Preview: Oxygen Not Included

The fine folks at Klei Entertainment, developer of great turn-based tactical espionage strategy game, Invisible, Inc. and the masterpiece Mark of the NInja was generous enough to lend us a copy of their latest creation, Oxygen Not Included, a terraforming simulation that is getting comparisons to Terriria and Rimworld. ONI, as fans are calling it, has recently exited the alpha stage of development and is now in its Early Acess (beta) phase.

Before starting, players get to choose between three randomly-generated “Dupes” (short for “duplicates” and more daft than “clones”). Nobody is perfect, even when they are created by means of science fiction and imagination. Therefore, every Dupe is generated with attributes various attributes such as digging capability or athletics,  plus a positive and native characteristic. For example, “diver’s lungs” means that the Dupe consumes less oxygen than is standard. “Flatulence” indicates a tendency to pollute via poot; I am unsure if there is a negative consequence for this beyond the displeasure of nearby Dupes, but I suspect there is a slight air pollution penalty for each toot.

Once Dupes are selected, ONI warps players into a randomly-generated enclave such as the one seen above. The only prompt that appears at this time is the suggestion to start digging. No giant arrow appears, but the distinct tooltips in the UI communicate what needs to be known. I select the appropriate icon and begin digging toward the air pocket to the left, leaving a trail of debris in my wake. Disliking this, I select the “base” icon and queue the instillation of storage cabinets. My Dupes now begin cleaning up after themselves. Cool. Another prompt tells me that my Dupes need somewhere to eliminate. I build an outhouse, but I notice that at some point, I will be able to create a more sophisticated lavatory. #lifegoals. The final prompt hints that I will need an oxygen source. Among my options is a machine that converts algae into oxygen, but it requires power. Referencing my options, I locate a contraption that resembles a hamster wheel. Sure enough, a running Dupe powers this machine to provide crude electricity. I slap down a duo of batteries behind it in case there is any “runoff” energy to store (and there is) before my Dupes go to sleep on the floor.

Surely there is a more comfortable option than the floor! Indeed, I find beds under a the furniture tab, but my Dupes stop to enjoy breakfast from the special food. Realizing that I will have to produce my own food at some point, I create a crude machine that mixes water with dirt to create something…barely edible? Things begin to stabilize as I begin digging deeper until I hit a polluted water reserve.  Before I know it, the apparatus where Dupes come from illuminates, and I am able to select a new Dupe with his/her own strength and weaknesses. I forget to make a bed for them before the nightfall. D’oh!

At some point, I begin investing in research because I want Electrolyzers, a machine that separates oxygen from water for more oxygen! I plop down a pump for both it and also a lavatory, and begin planning my “waste” pipe to aim for the polluted water. Just as I finish the descending ladder,  my water reservoir ruptures! Apparently, there was only one tile of sand or some other permeable matter between my water reservoir and open air. Pictured above is what I attempted to do: plug the hole with a base tile and create a makeshift dam before my fresh water reached the polluted water. Unfortunately, this was not successful as I had yet to make use of the PRIORITY tab that tells Dupes what is most important, and they only obeyed my commands when they felt like it. I could have reloaded. I could have even attempted to salvage this colony as I had another fresh water reservoir in the northwest. Instead, I choose to restart anew, using what I had learned to build a more efficient operation.

Observing that I could name things, this new mission would be dubbed “Melancolony (II).” I waste no time rifling through research, erecting a supercomputer ASAP. “Oxygen Not Included”? NO PROBLEM! My team of electrolyzers have me covered. Now I have two lavatories joining my new addition of showers because germs are gross. I now understand the that ONI  simulates real science in its mechanics of gas flow, knowing that heavier CO2 will sink below Oxygen, and that the lightest element on the periodic table, hydrogen, will float to the top. Things were moving along swimmingly until I discovered just how much hydrogen I was generating by breaking down H2O into its separate compounds.

Instead, of oxygen, Klei provides tools that let players illuminate different gases, temperatures, electrical wiring, water piping, and gas piping. Teal is good, breathable oxygen. Blue represents lighter oxygen deposits. Red warns of unbreathable air, and all of that red is the hydrogen that I had produced through my electrolyzers. Take note of the mushroom-looking apparatus at the top right. I have four of them even higher than this screenshot, and they are pumping the hydrogen into machines that are supposed to convert this nefarious gas into electric energy. They are working hard, but this process seems too slow for the hydrogen density which will eventually overtake my colony. Discouraged, I abandon Melancolony (II), taking note that teching up too fast also has negative consequences.

At the time of this writing, Melancolony III is still thriving. Admittedly, RNGesus smiled upon me with a fortunate roll, and I was able to merge two massive water reservoirs immediately. Also notice the reduction in clutter: the rule here is that less is more. I have even managed to create two “greenhouses.” In the previous games, I had no idea what I was doing in regards to plant growth and harvesting; this time I will even be prepared for some hydroponics should I discover the proper seeds. I have two outhouses because I am in no hurry to tech up—the “dirty soil” the game calls the waste product from a full outhouse is now only stored in the container in the far right corner where its stank bubbles will disturb hardly anyone. I will slap down an air filter when the the air turns too green over there.

Additionally, I am now utilizing more of the tools that Klei provides. Now, my Dupes are on a strict diet of specific foods. Thus, they will not eat a seedling as soon as they find it, but will bring it to storage, where it will await proper, more profitable, processing. IN this screenshot, one can see that that some Dupes do not have boxes that can be checked for a certain category, and other boxes I have unchecked. That is because I want to ensure that the Dupes who excel at doing a specific task get priority in action scripting over a Dupe who…bless their little hearts, but I do not need them to try. Take note at the artwork in the top left-hand portion of the screen. On display is the difference between a Dupe who has a 0 in in the decorum skill and one who has a 7. There are dozens of simultaneous actions taking place where such a difference is not as obvious, but a great micro-manager/player can ensure that the player gets more results similar to the picture on the left, not the right.  

ONI so far has been an entertaining game to play. Still, I wonder what more is to come. Will there be specific missions for the player to achieve in different sessions? Will there be a campaign similar to that found in Prison Architect? How in-depth does an “end game” look like once a player has mastered all the tools and conquered obstacles like producing food for a 30+ colony, surviving to Cycle 50, or avoiding an invasion of hydrogen? Will hostiles infiltrate colonies like the one my Dupe is fighting above? Will there be random events as seen in Clockwork Empires, where a cult infiltrates the colony? Also, while the artwork is appropriate (the particle effects demonstrating how elements mix…or do not at all, are underappreciated), my wife actually asked me to turn down the clunkiness that passes as music as she watched me build. There is certainly room for improvement, but I think Klei and fans alike would benefit from readers jumping in on Early Access and providing feedback of their own. Some colony, somewhere, needs oxygen!!!