Is my base doomed?

[KevinWalter]

So, this isn't quite the longest I've struggled to survive before. In fact, this is probably the most robust colony I've built so far. I'm using structures and strategies I've never used before, which is refreshing. For instance, this is actually the first time I've ever cultivated Bristle Blossoms, which was a nice change. Only took me nearly 100 hours and multiple colonies to work up to it (I think the recent agriculture changes might have forced my hand a little, but that was a welcome change, imo).

Anywho, this is my base...

It's not the most I've ever explored, but being surrounded on almost every single side by swamp biomes has made exploration... unappealing.

The biggest issue is the fact that I haven't found a single geyser. Not one. Of any kind. No chlorine. No natural gas. No steam.

I'm also focusing on hydrogen bubblers for the first time. I used to be luckier with algae spawns before, with large deposits in nearby purple biomes and stuff. No such luck this time. Of course, there's tons tucked in with all that nasty slime, but it's all germy, and slimelung terrifies me. This is my current oxygen/hydrogen generator.



Something I saw on Brothgar's channel. Works well. Powers itself. Been running for 20 cycles or so completely disconnected from the rest of the power grid, and those wheezeworts are doing the job of cooling things pretty well along with those shift plates, made of igneous rock. However, there's a problem...



My face is accurately reflected on those of my dupes...

So the question is... what can I do? Oxygen is the most obvious desperate requirement right now. I've resorted to running a liquid tepidizer in my polluted water tank (something I probably should have set up earlier), to bring it up to 50c to kill off the food poisoning germs. It hasn't killed all of them yet, but I've started pumping it through a sieve and into my water tank there, just so I can generate SOME air. Those two compactors in the water there are for ice/snow, which I've started taking in relatively small quantities from those two ice biomes I've explored. It's cooling down the hot water as it's dumped into the tank pretty well. This is obviously a very short term solution.

I think I have two options. The first would be tapping into those germ-less pools of polluted water in all those swamp biomes. Is it possible to do this without being destroyed by slimelung?

Another option is to temporarily switch to harvesting slime/algae from the swamp biomes, distilling the slime and using algae for oxygen again while trying to find a steam geyser. But again... slimelung. And since I don't have a chlorine geyser either, it makes scrubbing the slime/algae difficult.

So what can I do? Can I do anything? Or should I just give up on this colony?

[Oozinator]

Just now, KevinWalter said:

:::

So the question is... what can I do? Oxygen is the most obvious desperate requirement right now
I think I have two options. The first would be tapping into those germ-less pools of polluted water in all those swamp biomes. Is it possible to do this without being destroyed by slimelung?
 

Spam deodorizer in polluted areas.
Use door permissions to lock out dupes with <85% immunity.

[Kermack]

Your electrolyzers are strained by the limited space.  They will continuously hit max pressure and limit their overall performance.  Try setting up a section to clean up algae and slime, using the exosuit and ore scrubbers.  You'll find over time the game offers plenty of starter materials like sand and dirt and you can make use of these for hundreds of cycles before you run out.

I have the same troubles you do.  I'm prone to going too slow at times, worrying about the future too much.  In time you will be more acclimated to the game and be able to move faster with greater confidence.

[Lacost]

19 minutes ago, KevinWalter said:

So the question is... what can I do?

Are you playing on miserable/fatalistic?

 

If yes, then tech into exosuits. Your Dupes will die too fast in the slime biome even if you set up Deodorizers. Exosuits also don't need cooled air and ignore germs in the oxygen. So you can convert some polluted oxygen into oxygen contaminated with Slimelung and funnel it into exosuit stations. To keep the Slimelung out of your base set up a water airlock and don't allow your Dupes to store slime in your main base. Be also aware that Algae contaminated with Slimelung will emit the germs into the air if used up by a Algae Deoxydiser. So don't bother with algae destillation since your Dupes are too stupid to separate contaminated algae from clean algae.

 

For your water problem: Hit up a pool of polluted water and run it through a water sieve. You also won't trigger any Slimlung contamination if you don't dig up slime-tiles. Breach one p-water pool and convert it into clean water. Store it a bit away from your base though since it is 40°C hot.

You shouldn't store ice and snow the way you do it if you want to melt it. Build ice sculptures instead. This spreads out the mass and gives you more surface for thawing.

 

[BlueLance]

If you dont mind your base getting a bit chilly, mine the Ice Biome and put it in a compactor above your water deposit (That very dry area) and it will begin to melt assuming your base stays warm enough, and like the post above, a water seive will help but only use the water from that for the toilets etc and not for food or you will just explode.

[vovik]

Slime biome:

Polluted water = water 1:1 in weight, 1:0,8 in density, slime = algae+p water, algae = o2, p. water = read sentrence again.

Slimelung is easy, build 1 medbay, build deodorizers in "key" (crossroads, intersections) areas, build algae distiller in chlorine filled room/use ore scrubber to desinfect. Polluted water can be exploited - compressed using bugs or spilled + mopped untill one bottle is about 2 tonns and will produce lots of po2 for pufts which produce slime. What to do with slime - already read.

Hot biomes.

Hot biomes have packets of algae which is heat-free o2. Hot biome has got loads of coal which is loads of energy and dupe time - dupes will be obeying your commands instead of wasting time on hamster wheels.

Cold biomes.
Cold biomes have ****loadsof water, just in freezed state, spambuild ice sculptures right above your reservoir. or heat up cold biomes to get full amount of water back - digging halfs weight.

Oil biomes.
Co2 can be pumped to slicksters to conserve space and precious water, oil then can be mopped and packed, producing endless loop of co2 consuming.

Your base is not doomed, there are possibilities. 

Also, water purifier produces 40C water, and it can halt your blossoms - to cool water id suggest using ice sculptures while building such setup

 

[vovik]

15 hours ago, KevinWalter said:

I'm also focusing on hydrogen bubblers for the first time. I used to be luckier with algae spawns before, with large deposits in nearby purple biomes and stuff. No such luck this time. Of course, there's tons tucked in with all that nasty slime, but it's all germy, and slimelung terrifies me. This is my current oxygen/hydrogen generator.

Nothing to be terrified of, use caution, some deodorizers, wash basins, maybe ore scrubbers - my miner didnt get his imunity below 100% tho he is actively digging and carrying slime around.

[Arash70]

It is ok,

Here's somethings you can do for the next run:

 

1-Put a bigger storage area and put all the storage compactors + some paintings above it in there so the dupes won't get stressed

2-Make the oxygen generation room outside of your base

3-Make a proper kitchen (refrigerators / ration boxes + 1  microbe musher + 1 electric grill + 1 apothecary)

4-Make a refinement room (1 rock granulator + 1 textile loom + 1 exosuit forge)

5-Make a manual power room (1-2 manual generators + power control station + 1-2 batteries)

6-Make a research room

7-Put algae distillers outside of your base

 

As an example:

  

[travaldofan]

if u cab find reed fibers quickly EXOSUITS BABY!

[avc15]

open air electrolyzers work great but you need to overbuild them. I go with a 1electrolyzer chamber config and just spread them about my base:

the key is they will limit their production on pressure before they actually fulfill your base's oxygen needs. Because, natural air circulation. So, you have to build a few extra. It's a bit wasteful of space and ores, but, you still save power over an enclosed design (largely thanks to wheezeworts and no need for pumps)

You can use the two electrolyzer chamber, if you plan your base layout around it accordingly: with most of the heavy traffic areas and barracks just beneath it and on both sides.

[Ketmol]

I think what others have written regarding exosuits is your main priority. 

You have been unlucky with your exploration for geysers. Your primary concern would be finding a steam geyser. To explore deep it will be simple and fast with exosuits. Your best bet in my opinion is to just try to survive while focusing your efforts to dig tunnels in different directions to try to see as much of the map as possible. With exosuits you can pretty much ignore all terrain and just dig straight lines up down and to the sides like a fish-bone...

Most of your problems can be solved if you just find water...

But until then, melt ice. You got plenty of heat. And you have ice biomes. Build ice sculptures in hot areas. Let them melt, mop it up.....

 

You will solve two problems at once,... water and heat

 

[KevinWalter]

Some people here seem confused. The issue isn't that my electrolyzers aren't working properly. They're working fine for my needs. The problem was a lack of water. No water = no oxygen.

I've temporarily solved this issue by overcoming my fear of slimelung. I didn't realize how immunity worked before. In previous colonies, I simply controlled food poisoning germs, and avoided slime entirely, only very carefully entering swamp biomes for the reeds.

This time, I decided to tap into a couple of pools of polluted water, which I ran through a sieve and then dumped into the main resrvoir of my base. I also filled a couple of storage compactors with ice and snow, which slowly melted while cooling the water and adding to it.

I was already well on my way to getting exosuits, and I'm exploring further in search of geysers... which I still haven't seen once yet.

My colony now at cycle 161...

Biggest issues right now are dealing with the heat and CO2 output by my coal generators. The issue is contained, but still a problem for the components inside. I used to just surround them with wheezeworts, but as you can see from the screenshot, I'm using the ones I've found to cool my electrolyzers.

[Lacost]

2 hours ago, KevinWalter said:

Biggest issues right now are dealing with the heat and CO2 output by my coal generators. The issue is contained, but still a problem for the components inside. I used to just surround them with wheezeworts, but as you can see from the screenshot, I'm using the ones I've found to cool my electrolyzers.

Build some ice sculptures and your temperature in the base should drop fairly quickly. With the added benefit of supplying fresh water. For your 10 Dupes you will need about 10 Wheezworts to cool down all of the oxygen from the electrolyzers.

 

For the CO2 loop the p-water from a carbon dioxide skimmer with the clean water of a water sieve. This will remove everything fairly quickly with little power draw and no real heat gain if you use Abyssalite pipes.