Base Building Tips and Locations

[Gawain]

This Topic is to discuss Building does and don'ts. Tips that will prevent future headaches or construction ideas that enhance game play. Note the first three responses to this discussion list concordances for the player colony, POIs, and Easy to access Resources. Please refer to page one for more information.

[Gawain]

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beginner Colony Locations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Castle Lake 6010 x 11800 / Difficulty = Mild Mono Rail = Above Average
Spawns = Dayu, Sorasi, Stonecrusher
Ground = Rock & Water / sloped with shear sides.
If a natural mote sounds appealing then Castle Lake will meet any need. This odd rock is centered in a deep lake surrounded by clear views in every direction. Perfect for turrets and ideal for any defense. The ground will take some terracing and a bit of fortification, however it rests at the edge of three unique biomes and is the main source of the Great Galileo River. A skilled river pilot can navigate all the way to the sea via this water way.

Great Minds Think Alike 10300 x 9200 / Difficulty = Effortless Mono Rail = Easy
Spawns = Koraha, Porosso, Yosei
Ground = Forest / level - ground work unnecessary
Serenely placed deep in the Galileo Forests rests a quiet grove where feral beasts do not wander. The area is flat and within walking distance of a forested river. If that was not enough it is also a very short walk to buy some sugar from your kindly neighbor Gerdy. After clearing a few trees this is by far the easiest location to set up a colony. There is a Pujan Camp just southwest of the location, but so long as humans stay north of the river it is a safe location.

Mushroom Plateaus 10900 x 7050 or 11850 x 6730 / Difficulty = Mild Mono Rail = Average
Spawns = Coelodonta Rhino, Lepus Hares, Needlenose Giraffe, Tappeto, Testudo Turtle
Ground = Grass / elevated hill terracing and edge walls recommended.
It is hard to tell what formed these mushroom shaped Plateaus however they provide natural fortification and minimal beast interactions. They are also very close to the Meteor Crater and Rock formation which the players first good resources locations. NPCs do tend to chase enemies off the ledge, so a mild wall is not a bad idea.

Pujan Grasslands 12765 x 8545 / Difficulty = Mild Mono Rail = Average
Spawns = Korona, Lancea, RhinoWolf, Lupines, Uredklad
Ground = Grass / open with a slight grade that is easily terraced
This location has some end game advantages. It is fairly flat and open making it easy to defend with a few turret towers and a voxel wall. The beast are a little tough early in the game but a few turrets easily handle them and provide a constant supply of meat. The large vines are also a great source of resin. This location is good simply for its centralize position and proximity to a few rare resources.

Prospector's Lake 9400 x 6700 / Difficulty = Mild Mono Rail = Average
Spawns = Needlenose Giraffe, Lepus Hares
Ground = Grass & Sand / slight slope that is easily terraced
This lovely lake is a stones throw away from the ocean and Forest. There is natural beauty to the location and situated between the two bodies of water is fairly level ground with clear vantage points in nearly every direction. In addition scans suggest several useful resources may be located near by.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Intermediate Colony Locations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Bluff over the Bayou 15300 x 8975 / Difficulty = Average Mono Rail = Average
Spawns = Ambulator, Ceru, Gunimu, Numa, Pantano Croc, Purpura Staurozoa, Stonecrusher
Ground Rock / flat mostly terraced will require ramps, stairs, and cliff walls
Most would dismiss a swamp as undesirable however this is one of the more scenic areas of Galileo. With rustic snow caped mountains to the north and a wide vista of the marshlands to the south the sight has a lot to offer. This cliff side is idea for a natural multi layered colony with moderate defense potential. Considering the size of the colony shield it is best to save the highest bluff for the McTalk and place the colony core slight Northward away from the ledge.

Doline Sinkhole 12765 x 8545 / Difficulty = Average Mono Rail = Average
Spawns = Gibbions
Ground = Forrest / pillar with and uneven top
Centered over the pillar in the middle of the Large Doline few enemies can mount an effective attack against the colony. The outer rim of the sinkhole is close enough for spawn however the enemies fall from the cliffs as they close distance and are no longer within range of the colony. The trade off is that the player has to build a stacked base with several floors to fit everything. The McTalk can only be placed on top of the colony which presents additional difficulties in design. This location is also a quest line however due to the spacing between quest points it is very difficult to effect the quest. Regardless beware the Gibbions as they may be plotting something.

Lake Dayu 6900 x 9345 / Difficulty = Above Average Mono Rail = Average
Spawns = Dayu, BeerBelly, Soka, Crocodylus
Ground = Forest & Water / slightly hilly and uneven
This majestic lake is surrounded by a forest of glowing trees. It is a beautiful place to set up a colony. The lake has vast petro reserves and is always stocked with fish. This is however another quest location and construction on the south east beach and over the water should wait until the quest line is complete. Additionally there is a stone arch that poses a security risk. It is an elevated spawning point that should be covered with turrets. Aside from that it is one of the most enjoyable locations to build a colony.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Expert Colony Locations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Blue Lagoon Island 3320 x 16130 / Difficulty = Moderate Mono Rail = Extreme
Ground = Forested / slightly uneven
This location is as remote as a player can get. There are two decent locations one near the lagoon and the second over the cave overlooking the blue lake. For those who enjoy boats and an island feel this location is beautiful, however the distance from Mars Colony and the rough terrain between the two points makes Mono-railing a true chore. The Island is abundant with Alum, Lithium, Silver, and Wood.

Desert Oasis 13730 x 1960 / Difficulty = Moderate Mono Rail = Extreme
Spawns = Bucktooth Turtle, Camelus, Hvitthar, Marishu, Sandworm, Thelyphonida, Unihorn Yak, Vederrun,
Ground = Dirt Sand / flat valley floor with clear view in every direction.
This desolate locations is dry, hot, dusty, and smells of Unihorn Yaks. However, what it lacks in creature comforts it makes up in vast untapped wealth just below the surface. Peppered all over this harsh island are some of the largest deposits of resources found on Galileo. Many of which are conveniently within digging range of secondary deposits. This would normally make the southern island idea for any prospector, however the lack of a fast travel point makes these riches less logistical without a near by colony. Defensively the island does not offer any significant advantages, thus the colony could be placed anywhere in the interior or along the coast line, except near the Abandoned Outpost which is a quest location. However the Oasis listed above is centralized to several multi deposits thus making it logistical to build a small monorail loop. Beware the sandworms as they are rumored to steal socks.

Hermit's Cave 9184 x 13804 / Difficulty = Moderate Mono Rail = Moderate
Spawns = None
Ground = Rock / subterranean tall mountain, slightly lumpy cave
A remote location, however this is an open sided cave in the middle of a large mountain. With a little mining this location is ideal for a mountain fortress. The low ceiling prevents enemy transports from spawning over the core and it is extremely easy to defend. Add a landing pad at the mouth of the cave along with several turrets and it can repel any force.

Hollow Mountain 3654 x 9274 / Difficulty = Extreme Mono Rail = Extreme
Spawns = None
Ground = Rock / subterranean, extremely rough floor and ceiling.
This is a desolate cavern with massive stalagmites. The cave actually cuts all the way through the entire mountain. This location takes significant leveling and mining work, however it is a truly unique underground experience. It is also fairly evenly placed between POIs. As challenging as it is to build in this area it is even more challenging to attack. Enemies get easily stuck on terrain obstructions making them effortless targets for elevated turrets. This is one of the most difficult locations to build.

Pirate Cove 11700 x 4000 / Difficulty = Moderate Mono Rail = Extreme
Spawns = Occasional Caelum Rex
Ground = Rock / simi-subterranean mountain cavern, extremely uneven
This is one of the largest non-storyline caverns on the map. The cavern dips low enough into the ground that it can be flooded to allow boats to enter. It takes a significant amount of ground leveling and mining to make the area habitable for a colony, but add in wooden docks with rustic structures and it is one amazing port colony. The Island is also rich with gold making ideal for pirates.

Standing before Giants 13737 x 11037 / Difficulty = Moderate Mono Rail = Extreme
Spawns = Stonecrusher,
Ground = Rock & Snow / uneven
This is a bitter and windy location high in the blue mountains well into the Pujan territories. It is far enough away from their settlements to avoid wandering warriors yet close enough to view their works. Regardless of the player choices during the story line this sight offers a few unique advantages. The major drawback is getting the mono rail across lines. The most effective method is to capitalize on the mountainous altitudes and create a sky rail. This is time consuming and best left for skilled builders. To first access this location climb the ridge line near the edge of the eastern swamp. It is less than a 15 minute hike on foot.


x / Difficulty = Mono Rail =
Spawns =
Ground =

[Gawain]

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Points Of Interest Locations ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Currently I have found 50 points of interest. Please let me know if I missed any.

Human Crash Sites & Camps
Starting Crash Site = 12223 x 6094
Adisa's Camp =9825 x 7373
Adrift Ship =4440 x 15821
Carters' Camp =12260 x 6525
Coastal Crash Site =7940 x 6553
Crash L1 Ship Section =9661 x 12758
Earth Camp =7683 x 7708
Epiphany Engine Part =8265 x 16478
Malik's Camp =3328 x 15519
Martian Camp =8608 x 8538
Martian Colony =9948 x 9595
Stuck Ship =6841 x 7170
Viola's Camp =8690 x 12255
Wiles' Camp =7937 x 11343

Geographical Points
Giant Tree =11681 x 7974
Great Waterfall =4547 x 10802
Lake Dayu =6900 x 9345
Large Doline =8216 x 7295
Meteorite Crater =11444 x 6859
Rock Formation =10688 x 7133

Beast Nests
Andhera Cave =8644 x 7614
Andhera Nest =5059 x 12102
Caelum Rex Nest =15500 x 15835
Fire Bear Nest =9766 x 7389
Layerback Nest =7684 x 6732

Pajan Sites
Abandon Desert City =2086 x 8696
Abandon Launch Facility =7939 x 10962
Abandon Outpost =13311 x 2508
Broken Dam =4396 x 7211
Japuyjau =1041 x 12991
Pajan City Ruins =3092 x 13122
Pajan Colosseum =2998 x 12728
Pajan Sunken Ship =7566 x 8029

Pujan Sites
Abandoned Biological Facility =15076 x 14338
Bird Head =10861 x 8231
Coi's Encampment =14850 x 14143
Natives' Relic =11506 x 8744
Pujan Camp (Forest) =9976 x 8832
Pujan Camp (East River) =11999 x 9050
Pujan Camp (West River) =11089 x 9261
Pujan Middle Gate =10547 x 11580
Pujan Settlement =11418 x 10408
Snayyija =10248 x 12263
Tovunapoi =13844 x 11510

Virus Spacecraft
Eastern Spillway =16577 x 10598
Eastern Swamp =14798 x 8344
Northeastern Mountains =12523 x 13550
Northeastern Grasslands =13835 x 15234
Northern Mountains =7813 x 14735
Western Desert =2900 x 9816

[Gawain]

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Building Tips ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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(1) Save = The first religion of every game ever created is save often and take caution when overwrite saves. Nothing is more frustrating then loosing progress and it is all to easy to get lost in projects. Save before every project and quest. If the player find that something simply wont work then it may become necessary to backtrack. Without a save this often means rework or reverse engineering which is never enjoyable.
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(2) Ground Work = Terrace or level the site before placing the core. Ground work can take some time and prep work always pays off down the road. Also once the core is set a periodic attack occurs every few days. This can be native troops or simple beast attacks and it is best to have your ground work done first as it gets progressively harder.

The colony shield centers on the core so it should always be at the center of your colony. Also note that colony parts can cut through some walls and obstructions. Each piece will center over the mouse pointer on a flat surface and can be rotated by pressing "T."

In Blocks (+ means height)
Shield 1 = 65 radius
Shield 2 = 100 radius
Shield 3 = 138 radius

Core = 22 x 28 +8
5 Power Plants = 9 x 11 +10 each
3 Storage = 6 x 8 +5 each
16 Beds = 4 x 7 +2 each

Comm Array = 13 x 13 +7
Enhancer = 7 x 7 +8
Fusion Power = 27 x 30 +27
Incubator = 2 x 2 +5
McTalk Base= 46 x 46 +Sky
McTalk Complete = 52 x 93 +Sky
Med Detector = 4 x 7 +4
Med Lab = 6 x 7 +3
Med Tent = 20 x 27 +12
Processor = 16 x 16 +12
Recycle = 5 x 7 +3
Repair = 3 x 7 +4
Replicator = 15 x 20 +10
Trading Post 12 x 13 +8
Training = 11 x 11 +8
Farm Land = Player's discretion

Several of these parts are unnecessary to complete the story line. For Example a player only needs a recycle machine if they intend to recycle items, the quarantine tent merely reduces recuperation time, and there is no point in placing more power plants than are needed.
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(3) Underground and Sky Bases. VTOLs have a flight ceiling that is based off of ground distance not altitude. If the colony is built too high helicopters and battle ships may not be able to reach it or take off from any platforms. It is best to test your base in Build Mode before spawning it in.

Underground bases pose a different challenge as the center of each colony part must have clear voxel skies over it to be placed. This can be accomplished by plotting out the base underground and digging shafts above each piece to fill in after the part is placed.

Both types of base pose unique challenges for the McTalk due to its size.
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(4) Buildings; Colony parts need not be enclosed but it is a good idea. Repairing them constantly can be a chore and losing access to a colony features is no fun, thus designing buildings for colony parts is never a waste of time.

Unlike ground work this can be done outside of story mode. Simply click single player, then Build Mode, and create a proxy character. It is wise to create a new save for the proxy character. In Build mode the player has access to unlimited materials and furniture to experiment with, and they need not feed their character or worry about attacks. Rework is often a waste and doing it in story mode can be undesirable, so create building ISOs in Build Mode then load story mode and export the structures.

To save a building = highlight the entire structure while in build mode with the select tool, click save, and name it.

Spawning = Collect enough resources, press "B" in story mode, bring up the mat window, select the ISO tab, highlight the structure, press export.

Arrow keys will nudge an ISO so long as the mouse remains motionless. Page up/down will raise or lowering. Left click places the design.

Note pressing "F" enters free camera mode. This can offer better vantage points before placing an item. It also allows a player to build under ground. Placing a frame work for a mine shaft before digging makes it far easier to dig the shaft and place a ladder so that lines up with the top when finished.

The most common mats will be Dirt, Wood, Marble, Stone, and Sand. Building a fortress out of glass means clearing entire beaches of sand and mining tones of coal. Keep in mind the resources that are on hand in story mode before getting too elaborate. Also treat all materials as nothing more than textures. A house built out of steel is no more durable then one build of dirt, and modern dry wall is effectively dirt, so don't get hung up on the name.
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(5) Colony Defense The Colony is going to be attacked repetitively and not just from the boarders. Enemies will spawn between buildings. Sentry guns require constant ammo but turrets do not and they are much stronger. For a turret to function it only needs to be centered over a flat 4 x 4 section blocks of any kind. Turrets effectively cut into walls to save space so a 3 x 4 ledge on the side of the wall is enough as the turret will use the wall as part of the section.

Missiles do less damage then several top end turrets, however they don't miss unless they collide with an obstruction. Ballistic turrets fire at the target's "current" location. At max range a moving target has little to fear from this type of turret, however slow moving large targets do not hold up well to the increased DPS.

A sound colony defense utilizes missiles along the boarder of a voxel wall, with elevated lasers that have vantage points between all structures on the interior. Keep in mind that turrets will take damage and need to be picked up, repaired, and set back down again from time to time. For this reason turrets placement should always be accessible.
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(6) Feeding your Colonist. The first storage unit place will be the deposit location for all colony generated food production. This storage unit should be clear on all sides to allow NPCs to retrieve food when needed.

Left on their own a colony attempts to be self-reliant by auto creating food, medicine, and fuel from materials found in the storage units. Unless the player alters the Queue prospectors will gather food and medical items automatically. Also assigning farmers to an Incubator will make quality use of any fertilized land within the shield. The incubator simply needs to be stocked with seeds and any one storage unit needs to be stocked with water and insecticide.

The auto create feature can prove annoying at times. Often the storage unit will be filled with torches to make food items and key resources may be consumed without notice. Any resource placed in storage should be considered "For the Colony." This is why the player's back pack is more then large enough to hold any amount of resources.

Key staples for a colony are; Wood, Animal Fat, Limestone, Rice, Lotus, Mushrooms, Sulfur, Copper, Zink, Water, Coal, Insecticide, and anything used in making medical supplies. The colony will not collect meat however they will use a stack of meat to create animal fat for torches or food, and they will only created a stack of food if the storage unit is without. Colonist will eat other foods left in storage once normal stables have been depleted and no resources remain to make desired staples. NPCs will not bother any equipment, furniture, seeds, or gear left in storage.
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(7) Farming It is possible just to paint the ground with fertilizer pellets and let the farmers go to it. This is the simplest method however most players choose to section out their farm land.

When creating a division between voxels and blocks it is best to double layer walls as voxels can cut into blocks in the same way as colony parts. By double layering the wall the player ensures that the soil will not stick out. Also avoid placing doorways or stairs near fertilized land as plants can grow to block access to them.

Voxel and Blocks can share the same space. On flat surfaces this can create a flashing effect as the GPU does not know which surface to depict. Mass amounts of such areas can consume ram and cause lag. Along the edge line of Voxel and Blocks use angled or round shapes to prevent this from happening.
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(8) Gathering Resources. A fair amount of game time will be spent in a mine, most likely at the Meteor Crater and Rock Formation locations. An open pit strip mine might seem the most thorough method, however it is exceeding time consuming making the entire process even less enjoyable.

In order to see deposits a player must first unlock the scanner scripts and then press H. One of the tabs will list Scanner. By pressing scan resources will appear under the map in a color designated at the bottom. The player may toggle each resource to have the scanner focus on just a desired need.

One of the best methods for mining is to cut a strait shaft to the bottom of a deposit, and then stack ladders back to the surface. A small structure will usually keep unwanted beasts from falling into the mine. Once the shaft is in place, use the scanner to determine the top of the desired deposit and start working downward, focusing on the resource rather than the dirt or stone around it. Shovels are effective at removing large areas of dirt while picks garner significantly larger amounts of resource per harvested voxel. Be sure that the time invested in mining is profitable as the player will likely not need multiple stacks of dirt.

Re-mining Exploit = Do to perks associated with picks, it is productive to place basic voxel materials back on the ground using the build feature, and then re-mine them to create even more resources. This is a tedious process and quite repetitive, however it is the fastest way to generated "basic" resources such as marble, lime stone, stone, or sand.

Recycling = Toward end game the player will likely find that they have far more coin then they can utilize, and a few rare resources cannot be gathered via the Processor machine. The player may utilize the market to purchase items that are made of aluminum, titanium, and other rare materials simply to recycle them for parts and resources.

Lumber = Followers usually stand around doing very little however they are effective at cutting down trees. Place an ax in their inv, then strike a tree and they should offer to help. An effective tactic is to only strike a tree once, then move to another tree and down it while the NPCs work on the first tree.

The Work button = Followers with a skill in herbalism, hunting, mining, or logger will have a new button on their info window next to "Call" & "Dismiss" buttons. Upon pressing it the follower will leave the party for one in game hour to collect random items related to the skill. Rapidly pressing this button during a rest period can generated multiple item boxes.

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(9) Monorail There is little call to use them aside from quests or RP and do to their design an elevated platform has to be build around them to make it look right. The problem is that the player may instantly fast travel via the map for insignificant amounts of coin. To use a Mono rail the player must wait for a car to arrive and then waiting for it to travel to the destination. It is also possible for the player to fail at exiting the car, forcing them to wait even longer. Thus mono rails are novel however they are simple unpractical in PE. They provide virtually no benefit to game play and they are tricky to set up.

Rail Ends do not like to link when surrounded by a structure. A trick to counter this is to delete the structure around the Rail End, then manual link it to a nearby rail joint, and undo the deletion. Using this method a rail car can pass through walls.

[Eternie]

The only moderator for PE that I know of is Luminaire who got your thread pinned. I don't know if she can set categories in PE workshop?

I just did a search for buildings in the work shop and got a selection of mods called Building that are uploaded but without a screenshot so useless to know what they are.

There are MANY headings in the workshop some were obviously from various versions of PE like a heading for 2016 and another heading for 2.3 with no mods in it. But I guess people who post also need to select which headings are tagged by their mod.

[dtt.scanner]

I think there is still a map for PE showing mineral deposits and points of interest. It was on a 3rd party site, so you can probably still find it with a search.

[Gawain]

I have looked for POI maps and at most all I have found was the southern early story mode points. None of the plague ships nor Pajan or Pujan camps. I also noticed some POIs that dont appear on the map at all. Most likely future story points that never got added to the game.

Un-Natural Sink Hole 15500x15835 = Warning Guarded by 6x Caelum Rex
Abandon Floating Lifeboat 4440 x 15821

I have added all of the POIs that I am aware of in response #3. Please review it and let me know if there are any missing.

I also want to draft an Easy to get to Resource locations. For example two to three sites that are easy to get to early to mid game for each resource. Please include why you like these sites.

Finally I have drafted a few of my favorite base considerations. I would like to add more for each level of difficulty. I am basing difficulties on the amount of time to prep/establish the locations, distance from Mars Colony, and Skill needed to build/defend the suggest location.

[dtt.scanner]

I haven't unlocked it yet on this play-through, but one of my favorite scenic spots is at the Lake with the giant fish and underwater cavern (map marker).

I would say it is a difficult build, because you have to figure out how to protect it from being bombarded from the natural bridge overhead during Pujan attacks. If you know that it will be used as a point of attack, you can easily set up turrets to guard that vantage point. Even with that, it is one of the nicest scenic spots (in my opinion) and so worth the effort of developing.

There is a large petroleum deposit in the underwater cavern, but it requires some skill to mine it. A submarine can provide a place to recharge your air without having to go all the way back to the surface. There is also a way to create an air pocket, but I don't know how deep the ground water goes or if you can access the petroleum deposit while staying below the water level. I would consider this an advanced build for both strategic defense and working with and around water as a terrain feature. I will have to do some free camera examinations of the lake and ore deposit to see if it is possible to set up an air-filled mine underneath the lake. There is another thread about "Working with Water" that tells how to set up the air lock.

Aside from all of that, using the water feature as a potential water garden is a fairly advanced build. Eternie has done more with this than I have, but it would be a great site for multiple gardens, pools, paths, bridges and canals. You could do a virtual Venice colony there.

[dtt.scanner]

I would class any cavern build as an expert build, because of the extensive excavation needed to place and re-cover your equipment. You can only place equipment in an open sky (building blocks don't count), so any terrain above the equipment has to be removed first, place the equipment, and then replaced the terrain if you truly want it to be inside a cavern. If the equipment is ever "accidentally" picked up, you would need to re-excavate terrain above the equipment in order to place it back down again. This is a very advanced and tedious process. This includes Placed Voxels, which count as terrain.

[Gawain]

Hum that is interesting to know about under ground locations. When I was scouting these areas I held the core out to see how much space it would take and the boarder was green but I did not place it. I will have to check this out for my self but I have moved it to expert locations.

I have added the Dayu Lake and I agree it was a consideration. It is beautiful and would take a bit of work but well worth it. My only hesitations was that it was a Quest location.

[dtt.scanner]

yes, you would want to complete the quests first. When I built there on my first play-through, I waited a long time before building a colony, trying to find a nice site. I didn't know at that time that you can easily pick up and move. I had already finished the quest before building there. Also, I am not sure if it is part of Kayla's quest, which didn't exist that early in development. I know she goes to see the waterfall, but I don't remember if she wanted to see the Lake as well.

I don't think it would interfere with any of the quests, but better safe than sorry. The Sinkhole site is also part of Hitomi's quest, but it is easy to finish that one and it isn't used again.

I also built a kind of "Sky City" on top of the Puja wall, but that turned out to be a fail because of the constant Puja patrols that spawned. It wasn't a problem for defense, but it messed up the diplomatic quests until I moved the city a little farther away. I didn't realize that the top of the wall would be patrolled, and I thought it would be a nice take-off spot for gliding and general vista of the Puja city.

The upside: I had a ton of food and bullets in a never-ending supply.

[dtt.scanner]

It is interesting that you say it was green... it may be different in Story vs. Adventure mode. That may also be a multiplayer restriction. As I said, it has been a long time since I have done SP Story mode, and I am re-learning some of the quirks. If you can build underground, let me know!! That could change everything, as far as the attraction of SP Story Mode.

I think that the devs have commented that it wasn't intended to be allowed, due to the creature spawning patterns.

[Eternie]

The main map I use to look up PE related items http://pemap.apphb.com/
You may want to add to your OP. which shows all or most resources.

I tried repeated to start a colony underground and always failed, even when the ground was voxels I had placed as a floor. Nope cannot place the assembly core when even a single voxel is still above the assembly core position. Of course those voxels can be put back after the assembly core is placed. As long as the assembly core doesn't get damaged or destroyed it would be no problem.

[Gawain]

That map shows more then others I've seen, but something feels off about it. Not everything is depicted and a few locations seem ball parked. It would be nice to have an up to date map without all the clutter.

As for Resources. I dont believe it needs to be that detailed. There are hundreds of mining locations and players really dont need to know every site. They simply need to know a few key locations that are plentiful and easy to get to. Excluding the Meteor and Rock formation any location with two resources or an overall large deposit is more then what player will need to know to complete story mode. I have mined out several small locations which felt slightly disappointing and abandoned once they were depleted. However if I had bountiful locations then I might take the time to build a few structure above them, perhaps even a monorail as you cant fast travel to mines, and then come back as need rather then strip mining them. Interesting and aesthetic locations would also not be bad, as it adds to the exploration of the game. Just because a player knows where to look does not mean that it is any less appealing to view.

I wasted a lot of time staring at the scanner and it fills nearly the whole screen. I feel that searching for good mining locations takes away from the game and I doubt I am alone in that sentiment. For this reason I would like to come up with a decent list. I will still spoiler the locations for those who enjoy the search but there have to be a few good locations that shine above the rest.

[dtt.scanner]

Personally, for both Story Mode and Adventure Mode, the Processor can load you up with any of the Ores except Titanium... so aside from the initial quests that ask you to mine a handful of resources, there is no need to find any deposits at all, except for Titanium. That would be worth noting on your map, since it is extremely rare and limited, and you can't get it from the Processor.

The only time you really need to mine ores is when the Diplomacy quests require it... and I believe you can save and restart if you get a bad request, until you get one that is easier to accomplish. You can mine those quantities yourself faster than the Processor, and so it may be worth the effort to do it in order to complete the missions. As far as building structures, the Processor can provide more than enough material in a reasonable amount of time, and if you use the method that I recommended for common materials, you don't need specific sites to mine those materials, and you don't need to waste Processor time for them -- you can focus the Processor on collecting ores and rarer materials.

You simply manufacture whatever is needed when you need it, and it only takes about 5 minutes for thousands of the common materials (sand, stone, limestone, marble, and dirt). Process the uncommon ores in a steady stream -- you can set it up to run for hours at a time. Search and mine for Titanium (always use an energy pick for best yield, so you don't waste what is there). As I mentioned in an older thread, you can also purchase and recycle certain gear to get Titanium, if you need it. By that time, you should be wealthy enough to be able to purchase and scrap expensive items in order to get Titanium, and not even think twice about it.

(BTW, Titanium can be found in the SC Armors and in the Assault 3 Rifles. Possibly other items, like the Assault 2 Rifle, but for sure it is in those high end items.)

[Gawain]

That is an aspect I never thought about. I did not think of buying stuff just to grind it up for key mats. With that in mind the recycle machine is not a complete waste of space.

I guess I am viewing this from an elaborate builder's perspective. I went through multiple stacks of several different mats on nearly every run. Glass being the worst. Nearly all my ships take significant amounts of parts as well. From my play through the Processor did not scratch the surface of what I needed, but my play style is not the only way to play.

In both of my current saves my characters has insane amounts of coin. Mainly from selling stupid amounts of Marble which was a result of all my mining. You are absolutely right that coin is wasted if not used. I will amend post one of the skills guide to include this information.

I have done the common pick exploit. I even built a tower to jump off of and from my point of view it is less enjoyable then watching my character gather water. It is far more repetitive then mining. Mining is a "time consumer" no question about it, but it also adds to the achievement of obtaining what the player wants. Personally i dont like the concept of using a pick in a space game to start with. If feels like shoeing an old horse instead of filling your SUVs gas tank, but some effort to achieve is not uncalled for, and I get the position of repeat players who have already earned their stripes. It is a shame that the game does not have better command codes, because starting from scratch every time does get old.

The bottom line is my time is worth jumping around in a hole trying to reach that elusive deposit, at least for part of the game anyway. I have also crafted several different mine shaft ISOs to make the process more interesting and I have never cared much for exploits as not everyone chooses to utilize them. This is a personal point of view that I dont expect everyone to share but I believe a good walk through or guild should include vanilla method of accomplishing the goal.