more intuitive hydroponics and growth.

[Duban]

ill admit, i has never played ice sheets before, but aren't they supposed to be really hard? can you not get by with hunting until you rush hydroponics? (as in before geothermal power?)

There  are no wild animals on ice sheets. Occasionally a wild pack of thrumbos or other animals will pass through, but it's very rare.

Your changes would make it go from very hard to literally impossible. You would starve waiting for hydroponics. Not to mention removing indoor growing without hydroponics isn't very good for the game in general.

[b0rsuk]

It wouldn't make ice sheet impossible. In the current version I can go directly from no farming to hydroponics. There's enough food to get by if you put everything into nutrient paste dispenser. If anything, it would make ice sheet easier because you don't need a full circle of hydroponics in the beginning, something like 4 is enough. Currently you must power a sunlamp even if you only use a few basins.

[toric]

a solution to both of these problems would be to remove the sun lamp, the plant resting period, and making hydroponics make their own light for the plants. (maybe a purplish glow, as that is the frequency used by IRL indoor farms.) of course, this could come with an increase in hydroponics power consumption. this means that, while you could grow plants with soil at night, you would have to use normal lamps, and accept the lower growth rate. if you really want to grow plants indoors, you must use hydroponics, as that is what they are meant for. any thoughts on this idea?

I like it. It's more intuitive. It would further distinguish outdoors planting, indoor soil and hydroponics. They would even have different shapes! Indoor soil would be circular, hugging around lamps. Hydroponics would be pretty much freestyle, keeping in mind it's 4x1. Outdoors would be limited by soil and security concerns only.

ill admit, i has never played ice sheets before, but aren't they supposed to be really hard? can you not get by with hunting until you rush hydroponics? (as in before geothermal power?)

What, the occasional hare ? In my experience the only way to survive is to rush Nutrient Paste Dispenser and Hydroponics. I make my colonists sleep in a research room and keep it warm with wood. Then you try to get some wind turbines and normal power. Wind is especially nice on ice sheet because there's almost no growth.

Ice sheet makes you really appreciate supply drops.

thanks for your support on this. I'm just learning the basics of modding now, not sure if its possible with xml, but i probably won't even attempt this until I've gotten some simpler ideas done. do you think that non hydroponic indoors will be even worth it without sun lamps?