Difference between revisions of "Polux tree"

Revision as of 16:21, 20 November 2023

Polux trees are a type of tree that grows within polluted environments. The trees themselves slowly absorb pollution from the surrounding environment in an area similar to a pollution pump (7 tile wide circle), Unlike pollution pumps, polux trees do not generate any toxic wastepacks after absorbing the surrounding pollution. This makes them a safer way to remove pollution.

Growing

Like the gauranlen tree, the polux tree does not naturally occur in any ecology. It naturally appears on maps with pollution, and can be spawned by the "polux tree" event,

Every 15 days, the current pollution level and current tree population are checked. If the current amount of trees are below the assigned value, a tree may be spawned.^[Chance?] These numbers also determine the amount of starting trees in your colony.

No pollution (0-25%): 0 polux trees
Light pollution (25%-50%): 0 polux trees
Moderate pollution (50%-75%): 1 polux tree
Extreme pollution = (75%-100%): 3 polux trees

Polux trees never spawn within 16 tiles of each other.

Polux seeds can also be bought from traders or obtained from quest rewards.^{[Other ways?]}

Summary

Cleans 1 tile of pollution every 25,000 ticks (10 in-game hours).
Needs 150,000 ticks (2.5 in-game days) to clean 1 deteriorated toxic wastepack (6 tiles).
Is only 20% as fast as a wastepack atomizer.

Polux trees are considered "super", meaning that pawns with the Trees: Desired precept will receive the "amazing tree" thought after seeing one. Unlike the anima and gauranlen trees, polux trees will still be eaten by thrumbos. All trees can also be eaten by alphabeavers. They are immune to blight.

They technically take damage from toxic spewers and toxic fallout, but regenerate faster than they take damage

Analysis

The easiest way to use polux trees is to plant them nearby, and leave toxic wastepacks in a stockpile zone next to the tree. Wastepacks outdoors deteriorate into pollution every 8 days assuming no rain or cold temperatures, creating 6 tiles of pollution.

In 8 days, a polux tree cleans 19.2 tiles. Meaning that a single polux tree can have a stockpile of 3.2 stacks of wastepacks deteriorating without being overwhelmed. However, this assumes that no rain ever increases the deteriorating rate of the packs. To avoid this, consider placing the stockpile next to a natural rock face to act as a support for a roof to cover the stockpile.

An other easy (and free) way of using the tree is to dump your pollution in a tile five to seven tiles away from yours, and when high enough in pollution, settle it as second base. This'll give access to 3 free trees and can use transport pods without penalty ^[Verify]. Still a lot should be considered before settling a 2nd base and there's a lot more uses for a second base than just 3 polux trees and other uses should be considered for it.

Due to the tree's relatively low waste-clearing speed and the fact that low amounts of pollution do not have much impact on your colony, there is an argument that polux seeds are not worth their 1,200 price tag. As long as the pollution is physically far away, the only negatives of it are wastepack infestations and acidic smog. Polux trees do not stop infestations, as they occur on wastepack destruction, not pollution in general. Meanwhile, acidic smog can be mitigated almost entirely by using sun lamp greenhouses and non-solar energy. Even then, at only 10% or so pollution (200 wastepacks), smog is a rare event. that being said, in very long runs, a tree can absorb up to a considerable amount of waste. For example a single polux tree can absorb 245 wastepack in roughly 10 years which is equivalent to a single cooler's capacity in hot biomes, it is a lot when considering that a cooler takes a 9*9 area and 200W of constant power while tree's only cost is buying and setting it up and it can clean even more pollution.

A polux tree can clean a bit more than 1 toxifier generator's worth of waste, allowing for a form of clean energy. The tree cannot be placed near the generator, making you use a pollution pump and have colonists haul it to the tree. Although given how pollution doesn't spread under natural rock, it is possible to get around this by having the generator inside a 2*2 hole in the mountain with two sides open (one for wires, one for pollution) and a tree nearly overlap the generator to clean additional pollution also to get rid of artificial building limitation it can be placed in farmlands (and remove growing zone from under tree. Still, clean energy should be compared to 1. leaving wastepacks far from your colony and buying the polux seeds later, or 2. freezing the wastepacks. If you have no better use for silver, then you might as well buy the trees.

Gallery

Polux tree variant A
Polux tree variant B
Polux tree variant C

Version history

Biotech DLC Release - Added.
1.4.3555 - Polux seeds introduced, which can be planted on polluted ground.

Plants

Domesticated plants: Cocoa tree • Corn plant • Cotton plant • Devilstrand mushroom • Haygrass • Healroot • Hop plant • Potato plant • Psychoid plant • Rice plant • Smokeleaf plant • Strawberry plant • Tinctoria • Fibercorn • Gauranlen pod • Nutrifungus • Toxipotato plant
Decorative plants: Dandelions • Daylily • Rose • Bonsai tree
Wild plants: Agarilux • Agave • Alocasia • Ambrosia bush • Astragalus • Berry bush • Brambles • Bryolux • Bush • Chokevine • Clivia • Giant rafflesia • Glowstool • Grass • Low shrubs • Moss • Pincushion cactus • Tall grass • Wild healroot • Anima grass • Gauranlen moss
Trees: Bamboo tree • Birch tree • Cecropia tree • Cypress tree • Drago tree • Maple tree • Oak tree • Palm tree • Pine tree • Poplar tree • Saguaro cactus • Teak tree • Willow tree • Timbershroom • Gray pine tree • Pebble cactus • Rat palm tree • Witchwood tree
Special: Anima tree • Gauranlen tree • Polux tree • Harbinger tree
Tree stumps: Burned stump • Chopped stump (Gauranlen , Anima , Polux , Harbinger ) • Smashed stump (Gauranlen , Anima , Polux , Harbinger )

Biotech (DLC)

Families: Relationships (Reproduction • Children)
Life stages (Babies • Children • Adults)
Furniture (Crib • Baby sleeping spot • Growth vat • Toy box • Baby decoration • School desk • Blackboard)
Mechanoids: Laborers (Agrihand • Cleansweeper • Constructoid • Fabricor • Lifter • Paramedic • Tunneler)
Combatants (Centurion • Legionary • Militor • Scorcher • Tesseron)
Commanders (Apocriton • Diabolus • War queen • War urchin)
Mechanitors: Control (Mechlink • Band node • Mech boosters • Mech signallers • Control pack • Airwire headset)
Mechanoid creation (Basic subcore • Standard subcore • High subcore • Subcore encoder • Subcore softscanner • Subcore ripscanner • Mech gestator)
Maintenance (Mech recharger)
Genetics: Xenohumans (Dirtmoles • Genies • Highmates • Hussars • Impids • Neanderthals • Pigskins • Sanguophages • Wasters • Yttakin)
Genes Germline • Xenogene • Metabolic efficiency
Genetic Modification Genepack • Gene extractor • Gene bank • Gene assembler • Gene processor • Xenogerm • Archite capsules
Deathrest (Deathrest accelerator • Deathrest capacity serum • Deathrest casket • Glucosoid pump • Hemogen amplifier • Hemopump • Psychofluid pump)
Pollution: Nature (Toxalope • Toxipotato plant • Waste rat • Gray pine tree • Pebble cactus • Rat palm tree • Witchwood tree • Stasis cocoon)
Mitigation (Wastepacks • Atomizers • Pollution pumps • Polux trees)
Adaptation Face mask • Gas mask • Tox grenades • Tox pack • Tox shell • Toxic needle gun • Toxbomb launcher • Detoxifier kidney • Detoxifier lung
Nonchalance Toxifier generator

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 {{Rewrite|section=1|reason = Missing detail on use, utility as natural spawns, and pro-use side etc Also what is there is rough}}
 The easiest way to use polux trees is to plant them nearby, and leave toxic wastepacks in a stockpile zone next to the tree. Wastepacks outdoors deteriorate into pollution every 8 days assuming no rain or cold temperatures, creating 6 tiles of pollution.
 In 8 days, a polux tree cleans {{#expr: (8*24)/10 round 1}} tiles. Meaning that a single polux tree can have a stockpile of {{#expr: ((8*24)/10)/6 round 1}} stacks of wastepacks deteriorating without being overwhelmed. However, this assumes that no rain ever increases the deteriorating rate of the packs. To avoid this, consider placing the stockpile next to a natural rock face to act as a support for a roof to cover the stockpile.
-An other easy (and free) way of using the tree is to dump your pollution in a tile five to seven tiles away from yours, and when high enough in pollution, settle it as second base. This way you'll get access to 3 free trees and can use transport pods without penalty {{Check Tag|Verify}}. Still there's a lot of better uses for a second base than just that and It's best to actually use the second base for something (like a panic retreat) along this.
+An other easy (and free) way of using the tree is to dump your pollution in a tile five to seven tiles away from yours, and when high enough in pollution, settle it as second base. This'll give access to 3 free trees and can use transport pods without penalty {{Check Tag|Verify}}. Still a lot should be considered before settling a 2nd base and there's a lot more uses for a second base than just 3 polux trees and other uses should be considered for it.
 Due to the tree's relatively low waste-clearing speed and the fact that low amounts of pollution do not have much impact on your colony, there is an argument that [[polux seed]]s are not worth their {{Icon Small|Silver||{{Q|Polux seed|Market Value Base}}}} price tag. As long as the pollution is physically far away, the only negatives of it are wastepack infestations and [[acidic smog]]. Polux trees do not stop infestations, as they occur on wastepack destruction, not pollution in general. Meanwhile, acidic smog can be mitigated almost entirely by using [[sun lamp]] greenhouses and non-solar energy. Even then, at only 10% or so pollution (200 wastepacks), smog is a rare event. that being said, in very long runs, a tree can absorb up to a considerable amount of waste. For example a single polux tree can absorb 245 [[wastepack]] in roughly 10 years which is equivalent to a single cooler's capacity in hot [[biomes]], it is a lot when considering that a [[cooler]] takes a 9*9 area and 200W of constant [[power]] while tree's only cost is buying and setting it up and it can clean even more [[pollution]].