[MERGED PR] Add an alternative Saltpetre recipe

[github_bot]

PULL REQUEST DETAILS



[feature][help wanted][input wanted]

This is my first PR and my first time coding in DM so a confirmation that I didn't burn everything down would be great.

About the PR

Relevant previous discussion here: https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid=18910
This adds a new method for the industrial production of Saltpetre.
This method is non-instant and produces miasma as it occurs. The recipe is:

Code:

(1) Space Fungus + (1) Compost + (1) Potash + (1) Water -> (2) Saltpetre + (2) Water

Previously discussed, a big concern was that this would make it too easy to produce large amounts of Black Powder rapidly. This method is not only time-gated and largely restricted to Botany, it is also somewhat obvious as it produces large amounts of miasma in the process due to the "decomposition" of the compost. It is comparable to buying formula from Cargo in terms of speed.

Why's this needed?

This is discussed more in the linked thread. In essence, large botany crews need a way to obtain large amounts of Saltpetre without grinding Cargo to dust, and using Urine directly is too slow.

Changelog

Code:

changelog
(u)ohjoy
(*)Added a new non-instant recipe for Saltpetre that produces miasma as it occurs: (1) Space Fungus + (1) Compost + (1) Potash + (1) Water -> (2) Saltpetre + (2) Water

PULL REQUEST DETAILS

[TDHooligan]

i think this has some merit solely because having it produce miasma could produce very interesting/fun results. it's still locked down for chemists as the main blocker for them is compost.

my main concern would be the feedback loop of saltpetre infused fungus making more fungus for saltpetre, but that's mostly solved by the fact that the reaction is still held back by both the inconvenience of the reaction and the ash requirement.

i'm no admin or dev but i've played botany fairly extensively and worked with botany code. I think that this recipe could give weed-botanists some interesting intermediate step between simple farming and full blown gene manipulation wizardry.

[MetricDuck]

not against buffing saltpeter production to pre p-nerf levels

but the time gate seems entirely mitigatable by just reacting in more than one container 😅

[ohjoy]

not against buffing saltpeter production to pre p-nerf levels

but the time gate seems entirely mitigatable by just reacting in more than one container 😅

My first draft was imagining if reaction rate could be influenced by amount of compost, e.g. if the reaction always took 5 seconds, but I don't know if that's possible, and I'm concerned about miasma bombing by mixing the chems and then unleashing 250u miasma smoke, so I decided against it.

Anyway, I'm aware the time gate is mitigable, but that needs more containers, makes the player spend time filling them, and increases the rate of miasma generation, so I think it's an interesting tradeoff for antags instead of a trivial obstacle, if only marginally so.