Running out of algae and/or water

[Tyler Russell]

I've played through the game three times now and the same thing has happened each time I've played. Around cycle 33ish, I run out of algae or ways to produce algae, slime. Even though for every duplicate I have a painting and eating table with lights spread out all around the base, at least two of my duplicates reach 100% stress. As of right now with the current craft-able stations in the game there is only two ways to produce oxygen from other sources.

1- using algae in the terrariums and the oxygen producers.

2- using the water filtration under the advanced filtration creating the oxygen and hydrogen where the hydrogen can be converted into electricity.

The problem with this is that the algae and the water are limited resources and around cycle 30ish they get used up. My suggestion is somehow including a system where algae can be created in a farm. A possible way it could work could be that it takes requires algae to begin with, and with a source of water and power, for the photosynthesis in the algae to create food for it to reproduce, it would multiply the amount. This way the algae can be reproduced in a controllable way.

Of course, there is the problem that due to the farm requiring water that once the water is used up, but there may be a possible solution to this as well, there could be a condenser, where oxygen and hydrogen are brought in to create water. This way some of the extra algae created in the farm can be produced into oxygen, which in return would be brought back to the condenser where the giant pockets of hydrogen in in the outer layer of caverns could be put to more than one use. This would also allow a complicated, but possible, way to technically convert hydrogen into oxygen. This could altogether get rid of the fact that once the algae is gone its game over.

As for the stress related problem, where the duplicates get to stressed no matter what, the amount of things needed to keep stress level down should be lowered by a little bit so once cycle 30 hits, the main problem isn't the vomit or lashing out.

I hope this suggestion helps, I personally like the game so far. It is very impressive for an alpha and I can't wait for new improvements.

[edon.g]

I agree with you.

"where oxygen and hydrogen are brought in to create water "

Logically this should happen in the hydrogen generator, with the benefit of energy. The reverse of this is hydrolysis where with energy you separate hydrogen and oxygen.

If algae would be replenishable, this cycle would make sense. When you have extra energy create oxygen and store the hydrogen as fuel, when you need energy and have spare oxygen use that fuel and get the water back.

I think this would shift some of the oxygen crisis to energy, where having oxygen for breathing wouldn't be that difficult, but you would also need to consider it as a resource for energy generation, plus with the temperature concerns it would become quite the challenge.

With this proposed system it would be fun to maintain tanks of oxygen and hydrogen and convert between water and these two to suit your needs.

[alcurad90]

1 hour ago, edon.g said:

I agree with you.

"where oxygen and hydrogen are brought in to create water "

Logically this should happen in the hydrogen generator, with the benefit of energy. The reverse of this is hydrolysis where with energy you separate hydrogen and oxygen.

If algae would be replenishable, this cycle would make sense. When you have extra energy create oxygen and store the hydrogen as fuel, when you need energy and have spare oxygen use that fuel and get the water back.

I think this would shift some of the oxygen crisis to energy, where having oxygen for breathing wouldn't be that difficult, but you would also need to consider it as a resource for energy generation, plus with the temperature concerns it would become quite the challenge.

With this proposed system it would be fun to maintain tanks of oxygen and hydrogen and convert between water and these two to suit your needs.

 

The hydrogen generator isn't an oven that burns hydrogen. It's a fushion reactor that produce more energy than the Electrolyzer costs pal

[edon.g]

I was unsure whether the generator is supposed to work via fusion or combustion, haven't seen it mentioned anywhere in the game. The coal burner doesn't eat oxygen either so that's quite ambiguous.

[Saturnus]

Honestly. I have no idea how people can run out of water or algae for that matter.

But just for the sake of it here's the top tips:

1) Do not use algae terrariums. Ever. To generate O2 early game use Oxidizers. Dig away CO2 build up.
2) Grow your food and eat it raw. Use mealwood mixed bristle blossoms until you have enough seeds to just go bristle blossom.
3) Generate O2 later with electrolyzer. One supplies 8 dupes and one hydrogen generator for a surplus of power (remember the air filter).
4) Early game, should you need more water, clean polluted water with a purifier.
5) Find and exploit a steam geyser for an unlimited clean water supply.
6) There are several youtubers that put out good videos you can watch and learn from. Skye Stormer and Hello Lacy comes to mind but there are many others.