No real starting algae...

[strawberrygirl]

So im playing my first release version of the game. I picked a moderate map but notice that there is no starting algae nearby. The only algae on map is near very hot geysers and or far away. bad luck? am i supposed to be more reliant on these new plants?

[PhailRaptor]

The Launch Update introduced an alternate starting biome -- the Forest Biome.  You are correct that there is no Algae in it, and that you are heavily reliant on the (markedly increased over the Sandstone Biome) Oxylite deposits and the new Oxyferns for oxygen.  One of the big hurdles of the Forest Biome as the starting biome is the difficulty in producing oxygen -- but food is ridiculously abundant once the Pips have their way with any seeds your plants produce.

Ultimately, you have 3 choices, and all of them require exploring:

-> rush into a nearby Caustic Biome, to raid it for Algae

-> rush into a nearby Rust Biome (also new) to fuel the new Rust Oxidizer

-> rush for a nearby Geyser in order to jump straight to Electrolyzers.

[blash365]

Or gather polluted water, let it gas off and use deodizers to make clean oxygen out of it.

The required sand will be in the (also new) ocean biomes.

[LeftyRighty]

or oxyferns at the bottom of your base and a supply of co2 (lumber processing for example)

[Promethien]

They also always give you enough oxyferns for 5 dupes. I'm always just short of having enough for 6. You can stay small while you get ready to move on. One advantage of Forest biome is you have literally all the dirt. Not even a little bit kidding. My current Verdante game I have a Sage Hatch stable and at cycle 100 I still have over 100 tons of dirt. I didn't even set up the ethanol cycle though the trees were planted. So you can live off mealwood for a long time and live very water cheap.

Also people say to make extra co2 for the ferns. Unnecessary. They convert co2 to oxygen in the same proportion that dupes breathe. You'll want to get another source of oxygen soonish but mostly because you want to increase your air pressure. It only takes a single electrolyzer barely running to make up the difference. The previous mentioned base hasn't uprooted its oxyferns even though it has an electrolyzer going.

[strawberrygirl]

Great advice. Thanks all! I'm going to keep chugging along on this map and try to make it work. Thanks again.

[hypoeffort]

Ferns only pressurize 1:1.  So as you expand your going to have less and less CO2 to have them making enough pressure.   Watch your air/water locks and send in some co2 from industry to the bottom of your base/oxyferns if needed.

[Sasza22]

18 minutes ago, Shocker said:

Ferns only pressurize 1:1.  So as you expand your going to have less and less CO2 to have them making enough pressure.   Watch your air/water locks and send in some co2 from industry to the bottom of your base/oxyferns if needed.

The wood burner is good for producing extra CO2 to keep the pressure right and oxyferns working.

[DarkMoge]

7 hours ago, Promethien said:

They also always give you enough oxyferns for 5 dupes. I'm always just short of having enough for 6.

literally not a single oassisse seed gave me enough oxyferns for 5 dupes. In fact, it usually barely enough for 4 dupes... Being somewhere around 12-14 oxyfern. At least that is what I get. Considering that you need 13 oxyferns for 4 dupes.

[DarkMaster13]

10 domestic oxyferns for 3 dupes, since you need 3.33.. per dupe.

Oxyferns also are more efficient for producing oxygen than electrolizers are, so as long as you have sub 40 C water supplies it's best to use those first if you intend to use electrolizers.

[Flydo]

On 31/08/2019 at 11:37 AM, LeftyRighty said:

or oxyferns at the bottom of your base and a supply of co2 (lumber processing for example)

if you have ranching, pip can replant the oxyfern where you want

[Steve8]

3 hours ago, Flydo said:

if you have ranching, pip can replant the oxyfern where you want

You should domesticate them and supply them with water. They are much, much more effective that way than wild. And they don't really consume much water. The forest asteroids also have tons of salt water you can desalinate.

In fact they can be too good. Some people have them overpressurize their base. In my last game I had issues with a lack of CO2. I had to built a wood burner to generate more CO2 so the oxyfern isn't stifled.

You can get lucky with the printing pod and get a few more of them that way