Pollution

Pollution refers to toxic pollution, largely as the byproduct of recharging friendly mechanoids. Even using a wood-fired generator or chemfuel generator won't create it, for instance.

Creation and Spread

Within Colonies

6 tiles are polluted in an expanding circle per destroyed toxic wastepack, regardless of reason, unless the wastepacks were processed by a wastepack atomizer. Both doors and (natural) walls will block pollution spread (Verification needed, what about enclosed spaces? It also seems it's still expanding in a circle, i.e., if it can finally reach a part that was blocked, it will pollute there faster it seems, while stopping pollution temporarily that's further from the pollution starting point; more testing needed).

Defoliator ships will also pollute an expanding circle of tiles when landing, centered on the ship. This is in addition to the actual defoliation; the additional pollution spreads much slower.

On the World Map

Dumping wastepacks on a hex utilizing caravans or transport pods will increase the pollution percentage of the hex by 0.05% per Wastepack dumped, or 1.3% per full transport pod. Once a world map hex reaches 100% pollution, any additional pollution gain will instead happen to one of its 8 possible neighboring tiles- this can spread pollution to the player's colony if one is not careful. Dumping wastepacks within 15 tiles of another faction settlement will cause the player to take a relationship penalty scaling up with the number of wastepacks dumped and proximity to the settlement. This has no extra effect on already hostile factions.

Pollution may also exist from world generation, where certain tiles will be heavily polluted. You can configure the pollution coverage, with 5% as a default.

Summary

Pollution takes the form of polluted tiles. Polluted soil has a fertility of 50% and can only grow a limited number of plants: Toxipotatoes, grey pine, deadbarrow cactus, devilstrand, and psychoid. Colonists will also recieve toxic buildup from these tiles. Having polluted tiles increases the map's overall pollution, which causes a number of effects.

Pollution on the ground can be turned back into toxic wastepacks with a pollution pump, or by ordering colonists to clean it up.

Acidic Smog

If there is enough pollution present within 4 tiles of your world tile, a weather effect known as Acidic smog will occur. How often depends on the level of pollution present. Tiles 2-4 spaces away have a 0.5x multiplier to pollution.

Acidic smog slows plant growth, makes colonists unhappy, and deteriorates items.

Insectoids

Originally engineered as anti-mechanoid bioweapons, Giant insects are drawn to pollution. When polluted terrain is present, there's a chance for insectoid cocoons to emerge from the ground. These coccoons will hatch if a pawn comes within a small radius of it.

Pollution Stimulus

Insects and Humans with the Pollution Stimulus gene, are stimulated by the toxic fumes of polluted terrain, making them faster and deadlier.

• Pollution stimulus (minor):
  • Moving x110%
  • Consciousness +5%
• Pollution stimulus (moderate):
  • Moving x115%
  • Consciousness +5%
• Pollution stimulus (maximum):
  • Moving x120%
  • Consciousness +5%

Pollution Mitigation

There are several ways to deal with pollution wastepacks.

• Freezing: Frozen wastepacks won’t dissolve, but they take up a lot of space.
• Export: Use caravans or transport pods to dump your wastepacks on the world map. For extra fun, you can even leave them as a gift in your enemies’ bases. People may not love you doing this.
• Polux trees: Heavily polluted maps will eventually sprout special polux trees. These trees slowly purify polluted terrain around them. Their delicate root network prevents them from being replanted.
• Wastepack atomizers: High-tech wastepack atomizers let you completely neutralize the threat of toxic wastepacks. The process is somewhat slow - and quite expensive.
• Ignorance: Polluting the land does have some benefits. Polluted terrain can grow new crops, like the fast-growing toxipotato. (Just don’t eat it raw.) Pollution can also attract new animal variants, like toxalopes and waste rats.

There’s no shortage of tools to deal with (or even embrace) pollution. Wearing anti-pollution gear, like face masks and gas masks, reduces your colonists’ exposure to pollutants. Transplanting artificial detoxifier organs makes your colonists immune to pollution’s toxic effects. There’s even pollution-related genetic modifications.

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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