Update Speculation

[Michi01]

I haven't seen a lot of speculation for the next update (probably since we don't know a lot yet), but I have some ideas that I want to share and I'm curious what everyone else is expecting.
The only thing that we know for certain is that the polymerizer will be added and with it plastic (since that's what polymers are):

Polymers are made from hydrocarbons, which means that it could use natural gas, coal and hydrogen or oil. Crude oil has existed in debug mode for a while (since the game's release I think) and oil is what's most commonly used for plastic production, so it's quite possible that it will be added, along with a geyser or other renewable source. In real life, crude oil is refined before being used for polymer production, so I could imagine there being oil refinement if it was added, but maybe it'll be more simplified in the game and just use crude oil. Other than that, crude oil or substances refined from it could also be used for power production. Perhaps the update will also add more refinement in general.
Now the next question is, what will plastic even be used for? Plastic has plenty of uses and many already existing things in the game could use it in their crafting recipe, but since it's probably supposed to be a mid or late game thing, it would be a bit hard if many things needed it, so maybe instead existing buildings could be improved or upgraded with it.
Some people have also had the idea that tiles made from plastic could be used to prevent germs from spreading through walls, since they can't survive very well on it. That also reminded me of aerogel. Aerogel is a substance that used to be in debug mode after the thermal upgrade (it might still be in the files, also it didn't have its own texture, just a placeholder). It's a pretty amazing material, it's extremely light and an extremely good insulator and polymers are one of the materials that can be used to make them, so perhaps with their addition it will also be added to the game. The addition of a good late game insulation item like it would also allow the devs to nerf abyssalite tiles, as they currently seem to be a bit too easy to obtain and use in the early game (at least in my opinion).
Then there's of course also the possibility of new buildings and items in general that require polymers, whatever those may be.
Another thing that might require polymers as one of its ingredients when it is added is suits. They've been requested a lot and from what I've heard from people that tested them by spawning them, they work well. The main problem with them just seems to be that they require a lot of micromanagement, but that could for example be solved with a directional building that some people requested that makes dupes equip and unequip the suits when they walk past it, depending on the direction.
What also leads me to believe that suits have a good chance of being added is something that the devs said on a stream a while back. I asked how we could prevent our dupes from constantly getting sick while working in the slime biome once slimelung is added, and (among other things) the devs said that suits can be used but that they're not in the update. This doesn't necessarily mean that they will be added in the next update, but it sounded like they wanted to add them in the last update, but couldn't because of how long it took to get germs to work.
Another thing that was mentioned on a stream some time ago is that they want to change how stress works. They said it when they showed off the new paintings and, like with suits, said that improved stress mechanics won't make it into the Outbreak Upgrade. I'm assuming this might've also been because of how long it took to get germs to work.
Farming seems to have been balanced around a proper food quality requirement system, since mealwood is really easy to grow now while some plants with high food quality are even harder to grow and since properly working food quality will probably be added along with improved stress mechanics, this also makes me think that they would've liked adding them with the Outbreak Upgrade and that they might add them with the next update.
That's all my ideas and speculation, how likely do you think it is that those things will be added and what are you expecting or hoping for?

[Guest]

That's interesting. Plastic has a huge number of applications. Could be used in basically any structure not intended for power or heat exchange.

I do believe the upgrade will not only be about plastic though. It looks like one of my predictions is coming through: an upgrade about advanced materials. I think we are going to see other materials like steel, which would require something like a smelter (I know, hugely simplifying the process of producing good quality steel).

[Michi01]

2 minutes ago, turbonl64 said:

Could be used in basically any structure not intended for power or heat exchange.

Technically even in those, to insulate the parts that aren't meant to be conductive.

3 minutes ago, turbonl64 said:

I do believe the upgrade will not only be about plastic though.

Yeah, unfortunately there isn't a lot more to speculate about though, since it's the only thing that's been confirmed.
I like your idea, more material refinement would be great and it would make sense for plastic to be added in an update about advanced materials (as I said in my post, the hint that we've gotten so far also made me expect more refinement, although it was oil that brought me to the conclusion and I didn't really think about what other advanced materials could even be in the update).

[brummbar7]

The missing half of the disease system: treatment.  the pharmacy building, and balm lilies, to make medicine to help restore immunity.  And hopefully along with that, disease might be buffed back up now that we'd have a proactive way to deal with it. Also more diseases.  At least the ones we had before OU.  I'd be a bit surprised if these things aren't part of it.  Not entirely surprised though, given the number of other incomplete mechanics and systems we already have. 

Beyond the other half of the disease system, yes, oil and extractor and probably some sort of suit (which will be the only use for plastic right now).  MAYBE a way to use suits effectively, but I'm guessing not.  Also one new animal.  Either the boarats we've seen in file diving threads, or an outright hostile mob.  People love new mobs; it wastes hype to come out with more than one per update. 

[trukogre]

1 hour ago, Michi01 said:

The only thing that we know for certain is that the polymerizer will be added and with it plastic (since that's what polymers are

Yes....or....it makes natural biopolymers, like meat, DNA, brain meat, brainsz, brain DNA, or DupeDawgsTM out of that barrel of SOYLENT GREEN.  DupeDawgsTM amazing +13 quality partially-natural  biopolymer food, who cares who it's made of.  What it's made of.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biopolymer    SCIENCE!

 

[Michi01]

4 minutes ago, trukogre said:

Yes....or....it makes natural biopolymers, like meat, DNA, brain meat, brainsz, brain DNA, or DupeDawgsTM out of that barrel of SOYLENT GREEN.  DupeDawgsTM amazing +13 quality polymer food, who cares who it's made of.  What it's made of.

 

Well the brick produced by it doesn't look like biopolymers at all. Also if I remember correctly, the polymerizer is or used to be called plastic refinery in the files.

[trukogre]

1 minute ago, Michi01 said:

Well the brick produced by it doesn't look like biopolymers at all. Also if I remember correctly, the polymerizer is or used to be called plastic refinery in the files.

Psh, placeholder graphics my friend.  Always Forward: Forward, Always.

[brummbar7]

Just now, Michi01 said:

Well the brick produced by it doesn't look like biopolymers at all.

Microbe musher produces different things depending on the ingredient.  No reason this machine could not produce different things depending on what goes in.  Though the oil-barrel-looking reservoir is indeed very leading.

[trukogre]

1 minute ago, brummbar7 said:

Microbe musher produces different things depending on the ingredient.  No reason this machine could not produce different things depending on what goes in.  Though the oil-barrel-looking reservoir is indeed very leading.

You'd think if they can make an oil, or soylent green, barrel as part of the biopolymerizer, they could make a barrel/fluid container without the biopolymerizer attached.  Maybe next update.

[Michi01]

Just now, brummbar7 said:

Microbe musher produces different things depending on the ingredient.  No reason this machine could not produce different things depending on what goes in.  Though the oil-barrel-looking reservoir is indeed very leading.

It is possible that we will be able to produce different polymers depending on what we pump into it. The look of the brick and the oil barrel do heavily imply that it produces plastic. While I think that it's possible that we will be able to create completely different types of polymers in the future, like the ones that Trukogre mentioned, I think those would use a different machine.

[Risu]

3 hours ago, Michi01 said:

Well the brick produced by it doesn't look like biopolymers at all. Also if I remember correctly, the polymerizer is or used to be called plastic refinery in the files.

And if we refer to plasticrefinery_build for what it calls each part...

ui
accordion
barrel
meter_mouth_anim
meter_target
place
pipe
knob
wheel
meter_plastic_chunk
feet
hitfx
handle
handle_patch

Edit: Worth mention that the name of the art really doesn't mean much.

Coal Generator uses generatorphos, as in Phosphorus.
Natural Gas Generator uses generatormethane. Methane was the original name of the element.
Hydrogen Generator uses generatormerc, as in Mercury. Yeah I have no idea either.
 

[Lifegrow]

Diving suits... Please be diving suits  

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Michi01 said:

Technically even in those, to insulate the parts that aren't meant to be conductive.

The catch is I think you can only use 1 type of resource for a building in ONI. You could circumvent it though through implementing something that mixes 2 materials to technically form 1 resource. Like copper and plastic to form insulated copper.

That might be a stretch though.

[BlueLance]

13 hours ago, brummbar7 said:

Microbe musher produces different things depending on the ingredient.  No reason this machine could not produce different things depending on what goes in.  Though the oil-barrel-looking reservoir is indeed very leading.

I did say that I hope it output different things, such as chlorine becoming Bleachstone etc, we have renewable chlorine but literally no reason for it because if you have storage coated in chlorine the ore scrubber is pointless....Until Chlorine actually does what it really does and harms/kills your dupes.

Someone else suggest carbon Dioxide to get Dry Ice.

Edit - I do not think they will reintroduce Bam lillies and the Apothecary unless they plan to release a third disease which is only "Curable" with this but it isnt lethal

[Michi01]

3 hours ago, turbonl64 said:

The catch is I think you can only use 1 type of resource for a building in ONI. You could circumvent it though through implementing something that mixes 2 materials to technically form 1 resource. Like copper and plastic to form insulated copper.

That might be a stretch though.

Honestly this has always felt like a placeholder mechanic to me. It makes so little sense in some cases (for example planter boxes and farm tiles only need cultivable soil while they should logically also need raw minerals, hydroponic tiles only need raw metal while they should also need cultivable soil) and I can't imagine it being so hard to implement that they won't do it.
Maybe they just didn't have a good reason to add it yet.
An update that adds a material with as many applications as plastic has (and possibly even more, plastic is just the only one we know about) seems like a good time to make buildings not always require only one ingredient.
Also, the hand sanitizers actually needs two different material already, though this might only work because the bleach stone is used as its "fuel". While I think that they're going to make buildings not always require only one ingredient in the future, they probably have to do some coding to get thermal conductivity and similar stuff to work on a building that's made of more than one material first.

3 hours ago, BlueLance said:

I did say that I hope it output different things, such as chlorine becoming Bleachstone etc, we have renewable chlorine but literally no reason for it because if you have storage coated in chlorine the ore scrubber is pointless....Until Chlorine actually does what it really does and harms/kills your dupes.

I'm all for being able to turn chlorine into bleach stone and it's very possible that they'll add it in the next update (since it's not renewable despite hand sanitizers being supposed to be the late game wash basins), but using a machine that turns hydrocarbons into plastic to turn chlorine into bleach stone makes no sense and I think that Klei will probably add a separate building instead.

3 hours ago, BlueLance said:

Someone else suggest carbon Dioxide to get Dry Ice.

While you could compress it into dry ice, it wouldn't be useful because it'd have the same temperature and sublimate again when exposed to normal pressure (not that solidification through compression is even a thing in ONI to begin with). I don't think it's needed either, you can very easily make dry ice by cooling CO2, even a wheezewort gets cold enough to do it.

4 hours ago, BlueLance said:

Edit - I do not think they will reintroduce Bam lillies and the Apothecary unless they plan to release a third disease which is only "Curable" with this but it isnt lethal

People have been requesting medicine to speed up the process of healing. Also, when they add suits they could make it more severe and that way also have a reason to add medicine that cures it.

[brummbar7]

8 minutes ago, Michi01 said:

using a machine that turns hydrocarbons into plastic to turn chlorine into bleach stone makes no sense and I think that Klei will probably add a separate building instead.

I makes plenty of sense for this game, and saves Klei the hassle of arting and coding another asset.   Since the microbe musher accepts both liquids and solids as material ingredients, it would seem it should be possible to have one machine accept two types of ingredients.  However, we currently have no way of bottling gases, and we have no precedent for a machine that accepts both piped and manually carried inputs, nor two different states of piped inputs.  So if there are two machines, I think it would be due to code limitations, not any logical quandary. 

[BlueLance]

@Michi01 I totally have to agree with what you said where multiple materials can be used to make a building, the Bleach Stone in the Hand Sanitizer is a perfect example as you have said I think the only reason they have not done it is likely because they wanted more materials in the game first (Raw Minerals, Raw Metals, Processed Metals, Processed Materials) They know it "Works" due to the hand sanitizer, so I assume they just wanted to release this etc.

Yeah i understand that it is a bit weird that makes plastic but could make Bleach stone, but then again its a Klei game, weird is in the name XD I would expect you need it to be Liquid Chlorine, since like you said Hand Sanitizers are late game and players can make Liquid Chlorine relatively Easily.

Yeah I can find no use for Dry ice, Other than it being transportable I suppose to help cool other areas of your base. 

I thought the healing at the moment was rather quick already. But yeah if they made it more severe medicine would definently be a must

[BlueLance]

Just now, brummbar7 said:

I makes plenty of sense for this game, and saves Klei the hassle of arting and coding another asset.   Since the microbe musher accepts both liquids and solids as material ingredients, it would seem it should be possible to have one machine accept two types of ingredients.  However, we currently have no way of bottling gases, and we have no precedent for a machine that accepts both piped and manually carried inputs, nor two different states of piped inputs.  So if there are two machines, I think it would be due to code limitations, not any logical quandary. 

We technically do have somethign that does this already, Hydroponic Farms accept liquids from pipe and fertilizer from dupes. But I think because of the bottle that it will be a Liquid bottle thats required.

[Michi01]

17 minutes ago, brummbar7 said:

I makes plenty of sense for this game, and saves Klei the hassle of arting and coding another asset.

I agree, but I don't think they would call it "Polymerizer" in that case if they could avoid the contradiction by calling it something else.

[brummbar7]

15 minutes ago, BlueLance said:

We technically do have somethign that does this already, Hydroponic Farms accept liquids from pipe and fertilizer from dupes. But I think because of the bottle that it will be a Liquid bottle thats required.

Oh ya, hydroponics.  Didn't think of that.   Also forgot about liquid chlorine.  I've even advocated liquid chlorine being used for bleachstone in other threads.  Hazards of distracted posting I guess.  One other thing I'll say, that machine looks like a manually powered version.  Which makes me wonder if there would eventually be a powered one, way way down the road.

[brummbar7]

Just now, Michi01 said:

I agree, but I don't think they would call it "Polymerizer" in that case if they could avoid the contradiction by calling it something else.

As Risu pointed out, there are lots of other assets in the game with 'relic' names in code that clearly had the 'public' name changed later when the plans changed.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for more machines.  I'd really really like the cooking area of the game especially to have a lot of different  food prep equipment so you actually have a large kitchen area.  I just think that if Klei makes a different machine for bleachstone, it will be due to having different power requirements or something, not because of 'logic'.

[Michi01]

4 minutes ago, brummbar7 said:

As Risu pointed out, there are lots of other assets in the game with 'relic' names in code that clearly had the 'public' name changed later when the plans changed.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for more machines.  I'd really really like the cooking area of the game especially to have a lot of different  food prep equipment so you actually have a large kitchen area.  I just think that if Klei makes a different machine for bleachstone, it will be due to having different power requirements or something, not because of 'logic'.

It's "relic name" is plastic refinery though, polymerizer is new. It's still possible that they changed their mind after posting the gif though.
Unless they did, I still think that the contradiction of naming a machine that is used for things other than polymerization a polymerizer is enough to prove that the machine won't be used for bleach stone production.
Even otherwise I disagree and think that they might still make different machines for different things just because of logic, even if there's no other reason to.
I think we should stop discussing this, we're going in circles, it doesn't really matter and we'll find out what the machine does soon enough anyway.

[BlueLance]

26 minutes ago, Michi01 said:

I agree, but I don't think they would call it "Polymerizer" in that case if they could avoid the contradiction by calling it something else.

We could be taking the name too literally, Poly means Many,  Mer means Part.

Logically Polymers are plastic, but it could just be a machine that can make use of "many parts" or in this case many elements. Even in this case I only think it will apply to liquids because the bottle is the new liquid bottle, not the new gas bottle.

All that said though I do not mind if they use different machines, I would just love bleach stone to be produceable, because I cap Chlorine Geysers and never look at them. 

21 minutes ago, brummbar7 said:

As Risu pointed out, there are lots of other assets in the game with 'relic' names in code that clearly had the 'public' name changed later when the plans changed.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for more machines.  I'd really really like the cooking area of the game especially to have a lot of different  food prep equipment so you actually have a large kitchen area.  I just think that if Klei makes a different machine for bleachstone, it will be due to having different power requirements or something, not because of 'logic'.

I would love it if they made cooking a bit more in depth, they keep tweaking farming so I think once they are happy with it they will eventually change it so that cooking starts to get tweaks etc

Edit - Like you said lets stop this discussion haha, I am curious though about Oil, will it be a Geyser or will it be something a player has to drill, Because I think it would force players to explore to be able to make the end game stuff which to me is a good thing

[Oozinator]

I hope, dupes get some fancy hats!

[The Plum Gate]

9 hours ago, Oozinator said:

I hope, dupes get some fancy hats!

It looks like they do.