What the hell is Dry Ice

[Sandman]

And why can't I ever find any when I need to make carbon?

[Star Paladin]

It's rare, about the same rareity as geothermal. Problem is, it is visually very difficult to see (unlike geo).

[Dray Prescot]

It looks like Ice, but it is only on the maps well to the south of the equator. Using it has the same problem as the Ice Condenser; both types only work during daylight like the solar panels. The Dry Ice Condenser will produce both carbon and oxygen. Dry is frozen CO2 (carbon dioxide), it freezes/melts at a temperature much lower than H2O (water). If it on the map at all, it will probably be on the southern parts of the mission map, just like regular Ice will be on the northern parts of it's mission map. Regular Ice is normally on the more northern mission maps.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Dray Prescot:

It looks like Ice, but it is only on the maps well to the south of the equator. Using it has the same problem as the Ice Condenser; both types only work during daylight like the solar panels. The Dry Ice Condenser will produce both carbon and oxygen. Dry is frozen CO2 (carbon dioxide), it freezes/melts at a temperature much lower than H2O (water). If it on the map at all, it will probably be on the southern parts of the mission map, just like regular Ice will be on the northern parts of it's mission map. Regular Ice is normally on the more northern mission maps.

That's great and all but I'm referring to multiplayer maps, I haven't even bothered with any of the single player modes past tutorial, and whenever I find I need an ice condenser, I basically am dragging the item over every snowy-looking tile until it decides that that tile happens to be one with dry ice. Trouble is, that never happens, there's never any dry ice that I can find

[Dray Prescot]

I think that any one map will only have one of the two types of Ice. If there were both types, I would expect water Ice in the north and Dry Ice in the south of the map.
Look at where the mission map is on the map of Mars. It will probably be only on the more southerly maps.

[ToD@yTooG@yToPl@y]

Also cant find it and played over 22 hours so far. Would be interesting to know!

[JonnyKnows]

Guys it's simply, north ice is water ice. South Ice is dry ice.

Some map types generate both north and south ice, most are just north ice, sometimes no ice.

I do think it'd be nice if the map generation made more dry ice happen though.

[Dray Prescot]

I have seen Dry Ice on southern mission maps. I even tried using it once. Except under unusal circumstances, I don't think it will be worth bothering with. If you are playing a campaign save the $10 for something else.

[Bomoo]

It's the solid state of carbon dioxide.

[Dray Prescot]

I know exactly what it is. (I have a Masters degree in Physics and a B.S. in Astronomy).
I just don't find either of the Ice Condensers very useful most of the time; usually your other sources of water, carbon and oxygen are more efficient. I would only use the Condensers when I could not get enough thru those other sources for some reason. Normally in a Campaign I don't even spend the $10 to acquire the ability, I would rather save it for the next round's start.
I don't bother with Geothermal power either, I have better things to do with $60 in round starts. I tried it once at the start of a Campaign and I hardly used it in that Campaign.

[Bomoo]

The OP wanted to know what dry ice was.

[cat]

It's the solid state of carbon dioxide.

[Bomoo]

Originally posted by cat planet cat planet:

It's the solid state of carbon dioxide.

That sounds like something only an extremely sophisticated and handsome person would say.