 60

Companion English.dat:

Name Standard Base Generator
Description Medium-range generator for small base compounds. 200 fuel capacity. 16-meter wirerange. Burns 1 unit per minute.

Complete .dat example: heavy industrial generator

A high-capacity generator with wide coverage, designed for large compounds and group bases. Larger inventory footprint reflects its industrial form factor.

ID 50421
GUID b2c3d4e5f6a74a8b9c0d1e2f3a4b5c6e
Type Generator
Useable Barricade
Build Generator
Name IndustrialGenerator

Rarity Rare
Slot None
Size_X 4
Size_Y 4
Health 500

Capacity 800
Wirerange 32
Burn 60

Companion English.dat:

Name Industrial Generator
Description High-capacity generator for large compounds. 800 fuel capacity. 32-meter wirerange. Burns 1 unit per minute. 500 HP.

Complete .dat example: portable emergency generator

A small, fuel-hungry generator with short coverage, designed for temporary forward operating bases.

ID 50422
GUID c3d4e5f6a7b84a9c0d1e2f3a4b5c6d7e
Type Generator
Useable Barricade
Build Generator
Name PortableGenny

Rarity Common
Slot None
Size_X 2
Size_Y 2
Health 100

Capacity 50
Wirerange 8
Burn 15

Companion English.dat:

Name Portable Generator
Description Compact generator for forward bases. 50 fuel capacity. 8-meter wirerange. Burns 1 unit per 15 seconds.

Complete .dat example: admin solar generator

An infinite-runtime generator suitable for admin use or creative mode. High wirerange, large capacity, and zero burn rate produce a generator that never needs refueling.

ID 50423
GUID d3e4f5a6b7c94a0d1e2f3a4b5c6d7e8f
Type Generator
Useable Barricade
Build Generator
Name SolarArray

Rarity Legendary
Slot None
Size_X 4
Size_Y 4
Health 1000

Capacity 10000
Wirerange 128
Burn 0

Companion English.dat:

Name Solar Array
Description Infinite-runtime generator for admin use. 10000 fuel capacity. 128-meter wirerange. Zero fuel consumption. Cannot be fueled at runtime.

Generator deployment and power distribution

The power distribution model in Unturned™ is a simple radius-based broadcast. The generator sends power outward in a sphere; any barricade that requires power and is within that sphere receives it. There is no wiring, no cable management, no power grid with connection points - the model is intentionally abstract to avoid the complexity of physical power transmission.

As shown in the diagram above, every powered barricade within the wirerange sphere receives power, and every barricade outside the sphere receives none.

Generator prefab structure

The Unity prefab for a generator follows the same structure as any barricade prefab. The minimum cohort-validated hierarchy is:

MyGeneratorPrefab (root, with InteractableGenerator script)
├── Body (MeshRenderer + MeshFilter for the generator device mesh)
├── Collider (box or sphere collider covering the generator volume)
└── Light (optional - visual indicator that the generator is running)

The InteractableGenerator script is the Unity-side component that handles fuel interaction and power state management. The script does not require special configuration beyond being attached to the root of the prefab.

Generator model and visual guidance

Requirement	Details
Polygon budget	500-3000 tris depending on generator type (portable: 500-1000, industrial: 2000-3000)
Scale	Portable generators: approximately 30×30×30 cm. Standard generators: approximately 60×40×50 cm. Industrial generators: approximately 100×80×120 cm.
Pivot origin	At the base of the generator, centered horizontally - aligns with the placement surface
Active state visual	Consider including a light-emitting element or rotating fan sub-mesh that animates when the generator is running, giving players a visible confirmation that power is being supplied

A generator model should visually communicate its fuel capacity - an industrial generator with large fuel tanks should look substantially different from a small portable unit.

Diagnostic table

Symptom	Most likely cause	Resolution
Generator placed but no power output	Capacity is 0 or generator has no fuel	Set Capacity to a positive value; fuel the generator with a fuel canister
Generator runs but no barricades receive power	Wirerange is 0 or too small	Set Wirerange to a positive value (e.g., 16)
Generator fuel depletes instantly	Burn is set too low (e.g., 1)	Increase Burn to give each fuel unit longer runtime
Generator never runs out of fuel	Burn is 0 (infinite runtime)	Set Burn to a positive value for limited runtime; Burn 0 is valid only for admin items
Fuel canister cannot be used on generator	Generator is at maximum Capacity already	Consume some fuel or increase Capacity
Generator does not appear in inventory after @give	ID conflict or Bypass_ID_Limit missing	Confirm unique ID and add Bypass_ID_Limit True
Generator is invisible when placed	Prefab not found in bundle	Confirm prefab name in bundle matches Name field
Generator cannot be placed	Useable or Build fields incorrect	Confirm Useable Barricade and Build Generator
Generator is destroyed by one hit	Health set too low	Increase Health to a value proportional to intended durability
Wirerange seems too small	Builder misjudged spherical radius; radius is in all directions, not just horizontally	Measure from generator in 3D space - walls above and below the generator are also within coverage
Generator has fuel but does not run	Generator is damaged but not destroyed (health below operational threshold?)	Generators run at any health above zero; check if fuel was actually deposited
Fuel level does not show in interaction prompt	Vanilla fuel level display is limited; some UI mods add fuel readouts	Use a UI mod or server plugin to display remaining fuel
Burn rate seems inconsistent	Burn timer ticks on server update intervals, not continuously	Small variations in timing are normal; the average rate matches the configured value
Generator placement obstructed by own collider	Prefab collider is larger than the visible model	Adjust collider to match the model bounds precisely

Best practices

• Design Capacity and Burn together to achieve the intended runtime. A generator that needs refueling every 30 minutes creates different gameplay pressure than one that runs for 3 hours on a full tank.
• Match Wirerange to the expected base size. A 16-meter wirerange serves most small bases. A 32-meter wirerange serves large compounds. Do not exceed 64 meters for standard gameplay to avoid unintended overlap with neighboring bases.
• Set Health proportional to the generator's intended role. Portable generators should have low health (100-150), standard generators moderate health (200-400), and industrial or fortified generators high health (500-1000).
• Use Build Generator exactly as shown; the parser rejects case variations. Confirm this field after every edit.
• Test the generator with a fuel canister in single-player before publishing: place the generator, check its interaction prompt (it should indicate no fuel), use a fuel canister on it, verify power coverage within wirerange, and confirm the burn timer runs as expected.
• Generate a fresh GUID for every generator item and record it in the project's GUID tracking document.
• Document the generator's coverage radius and expected runtime in the English.dat description so players can plan their base layout accordingly.
• Consider providing multiple generator variant prefabs (portable, standard, industrial) with different Size_X/Size_Y footprints, Capacity values, and Wirerange values so that players have meaningful upgrade paths.

Frequently asked questions

Can a generator be placed underwater?

Generator placement follows the same surface restrictions as other barricade items. The standard barricade placement system does not support underwater placement without additional configuration. If your mod requires underwater generators, set Ignore_Soil_Restrictions on the placement configuration (or use the barricade surface flag equivalent if the engine version supports it through the Placeable_On_Surfaces field). The generator's power emission is not affected by water - if it is placed and fueled, it provides power within its wirerange regardless of water depth.

Does Wirerange work vertically?

Yes. The wirerange is a sphere centered on the generator's world position. Power coverage extends equally in all three dimensions: up, down, and horizontally. A generator on the ground floor of a two-story base with Wirerange 16 will power barricades on both floors as long as they are within 16 meters of the generator's position. The vertical coverage is a critical design consideration for multi-story bases - a generator placed on the roof can power both the roof defenses and the ground-level interior.

What is the maximum Wirerange?

The Wirerange field is a float bounded to a maximum of 256 by the engine. A generator with Wirerange 256 covers a 512-meter-diameter sphere, which encompasses most playable area on standard-sized maps. This value is appropriate for admin or creative generators. For standard gameplay, the cohort recommendation is 8 to 32 meters.

Can I have a generator that produces infinite power without fuel?

Set Burn 0. A generator with Burn 0 never consumes fuel, meaning it produces power indefinitely as long as it has at least one unit of fuel in its Capacity. You must still set Capacity to a positive value and the generator must receive fuel at least once (or be given fuel via admin command). A Burn 0 generator with Capacity 1 and one unit of fuel runs forever.

Can a generator be repaired?

Yes. Generators are barricade-type items and inherit the standard barricade repair mechanics. A player with a repair tool (a melee weapon with the RepairTool flag) can repair a damaged generator to restore its health. The generator continues running while being repaired as long as it has fuel remaining.

Do generators need line of sight to the barricades they power?

No. The wirerange power model does not require line of sight. A generator in a sealed room powers barricades through walls, floors, ceilings, and terrain. The only constraint is distance - the barricade must be within the wirerange sphere.

Can I make a generator that only powers certain barricade types?

No. The generator broadcasts power to all powered barricades within its wirerange without discrimination. There is no whitelist or blacklist field in the generator .dat that restricts which barricade types receive power. If your mod scenario requires selective power distribution (power to lights but not to sentry guns), that restriction must be enforced at the server level through a plugin.

Can a generator be stolen while running?

A deployed generator can be picked up by the player who placed it (using the barricade pickup mechanic) if it has health remaining above zero. The generator does not need to be empty of fuel to be picked up. An enemy player cannot pick up another player's generator - barricade ownership is enforced by the engine. The enemy player can destroy the generator, but they cannot reclaim it as a usable item.

How do I fill a generator with fuel?

Use a fuel canister - a separate item type that stores fuel units. Equip the fuel canister in your hand, approach the generator, and press the interact key. The engine transfers fuel from the canister to the generator, up to the generator's Capacity limit. If the canister has more fuel than the generator needs, the excess remains in the canister.

What happens when the generator runs out of fuel while powering barricades?

All powered barricades within its wirerange lose power immediately. Powered doors unlock, sentry guns deactivate, spotlights turn off, and electric traps stop functioning. The barricades remain in place and retain their health - they simply lose electrical functionality until power is restored by refueling the generator.

Can a generator explode when destroyed?

A generator does not produce an explosion when destroyed by default. The generator is removed from the world and the remaining fuel inside it is lost. If your mod requires a fuel explosion on generator destruction, that behavior must be implemented through a server plugin that detects generator destruction and spawns an explosion effect at the generator's position.

Can generators be linked together to cover a larger area?

Generators do not link or chain in Unturned™'s native engine. Each generator operates independently within its own wirerange sphere. However, placing multiple generators with overlapping wireranges creates a combined coverage area that is the union of all individual spheres. A base with two generators placed 20 meters apart with Wirerange 16 each will have a continuous coverage zone across the 36-meter gap between them.

Is generator state persisted across server restarts?

Yes. The deployed generator's fuel level, health, and position are saved in the server's save file. When the server restarts, the generator resumes operation with its previous fuel level. This is the same persistence behavior as other barricade items.

Appendix A: Generator asset .dat field quick reference

Field	Type	Required	Default
ID	uint16	Yes	,
GUID	uint128	Yes	,
Type	enum (Generator)	Yes	,
Useable	enum (Barricade)	Yes	,
Build	enum (Generator)	Yes	,
Name	string	Yes	,
Rarity	enum	No	Common
Slot	enum	No	None
Size_X	uint8	Yes	,
Size_Y	uint8	Yes	,
Health	uint16	No	Barricade default
Capacity	uint16	No	0
Wirerange	float	No	0
Burn	float	No	0

Appendix B: Generator balance comparison table

The table below provides cohort-validated balance values for generator tiers.

Tier	Capacity	Wirerange	Burn	Health	Size_X/Y	Runtime at full
Portable	50	8	15	100	2×2	12.5 min
Standard	200	16	60	200	3×3	200 min
Extended	400	24	60	350	3×3	400 min
Industrial	800	32	60	500	4×4	800 min
Fortified	500	16	120	1000	4×4	1000 min
Admin	10000	128	0	1000	4×4	Infinite

Appendix C: Total runtime reference table

Capacity	Burn	Runtime
50	15	12.5 minutes
100	30	50 minutes
100	60	100 minutes
200	30	100 minutes
200	60	200 minutes
400	60	400 minutes (6.6 hours)
500	60	500 minutes (8.3 hours)
800	60	800 minutes (13.3 hours)
1000	60	1000 minutes (16.6 hours)

Appendix D: Powered barricade types that require generators

The following barricade types require power from a generator to function. This list is based on the vanilla Unturned powered barricade set.

Barricade type	What it does when powered
Powered door	Opens and closes electrically
Sentry gun	Auto-targets and fires at enemies within range
Spotlight	Illuminates a directed area
Electric trap	Deals damage to entities that trigger it
Powered refrigerator	Chills contents (cosmetic in most configs)
Night vision detector	Triggers alarms on detected movement
Sensor	Detects player movement and triggers connected devices

Each of these barricade types checks for a powered generator within their respective coverage radius. If no generator with fuel is present within that coverage zone, the barricade does not function.

Appendix E: External references

• Smartly Dressed Games official modding documentation - Generator assets - the authoritative field reference for generator assets.
• Unturned on Steam - the Unturned™ store page and community hub.
• Objects, Structures, and Barricades Asset Guide - covers the barricade inheritance chain that generator assets rely on.
• Item Asset Anatomy - shared item identity fields.
• Fuel Asset Reference - covers the fuel canister item type used to refuel generators.
• Project Folder Structure and GUIDs - GUID generation and folder layout.
• Master Bundle Export - Unity bundling workflow.

Advanced considerations

Generator sound and visual feedback

A running generator in Unturned™ produces a configurable sound loop. The sound is set through the item's audio configuration in the prefab, not through the .dat field set. The cohort recommendation is to provide a distinct low hum sound for generators that loops while fuel is being consumed. The sound gives players an audio cue that the generator is running and provides enemy raiders with an audio signal that a powered base is nearby. The sound radius should be tuned so that it is audible within the generator's wirerange but not far beyond it - players who are within the power coverage area should hear the generator, but distant players should not.

Generator placement in raid defense

From a defensive design perspective, the optimal generator placement is in a location that is:

• Within the wirerange of all powered barricades
• Inaccessible or difficult to reach for raiders
• Behind at least one layer of fortified wall
• Elevated or roof-level to maximize vertical coverage

The generator's Health field directly determines how long raiders must spend destroying it to disable the base's power grid. A well-fortified generator with Health 1000 requires substantial ammunition or explosives to destroy, giving defenders more time to repel the raid.

Multiple generators and raid resilience

A base with multiple generators placed in physically separate locations is substantially harder to disable than a base with a single generator. Raiders must locate and destroy each generator independently to fully disable the base's power grid. The cohort recommendation for competitive PvP servers is to place generators in hardened, separate rooms so that losing one generator does not cascade into a total power failure.

Generator balance for RP servers

On roleplay servers such as those operated by 57 Studios™, generators serve an additional balance function. A generator with limited fuel capacity and realistic wirerange forces players to build compact, defensible bases rather than sprawling compounds. The generator becomes a constraint that shapes base design. RP servers may tune generator parameters to encourage specific base architecture - short wirerange encourages vertical construction (stacking rooms within range) while long wirerange encourages horizontal expansion.

Performance considerations for generator coverage checks

The engine checks powered barricade proximity to generators on a periodic update interval. The performance cost is proportional to the number of generators multiplied by the number of powered barricades within their respective coverage zones. On servers with hundreds of generators and thousands of powered barricades, the cumulative check can produce measurable CPU load. The cohort recommendation for large servers is to cap generator wirerange at 32 meters to limit the number of barricades that each generator must check.

Authoring checklist

Before publishing a generator item to the Steam Workshop, confirm the following:

• [ ] GUID is unique - generated fresh, not copied from another asset
• [ ] ID is in the 50000+ range
• [ ] Type Generator, Useable Barricade, Build Generator are all present and correctly spelled
• [ ] Capacity is set to a positive value (generator needs fuel capacity)
• [ ] Wirerange is set to a positive value within 0-256 meters
• [ ] Burn is set to a positive value (or 0 for infinite runtime)
• [ ] Health is set proportional to the generator's intended durability
• [ ] Prefab has InteractableGenerator script attached to root
• [ ] Prefab collider covers the generator model volume
• [ ] Master bundle is built and copied to the mod's Bundles/ folder
• [ ] English.dat is authored with descriptive Name and Description fields
• [ ] Tested in single-player: generator placed, fueled with fuel canister, power coverage verified with powered barricade, burn rate confirmed, refueling tested
• [ ] Rarity is set to match the generator's power tier (Common for portable, Uncommon for standard, Rare for industrial, Legendary for admin)
• [ ] Workshop description documents the generator's coverage radius, fuel capacity, and expected runtime

Document history

Version	Date	Author	Notes
1.0	2026-07-26	57 Studios	Initial publication. Full generator asset .dat field reference, power radius system, fuel consumption mechanics, runtime calculations, worked examples, FAQ, appendices.

Cross-references

• Farm Asset Reference - the previous article; covers the farm asset type, which also inherits from BarricadeAsset.
• Grower Asset Reference - the next article; covers the grower asset type.
• Objects, Structures, and Barricades Asset Guide - covers the barricade inheritance chain.
• Item Asset Anatomy - shared item identity fields.
• Fuel Asset Reference - covers the fuel canister item used to refuel generators.
• Project Folder Structure and GUIDs - GUID authoring workflow.
• Master Bundle Export - Unity bundling pipeline.
• Smartly Dressed Games modding documentation - official field reference.
• Unturned on Steam - game page and community.