Auto Turret ammo reloading question

[Max Thruster]

I did do a search, still not clear on this one.
I made 2 auto turrets. Tested on a raid and it appears the guns take 50 cal from my Back-pack. Do they draw ammo from containers instead (If next to them?) if my back-pack is empty.

Also, I noticed that, even though they look and sound impressive, I killed more with my sniper rifle and landmines than these two 50 cal's. Should I add a few more to improve defense?

Thanks in advance.
Max

[Oragepoilu]

They kinda sucks and during the update before the last one they didn't use any ammo. Dunno if this changed, try not having any ammo and place the turret.
Their aim is just .. well, bad. Lot of noise for not much. But it could have some use depending on your base (if they funnel on the same spot each time for example).

They do draw a little of power tho but it's not much.

Side notes.

I found that the basic thorn plate works well enough. I deal with end game raid on max difficulty just using them, and they barely need any repair (they cost so little anyway, might as well not repair and just rebuild now and then).
Some other like the mines - I didn't used them because of the bug.
Wall spike are kinda bad because they are hit really often, don't do much damage (none against ranged) and don't have enough HP.

Even 10 turret couldn't kill my raids any faster than just some thorn plate. There is just too much cover everywhere for the raider and too much area that need to be protected.

[Max Thruster]

Originally posted by Oragepoilu:

They kinda sucks and during the update before the last one they didn't use any ammo. Dunno if this changed, try not having any ammo and place the turret.
Their aim is just .. well, bad. Lot of noise for not much. But it could have some use depending on your base (if they funnel on the same spot each time for example).

Yeah...Thought so. I have an outer "Boardwalk" around the base with Thorns and mines. This should be sufficient then...and it is cheaper.
Your answer helped me decide. Thank you.
Cheers!
Max

[Gixxer]

The auto turrets do not use ammo.

And one or two of them aren't going to do much other than assist you in fending off a raid.

I have over a dozen. And I rarely even need to step outside my base during a raid (26 max level raiders). Half the time they never make it onto land.

Bit of advice, the auto turrets as they are now have a 360deg targetting radius, or just about. So the best way to place them is elevated. I place mine on top of two stacked pillars. I have them lining the perimeter of my island, and then the other half lining the roof tops of my structures (again, still on pillars, otherwise the roof tiles will block significant LoS).

I also recently added the AP mines around the perimeter edge of the island. So at this point, I never see a loot bag on land lol. It's an OP combo, really no need to use anything else. I went with the mines once I found out from someone else that they respawn after they detonate.

[maximummax]

Auto turrets don't consume bullets, only power. To prevent it from being overpowered, we've increased the inaccuracy of the auto-turret shots, and you can create a few more to get the point across.

[King_Pin]

Originally posted by Gixxer:

The auto turrets do not use ammo.

And one or two of them aren't going to do much other than assist you in fending off a raid.

I have over a dozen. And I rarely even need to step outside my base during a raid (26 max level raiders). Half the time they never make it onto land.

Bit of advice, the auto turrets as they are now have a 360deg targetting radius, or just about. So the best way to place them is elevated. I place mine on top of two stacked pillars. I have them lining the perimeter of my island, and then the other half lining the roof tops of my structures (again, still on pillars, otherwise the roof tiles will block significant LoS).

I also recently added the AP mines around the perimeter edge of the island. So at this point, I never see a loot bag on land lol. It's an OP combo, really no need to use anything else. I went with the mines once I found out from someone else that they respawn after they detonate.

I'm just about to start building about a dozen of auto turrets and what I read about their movement was the opposite of what you're saying.
I read in another post the turrets only move side to side so you need to place them at ground level. I was thinking WTF as it totally killed my thoughts on how I want to place them.

[FeroFerreTuliLatus]

As of v0.6.1, auto turrets don't use ammo, but they DO use power - a LOT of power. You'll need two wind turbines per turret (6 power units), so your dozen turrets is going to require you to build 24 wind turbines (or a roughly-equivalent mix of turbines and solar panels). Good luck with that - I doubt you can find the 120-odd turbine blades you'd need in the entire game.

You really don't need more than one or two, unless you insist on playing with everything turned up to max levels. Supplement them with mines and a 50-cal static MG and you'll be able to fend off even the strongest raids, provided your base is well designed for funnelling bad guys into kill zones.

Edit: Forgot to add that they DO fire up-and-down as well as side-to-side; like @gixxer said, they're practically 360-degree weapons, so site them at an elevation for maximum effectiveness.