Make atmos matter

[Keppler]

I made this proposal, due the issue I see with Atmos mattering less and less in my favorite Atmos simulator. Some may of course object, but I am of the opnion that air and more specific, the lack of it should be a bigger issue, and an actual issue. I am open to different solutions of course, and objections you may have, or questions at that. All I ask is that ya openly consider how air seems like it does not matter much at all as it is now, and should be changed, perhaps not as i propose however.

My main point is this, increase the consumption of O2 by a lot, to the degree that a room actually has the possibility of running out of air, as one should expect.

 

 

 

 

First of all - Coding Difficulty:

Upping consimption of O2 many notches should not (I hope) be hard to code, as it should be just a modifier one can turn up, do tell me if that is not the case however.

Scope:

The scope is both quite large, and quite small. Making O2 consumption higher will affect all (at least most, synthetics, vox and ipcs less however). It will also affect all kind of events where air is in any way less available, be that due to meteors affecting the oxygen supply, pipes being cut or rooms having a lot of people.

Balance:

As for balance, this would be a huge buff to the importance of atmos (this is a space game after all, so one would expect air to matter a lot). First, some reasons I think this would make it better:

-O2 drain being a lot higher, means there is a chance for a room going out of air given some time, so for example welding vents do gain a drawback, as they should have.

-Air is and should be a spessmans most precious commodity, and as such this provides for a whole new fear, that really isnt there now, for air going out. (This does exist in the manner of Atmos techs or Ai doing this, but draining air does not affect anyone much, neither does turning off the supply affect anyone at all unless there is a whole)

-There is now a reason to make sure there is air in pipes, as well as to keep the pipenet intact, as continous flow is actually needed to sustain living conditions on station

-Atmos would be a department that matters once more, cause they would guard something people actually cared for (And would be more than the TEG and hidden antag rooms department)

-As it is, a hole to space isnt much of an issue, unless in maints where there is no vents, neither is it an issue to stack 50 people inside a pod, because the air inside is enough to sustain them for a long time, this would be changed, as it would run out, and if nothing else, the emergency O2 will be used a lot more.

Bad effects:

-Synthetics would in a way recieve a buff (Or not be affected by a debuff to most races), as they dont need air. This is a place i am aware balance is hotly debated.

-Some races would not really be affected, for example vox, who always carry their own "air" anyhow, I do not believe this point is too large an issue however

-There would be a bigger reason to get the O2 kit on at once, and be "ready". This in turn would make it less relevant with N2O or other such means. The powergamey things like this I would not consider a huge problem, some do this even now.

-Atmos is certainly going to be more active, as well as cost more CPU. This is an issue I am aware the coders think highly off, and are likely to oppose this proposal somewhat due to this.

-It would further increase the effect of O2 being replaced by N2, so balace shifts from 20/80 till O2 is gone. I see this issue, but I think it can be fixed by changing the mix in the supply pipe, to a more O2 heavy one, why pump in more N2 when it isnt being drained anyhow?

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Keppler
More clarity

[Eler00]

I like this idea in theory. If the performance impact can be handelled/is small enough, I'd like to see it implemented.

10 hours ago, Keppler said:

-There would be a bigger reason to get the O2 kit on at once, and be "ready". This in turn would make it less relevant with N2O or other such means. The powergamey things like this I would not consider a huge problem, some do this even now.

If people consume more oxygen, then tanks will run out much sooner as well. Except for people using full-sized tanks in their suit storage slot, they wouldn't last the round.

 

In the past, I've seen people say that our current level of Oxygen consumption is 'realistic'. But realism doesn't really have to matter, compared to game balance, imo. Our characters can already starve to death in a 2 hour shift, so them breathing ten times as much oxygen as real humans really isn't a big stretch either.

[Keppler]

As to the issue of tanks running out faster, I do not think there is an issue with this when it comes to big tanks, those run out way to slowly. (While perhaps being realistic, having a own O2 supply the whole shift is not ideal in balance means. Second the emergency tanks were always meant to be just that, emergency tanks. The stabilizer syringe in the emergency kit does not keep you alive long, and the emergency tank shouldnt either. 

As to Vox and others using own tanks, that is an issue of course, solutions I see would be to make the N2 tanks more available, change the amount of gas in them, or perhaps give them a lesser consumption of gas than O2 breathers.

[Eler00]

To be clear, I didn't say tanks running out sooner is an issue, just that it wouldn't be the 'powergaming' thing to get a tank since, as mentioned, it wouldn't last you too long.

[Keppler]

Oh yeah, I see what ya meant, just thinking of how what some will think of as "issues".