Can someone explain?

[Szczuku]

I'm a pretty simple ONI player. I create a 26x4 room filled with CO2 to store my food while oders can do it in a 3 tile space. And I don't really have time to watch a 40+ min tutorial on something.

So whenever I decide to look at some guides/tips in here I always find myself wondering why there're so many mechanized airlocks locked up.

That's why I'd like someone to explain to me some pro strategies that I don't know/understand. Stuff like volcano//Geyser cooling or using steam turbine as that's often where i find those confusing technics with mechanized airlocks.

[bmilohill]

Two times I used locked mechanized airlocks in my build:

1) I don't want dupes to go through. Often I will build an insulated layer around a steam vent, I use an airlock to let the dupes in to build things like pumps. After which I still want there to be a door to get in for repairs if needed - but *if* repairs are needed, I'd rather know about it (because it means I messed up the automation or the materials used), so I don't want dupes to be able to go in and fix it automatically. And I might want to change something later, so I don't just replace it with more insulated tile. 

I could just change dupe permissions, sure, but I like having the locked animation as a visual reminder. 

2) Alot of times I will automate doors. Especially situations where doors control letting steam into a turbine, or dropping eggs in an automated ranch. To expand on the steam turbine since you asked - if I want steam to go into the turbine only if it is above 150C, I simply connect a thermo sensor to the door's automation port. If you connect automation wire to a mechanical door, they are never in the 'auto' state that you are used to where they are closed, but usable. An automated door that is active will be open, an automated door that is inactive will be locked. 

So chances are this is mainly what you are seeing on the pro builds - automation. 

 

[FiannaTiger]

The biggest thing I’ve seen mechanical doors used for is controlling heat or cooling transitions. When a mechanical door is open it is a vacuum and zero heat transfer. When it’s closed it will transfer the heat or cool across it. The lock icon shows up when it is controlled by automation and it’s in its inactive state. 

[Lacost]

Doors can do 3 things other than being a door.

 

1. Regulate heat transfer: A door that is completely walled in will create a vacuum once it is opened. If you place a door between 2 insulated tiles and have heat conductors (metal tiles) to the sides of the door, heat can only be transfered when the door is closed. Utilizing doors this way you can prevent liquids or gasses from overheating or undercooling. Doors are also cheaper to build than metal tiles which is why many prefer them.

For instance, you can build a wheezewort cooling chamber that has more cooling power than what you would need for your oxygen cooler. Instead of crunching the numbers and tweaking the wheezewort chamber, you can simply separate the oxygen from the wheezeworts by a door between insulated tiles and have it automated to open once the oxygen is 20°C cool. This prevents heat transfer and subsequently undercooling your base.

 

2. Pushing fluids: Closing doors will push fluids (gases and liquids) out to both directions. If you automate the doors that they close one after each other, the fluid will be pushed in only one direction. This can be abused to transfer fluids that are too hot for normal pumps. Before space materials and steel were introduced, this was the only way to handle fluids >125 °C but most designs are outdated by now and can be simply replaced by normal pumps with the right construction material. You can also use this technique to overpressurize gas storages, however there are better (and slightly exploity) builds out there.

 

3. Pressure resistance: Doors can't break due to pressure. If you want an infinite liquid storage, normal tiles will break on you after a certain pressure, but doors will never do that.

[simonchvz]

Most of the time you see locked doors on a build someone else is sharing, it's because they're hooked up to some automation. As above, they're good for controlling heat and fluid flow or controlling some buildings that cant be directly automated. When they receive a 'false' signal, they'll show as locked.

[KittenIsAGeek]

16 hours ago, Szczuku said:

I'm a pretty simple ONI player. I create a 26x4 room filled with CO2 to store my food while oders can do it in a 3 tile space. And I don't really have time to watch a 40+ min tutorial on something.

So whenever I decide to look at some guides/tips in here I always find myself wondering why there're so many mechanized airlocks locked up.

That's why I'd like someone to explain to me some pro strategies that I don't know/understand. Stuff like volcano//Geyser cooling or using steam turbine as that's often where i find those confusing technics with mechanized airlocks.

There are a few reasons I can think of to lock a mechanized airlock.  All of the reasons are based on "you don't want dupes to go in there."

1. You have an area in vacuum for insulating purposes (i.e. you don't want heat getting out -- or in).
2. You want to cut down on possible paths your dupes could take.  Late game, this can cause a dramatic shift in FPS.
3. A certain area is temporarily a problem.  So you lock the door until you figure out a way to send your dupes in safely.  A good example is accidentally opening up a zombie spore plant when your dupes don't have suits.

There is one other reason you see doors locked.. Automation.  If automation 'disables' a door, it locks it.  If it 'enables' a door, it opens it.  There is no "automatic" setting while a door is connected to automation -- its either open, or its locked.

 

 

[Prince Mandor]

On 5/10/2019 at 1:55 AM, Lacost said:

Doors can do 3 things other than being a door.

 

1. Regulate heat transfer: A door that is completely walled in will create a vacuum once it is opened. If you place a door between 2 insulated tiles and have heat conductors (metal tiles) to the sides of the door, heat can only be transfered when the door is closed. Utilizing doors this way you can prevent liquids or gasses from overheating or undercooling. Doors are also cheaper to build than metal tiles which is why many prefer them.

For instance, you can build a wheezewort cooling chamber that has more cooling power than what you would need for your oxygen cooler. Instead of crunching the numbers and tweaking the wheezewort chamber, you can simply separate the oxygen from the wheezeworts by a door between insulated tiles and have it automated to open once the oxygen is 20°C cool. This prevents heat transfer and subsequently undercooling your base.

 

2. Pushing fluids: Closing doors will push fluids (gases and liquids) out to both directions. If you automate the doors that they close one after each other, the fluid will be pushed in only one direction. This can be abused to transfer fluids that are too hot for normal pumps. Before space materials and steel were introduced, this was the only way to handle fluids >125 °C but most designs are outdated by now and can be simply replaced by normal pumps with the right construction material. You can also use this technique to overpressurize gas storages, however there are better (and slightly exploity) builds out there.

 

3. Pressure resistance: Doors can't break due to pressure. If you want an infinite liquid storage, normal tiles will break on you after a certain pressure, but doors will never do that.

4. Disappearing floor. Airlocks can be used as floor, to build another constructions on it. And if after that we open this airlock (by automation, usually) this building became hanging in air and stop working. We can use this to turn off buildings temporary, for example to stop reservoir to pump water