Geyser

This article contains **outdated information** that is inaccurate for the current version. It was last updated for *LU-356355*. Unreflected changes in the discussed game mechanics are detailed here: **EX1-445422 • U37-483944 • U39-489821 • U44-535720 • U47-561558**
This article contains **outdated information** that is inaccurate for the current version. It was last updated for *LU-356355*. Unreflected changes in the discussed game mechanics are detailed here: **EX1-445422 • U37-483944 • U39-489821 • U44-535720 • U47-561558**

**Geysers** are renewable sources of various materials, which alternate between an active state in which they produce their material and an inactive (dormant) state where they do nothing. The types of geysers, spawned on the map, ultimately decide energy-economy of the colony.

A Duplicant with the Field Research skill can analyze a geyser in order to figure out its activity duration and dormancy duration.

## Dealing with Geysers

Most of the geysers reliably output large volume of either thermal energy or troublesome materials when uncovered.

A geyser is considered covered if the tile two tiles above the middle left Neutronium tile of the geyser's base is covered. In this state it does not emit anything and cannot be analyzed. Digging out other geyser tiles is safe and can be used to determine the type of the geyser.

A Geyser's type can also be checked by setting their priority to yellow alert in the priorities menu, then hovering over the yellow alert.

* A buried geyser in the frozen biome.
* An uncovered geyser in the frozen biome.
* A geyser blocked by the only block checked.

Low temperature geysers can be contained with a simple Insulated Tile box. Volcanoes require at least inner obsidian box (most other materials will eventually melt) and some form of vacuum heat isolation in the long-term.

All geysers' eruptions can be halted by submerging their second bottom row in liquid. Low pressure geysers can be drowned even by gases, usually they do it to themselves. Partial drowning can also help cool down and recover metals.

## Geyser Variants

All geyser types randomly select an average yield, eruption periods, and active periods; these values are picked independently.

Values in a range are picked based on this formula (graph by Google):

# y

log
e

⁡

(

1

0.995054754
x
0.002472623

−
1.0

)

6

12

{\displaystyle y = \frac{\log\_e \left(\frac{1}{0.995054754 x + 0.002472623} - 1.0\right) + 6}{12}}

where x is a random value from 0 to 1. A value has approximately 50% chance of being in the middle 20%, and these "likely outcome" ranges are shown on the chart.

For example: Most cool slush geysers will output between 840 kg/cycle (=1400 g/s) and 960 kg/cycle (=1600 g/s) when taking into account their Eruption and Active Periods.

The ONI Geyser Calculator can help with figuring out a geyser's output and what machines/plants it can sustain.

## Spaced Out DLC Geyser Variants

The following geysers are only available within the Spaced Out DLC.

## Geyser Spawning Rules - Basic Asteroids

All geysers are spawned as part of biomes, with a specified amount for each biome.

### Open Geysers

* Swamp Biome:
	+ One open cool steam vent
	+ One open natural gas vent
* Caustic Biome:
	+ One open cool steam vent
	+ One open natural gas OR chlorine vent
* Tide Pool Biome:
	+ One open saltwater geyser
* Volcanic Biome on Rime Asteroid:
	+ 5 open volcanoes
* Volcanoes World Trait
	+ 8 open volcanoes

### Buried Geysers

There are 12 randomly spawned buried geysers in each game. The *Geoactive* World Trait increases the number to 16, and the *Geodormant* World Trait decreases the number to 9.

These buried geysers are randomly spawned all over the map, except in the start Biome, Volcanic Biome, and Space Biome. These geysers start covered with granite and obsidian. In some cases, maps will contain less than what is listed due to points of interest overwriting each-other due to close proximity, especially in the Oil Biome.

As a convenient rule of thumb, each biome type will only have at most two buried geysers.

## Geyser Spawning Rules - Asteroid Clusters (Spaced Out DLC)

Each asteroid within a cluster has a specific list of open geysers, which can be seen by selecting the asteroid in the starmap.

The list of geysers for each asteroid type is as follows:

* Sandstone Asteroid
	+ 2 Cool Steam Vent (exposed, 1 Jungle, 1 Marsh)
	+ 0-3 Minor Volcano

* Swampy Asteroid
	+ 1 Cool Salt Slush Geyser (exposed)
	+ 1 Cool Slush Geyser (exposed)
	+ 1 Cool Steam Vent (exposed)
	+ 1 Hydrogen or Chlorine Gas Vent (exposed)
	+ 0-3 Minor Volcano
* Forest Asteroid
	+ 1 Cool Salt Slush Geyser (exposed)
	+ 1 Cool Slush Geyser (exposed)
	+ 1 Cool Steam Vent (exposed)
	+ 1 Hydrogen or Chlorine Gas Vent (exposed)
	+ 0-3 unique of:
		- Chlorine Gas Vent
		- Hydrogen Vent
		- Minor Volcano
		- Sulfur Geyser
	+ 0-3 Minor Volcano
* Oily Swamp Asteroid
	+ 0-5 unique of:
		- Chlorine Gas Vent
		- Natural Gas Geyser
		- Carbon Dioxide Vent
		- Hydrogen Vent
		- Minor Volcano
		- Carbon Dioxide Geyser
		- Sulfur Geyser
	+ 1 Sulfur Geyser
	+ 2-5 Oil Reservoir
* Rusty Oil Asteroid
	+ 0-4 unique of:
		- Chlorine Gas Vent
		- Natural Gas Geyser
		- Carbon Dioxide Vent
		- Minor Volcano
		- Carbon Dioxide Geyser
		- Sulfur Geyser
	+ 1 Sulfur Geyser
	+ 2-5 Oil Reservoir
* Irradiated Asteroids
	+ 1-2 Gold Volcano
	+ Irradiated Forest and Irradiated Marsh Asteroids
		- 1-2 Aluminum Volcano
	+ Irradiated Swampy Asteroid
		- 1-2 Cobalt Volcano
	+ 0-4 unique of (0-5 on Irradiated Forest Asteroid):
		- Chlorine Gas Vent
		- Natural Gas Geyser
		- Hot Polluted Oxygen Vent
		- Minor Volcano
		- Hydrogen Vent
		- Polluted Water Vent
		- Salt Water Geyser (only on Irradiated Forest Asteroid)
* Tundra Asteroid
	+ 2-5 Iron Volcano
* Marshy Asteroid
	+ 1 Tungsten Volcano
	+ 0-2 Tungsten Volcano (Magma)
	+ 0-5 unique of:
		- Infectious Polluted Oxygen Vent
		- Natural Gas Geyser
		- Chlorine Gas Vent
		- Carbon Dioxide Vent
		- Hydrogen Vent
		- Hot Polluted Oxygen Vent
* Superconductive Asteroid
	+ 1 Niobium Volcano
* Moo Asteroid
	+ 1 Chlorine Gas Vent
* Water Asteroid
	+ 0-2 unique of:
		- Polluted Water Geyser
		- Cool Slush Geyser
		- Salt Water Geyser
		- Water Geyser

## Geyser Probabilities

There are 19 unique geysers to pick from for each of the 12 randomly chosen geysers, each having the same chance of selection. This can be broken down into groups:

* Water-producing: 6 (PH2O can be cleaned, steam can be cooled)
* Oxygen-producing: 2 (PO2 can be cleaned)
* Volcanic: 5 (magma, metal)
* Metal-producing: 3
* Power-producing: 3 (natural gas, leaky oil, hydrogen)

Ignoring specified geysers (i.e. cool steam vent in swamp), and assuming 9 of the 12 randomly chosen geysers exist on a given world (oil biome geysers tend to not exist), the odds for getting preferred geysers are as follows:

All listed values assume the number of each preferred doesn't matter (two of the same geyser despite preference for more than 1), the odds of getting multiple distinct geysers will be worse.

As an example, if a world with at least two volcanoes is desired, it should have a 73.02% chance per world (5 preferred, 2 wanted). If just want one metal volcano is desired, it should have a 78.70% chance per world (3 preferred, 1 wanted).