We have just one boring type of airlock. I have ideas for upgraded airlocks, without taking away the current airlocks. You should be able to upgrade to more advanced types of airlocks. Tier 1- The current airlocks. Tier 2- Smart airlocks: They can be set to auto-open when both sides are pressurized with breathable air, and auto-close when one side is no longer breathable. This would be useful for space bases that are sectioned with these airlocks in such a way that when someone makes a breach in one section, the airlocks around that section close, keeping the rest of the base habitable. Tier 3- Forcefield airlocks: Airlocks that generate a forcefield that keeps the air in. Useful for hangar bays and areas where you want to look at and go outside without having to make a compression chamber. Can also automatically activate and deactivate the same way Tier 2 airlocks would, except it would have a forcefield instead of a solid barrier. I really think that these should be added to the mod. Tell me what you think!
You can kind of do them now. You can use the oxygen sensor and a redstone "And gate" to trigger the door. I remember making them a long time ago and eventually abandoned them cause I just got tired of having to wait to enter/open the door, so I just made a short tunnel with airlocks on each end. I think I posted the design here a while ago, but can't remember exactly now. Although there is no force field, a bubble gen doesn't need an airtight structure to provide the same effect.
Of course ! the oxygen detectors ! I forgot about them... Yeah, with some redstone, you can be sure that a room is pressurized before opening an outside airlock. The bubble generator works, but you'll still need to make rooms air tight if you have any sealers. (I don't remember since I don't use bubble generators, but I think they use quite a lot of oxygen, but you can hide the bubble... Thought it can be used to a good use.)
Thanks! That redstone would be more bulky and have to load more than if they were to add these new airlocks. The smart airlock would be a nice thing to add so that you won't have to use bulky redstone gates. These new airlocks should also respond more quickly and effectively than a redstone contraption would, while also being functional within a single airlock controller block. What if you want to make a HUUGE port to look out of and go through? Bubble distributors don't make very big bubbles, but like you said, I think that it would have to be airtight, so a bubble in a hole in a wall might not work. I haven't tested it yet. A force field airlock that also has smart airlock capabilities would still be a great thing to add.