Why do robots need oxygen?

[Space Cadet]

Seriously, how does a submarine with a fully robotic crew require air/oxygen and cannot stay submerged indefinitely? I get why you had to limit the amount of time you can spend underwater for gameplay reasons, but couldn’t you at least come up with an explanation that makes sense within the game’s lore?

[tutzdes]

Originally posted by Space Cadet:

Seriously, how does a submarine with a fully robotic crew require air/oxygen and cannot stay submerged indefinitely? I get why you had to limit the amount of time you can spend underwater for gameplay reasons, but couldn’t you at least come up with an explanation that makes sense within the game’s lore?

These are steambots, i.e. they literally have blazing furnaces to boil water and power their bodies. Fire needs oxygen. The submarine itself is steam-powered and installng the nuclear reactor reduces oxygen drain dramatically.

[Musekater]

Originally posted by tutzdes:

Originally posted by Space Cadet:

Seriously, how does a submarine with a fully robotic crew require air/oxygen and cannot stay submerged indefinitely? I get why you had to limit the amount of time you can spend underwater for gameplay reasons, but couldn’t you at least come up with an explanation that makes sense within the game’s lore?

These are steambots, i.e. they literally have blazing furnaces to boil water and power their bodies. Fire needs oxygen. The submarine itself is steam-powered and installng the nuclear reactor reduces oxygen drain dramatically.

[Space Cadet]

Haha yeah that was really stupid of me, STEAM, of course. But still, I think there's a more elegant way to frame it.

[jep]

You left off the part where your submarine is in an ocean that is somehow not floating off into space even though it's just basically on an asteroid in space. 😆

Steamworld is a place where you just really have to roll with it. They even have some dialogue in the game where they admit there's stuff that just doesn't make sense. It's a comedic world, not a scientifically rigorous one. Kind of like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[am uncreative gamer]

Originally posted by jep:

They even have some dialogue in the game where they admit there's stuff that just doesn't make sense.

I remember the area regeneration item's description literally ask you to "not question how it works."