T1 Algae Gens Are Disappearing

[WolvenScout]

I'm in the liquid water phase, 22% to lakes, and I'm trying to use the T1 algae generators. I've placed two of them on this puddle of water surrounded by rocks that's near my base, and both generators have disappeared completely, ( I assume after reaching 100%, I don't stick around to watch) I can no longer see or interact with them, and both of them are still currently drawing power. If I'm not supposed to place them there, why does the game allow it? I'm not in the dev branch of the game, I'm on the stable/main.

[Thiesen]

Hmmmm... this seems similar to my food growers keeps visually dissappearing from time to time... a restart usually fixes it though but it's only a temporary fix since I know they will get invisible after a while again...

I want to ask you if you have placed them extremely close together? Since I place my food growers so they clip Into each other to save space...

[Wiawyr]

I can actually help on this one. I've read in other threads that placing things on the surface of lakes before the Lakes phase reaches 100% can sometimes result in those machines disappearing as the water level rises.

But! The OP says he's placing them on the little [REDACTED] ponds, and those aren't suitable for algae generators. I ran into the same thing, but when I saw them reach 100% growth with nothing happen I moved them. I guess the game automatically clears them from the ponds after a while, since they're unsuitable and don't have room for algae to grow? Either that or a combination of that and the rising water levels due to the Lakes phase.

A little tidbit I've discovered about the algae generators; they don't seem to count as a production machine themselves, technically. Every separate, individual algae object is considered its own production machine that also disappears after a single collection, with new ones being spawned within the circle of the algae machine. So even if the actual generator that you build has enough water (like the [REDACTED] ponds), it needs to have enough horizontal room to spawn algae in as well.

[Boru9]

I have the same problem. T1 algae generators disappear from puddles but they are still listed as draining power. Restarting the game doesn't help.

[Admiral Ikhlas Jr]

Originally posted by Wiawyr:

I can actually help on this one. I've read in other threads that placing things on the surface of lakes before the Lakes phase reaches 100% can sometimes result in those machines disappearing as the water level rises.

But! The OP says he's placing them on the little [REDACTED] ponds, and those aren't suitable for algae generators. I ran into the same thing, but when I saw them reach 100% growth with nothing happen I moved them. I guess the game automatically clears them from the ponds after a while, since they're unsuitable and don't have room for algae to grow? Either that or a combination of that and the rising water levels due to the Lakes phase.

A little tidbit I've discovered about the algae generators; they don't seem to count as a production machine themselves, technically. Every separate, individual algae object is considered its own production machine that also disappears after a single collection, with new ones being spawned within the circle of the algae machine. So even if the actual generator that you build has enough water (like the [REDACTED] ponds), it needs to have enough horizontal room to spawn algae in as well.

I have fish swimming in the sand. LANDSHARKS!
You can very much place things in puddles and have them work fine.
I think this issue will take a patch to repair it. If other items are failing to properly display, it's NOT client side. It's code.

[CryonicSuspension]

I'm 14% into lakes. I thought that you were supposed to place them on the little puddles, otherwise there is little to do in the game... ?

One disappeared and one stayed. I'm not sure about the third. What a waste of resources!

All it says is "place on a water surface".

[ScorpioDog]

You'll often find yourself in a situation that you have technology that you can't use yet. There's one workaround that's not ideal. The cave biome always has water. There are a few pools that are deep enough to support algae generators before you have surface water.

That's the key point to your problem. The algae spawns beneath the generator. If you're using a puddle, then your algae is spawning beneath the ground.

[CryonicSuspension]

Yeah basically you need a lake, with a metre or two of water. The Algae grows from the surface. It says "not ready" and switches to "ready" when you can harvest.

I think that you can softlock yourself out of the game because the algae generator, if you deconstruct it, you lose the fertilizer. So you need fertilizer to construct the algae generator, and what you get back, you can convert to fertilizer.

3 algae generators were ruined and I was down to my last bag of fertilizer.

[CryonicSuspension]

This tree bark is another stupid one - no indication of how to use it, whether you need to put plants in it, or what is doing ( no growth indicator ).