We need a way to create a perfect seal between rooms. Airlocks don't cut it.

[UncleSlim]

Right now the most optimal way to deal with completely separating gases between two rooms that dupes access is to make a small 2x3 hole filled with water and the dupes climb down into the water and out the other side. Another tactic was melting plastic to create a naptha barrier. Both of these feel bad thematically and are not fun for the game. Here are a few suggestions

1. Make airlocks lock out air even when open. Now I know what you're thinking: "but this doesn't make sense. Even in real life when a door is open, gas comes through". But this game already doesn't make sense in a lot of ways in order for programming and game play to be easier. Two gases or liquids cannot occupy the same tile, no matter the amounts or if the two substances can mix is one example.

2. Create a late-game building that has a "mesh" pass through membrane for the dupes to use. It should be a perfect seal and cost a lot of resources to use, so you only use it when you really need it. (for gas chambers or growing rooms).

[Coolthulhu]

Tubes do that.

[Hechicera]

Some of my frustration came from the name "airlock". If it is an airlock, manual or automatic then it should operate as an airlock, which does usually involve two doors or sheeting and pressure differences with more bells and whistles like a wash depending. I've had to go through real airlocks for work, and make kluge ones to work on equipment.

These things are not air locks. They are:

Screen door, futuristic look

Door, manual, steam punk look

Door, electric assist, fancy look

There are many threads here on how to use those doors and/or game cheeses and pressure variances to create actual "airlocks". And that can be fun building but space intensive. So, game play wise it may be ok that they are not airlocks. But then please call them "doors" not "airlocks".

 

[vovik]

1 hour ago, Coolthulhu said:

Tubes do that.

Water lock

[UncleSlim]

Tubes do that.

Tubes are way less efficient than water locks. They require huge amounts of electricity and this is very limiting for heavy traffic between chambers that need perfect seals.

[Coolthulhu]

5 minutes ago, UncleSlim said:

Tubes are way less efficient than water locks. They require huge amounts of electricity and this is very limiting for heavy traffic between chambers that need perfect seals.

So kinda like

4 hours ago, UncleSlim said:

2. Create a late-game building that has a "mesh" pass through membrane for the dupes to use. It should be a perfect seal and cost a lot of resources to use, so you only use it when you really need it. (for gas chambers or growing rooms).

Except already in the game.

[UncleSlim]

To create*

My bad. Use is the problem. Dupes going in and out of the area is the inefficient part for tubes and why they're terrible. 

[ColBBQ]

Put a gas pump in the makeshift airlock to pump out bad gases and keep the area as a vacuum.

[AileTheAlien]

Maybe they could just rename the existing objects in the game, since they're not really airlocks? They're only really the door part of an airlock, since you need to build the air pumps yourself.

[Suit]

Why not go Hightec?

Make two airlocks and a pressure plate connected to an Automated Gas Pump.
The Pump keeps the space in a vacuum and turns off after the Duplicant leaves the area. 

 

[Neotix]

Actually in RL exist technology called Plasma window that can insulate gases like docking bay force field in SF films.

It could be added as hi-tech door.

[Slyke]

On 1/4/2018 at 6:37 AM, Neotix said:

Actually in RL exist technology called Plasma window that can insulate gases like docking bay force field in SF films.

It could be added as hi-tech door.

Ever touched plasma before?

[saltyteabag]

On 1/3/2018 at 4:49 PM, vovik said:

Water lock

Water locks are a pain in the ass.

[Zarquan]

Water locks are wonderful if your dupes can take the stress of are in exosuits.  If not, then you can use a CO2 lock.  On the linked image, the 4 enclosed tiles are CO2 at 1g.  The left is 10g hydrogen and the right is 10000kg of O2.  These are stable as long as there is no gas-emitters go through them, including bleach stone, slime, polluted dirt, or flatulant dupes.  As a rule I usually build the walls 1 tile higher. 

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1175555056

Apart from that, I feel that tubes have essentially solved this issue. I feel it makes sense for this to be a late game construct.

[Neotix]

8 hours ago, Slyke said:

Ever touched plasma before?

Directly no but in bubble I think that everyone touched it.

Besides game have it's own rules and thermal mechanic. Little amount of gas with extreme temperature have also not do much thermal energy and it require quite a lot of time to rise temperature of object with higher mass.

Beside plasma door could be harmless for dupe in exosuit.

[Coolthulhu]

11 hours ago, Slyke said:

Ever touched plasma before?

Even relatively cold flames contains plasma. For example, candle flames.

[blash365]

I always considered it as part of the ONI tinkering to build your own (sealing) airlocks. Afterall, you have all means to create one inside of the game:

gas/liquid pumps, doors that seal perfectly when shut, automation triggers.

 

The only things that always kept me from building one are that my duplicants might get stuck in a stressful situation when they are locked in such an airlock. Afterall removing all gas/liquid from a chamber might take a while - atmo suits might help with that.

and that it would cost quite a bit of energy (at least 2 pumps with filters) for something as simple as the door.

[AileTheAlien]

Instead of making it something like real life, and inviting endless arguments over the level of simulation of the game[1], just call it something sci-fi themed, so it's an obvious hand-wave / fiction. Something like "differential flux habitation screen" would be sufficient, or you could make up something shorter / catchier..

[1] See also, electricity, partial gas pressures, fluid mixing, hydrogen generators not using up oxygen, water vanishing into food...