First off I want to say this is sounding very interesting.
However, I am concerned by the talk of using Water Cells. If this is a Geothermal power system, it should generate steam from straight water, not water in cells. I would also prefer to work with straight lava than with Lava Cells. The current GeoGens don't use cells. Ablaka doesn't want to allow cells to be refillable, so its better to make the GeoGens not use cells at all (except maybe for Cooling Cells). In addition, not using cells for the water or lava will allow them to be pumped straight in.
Maybe than I should implement some new filling system?...
How about that:
All-new GUI ! (and system)
We got here inputs for lava and water buckets (and you will get empty buckets back, yeah),
Storages for lava and water (steam),
Energy storage (if no wiring to some active machines/BB/MFE/MFSU),
Some places for Coolant Cells,
'Info list' (current EU/t output, and maybe some approx time of GeoGen work until run out of resources (lava)):
If you put in lava bucket, nothing gonna happen, you NEED to fill GeoGen with water FIRST, at least 1 bucket:
Or two:
Or three:
And then, when you will add lava...
Blam! Steam appears! Miracle!
From this moment (when you got lava and steam in storages), GeoGen will start generating tha powa!
In example - 1,2,3,4,5 "parts" if steam will generate 6,8,10 (like now),12,14 EU/t.
(there are old values at this picture)
While working, steam WILL NOT end! (until there is some lava in storage)
Lava - yes, will slowly comming to the end, than more steam you got, then faster will lava end.
Coolant Cells! If you insert 1/2/3 Coolant Cells, lava "dissappearing" will become slower.
And yes, they will be damaged in the process. 1 Cell will take a lot of damage from lava heat, but if you put in 2 or 3 Cells, damage will divide among them!
Here I added one more bucket of water, water instantly turned to the steam, (cuz GeoGen already working) and output EU/t becomes higher:
When lava storage will become an empty, steam will fast (by leaps) end:
(and if IC2 team will add a sound like "Phhhhhhhh...!" at that moment, it would be GREAT!)
In that case we don't need any new damaged or refillable items (except Coolant Cells, but they already implemented)!
And still, for best GeoGen work and powa-generating, you need to fill it ALL (5 lava buckets + 5 water buckets + 3 Coolant Cells).
In my example new GeoGen outputs are 6,8,10,12,14 cuz 10 already is in GeoGen, and I want some lower and higher values; not only 10 EU/t and not supa-ultra-mega 5-10-15-20-25 EU/t's, that will be too imba, much easier and cheaper than Reactor's power.
What do you think now?
Alblaka?