Radiation Spread

En9a9e

Been asking for a while in chat with no explanations given yet, but am hoping for an update on how radiation spread is intended to work in the end. I am assuming it will likely change from the way it is currently in xbuild but if it does not, here are some concerns. Its great to have dangerous and even hostile biomes in the world with threats not only from the creatures within, but the environment itself. It's also very nice to have a few zones or biomes that are more peaceful/tranquil overall, by design, like the shallows. I think the game should favor challenge and danger but still have those areas of rest interspersed. In that light I am hopeful that the radiation spread event will be limited to the crash zone instead of overtaking the shallows and the rest of the world for that matter.

New players in particular often feel that the game is too fast already in terms of food and water depletion plus the day and night cycle. Not only does the radiation spread force them to plow into the tech tree faster, the fabricator is now working off an expanding menu based on world resource discoveries. I am wholeheartedly in favor of the expanding menu but I believe throwing radiation spread onto the new player in conjunction with this new progression approach is too much. The new player is already in a bewildered state trying to figure out how things work while tentatively exploring this new world and particularly the shallows biome they find themselves in. To have warnings of imminent disaster concerning the ship is fine, but I think many would rightfully figure that as long as they keep their distance for the time being, it'll be ok. Then after the awesome explosion event (major kudos on that btw) the punch in the gut comes with radiation spread...totally killing (literally and figuratively) the wonder of exploration and the joy of learning how the game works in a more tranquil biome that caters really well to the new player experience. The next playthroughs, after many I'm sure will be starting over, will be all about the rush rush rush to the rad suit instead of actually enjoying the game and the thrill of slowly discovering this new alien world.

The argument could be made, "well why not just keep extending the amount of time before the event until it's reasonable for them" and that might work if the great pda AI voice was more involved in helping them through the early game learning process, but the learning curve is such a relative thing to gauge across the player spectrum. I didn't think the game was about forcing a goal or objective on the player anyway, at least not right out of the gate. The crash site should certainly be a goal and objective but to me it would work a lot better if I ventured over to it and started hitting the radiation in the zone (like before) then realized "hey, I need to go back and open up/discover more of the fabricator tech options to see if there is something I can do to come back in here and explore later". To me the mystery of having that gated zone out there, that might hold treasures and answers, is incentive enough to tech up and venture out without being grabbed by the throat and forced into it via radiation spread. I'm already frustrated as a "veteran" player being pushed and having to start every new game straight into a rad suit... I'm wondering if it will turn into an overwhelming frustration for new players that turns some away from the game.

Racer1

Good points but the whole radiation model and ship explosion timing are unfinished and likely to be changed significantly before the end.

P.S. I agree the safe shallows should stay relatively safe, even after the explosion.

Sneakyarrow

If it is any consolation, I also agree, as a new player. I want a place that I can go home to that is (relatively) safe.

Phalaguim

I think it's obviously all work in progress, it's just annoying listening to endless ditditdit of the radiation, would be nice if the spread was limited for just that reason. I agree tho, that you should progress find radiation as before, return, make rad suit, return, and get eaten. As I did. They ate my moth, then they ate me. And I say they.. because there were more than one.

Hmm.. oddly, if you reload the game, the radiation is gone. So maybe the spread is just a bug.

En9a9e

So an update on spread here. To the best of my recollection in order to receive radiation protection in xbuild the helmet and the suit were both required. If I am wrong on this then I apologize but that was the impression I had since radiation spread was introduced. I have discovered today that protection only requires the suit, which is merely a couple of silicone. This negates the argument that it pushes the player too hard in having to tech up, especially as it related to the new player. The helmet (rebreather) is more intensive in that regard. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me that the helmet isn't required as well but that is how it stands in xbuild atm. I do realize this is all a wip and likely to change, but am still hoping on a better overall explanation as to the greater role it may or may not play and why the necessity for spreading across the game so much. I still feel my concerns over the general disruption of the new player experience in the shallows is valid but at least it's not quite as bad as originally thought.