Life Support
This page will give an overview of the basics of life support in Spacebuild v3, as well as an introduction to more complex systems. If you have not yet downloaded the addon files, please do so before continuing.
(I need to do a lot more testing of system builds {both large and small} before I begin this page.)
(This section will include: an overview of life support parts {generators, nodes, storage, etc.} and life support tools {linker, smart linker, autolinker(?), etc.}.
The following is a list of all resources used in SpaceBuild, along with their common uses:
- Oxygen - Environmental controls, Hydrogen Fuel Cells
- Hydrogen - Environmental controls, Hydrogen Fuel Cells
- Nitrogen - Environmental controls, Hydrogen Fuel Cells
- Energy - Everything except power generators
- Water - Environmental controls, heavy water electrolyzer
- Heavy Water - Fusion reactors
- Steam - Steam turbines
The following is a list of all generators used in SpaceBuild, along with their outputs, inputs, and limitations:
- Oxygen compressor: Oxygen ### O/s : Energy ### E/s : Can only run in inhabitable environments
- Hydrogen compressor: Hydrogen ### H/s : Energy ### E/s : Can only run in inhabitable environments
- Nitrogen compressor: Nitrogen ### N/s : Energy ### E/s : Can only run in inhabitable environments
- Water pump: Water ### H2O/s : Energy ### E/s : Can only run when at least partially submerged in water
- Solar panel: Energy ### E/s : No inputs : Must be facing up, works best in space.
- Windmill (?): Energy ### E/s : No inputs :Can only run in environments with an atmosphere (?)
- Fusion reactor (?): Energy ### E/s Steam ### S/s: Water ### H20/s(?) Heavy Water ### HW/s (More?): Will explode if (something) drops below 10000(?)
- Hydrogen fuel cell: Water ### H2O/s : Oxygen ### O/s Hydrogen ### H/s Energy(?) ### E/s : (Limitations?)
- (Others?)
Nodes are the backbone of any life support system; any and all resources and resource generators will be linked together via a central resource node.
Using nodes will be explained in more detail in the Builds section of this page.
The following is a list of all resource nodes, along with their ranges and (other descriptors?):
- (Node list)
- (Node list)
- (Node list)
The following is a list of all storage devices used in SpaceBuild, along with their capacities and sizes:
- (Storage device list)
- (Storage device list)
- (Storage device list)
The following are all of the Spacebuild tools that are used in the creation of life support systems, along with a short guide for usage of each tool:
Linker
Used to link two life support entities together. It can be used to connect life support networks, but has the downside of always creating a small wire between the two connected entities. However, this can be useful when checking for connections between objects.
Smart linker
Used to link one or more life support entities to another. This can be used to connect larger life support networks, without the downside of visible wires. It is especially useful when connecting several entities {generators, storage devices} to a central node. However, using this tool wrong can create large amounts of LUA errors, likely resulting in being kicked from the server.
Auto linker
(Need to test this one out. Not yet sure what it does.)
(Others?)
The following is a list of environmental controls used in SpaceBuild, along with their inputs and effects.
- Suit generator: INPUTS : EFFECTS
- Air Exchanger: INPUTS : EFFECT
- Temperature thingy(?): INPUTS : EFFECT
- Climate regulator(?): INPUTS : EFFECT
- (Others?)
This section contains several guides for common life support system builds, as well as some advice for the construction of more complex or advanced system builds. These example builds should be viewed more as guidelines, as there are an infinite number of ways in which you could construct a working system.
The small-scale base is the most basic of builds, designed more for refueling than for constant support. This will provide enough resources for a small explorer-class ship, and is best made on a planet that is already life-sustaining.
The first step in this is to begin creating your generators. Equip the Generators tool and a directory menu will open containing all of the generators included in SpaceBuild. For more information on each of these generators, refer to the generators list. For this build, we will be using the air generator(?), the water pump, and the oxygen compressor. Select the water pump and left-click somewhere in a body of water to place a pump. For the sake of shorter refilling times, place four more around the first; the more water pumps you have, the shorter time it will take to generate large amounts of water. Now that you've placed your water pumps, go into the directory menu for the Generators tool and select the air generator(?). Place a few of these somewhere close to where you placed your water pumps, then do the same for the oxygen compressor. You will likely need more oxygen compressors than both water pumps and air generators(?) combined, due to the relatively low rate at which they create oxygen.
Once you have placed all of your generators, the next step is to store the resources being created. You can do this using the StorageDevices tool. Equip the tool, and on the right you will see a directory menu containing all of the storage devices included in SpaceBuild. For more information on each of these storage devices, refer to the storage devices list. For this build, choose the Resource Cache directory, select any of the included caches, and left-click somewhere near the generators to place it. This resource cache will hold all of your resources as they are generated.
The final step in creating this system is to link all of the generators and storage together using a resource node. Equip your Resource Node(?) tool, and on the right you will see a directory menu containing all of the nodes included in SpaceBuild. For more information on each of these nodes, refer to the nodes list. Pick a node and left-click to place it on the ground somewhere central in relation to your generators. Make sure that the node is within a reasonable distance to each of the generators. Now, equip your Smart Linker tool and left-click each of the generators and the cache. You will notice that as you select each entity, it will be highlighted blue. Once you have selected all of your generators and your cache, right-click the resource node to link them. Make sure to not left-click the resource node, as this will select the node instead of linking it to the rest of the system. If you do left-click the node, simply press R and start over again. If you successfully linked the system, you will see resource amounts displayed on the screen of the node. Now all you have to do is turn on your water pumps and oxygen compressors, and in no time you will have a full cache.
The explorer-class ship is likely the first ship you will ever create. These ships are best used for interplanetary exploration, as they usually are of a minimal size and rarely contain significant weapons or cargo space. Because of these attributes, however, the explorer-class ship is surprisingly easy to outfit with a life support system. Our basic system will include a resource cache, a suit dispenser, and an air exchanger(also the thermal one?).
In order to build this system, you must already have a ship prepped for flight. If you have not yet done this, do so now - if you don't know how to, I recommend taking a look at the SpaceBuild page for a useful guide.
To start off building your life support system, take a look at the space inside your ship. You will want to have enough room inside for all of the previously mentioned components. If you don't have enough space, it is easy enough to make some. Equip your ResourceNode tool and find a place in your ship where you will be able to easily view it. For smaller nodes, it may be possible to place it inside the cockpit, within view of the pilot while the ship is in flight. Place the node in your chosen position, and equip the Storage Device tool. In the directory menu, select the Resource Cache option, and select a cache that fits in your ship. If none of the caches fit, you will need to create storage devices for each resource. If this is the case, the battery is for energy, the water tank(?) is for water, and the oxygen tank(?) is for oxygen. Place your storage device or devices, as it may be, in your chosen place on the ship.
Now that you've outfitted your ship with its resources, equip the Environmental Controls(?) tool(NOT SURE IF THIS EXISTS, TEST IN GMOD). SPAWN A SUIT DISPENSER, AN AIR EXCHANGER, AND A THERMAL SOMETHING. Finally, use the Smart Linker tool to link the resource container or containers and the environment regulators to the resource node.
To fill your resource caches, you will need to link the node in your ship to the one in your base, the easiest way to do this is to use the Linker tool on the two nodes. Once your ship is fueled and ready to go, simply right click on your ship's node, then on the base's node, and the link will be severed.
Still working on this one, haven't quite figured it out yet.