It’s been a while since we last touched on this topic. I figured it would be a decent idea to go ahead and further this discussion by proposing more specific stats to start with for how parts will modify a cell’s tolerance. As well as to provide some insight on how the tolerance stats could be handled.
Organism Tolerance
Variables:
Most tolerance stats will possess two independent variables that will determine the organism’s range of tolerance. For example, a species could have a high heat tolerance, but a low cold tolerance. (5C/57C). Different parts could adjust either or both of these variables in different ways, ensuring a more dynamic approach to adaptation. We will have to think about how best to display this information to the player, as well as to properly communicate how parts will change specific parts of these ranges.
There are of course, some environmental variables that won’t fit within a tolerance range. Hazards such as radiation (I think simply replacing light with radiation as a hazard would fit better.) will just have one variable that represents a cell’s maximum tolerance. This should be relatively easy to understand and convey to the player compared to the range variables.
Efficiency:
Efficiency will be a new percentile value that determines a part’s current level of function in relation to a cell’s current environment. This variable should work much like the light and oxygen requirements many parts possess, but at 100% scaling. That way, if a cell is at 50% efficiency, their parts will be halved in function. Whenever a cell is outside one of their tolerance ranges, this value will be reduced, handicapping their processes as a result. This should also allow players to easily understand how well their cell is going to function when comparing patches they want to travel to.
Membrane Tolerance:
Membranes can have more situational value and use by having an effect on a cell’s tolerance. I will list my proposed values below. Note that the left number is minimal and right is max tolerance in the case of ranges. (Minimum/Maximum). Also note that I am entirely unsure of the accuracy of pH tolerance on the different membranes. (I do at least recall that diatoms are sensitive to pH so I intend to reflect that with the silica wall.) So I would like to request our theorists to help me out with this whenever possible.
Single Membrane:
Temp: -5C/+5C
Pressure: -50atm/+50atm
Radiation: +0
pH: +0/+0
Salinity: +0ppm/+0ppm
Double Membrane:
Temp: -10C/+5C
Pressure: -50atm/+50atm
Radiation: +5
pH: -0.1/+0.1
Salinity: -500ppm/+500ppm
Cellulose Wall:
Temp: +5C/+5C
Pressure: +150atm/+150atm
Radiation: +20
pH: -0.5/+0.8
Salinity: -500ppm/+500ppm
Chitin Wall:
Temp: +0C/+5C
Pressure: +150atm/+150atm
Radiation: +10
pH: -0.8/+0.5
Salinity: -500ppm/+500ppm
Calcium Carbonate Wall:
Temp: -15C/-5C
Pressure: -50atm/+100atm
Radiation: +15
pH: -0.1/+0.3
Salinity: -500ppm/+500ppm
Silica Wall:
Temp: +5C/+15C
Pressure: +200atm/+500atm
Radiation: +15
pH: +0.3/-0.1
Salinity: -500ppm/+500ppm
Parts and their effects:
Aside from specialized parts, some parts should be able to provide species with bonuses relating to their functions, such as chloroplasts providing some amount of radiation resistance.
Metabolosomes:
Temp: -0.5C/+0C
Mitochondria:
Temp: -1C/+0C
Thylakoid:
Radiation: +1
Chloroplast:
Radiation: +3
With that out of the way, Please remember that these values are simply something to start with should we choose to implement this feature. I am open to discussing them, and would like to hear what everyone thinks. The bulk of a species’ tolerance will likely mostly be determined by dedicated parts, which I intend to go into at a later time.
I am also considering that instead of certain parts having a set bonus as I listed above, that they could be modified via organelle customization to sacrifice main functions in return for tolerance. (Such as metabolosomes being less efficient in return for producing heat.)
Edit: I have chosen to go ahead and look into specific values for the environmental attributes for each patch. I did some miniscule research on the matter to make sure the values are at least somewhat within the realm of reason and not just conjured from nothing, but I would feel more comfortable once a Theorist has approved of them.
Edit: Turns out I am blind and completely failed to notice that Nick appears to have already worked out the biome stats of each patch type so just disregard everything below this. :l
Patch Conditions
Below is a list of average and initial values for the corresponding patch types.
For now, consider light level as synonymous with radiation level until we discuss how radiation should function in Thrive.
Vents:
I believe the average temp for vents should be a little lower. This is because the vents have a drastically different temperature compared to all other patches which would make it difficult for species to transition between the locales. We can still have high temperature zones localized within the patch, but overall I feel it should be more lenient.
Temp: 54C
Pressure: 300 Bar
Lux: 0%
Sea Floor:
Why are the depths of the vents and seafloor different? Rather awkward how the player must go deeper before reaching the ocean surface.That’s probably more of a connecting patch issue though.
Temp: 4C
Pressure: 500 Bar
Lux: 0%
Abyssopelagic:
Temp: 2C
Pressure: 550 Bar
Lux: 0%
Bathypelagic:
Temp: 4C
Pressure: 200 Bar
Lux: 0%
Mesopelagic:
Not sure why it is colder in this patch, I would personally keep the temperature at least matching the Bathypelagic or warmer. But I will leave it unchanged as I don’t know any better.
Temp: 2C
Pressure: 50 Bar
Lux: 5%
Cave:
Temp: 23C
Pressure: 50 Bar
Lux: 0%
Epipelagic:
Temp: 8C
Pressure: 10 Bar
Lux: 100%
Tidepool:
Temp: 23C
Pressure: 1 Bar
Lux: 100%
Coast:
Temp: 17C
Pressure: 10 Bar
Lux: 100%
Coast:
Temp: 17C
Pressure: 10 Bar
Lux: 100%