Yes, my initial issue was on the second loop. And it did appear on the third loop, as you said. So I guess it was just the sequence of events that I took to get there.
The first time I installed the generator, I didn't get that message. Then after I had posted this feedback, I noticed that warning. So the big black popup warning that it would be a permanent change didn't appear the very first time.
I wouldn't say it has no point. I like to grab as much food and water as I can, quickly so that I can empty up the protein/filter water, but the system auto-uses synfood/water pouches, so I had to manually waste them to empty up their resource pallets.
Well, what you "could do" to balance it, is to reduce the hacking time, but the mental concentration needed to do the hacking consumes water/food faster, to offset the time needed.
After posting that suggestion, I realized what I was actually asking for was "skills" that would in another game. A passive upgrade that improves the activity speed of multiple actions. Possibly with a chance for a critical effect, that consumes twice as much time as a normal tick.
Rover power is only "that useful" once you've completed a path section at least once, or an entire path at least once. Until then, it takes forever to complete sections and death from loss of resources is very likely. I do see now that I'm on cycle 9 or so now (was at cycle 2 at the time of posting) that you slowly unlock shortcuts which makes things better, but at the time I had no shortcuts and it was torturously hard to get anywhere, hence the suggestion. But now at cycle 9, with some shortcuts and better route planning, I'm able to do things faster, but as a new player I didn't know about any of that and was ready to give up.
My apologies on the water bottles. I was confused and you are right, they are specifically different.
You don't have to nerf power. What you could do is give the option to add on more objects that drain the power faster. ie:
-> Improved navigation to reduce time needed for optimizing existing paths.
-> Improved detection to find additional objects of interest on side paths that you avoid now (like to first rover with artifact).
-> Build an extra compartment to the rover, that adds weight and thus increases standard travel time costs. Can install the water recycler into it, alongside the generator.
-> Build an extra storage compartment to the rover, that also adds weight. Can stash some supplies in it for an emergency. So you could effectively have 10/10 synthfood, water pouches, etc...
EDIT:
-> Something I have noticed, is that combined actions don't get speed up boosts from repeatedly doing them. ie Repair Upper Floor, I've done at least 3 times, and it says I've completed it 0 times over my 9 loops.