Too hard to learn at start

[Adeptus Lebowski]

Sorry guys, i can already see this is a great game but i am really struggling as a newcomer. I know i need to keep playing and it will all come clear as i have learnt many things from my mistakes already.

However, without long winded responses lol, are there any main big tips for starting out that will help me?

I just figured out that you have to build a water pump only above water haha, so you can see where i am at so far...

[rajwarrior]

Watch YouTube let's play and how to's

[some moron]

I just want to say I bought the game, tried it, didn't get it, uninstalled it. A year later someone one bragging how good it was so I tried it again, ran into that wall again of "why and what should I do". Kept trying to run up that hill. Now this game is all I'm playing.
1) if your question is what is my goal, your goal is to dig to the surface (up)
2) if your question is how do I survive, i will say that I began many times and made many mistakes and restarted (so you can do that too). In the end, for certain in the casual mode, I think it's not possible to "end" your game - you won't run out of anything, you can always print more dupes, so, experiment, prepare to have colony crashes, but hey, they are only duplicants, right, they aren't real people, right?

most of the information is on the popups, and/or can be figured out with a little experimentation, but a lot of specific information is not included. the wiki is your friend https://oxygennotincluded.fandom.com/wiki/Pitcher_Pump

[flux.faraday]

Big tip: Don't print more dupes than you can feed over the longer term. I don't print more than one dupe per ten turns unless someone spectacular pops up. Once I get to around ten or twelve I slow down even more. 02¢

[POWER WITHIN USER]

Originally posted by Lebowski Pro-Dude:

However, without long winded responses lol, are there any main big tips for starting out that will help me?

Use "save as" whenever you're trying to do something new.

[chaney]

The mechanics are intricate. If you want to uncover how stuff works on your own, be prepared for lots of experiment and failure. Sandbox highly suggested. If you do not think that sounds fun (most people) you really should put in the time to look over/view long-winded guides, videos, the wiki, etc. that people have put together. There really isn't much short-cutting since the details are important.

Big picture: don't try to do too much too fast. More dupes can do more stuff, but early on the extra food/oxygen they need is probably a bigger cost than the extra work they provide, stay with just a few. Once things start to seem smooth, you'll notice things are getting too hot. Plan ahead.

[Corona Varus]

It was really easy for me but had to stop because there are too many things in the game and now I came back and learned everything but is too scared to buy the DLC because it will become a lot harder because managing two separate colonies or more is kinda hard.

[some moron]

So don't buy the DLC. I have not. After many tries, I am still working on "finishing" my first basic game, if there is such a thing as "finish". And nobody spoil that for me! lol
I am quite far along (I think) and I don't know what happens next.
DLC SchmeeLC.

[Adeptus Lebowski]

Originally posted by chaney:

The mechanics are intricate. If you want to uncover how stuff works on your own, be prepared for lots of experiment and failure. Sandbox highly suggested. If you do not think that sounds fun (most people) you really should put in the time to look over/view long-winded guides, videos, the wiki, etc. that people have put together. There really isn't much short-cutting since the details are important.

Big picture: don't try to do too much too fast. More dupes can do more stuff, but early on the extra food/oxygen they need is probably a bigger cost than the extra work they provide, stay with just a few. Once things start to seem smooth, you'll notice things are getting too hot. Plan ahead.

thanks mate. I dunno why i felt i had to rush as i guess you could last forever on basic tech maybe. Advancing i guess will always cause issues and you have to plan better i thnk is what you are also saying.

[some moron]

You can last a long time on basic tech, but also things are also slowly heating up, and you are using up algae, water etc. So, true you don't have to rush, but yes you need to be preparing for the next phase. Just ensure you aren't resting on your laurels - always be pushing for the next thing (new o2 system using new tech, a more powerful cooling system, new food source).

For example you get that oxylite at the beginning but it will soon run out. So you do kinda need to rush to get a new source of o2. You can use that diffuser but it's effective but inefficient. So build it, but at the same time be researching for tech to build a better o2 generator.

In my experience I am building for the next thing and meanwhile the old thing breaks down and I have to tend to it before construction resumes on new thing, in a constant juggle between new stuff and old stuff that needs to be reworked or upgrading old to new. Then when I get the new thing working, it has a problem so I have to turn the old thing on while fixing the new thing. Just keep trying to move forward, with the chaos and setbacks (disease fatalities etc).

[Ghent]

This is a great guide written long ago for newcomers. It's still pretty on point, walks you through playing through to end game. It teaches you the hows and whys, and really will help you understand how to play the game better. From there, you'll have enough confidence to try your own things and really get into things.

https://oni-assistant.com/guides/starter

[Adeptus Lebowski]

Originally posted by some moron:

You can last a long time on basic tech, but also things are also slowly heating up, and you are using up algae, water etc. So, true you don't have to rush, but yes you need to be preparing for the next phase. Just ensure you aren't resting on your laurels - always be pushing for the next thing (new o2 system using new tech, a more powerful cooling system, new food source).

For example you get that oxylite at the beginning but it will soon run out. So you do kinda need to rush to get a new source of o2. You can use that diffuser but it's effective but inefficient. So build it, but at the same time be researching for tech to build a better o2 generator.

In my experience I am building for the next thing and meanwhile the old thing breaks down and I have to tend to it before construction resumes on new thing, in a constant juggle between new stuff and old stuff that needs to be reworked or upgrading old to new. Then when I get the new thing working, it has a problem so I have to turn the old thing on while fixing the new thing. Just keep trying to move forward, with the chaos and setbacks (disease fatalities etc).

ok thanks, that makes sense. I'm using diffusers atm and they only provide oxygen in the air above it so my peeps are struggling as they are the same height as the diffuser and therefore in the red zone, weird.

[Ghent]

Originally posted by Lebowski Pro-Dude:

ok thanks, that makes sense. I'm using diffusers atm and they only provide oxygen in the air above it so my peeps are struggling as they are the same height as the diffuser and therefore in the red zone, weird.

Remember, like real life, an area can only hold so much of something. It isn't terribly important where the oxygen comes out of the diffusers, the problem you're having is that area is already filled with a gas, probably carbon dioxide. CO2 is heavier than O2, so it rests at the bottom, and it sounds like that's where your dups are running around. A very, very, very common issue new players run into. What you need to do is dig down a layer or two, so that the CO2 can fill up at the bottom, leaving all the space above it for O2, where your dups are. Since O2 is lighter than CO2, the O2 will force the CO2 down to the bottom. Eventually you'll have tools for dealing with the CO2 itself (scrubbers, take a look at those) but you won't have to worry about that too quickly.

[Adeptus Lebowski]

thx pal

[Ghent]

Originally posted by Lebowski Pro-Dude:

thx pal

No problem, good luck. Don't be afraid to ask for help as much as you need. Everyone here learned by asking, watching, or both. No one figured everything out on their own. You can do it!

[Jim the ghost]

hint: dont let them pee in the water