Game Mechanics for Zero Atmosphere Mod

Started by kclace, January 18, 2020, 03:06:53 PM

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kclace

Any ideas for game mechanics for a zero to thin atmosphere mod?

I was thinking you could set it up so that any pawn outdoors will instantly die without a pressure suit. But how do you get around the pawns just wearing a pressure suit all the time? Realistically, astronauts take the pressure suit off once they go through airlocks.

LWM

MASSIVE penalties to work speed.

Super realistic, too.


kclace

I have it. Have not tried it though. Looking forward to the 1.0 version!

I was just trying to brain storm to possibly work on something far more simpler, but could approximate what this MOD is doing.

Canute

The mars mod got EVA suit and lockers.
When a pawn use the locker the switch to the suit/clothes and his assigned zones auto. get changed to indoor/no restriction.
The mod add's a oxygen and CO too, so when a indoor room got less oxygen or too much CO the atmosphaere become toxic.

But i don't see why people at the other atmosphere should have a massive workspeed penalty.
Sure a primitiv EVE suits can have penalties, but not the zone/atmosphere.
Ultra high tech skinsuits can even enhance or just being badges that generate skinforcefield to protect the wearer.



Logiwonk

#5
I haven't played the Mars mod, but I have some knowledge of space life-support systems from my college work.

No atmosphere (as opposed to thin Martian atmo) would have the following implications:
- Need protection when you're outside (EVA suit, marine armor with helmet, etc) several other people and at least one mod have touched on this.
- No protection outside should impose a massive mood debuff (to simulate panic) and escalating damage based on asphyxiation, capillary rupture, and very cold temps (although heat loss is not as rapid as you would think due to lack of conductive or convective heat transfer)
- It should be possible to survive brief (i.e. a minute or two of hard vacuum exposure) but most people would experience this as a severe psychological event and pawns would likely have to be sedated for treatment (in RW) to prevent breaks (please see this article on dogs in hard vacuum
- Depending on the quality of the protective suit there should be a chance for leaks causing panic and slower damage than hard vacuum
- The habitat would be at risk of leaks as well
- NO, I repeat NO combustion of anything in the habitat (no smoking, no fueled anything) because it eats O2 like a pig and is a fire danger
- Fire on a spacecraft is extremely dangerous, and almost invariably fatal if using a 100% O2 atmosphere, please read about the Apollo 1 disaster.
- Pawns will have to be in EVA suits 24/7 until they have (at a minimum): Airtight space with heater, cooler, O2 source, CO2 remover, and dehumidifier.
- Need tracking of O2 and CO2 at a minimum (as others mentioned need enough O2 and not too much CO2) like the mars mod, also need a variety of tools/buildings for controlling this:

Some examples of O2 / CO2 buildings:
02: Oxygen candles, pressurized O2 canisters, hydrolysis of water (O2 and H2), biological systems such as algae farm
CO2 (removal): Lithium/Sodium hydroxide canister scrubbers (consumable), biological systems such as algae farm, regenerative carbon scrubber (like on the space shuttle)

Also, if your habitat or spacecraft is in a vacuum then there is very different heat transfer with the environment. Assuming you are on a planetoid you can exchange heat by conductive means with the planetoid, but no conductive/convective transfer with the vacuum. So you have to rely on radiative heat dissipation techniques (or you could do reverse geothermal and pump the heat into the planetoid with loops of coolant) and you will also need heaters periodical (depending on solar radiation the heat / cooling needs will vary a lot during the day/night cycle).

Also, spacecraft have to manage water vapor closely which might be tedious for a game but could give you a source of water for the hydrolysis. Keep in mind living creatures produce water as a result of degradation of carbs (but not in huge quantities). So for greater realism will need to simulate a water cycle with waste capture because the O2 / water cycles are inextricably linked in closed environments.

Hope that helps.

So on the simulation end, would preferably be able to simulate water / temperature / O2 and CO2 content.