Green plants, and no oxygen?

[Professional Putz]

I'm going to craft a stone axe while wearing space suit gloves. That won't take more than 2 seconds max.

2 WEEKS LATER...

Hey it's just like ET, it's a PVE mission, but nobody can be bothered to do a head count. When you miss your ride will there be a trail of reese's pieces leading you to a civilization where you can macgyver a phone call home?

I don't really know who came up with this great idea that we're going to go gather resources, then return to the station, but then go out to gather more resources... So we've got the technological ability to transport ourselves from our space station, then back to our space station, why the heck are we forgetting to bring tools? How are we running out of air? The insulation in a spacesuit is actually pretty crazy, if you're warming up with a campfire... HEY a FIRE that REQUIRES OXYGEN but crap, we don't have enough OXYGEN to BREATHE the atmosphere...

Please fix the plot holes. I can feel my IQ dropping from the absurdity.

[3Ddeath]

I'm sure they'll figure it out.

Plants on Earth produce oxygen, yes, but on another planet even if they do the same they might still exist in an environment not suitable for complex life that didn't evolve there (us).

Nothing wrong with stone tools if you had a powerful way to craft them (space age tech), its expensive to launch mass to any planet so having a crafting tool that can transform anything into a tool is preferable, granted a titanium axe would make more sense if you knew you needed one as its light weight but I assume there's a reason they don't have it, might've been left at home ;)

I guess Ark nobody questioned it since the game was just a mashup of tech and stone age.

I do get your concern though, I do hope they at least try to have a story behind it

[Dougems]

Seems like the game probably took some inspiration from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_(film)

That movie gives a plausible explanation for the need for suits, yet the existence of green trees (poisonous spores). It also covers why prospectors might get left behind as well how those that do end up in a rather primitive, tribal, existence.

I could see weight being an issue for a spacecraft, thus the need to craft structures from what's locally available.

I can't help you on the stone tools bit though.

[beinn]

Hey guys, Beinn here, community manager for Icarus.

We will be releasing more content to explain the lore soon, stay tuned and join our Discord to chat with the devs about it - https://discord.gg/s5NWbbQ

[Arran]

Atmosphere can have oxygen to burn fire, but can be toxic to breathe for humans because of ie hydrogen sulfide or some other toxic gas. In this case you dont need to carry O2 bottles, but you need to have suit with oxygen filtration from atmosphere.
If filter deplete and you dont have replacement you will suffocate.

I really hope lore in game will not suffer because of rush and no science logic behind :)

[UltramegaOK]

Originally posted by Dougems:

Seems like the game probably took some inspiration from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_(film)

That movie gives a plausible explanation for the need for suits, yet the existence of green trees (poisonous spores). It also covers why prospectors might get left behind as well how those that do end up in a rather primitive, tribal, existence.

I could see weight being an issue for a spacecraft, thus the need to craft structures from what's locally available.

I can't help you on the stone tools bit though.

Yes! I mentioned this movie in another thread.....first thing that sprung to mind. Wouldn't mind at all them taking some inspiration from that movie.

[У@П]

Originally posted by Dougems:

Seems like the game probably took some inspiration from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospect_(film)

Yes, but there the spores hung in the air and hung like cobwebs on the trees, and the lack of wildanimls created an atmosphere bio-infestations
Earth animals need to be removed, or invent their mutation.. with chemical cooking kitchen

[Rocket]

More to follow on this. As others noted this is touched on in the in-universe doco "Icarus: No Rescue".

Essentially the exotic matter found on the planet reacted badly with the enzymes being used to terraform the plant. The results mean that, while somewhat breathable, they're not exactly something you want to be breathing in. For simplicity most prospectors use external sources of oxygen rather than relying on filtration systems which are messy and cumbersome - as Icarus features some natural deposits of minerals that can be easily converted into oxygen.

[Professional Putz]

I was hoping someone would speak up and lessen my confusion... Perhaps you don't understand my questions?

Let me tell you something about prospectors, since you've brought that term up. A prospector brings everything they possibly could need when they go out prospecting. Even if it's messy and cumbersome. I bring enough water with me when I go out prospecting to survive for at least 2 weeks every time I go out for a day trip. I bring the tools I expect to need, and more tools that I probably won't need, but they go where I go, because when life happens, it happens fast, and I'd rather have it and not need it, instead of need it and not have it. Even if the filters are messy and cumbersome like making COVID masks out of paper towels and dental floss, I'd still bring them with me, because it'd maximize my chance of survival.

Now you say we've got the tech to make all the oxygen we could ever want or need, but we can't be bothered to bring tools, or some kind of device to help us maximize our time on the planet. Go take a peek at Empyrion... Have your plot writer play it a while, and see if they can't maybe figure out there's better ways. I really feel like the plot writer is either a pre-schooler with a vivid imagination, or some misguided snowflake that believes everything they think is reality. Either there needs to be more drugs involved in this process, or less. There are really easy ways to create oxygen from water. And by the time there's enough humans in space that a company doesn't care about confirming the headcount before they LEAVE, I'm sure there's going to be a super simple way to create a material that will only permit oxygen to pass it.

But someone really wants to drive home a game mechanic that is wholly dependent on a level of irresponsibility that most people outgrew in middle school. It's called 'We Don't Need a Headcount, because we don't care if you die.' Imagine the repercussions of a company that brings prospectors to an alien planet, turns them loose with no equipment, and says 'do be sure you're back here in time or we're just gonna leave without you'. Would you work for that company? It's like SomeMart in space. Got a heartbeat? Breathing? We'll take you. Oh, you didn't turn up to clock out. Ahh, we'll write you off and grab another warm body. The EVA suits must be cheap. Are they made out of paper towels and dental floss? Because that's the R value I'd expect them to have if you can actually get warm around a campfire while wearing one.

It's another survival exploration resource gathering game. Throw a stick at the internet and you'll land on a dozen with better plot lines than this. Even the game that shall not be named has a more solid plot line than this.