Understanding this game.

[Thero]

I may be wrong to treat this game kind of like 7 Days to Die. I understand it isn't really a full sandbox experience but there is building involved, even if its limited, and there must be a reason for it. My understanding is that I need to build a base. A base that has defensive walls. From there I build 4 platforms on every corner with connecting bridges so I can scout and kill with my bow and arrow safely behind my wall. And fortify my base with additional defense like adding the spike wall for added wall durability. And then from there surround my base with traps.

However, from what I've seen mutants can jump over traps no problem. Natives seem to learn about the traps and just go around them. I will actually see at times where enemies just appear at my front door, bypassing all my traps in an instant. WTF? And if it couldn't get any worse my wall feels like they are made out of fluff because it takes 5 seconds for it to get knocked down. And to make it even more worse, while I am on my platform and bridges I cannot shoot at enemies that are knocking at my wall because the kill box is blocked by the wall box. Every arrow I shoot gets stuck in the wall when shooting down at the enemy. What is a person supposed to do when their walls are being attacked and there is no way to attack the enemy from within your base? Am I missing something?

Maybe I am missunderstanding this game. This game seems to be a survival game with a storyline and an ending. But one would first think they need to establish a fort before wandering off especially since the structures are there to be built. Am I understanding this game correctly? What am I doing wrong?

[Chillum]

Building is not meant to be a heavily fortified base.

Its at most to store items that you can't carry around with you all the time (extra hides/meat/water collectors/gardens). It is NOT to give you a defensive fort.

Rock walls should protect your stuff from regular cannis, or deadfall/happy birthday traps (do not use other traps). Just every so often clear out the bodies for bones. If you see a mutant, leave your base, do not attempt to fight it from your base. Do not attempt to hide in your base.

[빈빈]

Defensive walls are like 1 hit from cannibals on the hardest mode.. dont know about the other modes tho.
It's actually useless to build a base, since they can destroy it super easily! At least you shouldn't hide in there... they wont destroy it, if you are not in there.

[Syndicake ☠]

Building a fort is completely optional, it's only a place to stockpile items and that isn't necessary even on hard difficulty.

[Ghostlight]

Surround your outer walls with defensive spikes (big wooden things made from logs). Now when they attack, they have to get through those first. As they attack the spikes they will be further out from your walls so you can pepper them with arrows, molotovs etc.

[Thero]

I would have to agree then that building a base and defending it is pointless since it is so smooshy and it is very difficult to bow and arrow anyone through the defensive wall. I feel like its just there for the vegan mode difficulty and that's it. So I started a new game, built a cabin with the essentials and surrounded it with deadfall traps since it is less resource intensive then happy birthday traps in terms of rope. Plus it seems that happy birthday traps seem to be one way kills. Very often any enemy running the opposite way of the happy birthday trap can run fast enough to where it doesn't hit them). No walls at all. I have lasted longer then all my other games where I spent days building walls and defensive structures. I honestly think the defensive structures are useless and not even worth building. Sad. =/

[MekaDovah]

Traps I find difficult to use out in the open so I tend not to use them. I do design my bases like a fort, using mainly rock walls. Rock walls are a bit weird: the enemy never seems to attack them directly. I put platforms there to look over and shoot down and when they attack, they hit the platform through the wall.

The only thing keeping the 3 high stone wall from being game breakingly invulnerable is the need to put a door in: I gotta get in somehow.

Forts are probably needlessly extravagant, but, eh, I enjoy building them anyway. If the day comes that I end up facing a horde, I might be glad I actually took the time I built all that.

Lately I've also been thinking certain caves might actually work better as a base than building one outdoors. The entrance to the "Wet Cave" as they call it has a wide open area not far from the entrance that is inaccessable to any enemies within the cave system. Plenty of space in there to house all your stuff, plus a mushroom garden. Assuming that is you don't mind bunking with all the gore.

I think ultimately while none of the defensive structures and traps are strictly necessary: they are an option and options can suit a wider variety of play styles and different approaches if one desires. Did I need to build zip lines? No. Am I glad I did so I can zip around the landscape faster? Oh heck yeah. Totally worth it.

[ColdNhungry]

The moment I found out they don't like water I built my house on the lake with a dock leading up to it and fortified the dock with traps. Works like a charm and increases the safety feeling a lot. Now I just sit on my balcony and throw tennis balls at their heads while they stare at me enviously.

[RageMojo]

Just turn destructable buildings off, build how ever the hell you want. This game is every bit as good as 7D, it just doesnt have the looting mechanic.

[Khan, Binary of None]

If you want a truly safe base, find a location along the coastline and build with water to one side of your base.

Then spread out in all directions from your base and basically build Trump walls from the water to the nearst rock cliff. This blocks their patrol paths and they will never attack these walls so long as they don't know you're there. The further out these walls are the less likely you'll ever get attacked. If you block all the patrol paths that cover through your base you should for the most part, avoid attacks until an actual wave spawns, but patrols will never stumble across you.

[--<[ Blei ]>--]

Originally posted by Thero:

Maybe I am missunderstanding this game. This game seems to be a survival game with a storyline and an ending. But one would first think they need to establish a fort before wandering off especially since the structures are there to be built. Am I understanding this game correctly? What am I doing wrong?

The way you want to survive is your decision.
You don't have to build a multiple story fort with traps and catapults.
You actually need just a very few things of what you can build.
And yes, i have to agree...the fortifications are only effectife til multiple of thouse huge beasts appear. You better retreat in that case...
If you still havn't understood what im saying, im pretty sure there is a screenshot of a very effective base i had on hard mode on my profile. Maybe this is helpful.

[Yetizuli]

I never use defensive walls, use traps and stone walls if you want to keep the cannibals out. It works alot better. You can try to build a stronghold to stop cannibals from getting in but it's not going to be easy, what I do is I build my stone walls 2 (or 3 high if you have alot of big rocks nearby) and then have a layer of bone wall on the top. Once that's done build a layer of happy birthday or dead fall traps in front of your walls. Finally build a platform inside your stone wall and have an overhang with a rope to get in. The traps cannot be broken so you don't have to worry about that. The stone wall is only for in case a cannibal somehow jumps behind your traps

[Ladez]

I find big base building to be a monumental waste of time. I'll perhaps build some outposts at key locations where I can rest and resupply. Custom building, huts, gazebos, etc. all seem like something that was put in not because it adds to the game but because basebuilding is a trend in survival games.

[BioFringe]

It is a true sandbox in regards to building...it's is there if you want it but it's not necessary at all. You can go the entire game without building a single item from the book if you choose to. Up to you on how you want to play. This is a good thing, not a bad. And yes, some building were put in because the community wanted more option for building...not because they wanted more options for defending against mobs. The team has done a good job over the years to balance fluff buildings with defensive ones and to keep the building aspects optional the entire time. This probably wasn't easy for them to do and they should be commended for it.

[Thero]

There are many ways to play this game especially with the defensive structures. However, I do believe the defensive structures are too smooshy. It takes around 5-10 hits from pretty much any enemy to destroy a wall. In reality walls can't keep anything out. And it is impossible to aim/use a catapult within walls and it is very hard to place platforms inside the base to where you can shoot arrows at enemies that are hitting your walls. And if you try to use a catapult outside the walls you'll get hit before you can aim. Not sure how this can be fixed. However, I've found that just building a log cabin with the essentials like stick/bone storage etc. and then building a whole bunch of traps around base is better so you can kite enemies into traps.