Meteors should not destroy raw abyssalite, or should only start falling when you actually reach the surface

[Hexicube]

The problem can be put one of two ways:

• Meteors are destroying raw abyssalite, which means that they can eventually destroy the entire world if not stopped with a full width layer of steel
• Meteors start falling just by being near the surface, when really they should only start once you get the "surface breach" message

The end result is the same, you're effectively on a timer to create a full-width layer of steel in order to prevent impending doom. No other block will do, as they'll fail after 5 hits. This is no small feat, with each block requiring 100kg of steel (10kg lime being the limiter most likely) you're not looking at a quick completion, effectively meaning you have to rush into and maintain a large farm just for eggs in order to be ready for it.

I would expect abyssalite to be a natural barrier to everything short of mining equipment, given that it's used for biome separation. Only needing to deal with the gap caused by the surface structure is far easier than full width, especially since that structure can withstand meteors.

I have a couple spots on my map where meteors are very close to punching a hole in my abyssalite, which is a problem as I had assumed abyssalite would withstand the impacts and therefore serve as a good view-point and early staging area.

[zergologist]

Wow, Only if meteors didn't destroy abyssalite and if klei made dreckos that could be sheared for lime, making steel production a ton easier.Lime dreckos are the only thing needed, or creatures that produce eggs that had a lot of eggshell attached to them.

[Hexicube]

Checked the map width, it's 256 blocks. You can call it 250 since neutronium sticks out a bit and I would consider that breaking to be a bug.

Assuming you're using something that drops 1kg egg shells (I know shine bugs drop 100g shells), that's a whopping 2500 eggs to secure the asteroid innards against meteors.

[zergologist]

More than a ton of hatch eggs and a little over a ton of pacu eggs, so hatch eggs are 2500 and pacu's are 1250. Still, how do you get that much lime?

[Hexicube]

I've barely collected any lime so far on my 450 cycle save since I wasn't expecting it to be such a pressing issue, I've ended up noticing two breaches in the abyssalite that is actually converting slime to dirt and coal to refined carbon due to the heat.

I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with this without knowing in advance...

[Ambaire]

On 6/30/2018 at 2:15 PM, Hexicube said:

I would expect abyssalite to be a natural barrier to everything short of mining equipment, given that it's used for biome separation.

Agreed. Meteors should not destroy raw abyssalite, and should only start falling when you actually reach the surface

[Evaris]

Yeah, there's no reason to get meteors falling prior to reaching said surface, and would probably improve performance up to that point as it's not making the hit calculations, and well.. Raw abyssalite should either be impervious, or at least highly resistant compared to anything non-steel so even if the "countdown to doom" thing is intentional, you have sufficient time to prepare.  

The introduction of a new biome with limestone or some other game mechanic to allow the production of lime in sufficient volume in a reasonable time frame would be a prerequisite to the "countdown to doom" thing being an actually interesting mechanic, however.  

[BlueLance]

I am fine with it damaging abyssalite, but only at a lower frequency. I think that we are here to save our home!

[Gurgel]

I don't see the problem. Perfect mid-game (eventually) challenge. Not any harder than food, oxygen, etc. at the start. And you can get by with patching destroyed places with other stuff and repairing that for a while. 

I do think the bombardment should only start when you have "broken through" to the surface though.

[Hexicube]

13 hours ago, Gurgel said:

I don't see the problem.

...

I do think the bombardment should only start when you have "broken through" to the surface though.

...so you do see the problem?

[Moonshade]

well I'm guessing they will change it up a bit but you got a load of resources anyway some can get destroyed at least it gives a sense of urgency. though I'm at cycle 100 now and i've only gotten about 1000kg of steel. and building a cheap shell for protection atm. it is frustrating seeing all those resourses being sucked away but it's not like it's a big problem I think?

i did started ranching which i previously completly ignored. XD

hatch eggs give 1kg of shells, you need 10 shells for 100kg of steal 250 blocks so 2500 hatch eggs.

with my current ranches i'd be done by cycle 300 or so mwa dunno if it's bad i'll probably be done before that since i'm still increasing them or could speed it up by starting to ranch pacu's currently have 20 ton algea in reserve and stopped using algea for anything so.

ehh it does feel weird that the majority of my base is critter ranch though XD well better then being empty which is wat happened before

[Hexicube]

The problem doesn't exist for veterans, who know it will happen. The problem exists for people who are capable of sustaining their colony for several hundred cycles, but are unaware how important steel actually is and discover the problem at a severe stage with no materials to stop it quickly. You don't end up losing too much since destruction ends up being slow overall, but you can still be put in an uphill battle.

For context, I only really saw the surface at around cycle 400 or so, and at this point there's already two breaches (one was 20 tiles across) and a third is forming. I had hatches going for coal production to feed my emergency coal generator, but I can easily see this discovery turning into a really bad problem for anyone who doesn't invest in any ranching and ends up indirectly killing off the wildlife around the place (or maybe intentionally killing them for food to cover shortages).

It's also not really about the loss of resources. Only liquid/gas resources are lost, and those are basically all renewable (except chlorine, depending on your world). The problem is that breaches are 400C, and are in sand form. At best, it just requires a lot more effort to seal breaches than to prevent them, which typically involves preparing steel blocks either side and closing the gap on it above where the regolith is ending up.

[Evaris]

On further reflection, personally, I think breaching the surface in ONI should be like breaching the circus in Dwarf Fortress, but with more rewards.  (that sweet infinite filtration medium and iron)

Spoiler type end game territory with a sizeable crisis event for your colony.  Black out space above you completely, when you breach it it's a true crisis where you get a pop up message highlighting your new crisis, something along the lines of:
"Meteors rain from the sky above, amidst the backdrop of a shattered world, etching ever deeper into the surface of the asteroid."

Double the rate (or more, probably) then at which meteors destroy blocks, but it doesn't happen until you make that first breach (perhaps with raw abyssalite holding up better, along the lines of the current destruction rate.  Then have a limestone-filled oceanic or savage wildlife biome that provides more lime for steel production so it's feasible without mass-ranching.  

 

Just a thought of mine, lol.

[Jazzy Jazzinton]

If the meteors didnt come until you got into the surface you could do this:
>Single Line of Bunker Tiles
>Crack Surface
>No Issues

Hopfully they add that because this seems like a real problem.

[Evaris]

Well, that would require you to know about it before hand, and not run out of filtration medium or iron before that point.  In the same way, experienced players can plan ahead and mitigate or completely skip past running out of oxygen, heat death, slimelung infestation, and resource scarcity, all other crisises you experience in game.  If you plan ahead and prepare for things before you experience them, of course you can come out with no issues, that's kinda been the expectation thusfar for ONI.