How to make a bomb shelter a home

[KellyR]

In my latest game I decided to take over one of the large bomb shelter PoIs. My last few games, I've built my forts from scratch. I wanted to go a different way this time.

Initially I was thinking I might just build a horde bunker elsewhere and set up the bomb shelter as just a house and workshop, but I got fed up with all the wandering hordes and sleepers disrupting my work every time I popped my head back up aboveground, so I ended up building a fence around it.

Since spotlights suck, I modded the xml to allow me to build streetlights. I looked up the old recipe for them on the wiki (As they used to be player-craftable) and added that exact recipe back in. They require power to run (When they were craftable in the past, they worked without being powered, like the spotlights did), so I don't see any balance issues in letting players have them, and frankly, they look kind of neat.

This is a bit of a bird's eye view of the outside of the fence, from a nerd pole:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135945838

The entrance, from ground level:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135945902

Looking through the door, at the bunker structure in the center:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135945902

Entering through the front door:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946008

Bottom of the stairs:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946064
The stairs on the right lead down to my mines.

And then into the shelter itself:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946114

I painted a lot of the walls and floors, and redid the cabinets from the old grotty ones into the nicer red ones, but I tried to maintain the "bomb shelter" aesthetic while prettying it up a bit. The ceiling was left bare concrete everywhere except for the bedroom, and I left the pipes and control panels and conduit intact.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946185
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946246

The hatches in the ceiling are just access panels for getting at the electric relays in the maintenance crawlspace I dug out above the shelter.

Here in the kitchen, I replaced the upper cabinets with storage boxes, and painted them to be like the fancy red cabinets. The bottom cabinets I left largely intact, and just repainted them to look like the new style cabinets rather than the old ones, though I used the grey marble texture for the countertop, rather than the actual granite countertop texture (Which I used as a backsplash behind the sink and stove and such).

I replaced the fridge and stove with storage boxes and painted those as well, since that gives me much more storage than the actual fridge and stove would. I didn't replace the bottom cabinets with storage boxes simply because you can't simulate the geometry of the countertop if you do that. I also added a faucet I bought from the trader to the sink, to complete the picture.

To the right, we have what was originally a pantry area, and I've knocked out the back wall and extended it out to make a workroom:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946357

It has 7 forges, 3 cement mixers, 2 workbenches, and 2 chemistry stations. 3 of the forges exist just to melt stone and feed the concrete mixers across from them (Though one of the mixers tends to be making fertilizer full-time).

All the upper cabinets are actually storage boxes. The bottom cabinets were left as cabinets, like in the kitchen.

[KellyR]

Back to the entry way, and looking left, we have the bedroom:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946418
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946492

I feel bedrooms should have deep, soothing colors, so I did the walls in purple concrete, and the ceiling in blue concrete, though you can't see much of the ceiling. It gives a nice subconscious impression of a night skyscape. I wish I hadn't torn out the lockers and replaced them with storage boxes. As it turns out, the locker texture isn't paintable. So I'll probably buy lockers from the traders and replace the boxes eventually.

The gun safe and chest at the back were original to the PoI, so they respawn loot every so often.

Originally I'd placed a bedroll beside one of the beds, but I eventually crafted a bed and replaced one of the existing beds with it instead, so that it all matches.

Back in the entry again, looking right this time, we have the bathroom:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946539
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1135946583

I didn't do a lot here, just painted the walls and floors. The toilet can theoretically give me a bit of feces for making fertilizer once in a while, but in practice pretty much all my fertilizer comes from zombie flesh.

It's taken me 3 game weeks to get it to this stage.

Digging and setting up the "jeffries tubes" around the fence and above the shelter for running my wiring took a couple days all by themselves, and I still haven't put in proper concrete walls and ceilings for those yet. The hatches on the surface inside the fence lead down to those maintenance tunnels.

It needs more turrets, and probably less spikes. I'm thinking of knocking out all the spikes except for the row closest to the fence, and just putting down concrete with barbed wire on top, that way I can more easily see when the barbed wire breaks. I don't really need barbed wire right up against the fence, so that's where the spikes should be. At that point, I'm meleeing them, so I don't need them slowed to a crawl (And it's often counterproductive, in fact, if I want to lead the horde to a different point along the fence to prevent the gore blocks from stacking up and breaking, or when a section of fence is weakened).

The time I want them slowed is when they're still at a distance, hence keeping the barbed wire further out.

The whole thing, including lights and relays, currently draws something like 190 watts, and I'm using Z-Nation FFS's mod to increase the number of power production items you can put in generator banks, so my solar bank is able to power the whole thing (It has something like 12 solar cells in it at the moment). That said, it could be done without that mod too, you'd just need two solar banks (Which are cheap, it's only the cells that are expensive). I just like the mod because it means I don't have to run so many separate circuits.

It's been a fun build, and I really like how the interior of the shelter turned out. It's nice and comfy feeling, while still reminding you that it's just a facade on a concrete shelter.

It's probably my favorite base build to date.

[Nimbull]

I'd love to use POIs as base templates but I'm just to paranoid of the sleeper system pop'n in Z's when/where I don't want em. Nice setup, only thing I'd change is remove the front door at the wall and put in a parkor/drawbridge enterance while spiking up that section.

[CellNav]

Well Paladin, I've been very impressed with your bases +1 ... salute! You really need to take your designs a step further ... have you heard of the Prefab Editor?

Basically, you can create your own prefab (POI), add it to the rwgmixer (ie add to wildernessGroup), then create a new game and bada-boom-bada-bing ... your base is in the game.

My plan is to create an NPC settlement with it. Using the sleeper spawns I'll mod the xml to spawn my NPC's (which I call Whiterun Village Idiots), perhaps even pointing it towards the trader spawn block ... Basically, every time I approach the settlement, the NPC's spawn (well I might have to wake them up as they stand idle, but I'll give them keen senses). In the middle of the settlement is the base, an above/below ground structure. Come Blood Moon night, I'll plan on the extra NPCs to help in the fight against good and evil ... LOL (or not, if the rng screws me).

Ok, the NPC and Bandits don't work (error when attacked), but the Whiterun idoits are simple zombie UMA's, dressed how I like (Bad Company mod inspired that) with hand attacks that equal a spiked club, voices of the bandits, etc etc.

... meh, "We don't need no stinkin' badges" (Blazing Saddles), it's good to be the king.

Anyway ... here's the link, watch the tutorial videos :
https://7daystodie.com/forums/showthread.php?62501-Prefab-Editor-(Alpha)

Enjoy.

EDIT : .... You'll note that there's a Hals Import/Exported, that allows you rip a prefeab out of the game and load it into the editor, and visa versa. Of course, that's a step deeper into modding (changing dll's etc).

EDIT 2 : ... I've done just the basics with the editor -> modify a prefab, rename it, then add it into the rwgmixer ... Fun stuff.

[KellyR]

Originally posted by CellNav:

Well Paladin, I've been very impressed with your bases +1 ... salute! You really need to take your designs a step further ... have you heard of the Prefab Editor?

Basically, you can create your own prefab (POI), add it to the rwgmixer (ie add to wildernessGroup), then create a new game and bada-boom-bada-bing ... your base is in the game.

My plan is to create an NPC settlement with it. Using the sleeper spawns I'll mod the xml to spawn my NPC's (which I call Whiterun Village Idiots), perhaps even pointing it towards the trader spawn block ... Basically, every time I approach the settlement, the NPC's spawn (well I might have to wake them up as they stand idle, but I'll give them keen senses). In the middle of the settlement is the base, an above/below ground structure. Come Blood Moon night, I'll plan on the extra NPCs to help in the fight against good and evil ... LOL (or not, if the rng screws me).

Ok, the NPC and Bandits don't work (error when attacked), but the Whiterun idoits are simple zombie UMA's, dressed how I like (Bad Company mod inspired that) with hand attacks that equal a spiked club, voices of the bandits, etc etc.

... meh, "We don't need no stinkin' badges" (Blazing Saddles), it's good to be the king.

Anyway ... here's the link, watch the tutorial videos :
https://7daystodie.com/forums/showthread.php?62501-Prefab-Editor-(Alpha)

Enjoy.

EDIT : .... You'll note that there's a Hals Import/Exported, that allows you rip a prefeab out of the game and load it into the editor, and visa versa. Of course, that's a step deeper into modding (changing dll's etc).

EDIT 2 : ... I've done just the basics with the editor -> modify a prefab, rename it, then add it into the rwgmixer ... Fun stuff.

Yeah, I'm aware of the editors... I use Pille's editor and Hal's import/export stuff when I'm working on really big builds in creative where I'm just trying to create a "blueprint" for what I want to build in a "real" game.

I know a lot of people wouldn't like doing it that way, but I like to have a solid plan and know what I'm going to build exactly before I start. I hate running into an unforeseen issue that means I have to scrap the whole build or completely change it when I'm playing in survival mode.

For instance, when I did the floating base proof of concept, I actually exported the area, and edited it, and then re-imported it, because otherwise lining the sides of the pit down to bedrock with steel blocks would have taken FOREVER.

It was something like a 19x19 pit, and 150 blocks deep. That's just wayyy too many blocks to place by hand. Cut and paste ftw.

I like your idea about manned settlements, but I'll probably wait until the Fun Pimps manage to get decent NPCs working, if they ever do.

[CellNav]

Originally posted by Paladin:

Yeah, I'm aware of the editors... I use Pille's editor and Hal's import/export stuff when I'm working on really big builds in creative where I'm just trying to create a "blueprint" for what I want to build in a "real" game.

I know a lot of people wouldn't like doing it that way, but I like to have a solid plan and know what I'm going to build exactly before I start. I hate running into an unforeseen issue that means I have to scrap the whole build or completely change it when I'm playing in survival mode.

For instance, when I did the floating base proof of concept, I actually exported the area, and edited it, and then re-imported it, because otherwise lining the sides of the pit down to bedrock with steel blocks would have taken FOREVER.

It was something like a 19x19 pit, and 150 blocks deep. That's just wayyy too many blocks to place by hand. Cut and paste ftw.

I like your idea about manned settlements, but I'll probably wait until the Fun Pimps manage to get decent NPCs working, if they ever do.

Ahh, cool, you are way ahead of me in that department ...

Some day it would be great to see your work in some of the bigger mods, you know, it would save players the trouble of spending 24/7 building something and it's much easier walking around a player-made prefab than watching it on a video or with screenshots.

Maybe someday a player will come across a lone hatch in the ground, open it and climb down to be greeted by an NPC in your image with two armed bandits by his side, and he'll say "Welcome to Paladin's Trading Imporium" ... haha, some day ... maybe. :)

Anyway ... Keep up the good work, it's been a pleasure following your posts on the subject (no matter how off-the-wall it may be).

[KellyR]

One thing I wish the game had, is blocks/textures that are somewhere in between "completely trashed and decayed" and "swanky posh elegant". Just ordinary, homely stuff, but not rotting, filthy, rusted through, or demolished.

The build ended up a bit more "slick" in the texturing than I really wanted... Too much like a high-end modern design. It'd be nice to have some old-fashioned things, or more "country" styled stuff. I really would have liked to do the shelter in '50s or '60s style, as to me that's how I imagine a stereotypical bomb shelter: Built and decorated in the time period when people built bomb shelters because everyone was most paranoid about nuclear war.