Hypothermia as a possible environmental threat, and gear to deal with it.
scubamatt
Georgia, USA Join Date: 2016-05-22 Member: 217295Members
Georgia, USA Join Date: 2016-05-22 Member: 217295Members
Summary:
I'd like to suggest that water temperature, below a certain depth, become increasingly colder. Cold enough to injure you over time, like the Radiation Zone does, unless you are in a vehicle or wearing protective clothing meant for cold water work. You would add the protective clothing to the Modification Station's list of standard improvements for gear.
Explanation
In real world diving, one of the biggest dangers is hypothermia, or loss of body heat to the point where you become incapacitated and eventually die. Water is 20 times more effective (than air) at conducting heat, which is why you get cold when you stay in the swimming pool for a while. This is also why the Wet Suit (and Dry Suit) were invented for divers. They trap a layer of water (or air) between the diver's skin and the ocean around him, and slow down the loss of body heat. Nothing stops the heat loss, by the way, it just slows it down to varying degrees - sooner or later, you have to get out of the water and warm up your body's core temperature.
In game, temperature is already used for one thing, determining a suitable place to set up a Thermal Plant for power generation. We already have a thermometer that can be built and installed in your personal gear. We already have three types of suits that can be crafted, beyond the default 'survival suit' that you start the game with, per the intro/PDA info. One protects from radiation, one generates potable water, and one reduces damage from wounds. You could add a Heated Suit for diving in deep, cold water. The suit would have gloves and booted fins (similar to the way the Radiation suit includes them), and an enclosed Heated helmet. To be fully protected from cold damage (immune), you would need to wear the whole suit, the same way the Radiation Suit works. I would suggest that if the player has the Rebreather already, that it does *not* protect against cold water damage - the player has to make a choice between having their air supply last longer (via Rebreather) or suffering no damage from cold water (via the Heated helmet). Wearing most of the Heated Suit (with the Rebreather helmet) would greatly reduce the cold damage, but not eliminate it. You could also apply this to the fins, since the Ultra Glide and Charge versions offer a benefit, make them not protect versus cold damage. The diver would again have to decide if they'd rather have a little more speed/recharge or suffer less damage from cold water. An enclosed, miniature vehicle like the Exosuit, would also make you immune to cold damage.
As far as the water temperature goes, you can make it a zone effect tied to depth - everything from the surface to 50m (the "Thermal Layer") is warm enough that your other suits can handle the heat loss, between 50m and 300m you take cold damage at so-much-per-second (acts like the Radiation zone) unless you are wearing the Heated Suit, and everything below 300m you take twice as much damage as the 50-300m zone (deep diving is *cold* work) unless you are wearing the Heated Suit.
Thanks!
I'd like to suggest that water temperature, below a certain depth, become increasingly colder. Cold enough to injure you over time, like the Radiation Zone does, unless you are in a vehicle or wearing protective clothing meant for cold water work. You would add the protective clothing to the Modification Station's list of standard improvements for gear.
Explanation
In real world diving, one of the biggest dangers is hypothermia, or loss of body heat to the point where you become incapacitated and eventually die. Water is 20 times more effective (than air) at conducting heat, which is why you get cold when you stay in the swimming pool for a while. This is also why the Wet Suit (and Dry Suit) were invented for divers. They trap a layer of water (or air) between the diver's skin and the ocean around him, and slow down the loss of body heat. Nothing stops the heat loss, by the way, it just slows it down to varying degrees - sooner or later, you have to get out of the water and warm up your body's core temperature.
In game, temperature is already used for one thing, determining a suitable place to set up a Thermal Plant for power generation. We already have a thermometer that can be built and installed in your personal gear. We already have three types of suits that can be crafted, beyond the default 'survival suit' that you start the game with, per the intro/PDA info. One protects from radiation, one generates potable water, and one reduces damage from wounds. You could add a Heated Suit for diving in deep, cold water. The suit would have gloves and booted fins (similar to the way the Radiation suit includes them), and an enclosed Heated helmet. To be fully protected from cold damage (immune), you would need to wear the whole suit, the same way the Radiation Suit works. I would suggest that if the player has the Rebreather already, that it does *not* protect against cold water damage - the player has to make a choice between having their air supply last longer (via Rebreather) or suffering no damage from cold water (via the Heated helmet). Wearing most of the Heated Suit (with the Rebreather helmet) would greatly reduce the cold damage, but not eliminate it. You could also apply this to the fins, since the Ultra Glide and Charge versions offer a benefit, make them not protect versus cold damage. The diver would again have to decide if they'd rather have a little more speed/recharge or suffer less damage from cold water. An enclosed, miniature vehicle like the Exosuit, would also make you immune to cold damage.
As far as the water temperature goes, you can make it a zone effect tied to depth - everything from the surface to 50m (the "Thermal Layer") is warm enough that your other suits can handle the heat loss, between 50m and 300m you take cold damage at so-much-per-second (acts like the Radiation zone) unless you are wearing the Heated Suit, and everything below 300m you take twice as much damage as the 50-300m zone (deep diving is *cold* work) unless you are wearing the Heated Suit.
Thanks!
Comments
Hmmm...in game, the solar panels become completely ineffective for gathering power at 225m depth, meaning the sunlight literally doesn't penetrate to that depth (and therefore it can't heat the water at all). So how about making the Thermal Layer from the surface down to a depth of 200 meters? Then you take cold damage from 200-500m, and below 500m the water is as cold as it can get (meaning double the heat loss, without a Heated Suit or a vehicle).
Well, what I am trying to keep in mind here is what this does for progress. The Seamoth before upgrading gets you to a depth of 200 meters. If you want to get further, you'll have to get out and swim and return before oxygen runs out. I am not certain if dialing back on the significance of acquiring the Seamoth with a temperature system that starts right where the Seamoth can bring you is fun. That's why I proposed 300 meters. Not counting the module in the Aurora, getting to 300 meters requires the acquisition of the moonpool and the modification station, which together give you such a boost in progress that the temperature problem would be a fun extra challenge instead of a barrier right behind the one you thought you'd just punctured.
I'm not sure what you mean? You craft a radiation suit to protect from radiation (which is an AoE environmental hazard, all of your exposed skin must be protected, and your airway). A heated suit to combat bitter cold would work exactly the same way.