Pollution "blinking" once a second. What does it mean?

[NorDemoniac]

So at first I thought it was the radar updating, but it's the pollution cloud that "blinks" every second when seeing it on the map.

Factorio2.png (122.86 KiB) Viewed 3975 times

What exactly does this mean? The enemy bases are not under pollution, and they have never attacked.

[Articulating]

I've heard that it's pollution being absorbed (eg by trees).

[NorDemoniac]

Aha, that makes sense!
So if it gets close enough (32x32?) from a nest, it would absorb it as well?

*Note to self; don't burn the trees*

[Neemys]

Pollution blinking is pollution thatis not enough at this place that it can't spread to other tile next to it, and is absorbed by tree or spawner if there is spawner on the chunk. The spawner need to be on the chunk where the pollution are to absorb pollution. Seeing your screenshot, mostly you pollution is absorbed by tree.

[Yoyobuae]

It probably shouldn't blink. Flickering/blinking UI elements feel clunky (unless they are supposed to).

Probably happens because the update happens in two frames (cycles). One which calculates the pollution increase, then the next which applies the reduction. More clear to see if you enable the pollution numbers via F4 key menu.

[henke37]

The blinking is an artifact of the game updating pollution for each map sector once a second. It's all staggered so that sectors are pseudorandomly assigned a tick to be updated.

[Neemys]

The blinking is an artifact of the game updating pollution for each map sector once a second. It's all staggered so that sectors are pseudorandomly assigned a tick to be updated.

they do not blink because of pseudorandom updating, it's blinking because the pollution is consumed so it disappear, but because the source is still here, pollution come again and is again comsumed, etc

[ssilk]

This blinking is for me a good warning to reduce my production NOW, cause absorbed pollution will bring enemies, that want to destroy the source. But from new player perspective this is currently a bit hidden design.