Dear Stormworkers,
In this post, we discuss the upcoming changes to fluid pressure, and new support for compressed gasses. This update isn't planned to release for months, but we have been working hard on these mechanics and there is loads to discuss.
Context
Players have been asking for compressed gasses for years. We recently asked for community feedback regarding if we should rework this mechanic, with the condition that this would mean a change to the way the game works (hopefully of limited effect to existing vehicles). The feedback was overwhelmingly supportive of a rework to add compressed gasses.
The existing mechanics don't allow air to be contained in custom tanks, or be compressed into a smaller container. This isnt realistic but the idea is to make the game simpler. Where a container is already full of air, there is no space for fuel unless you allow air to compress, and also allow back flow, or add some kind of relief valve. The risk is that (like in real plumbed systems) you can get airlock where trapped air can block flow.
A New Approach
Simply adding special compressed air tanks isn't great, because it doesn't make sense that air behaves differently in different containers, and it doesn't match up with the existing simplified fluid flow and pressure mechanics.
So, it is better to rework the existing pressure and flow system to generally allow compression, and for flow and pressure to also consider compression.
Compression and Pressure
We are developing a new system where pressure is in real world units (atmospheres). Pressure directly relates to compression, where gas occupies a tenth the volume at 10atm compared to 1atm. By adding compression, and directly deriving pressure from this compression, you get a simple system that better reflects the real world.
Fluid flows from high pressure to low pressure. The rate of flow is driven by the difference in pressure, and once pressure equalizes, flow stops.
Compartments
Custom tanks and sealed areas can now contain air, and this air can be compressed and flow. This makes resolving flow through doors much more complex but has been interesting to develop. The existing mechanics only allow for fluid to overflow from one compartment through a door to the next. With compressed gasses, now you can have gas blow out or rush in, while fluid still needs to level out. This is quite complex: consider the situation where on one side of a door, there is high water level but low pressure, while on the other, there is lots of highly compressed gas but only a little water. What happens when the door opens, moment by moment?
Delta Height
Within pipe systems, currently delta height equates to pressure. This is a mechanic we plan to remove, because of the complexity it introduces, and how confusing it can be when playing Stormworks, especially with the introduction of compression. By giving compartments a single pressure value, its a lot easier to play and understand, compared to pressure being different based on height inside the compartment.
Airlock
If air can no longer be created or destroyed, this does mean that air can be trapped and build up pressure, or a lack of air can mean that a vacuum resists a tank from emptying fluid. This is the downside of this rework, as while it might be realistic, you may sometimes need to understand a bit about pressure and plumbing. We are adding new gas and liquid relief valves to allow air pressure to escape or be drawn back into vacuums to solve this issue. What do you think? Is this a more powerful fluid system or more difficult to play?
There is loads more to discuss, but this post is already quite long!
We are working on this update, many other new improvements and fixes, as well as major updates and a new unannounced DLC.
We look forward to your thoughts and feedback on this new info!
Much love <3,
The Stormworks Developers