Oxygen Not Included automation: its logic gates, explained
Oxygen Not Included is a colony survival game by Klei Entertainment, released on Steam in July 2019 for Windows, macOS and Linux. Its automation system turns buildings on and off with Boolean logic: sensors send a Green Signal (on) or a Red Signal (off) along Automation Wire, and logic gates combine them. According to the game's wiki, the gates are AND, OR, NOT and XOR, a BUFFER gate that keeps a Green Signal going for a set time after its input turns Red, and a FILTER gate that only passes a Green Signal that has lasted longer than a set time. A Memory Toggle stores a Green Signal from its Set port until its Reset port receives one, a Signal Counter counts Green Signals, Signal Selectors and Distributors route one of four signals, and an Automation Ribbon carries four signals at once, written and read bit by bit. Under the colony, that is a complete toolkit of digital logic, and every part has a real circuit behind it.
How ONI automation maps to real logic
Green and Red are simply 1 and 0, and AND, OR, NOT and XOR are exactly the real gates. The Memory Toggle is an SR latch: Set stores a 1, Reset clears it, and it remembers in between. The Signal Selector is a 4-to-1 multiplexer and the Signal Distributor a 1-to-4 demultiplexer, both chosen by two control bits, and the 4-bit Automation Ribbon is a bus. The BUFFER and FILTER gates add timing, much like a switch debouncer does with a slow signal. (digiwleea is an independent project, not affiliated with Klei Entertainment.)
Building the same parts yourself
In ONI each gate is a building you place; in digiwleea you build the gates themselves, in the browser, from CMOS transistors, then wire them into latches, multiplexers, counters, registers, RAM and an 8-bit CPU that runs a stored program, plus the assembly language behind it, through a 40+ level course where every part is checked against its truth table, with an AI tutor (Wleea).
| Oxygen Not Included | digiwleea | |
|---|---|---|
| Signals | Green and Red on Automation Wire | 1 and 0 on wires, from transistors |
| Gates | AND, OR, NOT, XOR, plus BUFFER and FILTER timers | NOT, NAND, NOR and every other gate, built yourself |
| Memory | Memory Toggle (Set and Reset), Signal Counter | SR and D latches, flip-flops, counters, registers |
| Routing | Signal Selector and Distributor, 4-bit Automation Ribbon | Multiplexers, demultiplexers and buses |
| Runs in | Oxygen Not Included on Windows, macOS and Linux | Any modern browser, nothing to install |
ONI automation parts and the real circuits behind them
- AND, OR, NOT, XOR gates. The real gates: AND, OR, NOT and XOR; test yourself with the logic gates practice quiz.
- Memory Toggle. An SR latch: two gates fed back to each other, set and reset.
- Signal Counter. A binary counter; one that resets at ten is a decade counter.
- Signal Selector. A 4-to-1 multiplexer.
- Signal Distributor. A 1-to-4 demultiplexer.
- Automation Ribbon. A 4-bit bus; four bits stored together are a 4-bit register.
Other games do logic too: Scrap Mechanic, Factorio and Minecraft redstone.
No sign-up is needed to start: open the lab and place your first transistor, or read the free theory course. The account (and the AI tutor) are optional.
More comparisons: Games about logic and computers
See for yourself: build a logic gate from transistors in the simulator, then follow the path from sand to an 8-bit CPU.
Open the digiwleea lab →Frequently asked
What logic gates are in Oxygen Not Included?
AND, OR, NOT and XOR, plus the BUFFER gate (holds a Green Signal for a set time after its input turns Red) and the FILTER gate (passes a Green Signal only after it has lasted a set time).
How does the Memory Toggle work in Oxygen Not Included?
A Green Signal on its Set port stores Green, and a Green Signal on its Reset port stores Red; its output shows what is stored. In hardware that is an SR latch.
What does green and red mean in ONI automation?
Green is an active signal, 1 or on; Red is inactive, 0 or off. Logic gates and buildings read them exactly like the 1s and 0s of digital logic.
How do I learn how logic gates really work?
Build them. digiwleea's free browser course starts with transistors, makes NOT and NAND, and works up to memory and an 8-bit CPU, with every circuit checked.