Improvements with Gases

[AverageHuman]

So, I think there a lot of room for the gas system to be fleshed out and I wanted to share my ideas. It is one of the key features of the game and what makes it so interesting. I don't have the game and it's pretty hard to find information on exactly how things are so I'm just going to describe how I'd like things to be and if they are already in the game, then great!

So first of all, I think there should be more gases to improve scientific accuracy and also to make the game more fun. I think chlorine should be removed in favor of other toxic gases that are more scientifically accurate, because chlorine is almost never found in gas form.

The gases should be split up into 3 categories, oxygen, neutral, and toxic. Oxygen is in its own category because it is the only breathable gas. Neutral gases are gases that are not breathable but are also not toxic, so if you have a high enough concentration of oxygen these gases can be completely safe. They only become dangerous when there is not enough oxygen to breathe. Toxic gases are those that even with sufficient levels of oxygen make the air unbreathable. There are also varying levels of toxicity, meaning different levels of toxic gases are required to make the air unbreathable.

So here's the list, with some notes:

 

Neutral gases-

Hydogen- already in the game, used for power, , lighter than all other gases, can cause explosions when mixed with oxygen

Helium- Inert gas, very light, rises above all other gases except hydrogen

Nitrogen- also a relatively inert gas, very similar density to oxygen so they mix readily

Methane- lighter than oxygen, also capable of causing explosions when mixed with oxygen

 

Toxic gases-

Carbon dioxide- already in the game, produced by many biological processes, heavier than oxygen

Carbon monoxide- more toxic than carbon dioxide, slightly lighter than oxygen

Ammonia- highly toxic, and also flammable, lighter than oxygen

Hydrogen Sulfide- extremely toxic, similar density to oxygen, also flammable

Sulfur Dioxide- much heavier than even carbon dioxide.

Also, there is contamination. I think contamination should be treated as its own quantifiable entity instead of being linked to oxygen and water in an ambiguous way as it is now.

 

Next, I think gaseous diffusion could be improved. In the current game, gases completely separate into discrete layers. This is not scientifically accurate as gases also have dispersion forces that cause them to mix together despite being different densities. Depending on the density difference, the size of the gradient zone between pure gases could be greater or smaller. If you have two gasses with extremely similar densities, there would be a barely noticable difference in the concentrations at the top and bottom of your base, and no area with just pure gas of a certain type. A good example of this is nitrogen and oxygen. If you had a really light and really heavy gas, like hydrogen and sulfur dioxide, there would be a sharp contrast and a very small gradient zone, with large collections of each gas sitting at the top and bottom. Contamination would not be affected by density and spread evenly throughout all gases.

Also, gases should be able to condense or even freeze if the temperature is low enough, but this is a minor point and isn't that important.

Gases should be able to dissolve in water if they are particularly soluble. However all the gases I listed are nearly insoluble in water except for ammonia so this would only apply to it and any other highly soluble gases that might be added into the game. Contamination would also have a certain solubility in water and achieve equilibrium with being in water and in the air.

Also a minor point, but water should mix with itself constantly so contamination should spread and be correspondingly diluted if some contaminated water is added to clean water. 

I think the area of pressure is somewhat developed but in not sure to what degree. If there are areas of low pressure or even vacuum, if that area is opened up to area with higher pressure, gas company the high pressure area should rush in to fill the space. All, if the pressure difference between areas gets to high, it could crack the tiles making them gas permeable and equalizing the pressure. Gas pipes should also equalize pressure on their own and require pumps to hold back the pressure difference. There could also be pumps that can only pressurize or evacuate a room to a certain level and require upgrades to increase the pressure or reach full vacuum. Pressure is also linked to breathablilty, because even if the atmosphere in a room is 100% oxygen, if the pressure is too low the effective amount of oxygen is lower.

 

I hope to guys liked my suggestions, please leave a comment telling me what you think and adding some suggestions of your own.