Tiger, tiger, burning bright! - Tiger plant defensive farming.

[dreamrider]

So, on the way back from clearing the NW Mushroom Tree Wreck (that was kinda fun, especially the separate area with the bottom entrance), I paused in the Grassy Plateaus and picked up some 'souvenirs' I've been meaning to get since a built my Reinf Dive Suit.

Since then, I have done A LOT of experimenting with Tiger Plants.
Herewith my results:
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Basic Installation:

This is the minimum distance out from your nearest base module to avoid collateral spike damage from overshoots, etc.
Right at three (3) foundation platform widths (see detailed positioning below.)
The range at which the plants will target the player or other threat is about half that; ~1.5 foundation platform widths.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2574671368

a. Three (3) foundation platform widths out from nearest habitat unit.
b. Growbed positioned as far out on the outer edge of the 3rd foundation platform as you can put it, actually hanging about half the width of the growbed off the far edge of the platform.
c. Tiger plants growing only in the outer row of the growbed.

If you put any plants in the inner row of the growbeds, and there is a sustained barrage back towards the base, you will get a small amount of punch through.

Since only crazy experimenters just float there at trigger range to get 6 or 8 salvos fired directly toward the base, you may consider the very occasional breach from the salvo of a double-row growbed manageable, for the sake of the denser fire vs marauders. A single (1) max range spike breach won't flood your base; two (2) such breaches will flood the base.

Actually, even with just an outer row planted in a row of three (3) growbeds, on very rare occasions you might get one very long shot that cracks the base. But I only saw that once while I sat there taking about 20 salvos from the line of plants. (And I may have still had one plant left on the inner row during that test.)

Here's what the completed installation looks like:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2574702829
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Safe Farming Tip:

Since you cannot (AFAIK) place seeds exactly where you want in a growbed, to get just the outer row of active adult plants, you are going to have to plant the whole bed, then prune out the the inner row.

The immature plants will not fire spikes, but the game doesn't let you remove them til they mature.

To remove these plants without getting salvos fired sort of toward your base, with the possibility of some penetrations from that inner row of plants you are removing, swim way out to the side of the growbed platform and approach from a direction away from the direct line to your base.

You'll get an enormous number of spikes fired at you while you are pruning out the closer plants, but you don't care...because you ARE wearing the Reinforced Dive Suit,...RIGHT??
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Alternative Installation:

Now there IS another way to set up denser beds of plants, and maybe a bit closer in.

Set up a backstop.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2574672277

By the time you have the gear to set this up (mainly the Reinforced Dive Suit - absolutely essential, OR YOU WILL DIE!), building a couple extra tubes on the other side of the platform, as a protective berm, is a trivial resource expense and effort.

The drawback is that it does limit the arc of fire of your defensive plants somewhat.
I haven't really decided which I prefer.
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Combining with gasopods.

I happen to have a large herd of gasopods that play / live over my base, and in general they have kept off wandering aggressive types. I saw the first version of the pod take down an ampeel once, though they lost a few of their buddies in the process. The pod is larger now.

I was concerned about adding tiger plants to the mix because the wiki says tiger plants will shoot at "...any medium sized fauna that enters its targeting range."

It ain't true.

Gasopods do not trigger tiger plant fire.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2574672918

I watched the gasopods in my home herd swimming all around this tiger plant atop my base for many minutes. The tiger plant never twitched, not even when on friendly farter appeared to be scratching its belly on the spikes.
As soon as I moved inside the limit, I got the usual pointed reception.
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Hope this is helpful to anyone who is considering using tiger plants for base defense or for creature discouragement.

I myself am toying with the idea of pre-packaging a growbed and some seeds, and doing a quick set-up on top of the Deep Grand Reef Degassi seabase. Might be good for some laughs even if it doesn't totally solve the neighborhood bully problem.

[Another Mother's Son]

God, I love when people get bored or distracted in Subnautica!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1632866124

[dragonbornzyra]

I have a pretty chunky screenshot folder. Hmm...

[Cougarific]

The question OP's post doesn't address is Why would anyone need tiger plants defending their base? Defending it from what?

[dragonbornzyra]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Cougarific:

The question OP's post doesn't address is Why would anyone need tiger plants defending their base? Defending it from what?

In Theory against Leviathans, such as a Reaper.

I made a Tigerplant guarded base in the Dunes in such a way I could get into it without getting constant floods. It turns out though the Reaper never really got close enough to my base, and it seems Tigerplants only aggro onto the player so......

[admiral1018]

Tiger Plants don't attack Reapers or other leviathans though. The most annoying creatures they would actually keep away are Bonesharks, Ampeels, and, most importantly, Warpers. I could see some value in this if you built a base fairly close to a Warper spawn point.

[dragonbornzyra]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από admiral1018:

Tiger Plants don't attack Reapers or other leviathans though. The most annoying creatures they would actually keep away are Bonesharks, Ampeels, and, most importantly, Warpers. I could see some value in this if you built a base fairly close to a Warper spawn point.

Yeah but unless you're reading someone else talking about it, you don't know that when the game is still fresh =)

I cannot begin to tell you how long I searched for Reaper/Sea Treader/Reefback eggs until I discovered you couldn't get them. That you used to be able to get Reefback eggs. That there used to be Scuttlebug eggs, and that you cannot hatch Ghost or Sea Dragon Leviathan eggs.

The only Leviathan eggs we can hatch are the Sea Mama's Sea Bebies.

[KippenKaasBaas]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από dragonbornzyra:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από admiral1018:

Tiger Plants don't attack Reapers or other leviathans though. The most annoying creatures they would actually keep away are Bonesharks, Ampeels, and, most importantly, Warpers. I could see some value in this if you built a base fairly close to a Warper spawn point.

Yeah but unless you're reading someone else talking about it, you don't know that when the game is still fresh =)

I cannot begin to tell you how long I searched for Reaper/Sea Treader/Reefback eggs until I discovered you couldn't get them. That you used to be able to get Reefback eggs. That there used to be Scuttlebug eggs, and that you cannot hatch Ghost or Sea Dragon Leviathan eggs.

The only Leviathan eggs we can hatch are the Sea Mama's Sea Bebies.

I remember being quite exited when I found my first crabsquid egg.
Not a leviathan but still pretty cool.

[dreamrider]

@Kippen:
Yeah, ... as fuel.

[dreamrider]

I did not know that they would not fire at leviathans AT ALL.

But I wanted some challenging defenses because the Scanner Room that is the one end of my home base is on 0, 0. I think it has already had some "everyone's favorite retreat spot" visitors. Which is one reason why I put up with the rather large herd of gasopods cavorting overhead, even though they do make working the courtyard garden a sorta 'drive-thru shooting' process.

[KippenKaasBaas]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από dreamrider:

I did not know that they would not fire at leviathans AT ALL.

But I wanted some challenging defenses because the Scanner Room that is the one end of my home base is on 0, 0. I think it has already had some "everyone's favorite retreat spot" visitors. Which is one reason why I put up with the rather large herd of gasopods cavorting overhead, even though they do make working the courtyard garden a sorta 'drive-thru shooting' process.

Gasopods are great for defence.
Ampeels too, but they can be problematic in 'social encounters' with the player and his vehicles.

[dreamrider]

I'm thinking of trying to partially 'roof over' my courtyard, with growbeds hanging out from the edge of my corner towers (MPR double stacks). The gasopods would see me less when working below, maybe be less prone to flood the zone with gas pods.

Tricky to install the awnings, though. I s'pose I could stasis them.

[Shufflecat]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από dreamrider:

Since you cannot (AFAIK) place seeds exactly where you want in a growbed, to get just the outer row of active adult plants, you are going to have to plant the whole bed, then prune out the the inner row.

The immature plants will not fire spikes, but the game doesn't let you remove them til they mature...

...You'll get an enormous number of spikes fired at you while you are pruning out the closer plants, but you don't care...because you ARE wearing the Reinforced Dive Suit,...RIGHT??

Plant mushrooms or something first, then prune and replant the far side with tiger plants.

On a side note, I swear I've only gotten the reinforced dive suit in one of my, like, 5 playthroughs. It's one of those blueprints that in my games consistently just does not want to spawn anywhere where I'm actually likely to encounter it.

[dreamrider]

I don't believe that the databoxes for Alterra tech spawn randomly the way the fragments do (though I s'pose they may spawn in different rooms of the designated wrecks.)

I believe that the Reinf. Dive Suit data boxes always appear somewhere in/around Wreck 3 - Bulb Zone, Wreck 20 - Sparse Reef, and one of the Dunes wrecks. Obviously, one of these is easier, and likely to be investigated earlier than the others. Since you've played several times, you can probably guess which one.

[admiral1018]

They don't spawn randomly. They have a set of locations where they can spawn and will typically spawn in the first one you load (which may not be the first you visit if you load a wreck and don't go there at that time). Most data boxes have 2-3 potential locations.

[dreamrider]

I have also found (in different locations) more than one databox for a given technology.