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[alexandertnt]

It is possible, but if the robots don't need to go into water then it would just be adding extra complexity, resources, and increasing the possibility of failure (eg with hybrid air/water cooling systems etc).

Maybe, but that also applies to a bunch of atmospheric gases that could get into a robot and provoke damage. So a robot that goes to space (and I don't mean the void of outer space but actual planets) probably needs sealing *anyway*, unless you plan to equip them with spacesuits like humans when they go into dangerous environments...

This is a similar problem for their fleshy counterparts, except with more choking, vomiting and death (maby the robot should wear a space suit). Plus constructing something for survivability in gasses vs liquids are generally quite different (eg for gasses, you generally don't have to worry about pressure, it is harder to move through liquids, the buoyancy thing I mentioned in my previous post)

[Sordid]

The races are cosmetic.

Are they? That's a damn shame, giving races specific advantages and disadvantages would make the game a lot more interesting, IMO.

[Graknorke]

The races are cosmetic.

Are they? That's a damn shame, giving races specific advantages and disadvantages would make the game a lot more interesting, IMO.

They start with different gear. That's pretty much it.

[forsaken1111]

It is quite difficult to waterproof a robot. Joints need to move and block water from entering the body or the water can be allowed into the robot, but everything inside has to be waterproofed. Electric motors, hydraulic systems etc. This water proofing has to deal with pressure too. It would also probably sink and some sort of system to allow it to raise/lower itself in the water would have to be added, like a submarine (increasing complexity).

It is possible, but if the robots don't need to go into water then it would just be adding extra complexity, resources, and increasing the possibility of failure (eg with hybrid air/water cooling systems etc). It would seem more likely that a sentient robot race would build a few specialised robots for underwater tasks and have the normal ones constructed to deal with only what they need to deal with.

robot = waterdeath makes plenty of sense.

That being said, they will probably operate fine in Starbound since the races are cosmetic.

Once again, you're thinking with tropes that apply to science fiction movies and some video games. In real life, you can easily waterproof robots.

Why is water dangerous? It can (slowly) corrode some metals, and it conducts electricity which causes shorts between contacts. If the exposed surfaces are made of alloys which do not rust or corrode in water, and all electrical contacts are insulated (a micro-thin layer of waterproof insulation would do it, though more likely sensitive electronics would be sealed) then it doesn't actually matter if water gets into the body of the robot, but there is no reason a robot can't have a flexible membrane over its entire body (synthetic skin) to keep water out altogether. This all assumes, once again, that the robot even uses electricity as its primary power source. It could use optical connections for data, which wouldn't be adversely affected by immersion. It could run on science fiction plasma or something. Hell the interior of the robot could be entirely filled already with heat-dispersing oil which repels water.

I mean you might as well say that fish people can't go out of water because they can't breathe, duh. Plant people can't go in caves, they need sunlight or they would wilt in the heat from lava. Its a silly generalization that may or may not apply to any specific plant/fish/robotic species.

Point being, robots having some sort of automatic vulnerability to water is a bit silly. These robots weren't built in the 1980's.

[Chattox]

Considering the fact that we already have unmanned deepsea probes floating about picking stuff up with their deathclaws, I think it's safe to say that robots are fine in water.

[Twi]

Considering the fact that we already have unmanned deepsea probes floating about picking stuff up with their deathclaws, I think it's safe to say that robots are fine in water.

I agree.

Except when they get damaged. Waterproofing and insulation and stuff don't work so well if there are great bloody (oily?) holes torn in them.

So yeah. robot= waterdeath doesn't make sense, at least not if you build them for it. Damaged robot= waterdeath, on the other hand...

[forsaken1111]

Considering the fact that we already have unmanned deepsea probes floating about picking stuff up with their deathclaws, I think it's safe to say that robots are fine in water.

I agree.

Except when they get damaged. Waterproofing and insulation and stuff don't work so well if there are great bloody (oily?) holes torn in them.

So yeah. robot= waterdeath doesn't make sense, at least not if you build them for it. Damaged robot= waterdeath, on the other hand...

Damaged anything. I'm sure humans don't work so well when you tear a great bloody hole in them either. Robots, like humans, would wear something armored.

[hemmingjay]

Will these endless speculative, argumentative, false logic conversations end when the game launches? Seriously, things are not going to be so intricately designed as to incorporate many of these wishes.

[Aklyon]

Will these endless speculative, argumentative, false logic conversations end when the game launches?

Probably not. But they'll likely change to a topic not covered in the game instead, like space whales.

[hemmingjay]

Now let's start an argument citing pseudo-science on why or why not space whales could exist and be sure to avoid mentioning how they would impact practical game design and play.

[Darkmere]

Well there were a few episodes of Star Trek that had large organic creatures that lived in space. And, I think it was on Crusade, where the ship got humped by a massive space jellyfish. And the ... space wasp colony? on an older Doctor Who episode.

Clearly the space wasps need an ecosystem to fill, so we can extrapolate the existence of space flowers for pollination. And space herbivores to keep the space plants in check. Plus, the wasps need somewhere to breed if there's an absence of ready-made space stations due to galactic warfare or some such.

So... space plants/wasps/whales form a space ecosystem that's self-sustaining. Discuss.

[BigD145]

So... space plants/wasps/whales form a space ecosystem that's self-sustaining. Discuss.

Wasps make hives in the backs of space whales.

[Frumple]

Honestly, if they were going to implement space whales in a gameplay-impacting manner, they'd probably use them as an excuse to make organic looking battle arenas.

Which I could dig. Could do a whole series of spaceborn superfauna -- possibly even having the arena construction algorithms, and perhaps other aspects of the battlegrounds, take their outline from the procedural monsters. Attacks and movement types of the critter its based on could change arena hazards and stuff like gravity or whatever. There's a lot you could do with that, really, and it'd be a pretty neat tie in to have some of your "asteroids" actually be supersized versions of something you've already encountered on land.

[Aklyon]

Also, occasionally space whales will get pulled onto planets to satisfy the needs of a probability drive, with or without a potted plant for company. That is how they don't end up overpopulated.

[Frumple]

The occasional meteor rain of fleshy beasts could also be interesting, yes. It's not like we don't get the occasional corpse rain of frogs or fish in real life, so it's not exactly far fetched or whatever to have it rain bodies from time to time. Could be a special feature of certain stronger weather worlds.