Quick Question Thread

[Rathalos]

So, is there anything in the experimental features checkbox right now?

[hhyyrylainen]

Siderophore, which is an experimental new way iron gameplay would work (though it doesn’t currently disable iron compound clouds but once complete it would do so).

[aah31415 (The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)]

I can imagine that would make it nigh impossible to be a non-single-or-double-membraned iron eater. Unless only natural iron clouds were to be disabled and the ones possibly created by siderophore activity would still be around.

[Rathalos]

@hhyyrylainen

Siderophore, which is an experimental new way iron gameplay would work (though it doesn’t currently disable iron compound clouds but once complete it would do so).

Is feedback on this experimental feature desired? If so, where and what would be the best format?

@aah31415

I can imagine that would make it nigh impossible to be a non-single-or-double-membraned iron eater. Unless only natural iron clouds were to be disabled and the ones possibly created by siderophore activity would still be around.

Having tried it, seems like “siderophores” right now indeed just break off small chunks, no clouds. Though I guess the small chunks would eventually dissolve? That would probably kill the distinction there is between the two miches right now.

[aah31415 (The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)]

@Rathalos

That would probably kill the distinction there is between the two miches right now.

Which probably is an another reason they’re not in the non-experimental gameplay yet.

[hhyyrylainen]

@Rathalos

Is feedback on this experimental feature desired? If so, where and what would be the best format?

Well the implementation is stuck on technical details, so any feedback is not going to be useful until the technical roadblocks are resolved. If I remember right the problem was that the microbe AI needs an overhaul for how it tries to interact with iron chunks as the siderophore is a unique mechanic.

[Rathalos]

Alright then, I just figured I should mention since the idea originated partially from a suggestion here on the forum. Buckly then suggested it as a feature believing it to be not just unique gameplay but also accurate and realistic. But, tragically, the latter isn’t the case at all. Iron-oxidising bacteria do not use siderophores to consume iron. Other organisms, which do not oxidise iron, do use siderophores, but not for gaining energy. It’s another case of getting the chemistry completely reversed.

I feel bad going on a “everything is wrong” spree, but I do think the dev team should be aware.

[aah31415 (The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)]

So I guess then the entire siderophore feature as it is in-game is just one big ThriveSin now, huh?

[AnthropocenianAge (AnthropocenianAge Arthropleura wants to give you a hug!)]

Could the Sidreopore be repurposed as a Microbe Stage weapon in the game?

[aah31415 (The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)]

Aren’t toxins already ranged weapons through?

[AnthropocenianAge (AnthropocenianAge Arthropleura wants to give you a hug!)]

Maybe the Sidreopore can “stick” to its target for while after being shot?

[aah31415 (The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)]

What would that achieve? Slowing down the target? Isn’t that already a toxin effect?

[AnthropocenianAge (AnthropocenianAge Arthropleura wants to give you a hug!)]

Maybe it could have a longer firing distance compared to toxin?

[aah31415 (The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)]

Are you sure that’s useful? Toxins already have quite the large shooting distance…

[AnthropocenianAge (AnthropocenianAge Arthropleura wants to give you a hug!)]

How about as another upgrade for the Pilus, then?

[hhyyrylainen]

I got a response to this on the dev discord:

Nah it’s safe, I looked into it and it looks like I just had a little terminology mix-up. iron oxidizing bacteria utilize iron-chelating proteins and not specifically siderophores. All siderophores are a type of chelating proteins. But not all iron-chelating proteins are siderophores

So we don’t have to axe the WIP code for the feature due to science.

[aah31415 (The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)]

I’ve heard some sort of a “sucker pilus” was being discussed at some point, but that idea doesn’t seem to have come to fruition…

[Rathalos]

Well, I’m sure that the iron is chelated at some point in the process, (though the literature is coming up empty, so I am curious about their source), but they don’t need it to break down solid chunks, given that Fe(II) is just soluble in water in many cases…

I see now it’s probably best I make a unified post on this, rather than having bits of my comments spread around.

[aah31415 (The maker of SitF, Radiostrocity, The Lifenote and TGBing; The Second Ascended...; And just maybe a security warning come alive...?)]

By the way, the siderophore feature is planned to be fully implemented before multicellular development starts, right?

[hhyyrylainen]

Actually no, it’s not on the roadmap so it is only getting done if someone wants to continue the programming work on it.