We’ve been working on the Power Distribution Network (PDN) control system for a while now. It’s a complex system that will impact everything on the ship, so we think it was time well spent.

The good news is that the system has been completed and is ready to use. Actually it’s version 1 that we’ve just released – no system on the ship is ever really complete as they’re constantly being developed and improved.

There are two parts to the PDN. The first deals with how the system is visualised, so that engineers can see how systems and their power sources are connected to each other. This takes the form of the distinctive schematic diagrams which you’ve probably already seen previewed.

Those diagrams are interactive, so that if you tap one of the distribution nodes on the console an interface opens that allows you to adjust the incoming and outgoing power. This is the second part of the PDN – allocating power across the network all the way from the reactor to each vessel system.

The PDN is made up of a web of distribution nodes connected by conduits which is heavily redundant, so that damage can be routed around.

While the interface is easy to use – it’s just a few sliders on the incoming and outgoing sides of the node - allocating and routing power requires a solid understanding of the PDN’s layout. Reallocating power from one major system to another would likely involve adjusting multiple distribution nodes and while future versions of the system might automate much of that process, for now it comes down to the skill of the engineer.

Which is why you’ll always see an engineer on the bridge when things get interesting.