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RimWorld => Ideas => Topic started by: Pulaskimask on June 03, 2014, 11:13:41 PM

Title: Water
Post by: Pulaskimask on June 03, 2014, 11:13:41 PM
Ya, these suggestions are not going to go away until this game implements water, so I might as well mention my water ideas.

Water Sources:
Pond: Randomly dispersed around map, they are an accessible source of water that expands and shrinks within a finite boundary depending on the amount of water. Ponds spawn fish in them which can be selected for hunting. Colonists can either walk through ponds because they are shallow, and it just slows them down. Or you could try and make swimming a thing.
Aquifers: Located beneath the map is an aquifer. This water is less accessible, requiring wells to access, and electricity to pump up. Each well has a radius around it which it can pull water from. Aquifers have a finite amount of water and dry up, in order to replenish them rain is required. Different terrain types have different levels of absorbancy which determines the starting amount of water in the aquifer at that spot, as well as the rate at which the aquifer replenishes at that spot. So for instance, as the start of the game the spaces beneath the stone tiling would have no water, and would not replenish during rain due to the rain water unable to permeate through the stone tiles.
Underground Lakes: these are randomly dispersed through the map and are accessed the same way as aquifers. You don't know where an underground lake is unless you hit it by chance.

Needs
Colonists: have a thirst meter similar to the hunger meter. When a colonist is thirsty they will attempt to drink from their canteen. If their canteen is empty they will go to a water source and fill it up. Dehydration works like hunger, but is more critical. Drinking must be done more often, but is much quicker than eating.
Plants: Plants also have a thirst meter. Plants use up a small amount of water each day, as well as a significant amount of water each time they grow a stage. When their thirst meter gets too low they become wilted and die.

Structures
Pipes: transports water like power conduits transport electricity. Instead of connectivity they have water pressure.
Pump: place over an above ground water source, it transmits water to the pumps.
Well: taps into any below ground water source and transmits to pipes.
Sink: must be connected to pipe with a certain amount of water pressure. Colonists can refill canteens at sink.
Sprinklers: Like a production building with a built in finite ingredient search radius. Sprinklers have two options, water plants, and put out fires. Both options could be set to infinity as long as dehydrated plants and fire are in the radius around the sprinkler. That way, whenever a fire pops up a colonist who is a firefighter can walk over to the sprinkler and turn it on until all the fires within the radius are extinguished, same with a grower and dehydrated plants. Similar to how lights become dimmer when there is less power available to them(or am I imagining this?) the radius of the sprinkler could decrease as water pressure in the pipes attached to them decreases.
Aquaponics benches: these now require water.

Technologies
Directed sprinklers: instead of blasting water 360˚ around it, these sprinklers function more like a turret. Looking for a plant that needs watering or a fire that needs extinguishing, and then shoots water at that tile only, saving water.
Pervious concrete: special concrete made with few fine aggregates, allowing small channels and pores in the concrete to form and let water permeate through and recharge the aquifer below. When pervious concrete gets dirty though it losses its porosity. So if it becomes dirty it will absorb less rainwater unless a colonist cleans it.
Sonic exploration: allows colonists to see the location of underground lakes.
Title: Re: Water
Post by: HalfBrother on June 06, 2014, 12:59:50 AM
I like this idea! It adds more realism and new concepts.
Title: Re: Water
Post by: mrkillit on June 06, 2014, 12:42:45 PM
Great ideas Pulaskimask, totally agree that this game absolutely needs water.

If thirst is implemented I would like to see the ability to turn it off (along with other difficulty affecting elements such as hunger) during game creation.
Title: Re: Water
Post by: Col_Jessep on June 06, 2014, 02:44:02 PM
A +1 from me. Many features would make a lot more sense if water was added as need, too. Colonist leaving 'in a daze', massive unhappiness from lack of water after only one day and so on.
Title: Re: Water
Post by: Plunkett on June 06, 2014, 03:22:39 PM
Would definitely like to see Firefighting progressed, within the tech tree, as stamping right now doesn't cut it :) Especially extremely frustrating when they sometimes cannot access the fire - although there would obviously be drawbacks from water on batteries. Turn off everything first or something. (e.g. water on generator in PA = fire.)
Title: Re: Water
Post by: Untrustedlife on June 06, 2014, 11:04:40 PM
Has been suggested many times.....

Not sure if everything-seaking water sprinklers is within our tech level though (Tynan has everything separated into tech levels) and i believe we are 'industrial" or "post industrial" (Our colony)
Normal sprinklers would be fine though :)

Ill see if i can dig up the info.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found them:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fUO3KKbAbTxMP1lqphnnodY0NPoOVblCUkDw-54MDUc/pub

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pIZyKif0bFbBWten4drrm7kfSSfvBoJPgG9-ywfN8j8/pub

(tynan wrote these to give backers an idea of the lore/ameplay)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It appears we are hovering around industrial/post industrial
Title: Re: Water
Post by: Morrigi on June 07, 2014, 08:06:24 AM
Quote from: Untrustedlife on June 06, 2014, 11:04:40 PM
Has been suggested many times.....

Not sure if everything-seaking water sprinklers is within our tech level though (Tynan has everything separated into tech levels) and i believe we are 'industrial" or "post industrial" (Our colony)
Normal sprinklers would be fine though :)

Ill see if i can dig up the info.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found them:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fUO3KKbAbTxMP1lqphnnodY0NPoOVblCUkDw-54MDUc/pub

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pIZyKif0bFbBWten4drrm7kfSSfvBoJPgG9-ywfN8j8/pub

(tynan wrote these to give backers an idea of the lore/ameplay)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It appears we are hovering around industrial/post industrial
Well, considering the fact that we can fabricate solar panels on the fly and regularly have trade goods dropped from orbit, I don't think it's too much of a stretch. All it'd really have to do would be to wirelessly monitor the moisture content of the surface of the soil.
Of course, we could do the boring thing and require a "floor" consisting of old-fashioned, early 21st-century, wired sensors that plants could grow on, which would then communicate with the sprinkler.
Title: Re: Water
Post by: Untrustedlife on June 07, 2014, 09:13:04 AM
It really isn't that hard to make solar panels, you can make one in your own home, lol, using  a bit of copper.(it wouldnt be very efficient, but still) Im just following the lore our great leader tynan has given us. :P


Instructions:

http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/echem/echem2.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It would be cool to have a tech tree based around water however.... just giving some alternate ideas.

Quote
Of course, we could do the boring thing and require a "floor" consisting of old-fashioned, early 21st-century, wired sensors that plants could grow on, which would then communicate with the sprinkler.

That works too. Most of the op's ideas would be awesome to have.
Title: Re: Water
Post by: Morrigi on June 07, 2014, 11:54:00 AM
Quote from: Untrustedlife on June 07, 2014, 09:13:04 AM
It really isn't that hard to make solar panels, you can make one in your own home, lol, using  a bit of copper.(it wouldnt be very efficient, but still) Im just following the lore our great leader tynan has given us. :P


Instructions:

http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/echem/echem2.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It would be cool to have a tech tree based around water however.... just giving some alternate ideas.

Quote
Of course, we could do the boring thing and require a "floor" consisting of old-fashioned, early 21st-century, wired sensors that plants could grow on, which would then communicate with the sprinkler.

That works too. Most of the op's ideas would be awesome to have.
Heh, 1.6 million m2 for 1,000 watts with that method. You'd have to cover the entire map, assuming that 1 tile is about 1m2.
Title: Re: Water
Post by: Untrustedlife on June 07, 2014, 11:55:38 AM
Quote from: Morrigi on June 07, 2014, 11:54:00 AM
Quote from: Untrustedlife on June 07, 2014, 09:13:04 AM
It really isn't that hard to make solar panels, you can make one in your own home, lol, using  a bit of copper.(it wouldnt be very efficient, but still) Im just following the lore our great leader tynan has given us. :P


Instructions:

http://scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/echem/echem2.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It would be cool to have a tech tree based around water however.... just giving some alternate ideas.

Quote
Of course, we could do the boring thing and require a "floor" consisting of old-fashioned, early 21st-century, wired sensors that plants could grow on, which would then communicate with the sprinkler.

That works too. Most of the op's ideas would be awesome to have.
Heh, 1.6 million m2 for 1,000 watts with that method. You'd have to cover the entire map, assuming that 1 tile is about 1m2.
Yeah its not very efficient lol
Title: Re: Water
Post by: Hyperion on June 12, 2014, 06:53:56 PM
I like it. If rain just washed the blood away would be a great idea too.
Title: Re: Water
Post by: drb89 on June 12, 2014, 07:58:41 PM
Quote from: Hyperion on June 12, 2014, 06:53:56 PM
I like it. If rain just washed the blood away would be a great idea too.

I think this already is a feature.

From the changelog:

April 4
Internal build 402
Bug fixing and testing.
Most code-driven text can now be translated.
Rain now slowly washes away blood.