Base volume storage solution

[Noobomancer]

Is there a storage container for bases? I found cargo containers for small ships/small rovers. But is there a storage solution for larger structures?

[Pembroke]

Any large grid cargo container can be placed on a base. The vanilla game has "small cargo container" (1x1x1 cube with a capacity of ~15,000 litres) and "large cargo container" (3x3x3 cube with a capacity of ~400,000 litres). The various DLCs add variations of these with similar sizes but with different looks. There's also "freight containers" that cost less and can be built with just common resources but they can't be connected to a conveyor network.

[Dan2D3D]

Hi, important to know is that we can select to show "Small blocks" or "Large blocks" only from the left side of the "G" menu, also type in the block name in the G menu search tool to show only the block you need and drag it to character toolbar.

+
With Armor block in hand we can aim at the grid and it will switch Large or Small automatically.

+
We can hit the character toolbar key where the block is to switch size, for example on a Armor block that would be placed in key 1 toolbar 1 = Just hit 1 again to switch small grid to large grid block.

+
The blocks having a small " + " icon have "hidden" blocks in mouse wheel.


_____

I strongly recommend to watch some of the SE Tutos in-game F1.

[Noobomancer]

Ah, I see. Its a little awkward that the "medium cargo container" doesn't follow the same rule and is ONLY available for small ships. But from the sound of it, what I was looking to do (amass absurd amounts of iron by mining stone with a delivery point always within a few steps without first having to go find cobalt in the very early game) is outside the intended design.

[Dan2D3D]

The Medium Cargo for small is to be able to use large yellow ports to transfer large items on small block ships by using large conveyors, and the small Cargo Container for large block grid is about the same so uses large yellow ports and can transfer all sizes (small and large items).

About stone, I just delete the stone layer when I mine by holding right mouse button with Block Tool Drill selected or character hand Drill.


___

Note

Keep in mind there are Rich areas where all ores can be found close to each other and the best places to build a Refinery station with mining sites around it, some areas have all ores within 1 Km.
-> So we can be Rich faster depending on where we play, that gives us easy, medium and hard Biomes to start at.

[Noobomancer]

makes good sense. Thanks a bunch for the help. Looking forward to getting into this game a bit more.

[Pembroke]

If you have the Deco Pack 2 DLC, you can build Freight containers. These need only iron to build. Their downside is that you can't connect them to your base's conveyor network and that they are substantially smaller than the regular Small Cargo Container (the 1x1x1 block), though still comparable in size to the small grid Medium Cargo Container.

Because the only required resource for these is iron, I usually build a couple of these when I am constructing my first base in the early game, and don't yet have cobalt for the metal grids of the Small Cargo Container.

Though, do note: your initial drop pod has thrusters, and those contain metal grids. If you don't need them you can grind them down and use them to build one Small Cargo Container on your base. That's 15,000 of cargo space which helps a lot in the very early game, especially as you can connect it to other blocks allowing you to do piston stone mining. That usually gets you started quite well.

[jafiwam]

Early game you sorta need to find Cobalt. You can bypass it a while by using welders to store stuff. Don't forget a connector can carry some too.

[Noobomancer]

Ultimately, I found 2 solutions to the issue.
#1) Drill differently so all the stone falls into a nice easy spot right in front of the entry point and put a medium container on the starter vessel. Easy to drop all the stone you can carry into it right off the bat so you can keep drilling as fast as the survival kit can process.

#2) Dismantle the atmo thrusters on the starter vessel and build a small container. Then use piston/drill combos off a full-sized base for enough iron to get a decent explorer vehicle up to search for ore.

[DivineEvil]

Originally posted by Noobomancer:

Ultimately, I found 2 solutions to the issue.
#1) Drill differently so all the stone falls into a nice easy spot right in front of the entry point and put a medium container on the starter vessel. Easy to drop all the stone you can carry into it right off the bat so you can keep drilling as fast as the survival kit can process.

#2) Dismantle the atmo thrusters on the starter vessel and build a small container. Then use piston/drill combos off a full-sized base for enough iron to get a decent explorer vehicle up to search for ore.

Both solutions are more or less a meta way to get a quick and convenient start from a pod. The Medium CC on the survival kit is the first thing you want to build to stockpile large amount of stone to be processed and turned into parts for refinery and power generators. Medium CC does not require cobalt. While that goes, you can use the time to explore for ore deposits around your location. Then create a large-grid outpost with refinery and power depending on the planet/moon.

Once you have refinery and power, you then add a Basic Assembler and connect it to the refinery via a Small CC. Refine some iron and move it to the Assembler, and salvage the atmos to finish up the CC. Now you have the refining, assembling and storage all connected.

Arguably, you don't even need the Large CC on the base before you get both the Adv. Refinery and the Assembler.