Let's talk about nitroglycerin

[lambskin]

Let's be blunt, the chem that was overpowered suddenly became impossible for an antag to use. Please discuss this chem so that we can figure out where it fits in goon code. I have my own opinions but I want to see what other people say first.

[zcamperz]

from my knowledge, the only chems that make an actual explosion (excluding argine and the magnesium explosion) is black powder, and sometimes welding fuel. some more deathchems cant hurt, right?

[lambskin]

from my knowledge, the only chems that make an actual explosion (excluding argine and the magnesium explosion) is black powder, and sometimes welding fuel. some more deathchems cant hurt, right?

there are several instant explosions so I don't feel this affects nitro. The issue is that nitro has an extremely limited use.(at this point it seems to be more like a newbie chem trap like azide but much more powerful)

[Vitatroll]

I haven't messed with it since before the change. I honestly figured there was a temp range people weren't keeping it at or something.

If it's to stay the 4u-in-a-glass-gibs-people, then all I have is the stable temp range with a slow normalization of temp. The more the temp deviates from stable, the more likely it is to blow your face off in comedic fashion. Or something.

[lambskin]

I haven't messed with it since before the change. I honestly figured there was a temp range people weren't keeping it at or something.

If it's to stay the 4u-in-a-glass-gibs-people, then all I have is the stable temp range with a slow normalization of temp. The more the temp deviates from stable, the more likely it is to blow your face off in comedic fashion. Or something.

Thankfully the chem doesn't gib you in amounts small as 4u. The issue is that you can hardly use it for anything, aside from a static explosion, in which case black powder will always be better.

[zcamperz]

its a deathchem, what do you want it to do exactly?

[Boon Yoon]

In my limited experience, black powder is more powerful, versatile, and convenient to use than nitro. Nitro seems like something that is just fun to make, rather than really use.

[Vitatroll]

Ah. Yeah. My knowledge of the chem is too outdated for discussion then.

Things I liked about nitroglycerin: It's triggers. It's temperamental side. That's about it.

[lambskin]

Ah. Yeah. My knowledge of the chem is too outdated for discussion then.

Things I liked about nitroglycerin: It's triggers. It's temperamental side. That's about it.

exactly. It's cool that nitro gibs the chemist that uses it but otherwise what is the point of nitro? and yeah I used to know what nitro is about but like I said  I want to see what others say about it.

[Mageziya]

I've actually done a ton of experimentation in attempt to find uses for this stuff. I have no idea if anything is outdated. Here's a bunch of quick summaries about experiments I've done with nitroglycerin. I know it's a secret chem and we're not supposed to detail this sorta shit, but god-damn if this chem isn't useless.

EXPLOSION: An explosion of nitroglycerin will gib any person on its tile, create a 1 tile hole to space, and potentially cause additional damage in the region.

CAUSES OF EXPLOSION: Vitrually any action or rapid movement. Walking with run intent will make your explode. Pouring it on the ground will make you explode. Throwing it in virtually any form will cause it to explode on first tile of movement, which is the tile you're standing on, meaning that you explode too. Several units within a blood stream have a random chance of causing explosions, but this is variable and doesn't always happen.

MOST STABLE FORM: Within a pill bottle. You know how when you make a pillsin a chemmaster and you make a weird number of pills, and it creates a pill bottle that you can't directly access, but only remove pills from? This is the most stable form of nitroglycerin. This is the only form that won't instantly explode. Actually, it won't explode under any circumstance. The moment that you remove a pill though, everything stated in CAUSES OF EXPLOSION applies. (For the love of all that's holy, do not throw a pill.)

EDIBLE EXPERIMENTS: Nitroglycerin ice cream CAN be made. Everything stated in CAUSES OF EXPLOSION applies to the ice cream, except that you can now eat it! Taking a bite will cause it to explode. Throwing it will also cause it to explode. Recommended to be served by a barkeep or chef only if you like the bar being devoid of air.

Sadly, cakes cannot be frosted with nitroglycerin. Any attempt to do so will cause the cake to instantly explode. Mixing nitroglycerin ice cream into the cake to create ice cream cake will work, but none of the traits of nitroglycerin will be carried over, meaning that the final cake will cause no explosions.

WEAPONIZATION ATTEMPTS: Most successful method of weaponization by far is combining the stable pill bottle method with a sleepy pen. Simply load your sleepy pen with a nitroglycerin, and stab your victim. There are, however, severe problems with this method. The first is that there's only a chance that your victim will gib. It's completely possible to inject someone with 10 units of nitroglycerin, and then have them be perfectly fine and still walking about 10 minutes later. It's also possible to inject 5 units into someone, and have them instantly explode. The second problem is that it's possible to randomly explode while inserting the nitroglycerin pill into the sleepy pen. It's also assumable that the pen is unstable while containing nitroglycerin, forcing you to walk, though I never tested running with nitro in the pen as I did not want to explode.

You can force-feed nitroglycerin pills to people. This seems to have a much higher success rate than the sleepy pen, and seems to cause instant explosions. Problem is that you have to force feed someone the pill.

A pair of IV drips the form nitroglycerin when mixed are also an effective method of forcing nitroglycerin into someone, with the added advantage of giving you half a second to run away from your target.

I did actually make a flamethrower that used nitroglycerin as fuel before. The results could be described as devastating, with the spray carving neat lines into the ground with explosions while also causing severe brute damage to both victims and the user. Does not gib victims, and kills the user. Do not throw the flamethrower or it will explode. Neat, but useless baring spectacular hostile suicide.

I have no idea if nitroglycerin golems work. I think I tried them before, they do not gib on punch, but I think do explode on death. Or not. I can't remember.

Conclusion: It's... pretty useless. There are functions in disposing of bodies via the pill or IV method, but it's too high of a risk to effectively use for any task.

[lambskin]

Does not gib victims, and kills the user. Do not throw the flamethrower or it will explode. Neat, but useless baring spectacular hostile suicide.
Conclusion: It's... pretty amazing. There are functions in disposing of bodies via the pill or IV method, but it's too high of a risk to effectively use for any task.

[HydroFloric]

Well in real life nitro does not really have any uses besides being a good way to lose a limb, or two but why am I talking about real life when we are talking about our space man game. So far this discussion has solved nitro is pretty much useless we need it to do more stuff.

So we need some idea's too make it less useless I have no idea's and I am stating the obvious. Why am I here who knows

[Boa Jacque]

I came here with an opinion about nitro, but it seems fairly well covered.

I'd like to see nitro become a little more stable for the person carrying it, I.E if nitro is inside a pill, grenade, pipebomb, sleepy pen, or syringe gun then its ok to run with it and using the item shouldnt blow you up unless you hit too close and get caught in the blast.

Yet make it much less stable if it manages to; gain heat once produced, reach its ignition temp in any way, contact a spark, catch fire, catch secondary explosion, or reach default body temp while in the bloodstream.

I think the only change that nitro needed was making it impossible to throw a container that had live nitro inside it, as far as balance goes.
If it gets reworked and rebalanced, then quantity produced/ or quantity required to gib could be adjusted.

[ferriswheel1]

IRL nitroglycerin is used in dynamite, where it's mixed with a bunch of stabilizers to make it safe for use, which can include sawdust and sodium carbonate if you believe Wikipedia. Maybe Nitro could be kept stable for a little while by adding various chemicals to it?

Also, interesting fact, Nitroglycerin can also apparently be used to be treat heart conditions. If it isn't already a thing that it fixes cardiac failure, it should be. I'd love to heal someone by injecting them with high explosive.

[Roomba]

A way to stabilize it would be good. There's already a stabilizing chem and all, but maybe with nitro there should be a more complicated process for doing so.