Further irradiation should shorten time to death

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TVR
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Currently, radiation is static status effect and fairly boring in combat. I propose the following two initial changes to make radiation more dynamic:

1) Causing further radiation damage after the initial irradiation to increase the dose rate and quicken the counter to a fatal dose. One actinide shot: 180 seconds, two actinide shots: 90 seconds, three actinide shots: 60 seconds, etc.
2) Allow variable amounts of radiation damage like radiation1 and radiation7, with radiation1 taking perhaps 1000 seconds to kill, and radiation7 taking 10.

These two steps are simple to implement, and could lead to a full-blown radiation mechanic with things like:

1) Radiation gauge, indicting total accumulated dose which only very slowly recovers, possibly faster with usable anti-radiation medicines like potassium iodide or if the pilot is a neohuman.
2) Radioactive reactors, U-235 reactors and non-He3-He3 fusion reactors that generate a significant neutron flux and slightly affect the radiation gauge's depletion rate.
3) Cosmic radiation bursts, solar flares, hot asteroids, ships and stations, pre-1.0 Heretic radiation fields all increasing the radiation gauge.
4) Hardened armors reducing, but not eliminating, increases to the radiation gauge. Borocarbide coating reducing incoming radiation by 50%, hardened plasteel by 75%
5) Arming the Sapiens with deadly radiation7 neutron bombs as their ultimate weapon.
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Song
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Nice idea, definitely. Would also be neat if playerships/multihull/compartment/whatever type stuff also had intrinsic radiation resistance that could be specified. Or if some medical items could be used to prevent/treat exposure (like how medical items can save you from teraton !!Science!!)

Having it work on stations would also be neat.
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FAD
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I like it, as long as there's additional forms of obtainable counter measures to help reduce the repetitive "Player was killed by radiation exposure."

Though I do recall way back when I first started playing this game, how frustrated I got because of the many, many times I died from rad exposure. But then, that was back when Sapiens could be found as early as the second system. Not to mention that the spawn rates were a lot higher as well.

How would this idea stack up to those level 7 and up armors that are auto-immune to radiation? Would they continue to remain immune?

Also, shouldn't there be a fluctuation in the costs for the decons at Commonwealth stations depending on the amount of radiation player is inflicted with?
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pixelfck
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Especially the full-blown radiation mechanics ideas you propose would be cool. It is always nice to have shades of grey instead of true/false mechanics.

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TVR
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More ideas for the radiation mechanic:

6) Radioactive ores and certain alien items, like the Dall sphere or Iocrym cybernetic tower, slowly increase the radiation gauge while in the cargohold.
7) Radioactive contamination has a half-life, after which it should stop increasing the radiation gauge (as quickly).
FAD wrote:How would this idea stack up to those level 7 and up armors that are auto-immune to radiation? Would they continue to remain immune?

Also, shouldn't there be a fluctuation in the costs for the decons at Commonwealth stations depending on the amount of radiation player is inflicted with?
With the initial proposal, level 7 armors will continue to remain immune to radiation, because the only changes are to repeated irradiation.

With the phase two proposals, level 7 armors will reduce, but not eliminate increases in the radiation gauge from external exposure.

Flat-rate decontamination is convenient, but extended decontamination procedures are more interesting, if they can be made fun.
Shrike wrote:teraton !!Science!!
That gives me an idea for a new Teraton medical experiment, radiation exposure!

Backstory: Teraton scientists have discovered a new form of radiation, and are looking for test subjects!

You get: +50% radiation, and maybe a chance to gain a cool new mutation!

But if you fail, you get some vivid imagery about defecating blood and hair falling out, and maybe a chance to gain a cool new mutation!

Remember everyone, space is not empty - it's full of radiation!
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Song
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TVR wrote:
Shrike wrote:teraton !!Science!!
That gives me an idea for a new Teraton medical experiment, radiation exposure!

Backstory: Teraton scientists have discovered a new form of radiation, and are looking for test subjects!

You get: +50% radiation, and maybe a chance to gain a cool new mutation!

But if you fail, you get some vivid imagery about defecating blood and hair falling out, and maybe a chance to gain a cool new mutation!

Remember everyone, space is not empty - it's full of radiation!
As an actual biologist (Well, almost*) I am massively opposed to stupid deadEarth style mutations. But a more realistic take on an in-universe trial would be for the teratons to be trialling anti-radiation treatments and modifications. With this system, you'd get the treatment *before* exposure. If it works, you get a boost to radiation resistance for the rest of the game. If it doesn't work, it either hurts you (and gives no bonus, obviously) or outright kills you. The treatment itself might have interesting effects as well.

[Edit]This isn't to say that the teratons aren't capable of warping the player into something straight out of 'I have no mouth and I must scream' in the name of "Eh, why not? Let's see what happens". They just have to do it through more plausible methods.[/edit]


*Student/trainee ecologist with very little work in molecular biology. But it's the principle of the thing.
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FourFire
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Shrike wrote: [...]
As an actual biologist (Well, almost*) I am massively opposed to stupid deadEarth style mutations. But a more realistic take on an in-universe trial would be for the teratons to be trialling anti-radiation treatments and modifications. With this system, you'd get the treatment *before* exposure. [...]
As a not quite biologist myself, I agree wholly.
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