PSA: Condensed Carbon

[dimmu1313]

I just thought I'd share my own realization after learning the process myself.

Condensed Carbon is used as fuel (in addition to various blueprints and refining recipes) and once you learn the right way to craft it, you'll never have to shoot down trees again.

The "trick" is this: oxygen refines to carbon at a rate of 1:1. Previously I was simply refining carbon itself at a rate of 2:1 to get condensed carbon, but there are two other refining recipes to get even more. For a lot of materials, oxygen acts as a catalyst to give a 1:2 or better refining rate. So it turns out that O2 + C = 2CC, BUT 2 O2 + 1 CC = 6 CC. Therefore, the absolute most efficient way to refine CC is to refine o2 to exactly 1 C, then refine 1 O2 + 1 C to get 2 CC, then refine the CC you get from there with the remaining O2. With a stack of 250 O2, I very quickly got to 620 CC. The idea is that you're getting the O2 from your oxygen harvester, but however you get your oxygen, the fast refine method of 6 CC coming from 2 O2 and 1 CC gives boat load of CC for all your fuel, crafting, and refining needs

[petthepetra]

Wow, good to know. You should make a Steam Guide on this.

To be honest, I just shoot random Condensed Carbon ore crystals whenever I see them, and get far more Condensed Carbon than I'll ever need. Finding Carbon Crystals in Floating Crystals also gives you a whole lot. Just collecting it casually as you explore can get you thousands after a while, and you barely have to do anything.

But that's just my way of doing it, your method might work better for some people's playstyles.

[dimmu1313]

The reason for going to refining route is because I have only 2 permanent refiners right now but 6 portable refiners. Also, oxygen refining takes carbon fuel as well, and so do the plant beds. Eventually once I have lots of permanent refiners (which is a pain because apparently they each require their own large room) and lots of biodomes, carbon fuel won't be as much of an issue.

[Genjira]

There's a lot of interesting stuff on this here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1m3D-ElN7ek3Y0f-1XDt0IW2l6HxfXi5n5Yr7VLwLbg4/

[JTracx]

Thanks for the info!
Btw, I put a large refiner in my multi-room Hut by making that secton two stories. I did not have material at the time but I'm sure I can put another in that building by just raising a roof.
So maybe try wooden buildings for placing more than one large refiner in one open floor building.
Of course, all of that building takes carbon...