Ice

Ice is a basic cold solid element that appears naturally in cold biomes and as a product of freezing liquids. It melts into Water at its melting point and is commonly used as a convenient cold reservoir and temporary coolant in base cooling systems. Ice is also a valid construction material for buildings such as Ice Block.

Ice interacts with temperature and liquids in straightforward ways: when placed in a warmer area its temperature rises and it will melt into Water; when submerged or stored in a liquid pool it will gradually melt and transfer its cold to the surrounding liquid, lowering the pool’s temperature as it becomes Water. In very cold biomes, heat emitted by nearby buildings can be used to melt ice naturally, converting it to low-temperature Water without additional machinery.

Practical uses and interactions:

• Cooling: Ice is a simple way to cool liquids and environments. Storing ice in a container submerged in a water pool causes the ice to melt and cool the pool over time. Ice can be used where a cheap, passive cold sink is required.
• Conversion to Water: Ice reliably becomes Water when heated above its melting point; this conversion is frequently used to produce low-temperature Water for various processes.
• Tempshift Plate synergy: Building a Tempshift Plate out of Ice in a region above the melting temperature causes the Ice to melt quickly, allowing rapid transfer of cold into surrounding liquids or structures.
• Ice-E Fan: Ice can be consumed by Ice-E Fans to lower ambient temperature; the consumed ice is converted into Bottled Water as a byproduct.
• Construction material: Ice is a construction material for Ice Block. Building an Ice Block requires 400 kg of Ice. Sources list differing base decor values for Ice Block—one source lists a base decor bonus of +20, while another lists +35—the Ice Block provides a very high decor bonus comparable to marble or metal sculptures in its base form.
• Refrigerator interaction (bug/exploit): When a Refrigerator is unpowered, the food inside exchanges heat with the environment, whereas when powered it does not. Because a Refrigerator produces less heat to the environment than the heat removed from its contents, it is possible to use a timed alternating power cycle (using a Timer Sensor and a Switch) to operate a Refrigerator as a crude active cooler by intermittently powering it.
• Melt-source placement: Placing Ice in regions where buildings release heat will cause it to melt into Water; choose placement carefully to ensure you get the desired cooling effect or water output.

Notes on mechanics and limits:

• Ice will melt according to normal heat transfer rules; its effectiveness depends on mass and temperature differential. Using large masses of Ice yields proportionally larger cooling capacity.
• Ice is easily handled but is not a permanent coolant; once melted it becomes Water and must be managed or refrozen by other means if continued cold storage is needed.
• Ice’s utility is strongest early- to mid-game for simple cooling tasks and water generation; later-game systems (mechanical refrigeration, radiant cooling, Tempshift Plates of specialized materials) can provide more controlled, reusable cooling without consuming a finite ice resource.