The power indicator at the start of a night.
“Check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power.” |
The power indicator is a vital in-game mechanic which displays the amount of power remaining and the amount of power being consumed at any time.
In-Game
The power indicator is a major game mechanic that is located at the bottom left of the player's screen. It starts off with 100% power; however, the value is rounded down to the nearest integer making it appear to start at 99% (which is also the reason the amount of power left will read 0% for a while before actually shutting down). It will decrease at a speed depending on how much power is being used at any given time. An example would be having two doors closed and having the monitor up, which will cause the power to drain at an alarming rate. Conserve power by using the lights, doors, and cameras sparingly. Below the percentage indicator is a usage graphic that shows two green bars, a yellow bar, and a red bar. If only one or two green bars are illuminated, then the power usage is minimal. If the yellow bar is illuminated, then power usage is medium, and the red bar indicates critical or max power usage which drains the most power. In the Android version, there is a cheat mode which grants unlimited power, allowing the amount of power left to remain fixed at 100%.
What Drains Power
- There is an unstoppable 1-bar drain that drains 1% power every 9.6 seconds, seemingly caused by fans and lights in the office.
- Turning on the Hall Lights, closing the Doors, and checking the Monitor will cut that time in half for each one turned on. 1% each 4.8 seconds with 2 bars, an average of 1% each 3.2 seconds (in a cycle of 2.8s, 2.9s, 3.9s) with 3 bars, and an average of 1% each 2.4 seconds (in a cycle of 1.9s, 2.9s) with 4 bars (the max amount). It is impossible to have more than 4 bars because use of the camera and each door light are mutually exclusive (one must be turned off or released before being able to turn on another). It is also impossible to be at 4 bars without having both doors closed. It should be noted that these values tend to fluctuate over the nights, possibly intentionally to make the game harder in later nights or as a side effect of having to do extra processing for more active animatronics.
- The first time Foxy is blocked, he drains 1% power. The second time he is blocked, he drains 6% power. The third time he is blocked, he can drain the power upwards of 11%. It is thought that this increases by 5% for each successive knock beyond this point.
Power Usage Calculations
~9% power used per in-game hour with the constant 1-bar usage. Assuming a night where no one kills the player (only possible if Foxy and Freddy never attack the entire night even without being looked at), the maximum amount of power capable of completing a night with is ~45% (Upper limit high-score).
Assuming the Camera, Doors and Lights all drain the same:
- 18% power used per hour with constant 2-bar usage. Electricity would run out at ~5:30 AM.
- 27% power used per hour with constant 3-bar usage. Electricity would run out at ~3:42 AM.
- 36% power used per hour with constant 4-bar usage. Electricity would run out at ~2:47 AM.
Not accounting for the few seconds the player has to survive with no power, even distribution of power over the 6 hours would lead to ~16.6% power usage per hour. Below is a guide of values to try to remain above. (Tip: Energy can be conserved earlier in the night due to having a slight grace period before the animatronics start bearing down on the office. This only works well during the first few nights, however.)
Power indicator showing max power and max usage.
- 12am: ~99%
- 1am: ~83%
- 2am: ~66%
- 3am: ~50%
- 4am: ~33%
- 5am: ~16%
- 6am: ~0%
Trivia
- There is not an endless supply of power because the restaurant is apparently on a "power budget" due to their low revenue in the past few years.
- The unstoppable 1% drain is most likely due to the lights around the building and the fan in the office.
