nuclear reactor

[mepatuhoo]

nuclear reactors should be a reactor that has a gas input and output. Heats up the gas and sends it to the output. That way we can make power using the Stirling engine. This would be the best way to make nuclear reactors. Please don't do magic reactors that take in a fuel and just makes power. Give the player the option to build there reactor. With a reactor that heats gas. it could be used to make power, power a furnace and heat up rooms on cold planets. spent fuel rods could be recycled for lead.

[andreykl]

True, there might be some scenarios that specifically rely on nuclear power to survive.

[Qybat]

I did suggest giving the reactor a 'sample' slot where advanced materials could be put in to make even higher tier alloys. Or spent fuel could be processed into plutonium. But regarding impractical: I mean that operating the reactor should demand a knowledge and capability of all mechanics as well as advanced furnace materials. Even the loading and unloading of fuel rods and samples would be best accomplished by LArRE, as the reactor would be dangerous to be near.

But yes, I would see it as having greatest potential in scenario situations. People could build a reactor in survival if they wanted for the challenge, but the complexity and thus potential for entertaining screw-ups would be most fun in scenarios where all or part of the base comes pre-built.

Something I know from when I used to play SS13: The solars were the easiest and most reliable power source, but they don't offer nearly as much Fun as a station powered by a potential disaster contained only by constant feedback mechanisms and prone to explode if some tinkering engineer cuts the wrong wire.

[andreykl]

Post from discord, 11.19.2024

- We are working towards Nuclear power
- We are working on the complete rework of terrain, while will (most likely) halve the resolution, making it look WAY nicer and be dramatically more performant
- Add new rocket travel options, including your characters
- Beginning work on post-1.0 expansion that will be Terraforming. An upside being the functionality will make modding options much more powerful
- With terrain rework, we can look again at rovers as a proper and useful thing
- I have a working prototype of the "orbital instance" that will allow you have both a planet and orbital station at the same time in the same game. We might need to sell this as an expansion, but will discuss this with you in future.

BUT WE NEED YOU. Revenue is down, quite a lot (you can track our success on steamdb's top seller position).
consider buying supporters edition, or buying on Itch
leave reviews!
tell people who might like the game

https://discord.com/channels/276525882049429515/276525882049429515/1294132713577648253

[mepatuhoo]

Now that we have more liquids the reactor should take in a liquid and heat it to a gas.

[Qybat]

If the reactor simply generates heat, there may be multiple ways to utilise it depending on circumstances. BWR, PWR, gas cooled... keep options open.

Another idea to throw out: While a nuclear reactor should be a challenge to actually build in survival, it could also come as part of the starting kit on a sunless, windless world like Pluto or a moon of Neptune. the kit could have a crate containing the reactor, a stirling engine, pipes, an APC, canister of pollutant and a first fuel rod - everything needed to to rig up a very janky reactor setup, though one which will need constant monitoring and micromanagement until the base is developed enough to manufacturer electronics for automation.

[andreykl]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Qybat:

Another idea to throw out: While a nuclear reactor should be a challenge to actually build in survival, it could also come as part of the starting kit on a sunless, windless world like Pluto or a moon of Neptune. the kit could have a crate containing the reactor, a stirling engine, pipes, an APC, canister of pollutant and a first fuel rod - everything needed to to rig up a very janky reactor setup

Based of some discord responses it seems like it would need a lot of setup time and a lot of materials. Coolant (assuming there will be only one) likely will have to be something that is capable of condensing/evaporating (liquid coolant goes into reactor; hot, high pressure gas goes out, you need to condense it back after generating power).

I suspect reactors won't be something you can set up under a day when you also need a basic pressurized environment just to be able to eat. But on planets like Pluto RTG might come back into play.

[Qybat]

The game's mechanics, unlike those of the real world, do not lend themselves to circulating coolants.

I imagine the 'bare minimum' reactor setup goes like this:
- The reactor works something like the evaporation chamber - it has an internal atmosphere you can access with gas or liquid pipes. So connect a gas pipe. Fill with the coolant of your choice.
- Connect the pipe to a stirling generator.
- Either put the generator in an atmosphere you want to warm/outside, or put it in one connected to a bunch of radiators.

There, you have a power station! Of course it's not pretty, you're going to need to constantly adjust the control rods and monitor pressure, but that's the bare minimum. In a full setup you might be using heat from the reactor directly for something like your ice-melting chamber or to pre-heat gasses for the furnace, and you'll have logic to look at your power needs and temperatures to make adjustments as needed. But that comes later: This isn't supposed to be the /easy/ start, and in your early game you'll be running a reactor which demands manual micro-management and depends upon your mastery of atmospherics to keep it from either shutting down or blowing up.

The reactor could be expanded upon as your base grows, until you have it fully automated and operating a whole bank of stirling generators, or using it to boil water into steam for turbines. As the power level is ramped up it may also start to pose a radiation hazard, and measures to mitigate this would be required.