Radiation Poisoning

[XB7]

I just recently succumbed to radiation poisoning. I couldn't dump everything in my cargo fast enough to figure out what it was before I died. I still don't know what caused it.

[alterecco]

There are several things that can irradiate you.

1) Perhaps you docked with an irradiated wreck
2) Perhaps you 'U'sed a radioactive barrel
3) There are some weapons in game that will irradiate you

When you are irradiated you need to dock with a station that will decontaminate you or use a decon barrel.

[Song]

3) There are some weapons in game that will irradiate you

These are the XM300 'Reaper' Missile, and the Actinide Waste Cannon. Both are only used in the unmodded game by the Sapiens. You'll be able to tell that they're radioactive weapons because of the not-overly-realistic green weapon effects (the shots of the AWC, and the hit effect of the XM300). Both are reasonably easy to dodge provided you see them coming, and aren't too close to the ship that's firing them.

Preventing irradiation can be done via a borocarbide coating to ALL armor segments, radiation-immune armor on ALL 4 facings, or not getting your armor hit (hits on your shield will never irradiate you, the weapons need to hit armor to affect you). NOTE: A shield will not protect against radiation incurred via docking with a contaminated wreck, or via using radioactive waste on your armor. It only guards against dirty WEAPONS.

Once you're irradiated, head for a commonwealth station or a tinker if you don't have any decon gel. They'll let you dock, and decontaminate you (there is a fee at CW stations), and in the case of the tinkers, offer to apply borocarbide to your armor. This only works if you don't already have armor enhancements. It's quite valuable though. Other places (corporates, ETC) will simply kick you out of the docking bay and you'll have just a bit less time to find a station that WILL help you.

Hope that lot helps.

[PM]

The Sisters of Domina can also decontaminate you at no credit charge *if* you have no credits or their attitude toward you is positive. If neither condition applies, then they kick you off. If they decontaminate you, their attitude drops.

CSCs and Point Juno will decontaminate for free if you have military ID, but by then, radiation threats will be rare, and you will probably have radiation immune armor.

[Aury]

You may also have become contaminated through a radioactive explosion (these occur from sapiens stations)

[XB7]

Thanks! I was totally stumped. It was a nice curve ball. I thought I was safe.

[Star Weaver]

If you ever want to dump EVERYTHING, just hold down enter on the jettison page . But yeah, radiation is like disease, it's on you, not your stuff

[Ttech]

Here's a tip for radiation, there are a ton of barrels, if your near a Commonwealth Station, you can decontaminate, use the barrels till you id a radation decon gel, save those until your mid game.

[ThePrivateer]

I have died many a time to the old radioactive poisoning.

Most often it happens if you just aren't paying attention and dock at a green-glowing ship, or if you get into a bad fight with sapiens (which happens often enough in the early game).

Other than that, way back before I was wiser, the old level 1 barrels seem to be full of radioactive waste.

The worst part is when you spend all your credits on barrels and then get radiated by one of them, only to find out you now can't afford the decontamination fee at the station you bought the barrels from!
(true story )

[Aury]

If I don't have good enough equipment to at least survive running away from the sapiens, I deserved to be irradiated >.> (because by then I should have restarted long ago)

[Ttech]

Well not nessiarily, they do harass you you can resist them, but they do slow you down, especially if your low on fuel or such.

[josh19967]

Or if you have some 2HP left on your armor... you'd be dead meat.

[Ttech]

Or if you have some 2HP left on your armor... you'd be dead meat.

what? If you have that low armor, then you got more problems then whats above. heh you got a lack of supplies and don't know how to camp very well.

[Jeoshua]

Speaking of unrealistic radiation.

Did you know Chereknov radiation, the kind of radioactive activity that is normally thought of when you actually do think of radiation, is not green at all? Nope....

It's Blue. Pretty Cyanish baby blue. Adorable, cuddly, will-melt-your-face-off-in-10-seconds-flat blue. The reason people think of green is that the engineers working on nuclear power plants, after spending all their money on making the plant safe, couldn't be bothered to install anything better than sodium lighting in the plants. Yellow+Blue=?

Green.

Is there any way to change this effect in the code? Or make another, more deadlier kind of radiation, that's actually blue?

[Aury]

Though while yes, the green glow is not really real (it's blue, because of particles moving at a velocity of c(vaccuum)>particle>c(medium of particle), causing the cherenkov radiation, which is essentially like a sonic boom, but for light-speed (in a medium), causing the emission of photons (electromagnetic radiation), however some forms of radioactive waste, certain oxides in particular... really are a green sludge. (some are red). And they have the consistancy of... ketchup. They don't glow visibly though.

So... if the actinide waste cannons really are powered by certain radioactive waste oxides, they will essentially be spraying green, radioactive, dense ketchup into space. I bet it also tastes /nasty/. >.>