Every kinetic network in Create is governed by two competing numbers: stress capacity (the total power available from generators) and stress impact (the total load from all running machines). As long as capacity exceeds impact, everything runs smoothly. The moment impact surpasses capacity, the entire network becomes overstressed — every machine on it grinds to a halt, regardless of whether the overloading machine is the most important one. Managing stress is the central challenge of scaling up a Create factory.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/Creators-of-Create/Create/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Stress Units (SU)
Stress is measured in Stress Units (SU). The key insight is that both capacity and impact scale linearly with RPM — they are not fixed values:- A generator’s capacity at a given speed =
base_capacity × (current_RPM / 1 RPM). - A consumer’s impact at a given speed =
base_impact × (current_RPM / 1 RPM).
stats section of the kinetics config defines reference thresholds used for in-game indicators (the coloured tiers shown in tooltips and Goggles overlays):
| Config Key | Default | Unit | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
mediumStressImpact | 4 | SU | Impact classified as “medium” |
highStressImpact | 8 | SU | Impact classified as “high” |
mediumCapacity | 256 | SU | Capacity classified as “medium” |
highCapacity | 1024 | SU | Capacity classified as “high” |
Impact and capacity values shown in the
BlockStressValues registry are base values at 1 RPM. The actual SU consumed or produced at runtime is always base × current_RPM. This is why slowing down a network is such an effective way to reduce load.Reading the Network
Create provides two in-game tools for monitoring stress without opening any config file or spreadsheet.Engineer's Goggles
Craft and wear these as a helmet. When you look at any kinetic block, an overlay appears showing its current stress impact or capacity in SU, the current network speed in RPM, and whether the network is overstressed. Essential for diagnosing problems on the fly.
Stress Gauge / Stressometer
A dedicated block that displays the total capacity and total impact of the network it is connected to, as well as the percentage utilisation. Place one on any shaft in a network for a permanent readout. Found in
content/kinetics/gauge.Common Generators and Their Capacity
Not all generators are equal. Here is a rough overview of what to expect at each tier of progression.Water Wheel
Tier: Low. Passive generation, no fuel. Produces a fixed base capacity regardless of external RPM (the wheel sets its own speed based on water flow). Great for early game. Stack multiple wheels for more capacity.
Windmill Bearing
Tier: Low–Medium. Scales with the number of attached sail blocks. Every
windmillSailsPerRPM sails (default: 8) adds 1 RPM. A windmill with 64 sails produces 8 RPM. More sails = more RPM = more capacity. Requires open sky and no obstructions in the rotation path.Steam Engine
Tier: High. Pairs with a Flywheel and a Blaze Burner–powered boiler. Multiple Steam Engines can be mounted on one flywheel stack for very large capacity values. Requires a continuous fuel supply but provides the best capacity-to-footprint ratio.
Tips for Balancing Stress
Getting overstressed is not a disaster — it is a signal to rebalance. Here are the most effective strategies.Add more generators
The straightforward fix: build another Water Wheel, extend your windmill’s sail count, or add a second Steam Engine to your flywheel. Every additional generator on the same network increases total capacity at the same RPM.
Lower the RPM of expensive consumers
Because stress impact scales with RPM, a machine running at 16 RPM costs half as much as the same machine at 32 RPM. Use a Rotation Speed Controller or a large-to-small cogwheel pair to reduce the speed of your most impact-heavy devices. Processing will be slower, but the network will stay healthy.
Segment your networks
Kinetic networks only share stress within a directly connected group of shafts and gears. Two physically separate networks are completely independent — overstressing one has zero effect on the other. Split your factory into discrete networks (e.g., one network per production line) so that a single overloaded line doesn’t halt everything else.
Config Reference
All values below come fromCKinetics.java and can be adjusted in the mod’s kinetics config file.
| Config Key | Default | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
disableStress | false | — | Disables the stress mechanic entirely |
maxRotationSpeed | 256 | RPM | Maximum speed any kinetic block can reach |
mediumSpeed | 30 | RPM | Threshold for “medium” speed classification |
fastSpeed | 100 | RPM | Threshold for “fast” speed classification |
mediumStressImpact | 4 | SU | Threshold for “medium” impact classification |
highStressImpact | 8 | SU | Threshold for “high” impact classification |
mediumCapacity | 256 | SU | Threshold for “medium” capacity classification |
highCapacity | 1024 | SU | Threshold for “high” capacity classification |
windmillSailsPerRPM | 8 | sails | Sails required per 1 RPM of windmill speed |
minimumWindmillSails | 8 | sails | Minimum sails needed to assemble a windmill |
Further Reading
- Rotational Force — understand RPM, generators, and transmission before worrying about stress.
- Kinetic Generators — detailed stats and placement guides for every power source in Create.