how do i make ships more buoyant

[Skylixin]

i have had problems with buoyancy on my ships to the point were the will sink if they get hit once (i know to use air pumps i have over 100 hours on the game)

[CEPHY]

Make them wider, longer, use multiple "sections" in the hull that each have an air pump in it, make sure the center of mass is below the water line.

You could also use a PID and a few propellers on the bottom of the ship to make it stay at a specific height.

EDIT: Buoyant materials, such as wood or lightweight alloy, can help your ship float if they're at the water line. I suggest going to the vehicle designer and loading in the Neter ship construction facility.

[Skylixin]

ok cheers

[FourGreenFields]

Originally posted by Stryder:

use multiple "sections" in the hull that each have an air pump in it

Does help if hit, but not for "just" floating.
That said, still a good idea. And afaIk good for the game's performance too.

Originally posted by Stryder:

make sure the center of mass is below the water line

No effect on whether you're floating, just whether you're floating upright.
Again, usually a good idea. With the right hull-shape, you can get high stability even with the CoM above the waterline though.


As for OP, I'll repeat the part about alloy. Still quite tough (a good bit weaker than metal, but much, much lighter), so it may be a good idea to replace some metal with alloy (especially on the superstructure and such, due to stability reasons).

Also good combination with making it wider. 2m alloy are still tougher than 1m metal (allthough it costs twice as much). Also allows you to armour vitals more (e.g. 1m metal + 1m alloy normal armour, but 2m metal around the AI and ammo).

PS: Also, helium pumps now actually do more than air pumps when below water. So you can use them, but they're going to fail if your deck gets pierced.