Why build a gate?

[Jaggid Edje]

I'm in the middle of the Military Scenario and just now noticed that the main 'gate' (the one I leave open during attacks) is missing. And I realized, that's because I deconstructed it a long time ago, with the intent to re-build it facing the other way. Except I forgot to rebuild it. . .

I've been attacked like 4 times since I deconstructed it. Didn't even miss it, or even notice its abscence.

So, I'm curious, why build a gate at all? I noticed, in retrospect, that some of the screenshots of defenses shared by others here have no gate, but never actually noticed that before. Tutorial had us build a gate, and I just sort of kept doing it.

For those of you who still build gates, do you guys sometimes close them? If so, why?

I did in my first game, and then opened it every time there was an imminent attack....but why go through the effort?

(I really wish the doors were powered and you could wire them to the same switch as the turrets..then I'd sing a different tune).

[Flin Fredstone]

I am a bit confused here. I always build gates, many of them. So that it shortens the route the people take for tasks outside the base. They are always closed, any gate anywhere because the survivors when they go through them open en close them in one go. I never understood why you would leave them open.
Again, i am confused a bit. maybe i don't get what you mean.

[Jaggid Edje]

You build gates for that, and not just fence doors?

Gates are the "wide" openings. Fence doors are the smaller ones that close automatically.

(Edit, and yes, I know that if you leave a gate closed, they will still go through it and open/close it automatically. But I see no reason to use the wide openings of a gate just for foot traffic. )

[Flin Fredstone]

More HP then a smaller gate ? Dunno really. Looks just more fitting in the wall. Plus it makes no difference in the speed of travel.

[Jaggid Edje]

Originally posted by Flin Fredstone:

More HP then a smaller gate ? Dunno really. Looks just more fitting in the wall. Plus it makes no difference in the speed of travel.

I guess the integrity is something to consider, but I've never had enemies attack fence doors,
unless the fence door was directly between them and a survivor, which only happens if I don't get people where they are supposed to be during an attack.

So my real question was though, do you build a "main" gate, that you leave open, for the place where you want enemies to head to when attacking. Like what the tutorial walks you through? Or do you just leave an opening there as the lure. And if you do build a gate at that location, do you open it during assaults, or just always leave it open?

[Flin Fredstone]

I never did any tutorial so i can't commend on that sorry.
I leave an opening to lure the mobs, no gates.

Here is a screenshot of one of my first camps. Granted 4 entrances for the mobs might not be the best way but i was still learning.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2937509496

[Jaggid Edje]

Yah, that. One of the tutorials walks you through setting up some initial defenses, and one of the first things it has you build is a gate, and it explains how leaving it open will 'lure' the enemies to that spot.

I've seen screenshots like what you just posted, where you just have an opening...and simply never noticed that those of you who have been playing the game since back into early access don't put gates there.
I had been always building them just out of habit from the tutorial (and then always leaving them open...).

Edit; I also see you have more than one balloon. I hadn't thought of building more than one, but that's a good idea for when I do a longer playthrough (rather than just pushing to the scenario completion like I have been so far).

[Flin Fredstone]

Odd tutorial suggestion then imo. If you always leave a gate open to lure mobs to that opening then why build a gate ? Waste of time and resources.
Or does the tutorial not explain "killbox" a little bit and expects you to have your people up in towers shooting at mobs while they tear down the gate/walls ?

Edit: Yeah this was back when only crash landing was available. The sow and sell is my favorite scenario because i like to play for the very long run without an ending moment.
Try things out, build styles etc. Currently trying to make 2 settlements on the same map far from eachother by tweaking restrictions and stuff.

[Jaggid Edje]

It sort of explains killboxes, as it walks you through setting up flamethrowers and traps, and explains guiding an enemy to a specific opening to leverage those. It doesn't do a thorough job though, and it includes the whole gate thing, and then explains opening it to lure the enemies there.

In retrospect, it's a no-brainer that no gate is needed if you are just going to leave it open. So it is odd (imo) that they bothered to include that as a 'step' in the tutorial.

[Buwaro Elexion]

i do use large gates to keep herbivores in, as for fence gates vs large gates for traveling through your maze small one allow for line of sight and ranged attacks from enemies to stuff on the other side(proper planing negates this tho)

[Daynen Drakeson]

Mechs can walk through gates but not fence doors. Also I think large tamed animals are too big for fence doors.

[Flin Fredstone]

Yeah i think the point was a gate at the beginning of a killbox as shown in the tutorial it seems. I might have derailed the objective of the topic with my replies, my bad.

[Cotaks]

The point of gates are to redirect waves if you have multiple kill boxes. If you want to use the left one you open it and close the right one.

Mechs can jump over fences, no need for gates.

[Bjørn]

Yeah, the tutorial gave you options, so you could decide which gate you wanted the attacks to come through. If you only use the same - like I've done for a while (did change a bit in the beginning) - you don't really need the gates. In my current game I've finally removed the gates as well, and made the the openings for the attackers a bit wider and 'inviting'

Kind of like the tutorials taught you a few different things at the same time, just hinting game mechanics and such. Certainly a lot to cover for a tutorial in this game!

[Jaggid Edje]

Originally posted by Bjørn:

Kind of like the tutorials taught you a few different things at the same time, just hinting game mechanics and such. Certainly a lot to cover for a tutorial in this game!

For sure. I actually thought they did a very nice job with the tutorials. I just kind of had to laugh that I kept building the 'main gate' in future playthroughs...and then never closed it.

[Daynen Drakeson]

Originally posted by Cotaks:

The point of gates are to redirect waves if you have multiple kill boxes. If you want to use the left one you open it and close the right one.

Mechs can jump over fences, no need for gates.

Yes, but leap is on a cooldown. Walking is not.