Oxygen and Air Filters

[Mahony]

Ok please enlighten me, how the ♥♥♥♥ this works. I had the assumption the air filters just help to reduce the power consumption of the energy cell for the oxygen system. But I just died with a 100% hull, a half full oxygen energy cell and a slightly broken air filter. If the air filter is the reasen the game is literally deadlocking me now. I have 3,500$. I can't afford a signle new air filter. I saw in the whole game like 2 air filter at one shop. I bought them. Never found them again. So I do not even have the feeling I did anything wrong. I just ran out of options.

Right now I die before getting the money for the air filter to replace it. I then respawn at a shop with 2 air filters way to expensive and when I try to gather the money for those... well I die again. Because I have like 3-4 minutes top. That's it. Game over. On normal difficulty.

Guys: Seriously. I love the idea of your game. Wanted to give a positive review. But this: I have the feeling I do not even have a chance. Fix this...

[Maligner]

Heavily interested in what's going on with the power cells, air filters, etc before I buy.

[Madkine]

I haven't paid more than $1500 for an air filter so far and have seen them in multiple shops.

[deltahazer]

Prices vary from system to system, and can change over time. Pull up your map and expand the system description panel in the upper-left of the map screen. Point at a system and it'll show you details, including price modifiers for various goods types in that system (I saw one with +29% on General Goods, for example). Helps with planning where and when to buy what, and picking jobs to match.

As for the efficiency of the system, production varies on the number of air filters you have installed (total of four slots maximum), the remaining durability of each filter (dirtier ones contribute less production), AND on the remaining durability of the PCC you have installed. If the PCC is close to shot, production might drop off- and it'll stop totally if it's fried even with 4 100% filters in. Plus, if you have a hull breach (or more than one) you will be losing O2 faster, so the system will have to run harder to compensate for the loss, and that leads to it wearing out even faster.

There IS a bit of luck in the apparent randomness of goods for sale in each system, but that's life sometimes. Some systems also have more than one store, so make sure to pay attention to their names and not just the "shopping basket" icon- could be one shop has nothing you want but the other one rolled a "jackpot" and you never bothered to dock.... ;)

[Mahony]

Originally posted by Madkine:

I haven't paid more than $1500 for an air filter so far and have seen them in multiple shops.

Interesting. So either my game is bugged or this is totally random. I visited dozens of shops in the first areas up to mineral colonies just to get the needed energy cells since those are also depleting regularly (basically after every finished job I stopped for maintenance at a shop). The only one that offered 1-2 air filters per visit for around 3500$ was the Auto-Essentiell Shop in Atlas Prime. This is also the shop where I have been brought after I died due to missing oxygen.

No Air Filters anywhere else. And they break quite fast. I really have to say: Right now the game gives me no chance at all. You just slowly burn out to the point where all affordable air filters break an leave you dead in space.

[deltahazer]

Originally posted by Mahony:

Originally posted by Madkine:

I haven't paid more than $1500 for an air filter so far and have seen them in multiple shops.

Interesting. So either my game is bugged or this is totally random. I visited dozens of shops in the first areas up to mineral colonies just to get the needed energy cells since those are also depleting regularly (basically after every finished job I stopped for maintenance at a shop). The only one that offered 1-2 air filters per visit for around 3500$ was the Auto-Essentiell Shop in Atlas Prime. This is also the shop where I have been brought after I died due to missing oxygen.

No Air Filters anywhere else. And they break quite fast. I really have to say: Right now the game gives me no chance at all. You just slowly burn out to the point where all affordable air filters break an leave you dead in space.

Perhaps the two of you are playing the game on different difficulties? That might explain the price differences.

I've started my game on the "Recommened" setting (the one in the middle) and am seeing a base price of $3k on the air filters, which throws the price anywhere from $2500 to $3500 depending on a given system's price shift for the General Goods category.

[Beef Supreme]

Just so you know, you're able to overdraw your account and go into the red if you really have to.

[KishiPhio]

Yes, Air filters being non reparable and batteries non rechargeable mean you always have to buy spare ones **even if** you put your bank account in debt. It is not negotiable to have spares in this game since shops don't always have neccesities and air filters especially are quite rare.
Died multiple times from the "maintenance", and now have to restart a new save because of being soft locked. quite annoying.

People seem to say having multiple air filters make them degrade slower, but firstly it'd be 12 000 credits just to have 4 air filters and secondly, i'm not sure the game is complex enough for this (and kind enough...), it's probably that the air filters combine and degrade via the HP of 4 instead of a single one, making them stay longer overall. But anyway, even if you have only 2, that is 6K credits to replace, absolutely insane with the amount of money we make.

[IronCleric]

Make sure you're running quad air filters... Put the dirty dirty in the front slots... And the clean beans in the back two. Just makes management and swap out easier.

Also shut down systems you're not using. You don't need oxygen in the cabin while you're EVA. You don't need gravity while you're strapped into the pilot seat.

[MrSlipperyPineapple]

If you are $-1k debt, your ♥♥♥♥♥♥

[San Sany4]

Are you using emergency brake a lot? It wastes your cabin air. Also, try running as many filters as you can at all times, ideally all four.

[L3G1ON]

Originally posted by Mahony:

Ok please enlighten me, how the ♥♥♥♥ this works. I had the assumption the air filters just help to reduce the power consumption of the energy cell for the oxygen system. But I just died with a 100% hull, a half full oxygen energy cell and a slightly broken air filter. If the air filter is the reasen the game is literally deadlocking me now. I have 3,500$. I can't afford a signle new air filter. I saw in the whole game like 2 air filter at one shop. I bought them. Never found them again. So I do not even have the feeling I did anything wrong. I just ran out of options.

Right now I die before getting the money for the air filter to replace it. I then respawn at a shop with 2 air filters way to expensive and when I try to gather the money for those... well I die again. Because I have like 3-4 minutes top. That's it. Game over. On normal difficulty.

Guys: Seriously. I love the idea of your game. Wanted to give a positive review. But this: I have the feeling I do not even have a chance. Fix this...

Dont forget, you can also sell your damaged filter for a pretty good chunck of $. Might help cover the difference

[Zedd]

...you need 4 air filters installed, you're not just running on 1 are you?
You'll see they have a health bar and an integrity bar. Your oxygen system CAN work with less than 4 filters, but it will put excessive strain on them and they will wear out faster. The less you're using, the faster they wear out.
When using 4, they'll stay above 50% integrity for AGES and then just crash down to 0%. Smart thing to do is to tier them- so one will be new, one will be old, the others inbetween. this way you'll spread out the wear and tear and you can run the oldest filter all the way down to 0% without problems in O2 production.

On the map, you can call up extra info on the different systems (you have to zoom in a little and press.... X I think?)
You'll see what the market prices are for different goods. This will tell you if the filters category is cheap or expensive in that system. (no guarantee they'll have them in stock tho)

Once you've managed to stay alive for a bit, it's wise to start having some spares with you. I'm still running on the reasoning before they made filters more easily available in shops and still carry 12 spares with me :D

[bolero3232]

Yeah the profit margin in this game is tight, and that's not even taking into account the hazardous sectors. I'm sure it's that way by design. That's how they want it, but it makes the game maybe too difficult.

[Zedd]

I can confirm though, once you get a bit further, it becomes very comfortably easy. As you climb the skill tree, profit margins increase. This allows you to upgrade your rig, which increases profits, and so on.

The main challenge is at the start- build up your spare parts stock. Try to stay in the positive numbers. Only accept missions you know you'll make. (check arrival and travel times!) Once you unlock the scanner for scavenging wrecks, your easy life begins.

[bolero3232]

Well, see, this is kinda bass ackwards. The game should be easier in the beginning then scale up as you progress. I feel disincentived to proceed further.