Portable Oxygenator is a HUGE let down!!!

[wildwinds]

So I finally managed to get everything together and crafted a portable oxygenator and boy was I disappointed when I did.

It consumes a prodigious amount of power so I'm still reliant on carrying consumables around with me, either power cells or small batteries. Or be stuck to a tether which defeats the object of a portable oxygen source.

Considering the abundance of resin on every planet it's better to just craft oxygen filters and / or stick with a vehicle.

When you factor in the absurd research point cost and the amount of effort it takes to build the infrastructure and gather the necessary materials to create a nanocarbon alloy, the portable oxygenator is a big let down and a bad joke!!!! It should be power free like the full size oxygenators and vehicles.

[MaGicBush]

Have you tried putting a power source on your suite? Like a small solar or wind turbine on a top slot? They will power your suit or oxygenator.

[Kaybe]

Left Shoulder = Portable Oxygenator
Right shoulder = Small Generator with a piece of organic on it.

Two or three other slots on backpack = More organic that auto loads when the generator is empty.

Whenever you need air, turn them both on. Turn them off when filled.

EDIT: I don't use the PO myself, but mostly because I like having a tether line leading me back to base or shuttle.

[wildwinds]

Originally posted by Kaybe:

Left Shoulder = Portable Oxygenator
Right shoulder = Small Generator with a piece of organic on it.

Two or three other slots on backpack = More organic that auto loads when the generator is empty.

Whenever you need air, turn them both on. Turn them off when filled.

EDIT: I don't use the PO myself, but mostly because I like having a tether line leading me back to base or shuttle.

Unfortunately this still means carrying consumables with me taking up valuable inventory space and I believe that a power cell has greater energy density than a unit of organic in a small generator.

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

Have you tried putting a power source on your suite? Like a small solar or wind turbine on a top slot? They will power your suit or oxygenator.

This is a possibility, unfortunately the places where I would find the oxygenator most useful don't have any wind or solar such as deep underground or Atrox.

Considering this is a very late game device it should be superior to all other oxygen supply solutions but in it's current state it's the worst option.

[Kaybe]

Originally posted by wildwinds:

Unfortunately this still means carrying consumables with me taking up valuable inventory space and I believe that a power cell has greater energy density than a unit of organic in a small generator.

Except not. Organic is found *everywhere*. Even in caves. So unlike tethers where you eventually have to go back and get more (unless you find compound first), you can keep recharging the generator non stop. Also, you don't need the generator turned on all the time. That's why I said put it on your shoulder slot so you can turn it on and off quickly just by using C or V.

That being said, I still prefer tethers because I like using a mess of augments and that stuff needs base power to keep going. But at least with the portable oxygenator, even if you're using tethers, you'll never run into a situation where you drop into a deep cave far from your closest tether and suffocate before getting back up. Cause, again, plenty of organic everywhere.

[Zarinthal]

ive dug to the core of every planet and back up several times, there has always been some wind. terran ive gone 40 minutes underground on a POG with only 1 wind turbine, no extra battery or tank. usually for exploring i carry a small battery and 2 turbines. I only ever need more than that for using drill/mods, and for radiated i take 2 batteries and 3 turbines. I have spent hundreds of hours exploring on a small gen and some organic and resin, its fine and functional, but having a switchable electric air system that only needs 4 slots is much more preferable for me to accomplish any task. some people even run it on organic as 1 piece of organic runs it for a wihle too and eliminates the need for small batteries to buffer time between "finding wind". just dont forget to turn it off when your air is full, which is why i put it on a top slot and use c/v or L/R bumpers to control it

[Lil Puppy]

Wind exists everywhere, literally everywhere now, and it has always existed in caves as well.
The portable O2 was never meant to be ON all the time (that's why it has an OFF function), it's a refill mechanism, take an O2 tank, portable O2, and tethers or a windvane and you're good. Since resin exists everywhere too, you always have an emergency supply if you can find it fast enough.

[Sire]

The portable oxygenator should drain slower, or just be infinite. Honesty, it's an end-game item where by the time you have it, you really don't have much else to do so just let players run without having to worry about feeding a gen or a having oxygen.

[Del]

Originally posted by wildwinds:

Originally posted by Kaybe:

Left Shoulder = Portable Oxygenator
Right shoulder = Small Generator with a piece of organic on it.

Two or three other slots on backpack = More organic that auto loads when the generator is empty.

Whenever you need air, turn them both on. Turn them off when filled.

EDIT: I don't use the PO myself, but mostly because I like having a tether line leading me back to base or shuttle.

Unfortunately this still means carrying consumables with me taking up valuable inventory space and I believe that a power cell has greater energy density than a unit of organic in a small generator.

Originally posted by MaGicBush:

Have you tried putting a power source on your suite? Like a small solar or wind turbine on a top slot? They will power your suit or oxygenator.

This is a possibility, unfortunately the places where I would find the oxygenator most useful don't have any wind or solar such as deep underground or Atrox.

Considering this is a very late game device it should be superior to all other oxygen supply solutions but in it's current state it's the worst option.

A unit of organic in a small generator can recharge a power cell many times over if that's all you are using it for. I need it to power terrain tool mods as well so it's the handiest thing in the game for me. One unit of organic will even charge a rover and three trailers several times over.

[Thomas Croft]

So many smart idiots. The whole point is the research and material cost which is definately endgame and in that category the Porta Oxygen is a HUGE let down in both space saving or function.

[wildwinds]

Originally posted by Thomas Croft:

So many smart idiots. The whole point is the research and material cost which is definately endgame and in that category the Porta Oxygen is a HUGE let down in both space saving or function.

Someone who gets it!!

[Fabiolus]

Idiot? You have the choice!!! Either use O2 portable with a portable generator and lose 2 space or use theter

Whhhoooooohhhoooooo so hard choice, so inconvenient.

Originally posted by Thomas Croft:

So many smart idiots. The whole point is the research and material cost which is definately endgame and in that category the Porta Oxygen is a HUGE let down in both space saving or function.

[Bomoo]

Having just tried it for the first time, it's actually quite handy if you use it properly. Properly being as a top up for your air tank. I swapped out my worklight for it, and ran it in short bursts while running between my base and a gateway. It ran off my small battery, consuming barely a bar or two before topping up my small air tank. The battery was then topped up itself by the small wind generator in my other active slot.

I'm not sure how you're using it that you think it's a huge letdown, but I've found it quite handy. Yes, I would've preferred to make a secure tether line form my base to the gateway, but the situation was such that I couldn't, and the portable oxygenator proved to be a lifesaver.

[bigdale]

Maybe they could have balanced it that the PO provides total freedom from O2 and requires no maintenance but takes up 4 slots on the backpack instead. I don't think that would be better personally.

[Bomoo]

Originally posted by bigdale:

Maybe they could have balanced it that the PO provides total freedom from O2 and requires no maintenance but takes up 4 slots on the backpack instead. I don't think that would be better personally.

Yeah I would never use it under those conditions. What's the problem with using tethers? And the PO doesn't seem to be intended to run permanently, but, again, to top up your air supply in bursts.

[Caz]

I see a lot of people defending bad game design.
The PO is a late game item (seems everyone generally agrees on this point). As such, it should be an upgrade to the methods used up until obtaining it (i.e. relying on tethers, vehicles, etc). The way it's designed, however, makes it more cumbersome than tethers, vehicles, and crafting oxygen tanks on the fly.

The Oxygenator provides an entire planet with oxygen as long as you tether to where ever it's mounted, be that a vehicle or a base or a platform in the middle of nowhere. Logically, the PORTABLE Oxygenator would free you from this restriction without requiring cumbersome upkeep and interaction. And I can already see people claiming it's not cumbersome...which is what I referred to with my opening line of defending bad design.

As it currently stands, the PO feels more like an early game alternative to tethers than it does a late game item. I will use tethers over the PO 100% of the time as things currently stand, both because it's easier to use tethers and getting the mats for them is both easier and uses less inventory space to achieve what the PO should be doing.