# Underwater Civilizations Take 3 **URL:** https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/underwater-civilizations-take-3/1409 **Category:** Future Game **Created:** [January 10, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/underwater-civilizations-take-3/1409 "2019-01-10T17:50:34Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 1024
### Author: ![Deathwake](https://thrivecommunity-cdn.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/deathwake/32/12307_2.png) [@Deathwake](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/u/Deathwake) #### Post date: [May 23, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/underwater-civilizations-take-3/1409/1024 "2022-05-23T19:57:20Z")
Please forgive my double posting, slow mode prevents me from editing. List with reasons attached, adapted from Twilight’s original list. > **Heh big list** > > - Low melting point metals for Hydrothermal Vents > - > - actually possible but doesnt allow anything stronger than gold. > > - Forges built around vents and somehow forcing water out to increase temperature > - > - Temperature caps out low. > > - Scaly foot Gastropoda analog domestication for ‘metallic’ scales > - > - Can’t be bred into larger shapes, and leaves you with at best two to three small, low quality pieces of metal you can make. > > - Electric Eel domestication as generators > - > - Voltage, amps, whatever metric uses for this, all off the measurements are utterly inconsequential when compared to the quantities needed to run an arc forge or welder. > > - Bioengineering in general > - > - Doesn’t adequately replace many technologies including but not limited to: firearms, steamships, computers, rockets, aircraft, engines, industrial factories, and construction with metal. > > - Mechanical Computers/intermediate instruments until metalworking > - > - does not allow for any real computing power or economies of scale and doesn’t explain how one would get metal. > > - simple compasses /similar generators > - > - does not explain how one would acquire metal. > > - Current utilization w/ waterwheel to generate electricity > - > - same issue as with electric eels > > - Chemicals that burn in contact with water, typically isolated in caves > - > - most do not burn at sufficient temperature and those that do require metals > > - Anything that can burn in water/Greek fire > - > - as above > > - Thermite, phosphorous, etc > - > - as above > > - Amphibious people > - > - not a true underwater civ > > - Amphibious Slaves > - > - either its trading with a land civ but not nicely or magically training monkeys to smelt. > > - Crustacean society > - > - either solves nothing or is amphibious. > > - Crustaceans utilizing mostly seamless (only seams adapted to release extra heat/allow limb movement) going by mid ocean ridges to avoid predators and eventually smelting > - > - no sufficient temperatures exist to smelt with > > - Octopi in shallows to Squid in depths symbiosis, idea specifically also had them on a Europa like planet and thinking about space by firing extremophile microbes through geysers, making rockets via ceramic plating and limpet teeth analogs. > - > - old theory contingent on having not only both terrestrial and ice mooner geography but also smelting aluminium ore underwater somehow. not realistic. > > - Water wires carry electricity when separated from other water > - > - useless. > > - Pressure forges force out water > - > - requires oxygen, fuel, and ignition from unknown sources. pressure may not be sufficient i dont know for certain. > > - Biomaterials: woody something, bones, etc. > - > - Useless for going to space, computers, and random chance if a planet has anything even somewhat useful. > > - Material unique to a planet > - > - explain, also same issues as above. > > - Fire breathing Sea dragon with a forge in lungs > - > - utter fantasy, no reason one of these would evolve, and having a forge in one’s lungs tends to result in death, > > - Amphibious beast of burden Carries sophont a to surface in water filled stomach/pouch > - > - possible, but how does one forge from inside a frogs mouth? also societies don’t domesticate massive animals so the creature would have to be unbred, wild, tamed (read: less trained) and societies don’t tend to tame large animals without preexisting wealth, > > - Bubble Forge > - > - insufficient oxygen, how are bubbles made anyways, what fuel, why would a stone age civ waste time on this? > > - Floating surface forges/fire > - > - no idea, seems a bit crazy for a stone age civ to figure out and fuel is an issue but never seen anything damming. > > - Sulfate dissolving to ‘forge’ > - > - i dont know this one. > > - Fire in water Vapor? > - > - impossible > > - Black Smokers can and do melt metal and have organisms adapted to them > - > - not really, like, lead maybe? dissolved aluminum maybe? nothing useful. > > - Thallium Reactors > - > - how in hell? also what for? poisoning everyone? > > - O2 from swim bladders/lungs > - > - fuel where? sufficient oxygen = nope > > - Underwater launching rockets > - > - made from what metal? > > - Alternate Tech Trees > - > - unexplained rambling. specify what you want and then we’ll shoot that down. > > - Plants/Cellulose can be harder and lighter than steel, can be done irl, problem is isolating pure, mesoscopic cellulose > - > - how to isolate cellulose? also doesnt make computers, steam engines, or rockets very well. > > - Cold Forging/Shaping > - > - shaping what metal? native gold or copper is possible but useless. > > - Organism that soaks up water (to allow for space to forge) > - > - life isn’t minecraft, when you remove water more rushes in. > > - Fluorine vs. Oxygen Burning > - > - doesnt work underwater to my knowledge but this is one im least sure of. > > - CO2 bubble filter on bubble forge > - > - useless. > > - Uplifting > - > - litterally waiting for divine intervention isnt a viable solution. > > - Symbiosis w/ surface species > - > - 100% possible but unlikely. > > - Cave amphibians/Cave lakes forging > - > - Basically amphibians with extra steps/you’d run out of oxygen. > > - Forging using Cave air pockets > - > - above + how do you forge? telekinisis? > > - Stone Age w/ advancement but no tech (ex. Native Americans/Incans, etc.) > - > - totally possible but useless you can’t get past society stage. > > - Bacteria bonding accidentally to dropped stone tools near vent, same bacteria creates Iron covered tools, similar to Scaly Foot Gastropoda irl > - > - super cool idea, wildly unlikely, would make incredibly low quality iron, and wouldnt be scalable. > > - land suits > - > - production unexplained, economies of scale needed, and land suits would most likely be mechanically impossible without metal. --- _[View the full topic](https://community.revolutionarygamesstudio.com/t/underwater-civilizations-take-3/1409)._