Early game radiation (or: how not to glow in the dark)

Discussion in 'FAQ & Feedback' started by Pach, Apr 4, 2019.

  1. Pach

    Pach Rear Admiral

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    Disclaimer: I like the "survival" aspect of this game.

    I've been tinkering with starting on different planet types, and seeing if I can survive. Most problems, we have tools to adapt. No oxygen? make an O2 generator. Too hot/cold? plop down your portable heater/cooler.

    But not radiation.

    Right now, there is a bug where consuming any item (food, O2, heal kits, herbal leaves, etc.) will round your body ration down to the nearest whole number. However, I expect that will eventually get fixed, which means there's a problem:

    Without the effect of that bug, there is exactly one way to lower body radiation, and that is via one of the shower decorative blocks.

    Problem: these require either a large or advanced constructor to make, along with the other "deco" blocks. I find this odd, as many of the items in there (bed, a wardrobe, shower) you can make primitive forms of easily. Why should have to wait until level 7 to have a place to sleep? or bathe! o_O

    Adding the head-scratching/frustration, these items spawn in as level 1 blueprints. I can (and did) make a blueprint of exactly 1 base core block and 1 shower block, and it's a level 1 BP. While this could be used, it's not really how survivalists want to play... (cheathax!)

    This means that early game, there is no way to control *body* radiation. We can remove the effects (radiation burn) with early, craftable medical items, but once your body radiation starts going up, you will just be constantly dealing with these burns. Perhaps the Devs mean for high radiation to be only a late-game problem, and we shouldn't be playing on high rad worlds to start, ever? (if so, this will make me sad, because it's a different challenge)

    It would be really nice if radiation were looked at and re-evaluated as an early-game survival factor, like oxygenless worlds are.

    Here are some thoughts/ideas on how this could be addressed:
    • Make a new, low level craftable item that has the same effect as a shower. Or perhaps a limited effect. Call it a "Radiation Rinse", that washes away say, 1.0 body radiation. This should be relatively easy to make, probably on the portable constructor... say, a bandage and a bottle of water (or even 2 or 3 bottles of water)? those are not difficult to get with the O2 generator, and could make balancing O2 vs radiation interesting. And it gives another use for the water. The item needs to be made from more basic/early game materials. Or make another pill that does it, but the same limitation applies: it can't be made from difficult materials, like confetti moss scrapings.
    • Change body radiation so it decreases over time when no longer in a radiated environment. So, if you build a base, and you are protected inside, you can go out, get a bit of exposure, then go in, and it decays off while you are inside. I thought this actually worked this way at one point. It does not now. This may be a bug that it doesn't do this...
    • Split out basic (or simple) hygene/comfort items from their snazzier counterparts and make them available on the small (or even the portable!) constructor. e.g. normal (not bunk) beds, simple chairs (not the office style chairs), shower, toilet, wardrobe, simple table. These are all simple things, that should be easy to craft. Leave the fancier ones for a later release on more complex constructors (the TV stand, console, counters, etc.)
    • Alternatively, split out the deco items that have an effect from the ones that don't, and again, make the ones that are usable available on lower constructors, or as a learnable skill somewhere in the lower levels of the tree (things like tables, beds that give back stamina, for example, along with the shower and toilet). This would be similar to how the medical devices were split out of the tech devices.


    Myself, I'd prefer the first 2 options: give us ways to remove the radiation, either by staying inside, or making a rinse (make me choose between breathing and burning!) over the deco items... although being able to make a shower in an early base for this reason would be nice, too...

    Anyone else play with this and have any input?
     
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  2. Germanicus

    Germanicus Rear Admiral

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    I am not entirely sure if the "food-lowers-radiation"-Effect is a bug. A swift I-net search shows the following:

    19 Of The Best Foods To Naturally Detox Radiation:
    1. Spirulina
    2. Chlorella
    3. Seaweed
    4. Kelp
    5. Black / Green Tea
    6. Garlic
    7. Onions
    8. Wheat Grass
    9. Apples (and other fruits rich in pectin)
    10. Lemons
    11. Parsley
    12. Beets
    13. Sauerkraut
    14. Ginger
    15. Avocado
    16. Horseradish
    17. Kale (and other leafy greens)
    18. Broccoli
    19. Coconut oil
    Sure, we don't find most of those Foods in EGS...but Seaweed/Kelp... Space Lemons could be re-invented to get a place in the game again;).

    Besides of the above you are right. Radiation has no real Treatment in the first stages of the Game.
     
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  3. DeadliestIdiot

    DeadliestIdiot Commander

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    While I'm not against adding early radiation removal, I do want to bring up another aspect of early game radiation.

    Because early game radiation is hard to remove (barring food), it forces you to be really careful about your radiation exposure. So you tend to avoid things like irradiated biomes early game. I think that bit is a great aspect of early game radiation as it adds to the feeling of surviving in a hostile environment. (The downside is being trapped in your base waiting out global radiation fog)

    I like the idea of adding early game radiation removal, but I don't think it should be super easy to make. At the same time it needs to be easy enough to make so that it's worthwhile to get the ingredients rather than just wait until you can build a shower. Moss feels like a good ingredient for this, but that may be a little too rare and thus too difficult to collect.
     
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  4. Sephrajin

    Sephrajin Rear Admiral

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    @DeadliestIdiot I dont think that @Pach is refering to radiated Biomes within a temperate/arid enviornment, but a planet that has Radiation, and Maybe some Biomes that havent.

    Of Course, if it is just a 'single' radiated biome area, you can always avoid it.
    But if the starter planet itself is radiated, there is no chance to avoid it.

    My proposal would be:
    Keep the 'bug' as long there is no alternative, because this specific bug, seems to have an educated background :p
     
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  5. Pach

    Pach Rear Admiral

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    @DeadliestIdiot : @Sephrajin was correct. I'm talking about worlds with an ambient radiation all over, not just radiated biomes on the default start worlds. You can configure any world type to be a "start" world in the .yamls.

    The Snow world is an "interesting" start world, and it can have an ambient radiation over 5, which is significantly over the light armor's protection. It's not "avoidable". It's there, and you MUST deal with it.

    There are some other worlds with high rads I'm itching to try, but if there's no way to manage it, there's no chance of survival, and it's just death.
     
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  6. DeadliestIdiot

    DeadliestIdiot Commander

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    Ah. Well, I still think the best solution would be rad removal that's not too easy to make (but still not too hard). You could just edit the yaml to add some of them to your starting gear, giving you time to build an HV and start hunting for the ingredients.
     
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  7. Hummel-o-War

    Hummel-o-War Administrator Staff Member Community Manager

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    We already have Pills and stuff that reduces radiation (Every food item reducing Radiation is a bug)

    Maybe for the Snow Planet it would be a better start to reduce the radiation below a certain level so it is usable as a starting planet - adding items to cover a too hard starter planet might be the wrong approach, no?
    Or add those meds to the starter gear possibly?

    ;)
     
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  8. Pach

    Pach Rear Admiral

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    No, sir, you do not have anything in the "pills and stuff" that addresses this particular problem.

    You have pills and health kits that remove the effects of radiation (e.g. radiation burn). They do not reduce the body radiation that accumulates with exposure. At least, I couldn't find one (it is possible I missed something).

    The only medical item you have that addresses body radiation is a "radiation immunity shot" that prevents accumulation, and lasts for 2 minutes. You don't have anything else (in medicines) that actually removes the radiation once acquired.

    The one and only thing in the game that "legitimately" removes accumulated radiation is ... a shower. And those require a large/advanced constructor to make.

    Which is why I posted this... there's something missing here. :)

    EDIT:
    I went back and double-checked, and none of the medicines have a body-radiation reduction.

    I would like to note that the "radiation ointment" (green and white jar) is a low-level/early item that is easily craftable, and would work for this if it were added to it. Or perhaps a reduction could be added to all the items that remove radiation impacts?

    It would also be really nice if getting inside/away from further exposure reduced this number over time as well.
     
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    Last edited: Apr 5, 2019
  9. IndigoWyrd

    IndigoWyrd Rear Admiral

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    Good old lead paste....

    Dreadfully interested in how you’re getting irradiated so early in the game.
     
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  10. Pach

    Pach Rear Admiral

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    I modify the configs for the Snow planet to be a starter planet, and start with light armor.

    The Snow planet can have a radiation level from 3.(something) to over 5 (possibly over 6? I know I've seen 5.somethings, some rather high).

    I prefer oxygenless starts, so this is no O2 + some background radiation to deal with right at drop. More of a challenge. :)
     
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  11. Sephrajin

    Sephrajin Rear Admiral

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    Of what use are meds, if they remove the effect, but it is instantly re-applied, as my Body Radiation is still too high?
     
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  12. Pach

    Pach Rear Admiral

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    @Sephrajin did you try it and run into the same thing?

    As a work-around, you can make a base core + shower in creative, and get the mats to spawn it in early (it's a level 1 blueprint), but I personally hate relying on the factory that way!
     
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  13. Sephrajin

    Sephrajin Rear Admiral

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    @Pach Yes, absolutly!

    I Play on a Server, whoch has a garden and medic adm Station on the planet, that helps :)
     
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