Difference between revisions of "Nutrient paste dispenser"
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It is ''by far'' the most efficient way to prepare raw food in the game, increasing the nutritional value of its raw inputs by 200%. The nutrient paste dispenser never causes food poisoning, and will always instantly produce food on demand, as long as raw ingredients are available. | It is ''by far'' the most efficient way to prepare raw food in the game, increasing the nutritional value of its raw inputs by 200%. The nutrient paste dispenser never causes food poisoning, and will always instantly produce food on demand, as long as raw ingredients are available. | ||
| − | However, consuming a nutrient paste meal gives your colonist an [[Thoughts#Ate awful meal|''“Ate awful meal”'']] bad thought, reducing mood by -4 | + | However, consuming a nutrient paste meal gives your colonist an [[Thoughts#Ate awful meal|''“Ate awful meal”'']] bad thought, reducing mood by -4 (this is still better than the -7 mood [[Thoughts#Ate raw food|''"Ate raw food"'']] thought). Compared to preparing [[fine meal]]s for your colonists at all times, you will incur a net -9 mood penalty if you only serve nutrient paste; this is a substantial drawback of the dispenser. Especially at higher difficulties it might not be practical to use only nutrient paste for an entire campaign. |
Be aware that converting human or insect meat to a nutrient paste meal does not mask its origins. Doing so results in all appropriate bad thoughts hitting at once. | Be aware that converting human or insect meat to a nutrient paste meal does not mask its origins. Doing so results in all appropriate bad thoughts hitting at once. | ||
Revision as of 03:36, 8 October 2019
Nutrient paste dispenser
Synthesizes nutrient paste from organic feedstocks. It consumes less ingredients and time than any other meal production method - but nobody likes eating nutrient paste. Accepts raw food, but not rough plant matter like hay.
Base Stats
- Type
- Production – Food
- HP
- 350
Building
- Size
- 3
- Placeable
- Yes
- Power
- - 200 W
The nutrient paste dispenser is an electrical device that converts raw food placed in an adjacent hopper into nutrient paste meals; the machine accepts all food except hay. The meals are produced on demand, when a colonist or prisoner uses the machine. No work bills or tasks can be performed at the machine, and no skills are necessary to use it. Animals can not use the machine, but they will eat the produced meals if they are fed to them by other means.
Usage
The paste dispenser will be used automatically if it is available, accessible and powered up. Pawns will always prefer a more tasty food, and only use the dispenser if no better option is available.
It is possible to trick a pawn into producing an arbitrary amount of meals (see below).
At least one hopper needs to be attached to the dispenser, and the hopper needs to be filled with sufficient raw food to produce at least one meal. All food except hay is usable by the machine. The dispenser will process insect meat and human meat at the full nutritional value, but eating the produced meals will incur the same mood effects as if the ingredients were cooked (eg. Cooked cannibalism for a nutrient paste meal made from human meat).
The paste dispenser acts like a wall that will separate rooms. Usually one will put the rear end (where the hoppers are attached) inside a refrigerated zone, so the raw ingredients will not spoil. The length of the device even allows for refrigerated and non-refrigerated hoppers on the same machine.
If the front end of the machine is inside a prison cell, only prisoners will be allowed to use it (just like with food that is stored in the prison cell).
Strategy
The nutrient paste dispenser is helpful, but not necessary for survival, unless the colony is in an extremely unforgiving environment, such as an ice sheet.
It is by far the most efficient way to prepare raw food in the game, increasing the nutritional value of its raw inputs by 200%. The nutrient paste dispenser never causes food poisoning, and will always instantly produce food on demand, as long as raw ingredients are available.
However, consuming a nutrient paste meal gives your colonist an “Ate awful meal” bad thought, reducing mood by -4 (this is still better than the -7 mood "Ate raw food" thought). Compared to preparing fine meals for your colonists at all times, you will incur a net -9 mood penalty if you only serve nutrient paste; this is a substantial drawback of the dispenser. Especially at higher difficulties it might not be practical to use only nutrient paste for an entire campaign.
Be aware that converting human or insect meat to a nutrient paste meal does not mask its origins. Doing so results in all appropriate bad thoughts hitting at once.
When you build a NPD, the game will notify a hopper is needed
Hopper storage menu to select ingredients
Hopper mouse indicator will turn from red to green for correct placement and colonists will pick NP meals from the dispenser
Large-Scale Paste Production
You can process entire Hopper's worth of ingredients into Nutrient Paste in a single sitting with just one hungry pawn:
After ensuring that there are no food sources better than Nutrient Paste available, find a Pawn whose hunger bar is below the first mark.
- Draft the hungry pawn and march them over to the Dispenser nozzle and pause the game.
- Un-draft them and they will grab a meal.
- Draft them, and they drop the meal on the floor.
- Forbid this meal.
- Un-draft them, and they grab another meal.
- Draft them again, and they drop the meal onto the same forbidden stack. (This is what makes the trick work)
- Un-draft them and they grab a new meal.
- Repeat steps 6 & 7 (hold down R key for rapid toggling) until forbidden stack is full and they start picking up their dropped meal.
- Go to step 1, and repeat until hoppers are empty. Be amazed at the great distance at which meals can be "dropped" by a drafted pawn.
Now you can have as many Nutrient Paste meals as your heart desires! Enough to take with you on cold journeys! Enough to make an emergency food stockpile! Enough to use as animal fodder!
Hoppers loaded and ready.
Draft and forbid.
Beyond 3 tiles, you don't even need to forbid any more.
