Feature request: “semi-hardcore” containers mode

[Hawk777]

As currently implemented:

• If hardcore containers are disabled, putting a radiation source inside a container renders it entirely harmless. This is rather unrealistic; putting a gamma emitter inside a wooden box should provide essentially no protection (though it would be sufficient for an alpha emitter).
• If hardcore containers are enabled, putting a radiation source inside a container contaminates the landscape. This may be somewhat realistic, except for the fact that leakage of the dust of the stored material violates conservation of mass—the stored material does not get smaller as the contamination leaks out into the landscape, meaning that even a small amount of radiation source stored in a container will eventually produce an infinite amount of radiation. It’s also rather annoying IMO from a gameplay perspective; while this is just a personal preference, I don’t like “idle consumption”, and the current hardcore containers mode requires operation of a scrubber just to leave radioactive material sitting in storage.

I think a good trade-off for items in fixed containers would be that it does not contaminate the chunk, but it does still emit radiation—so it should dose you if you stand near it, but if it were deleted directly from the chest, the radiation level should immediately drop back to zero (or whatever it was initially), rather than retaining contamination from the formerly existing item. Shielding applied to the container would reduce the emission of radiation. What do you think about this as an additional mode?

I realize that the conservation-of-mass argument applies equally to contamination due to hardcore itemstack mode; however, I think it is more reasonable there because players are unlikely to carry radioactive materials around with them for long periods.

[tomdodd4598]

As discussed in the Discord server, there is some extent to which this can be improved, and might be when the radiation system gets its re-do :)