is it worth building a cyclops base?

[chicken]

just got to the point in the game where i can make one. i haven't really made any big bases yet. just small hubs to get stuff done. i really like efficient small bases, is it worth making the cyclops my main hub?

[Suzaku]

Some people really like it; others don't. You'll just have to try it out yourself to find out. The cyclops is able to do everything a base can, and more!

[steventirey]

Not a whole lot of room inside, and you can't build things like the water purifier (water/salt), alien containment cell (food) or the scanner room (if you use it). Plus you would want a place to recharge the power cells. Its less useful as a main base but more useful as a temporary mobile one. At the moment, I've loaded mine with storage, plus some bulbo trees (in pots, not the large bed to save space) for food/water and use it as a platform to return and offload what I mine with the prawn.

[Ruiner]

I like using my Cyclops as a base. The only thing you cannot grow on the Cyclops is things that grow in outdoor grow beds, like creepvine, mushrooms, gel sacks.. What I like to do is:make outdoor grow beds in areas that I'm going to be around, and bring enough materials to build a scanner and thermal plant in locations you move to, scan to find the materials you need, un-build it to get the materials back and move on. Also bring salt, you're going to need it.

[Dirak2012]

https://youtu.be/UIhXdA-TQUs

[chicken]

thanks for the info everyone. the real question is how do you protect yourselves from reapers?

[Ruiner]

Originally posted by vivy:

thanks for the info everyone. the real question is how do you protect yourselves from reapers?

If something is attacking your Cyclops, turn your engine off. They'll leave you alone. When they move away, turn your engines back on and move away as well.

[chicken]

Originally posted by Ruiner:

Originally posted by vivy:

thanks for the info everyone. the real question is how do you protect yourselves from reapers?

If something is attacking your Cyclops, turn your engine off. They'll leave you alone. When they move away, turn your engines back on and move away as well.

... seriously? where's the logic in that lmao. if thats the case then there's literally no point in having an actual base. cyclops is just op

[Ruiner]

Originally posted by vivy:

Originally posted by Ruiner:

If something is attacking your Cyclops, turn your engine off. They'll leave you alone. When they move away, turn your engines back on and move away as well.

... seriously? where's the logic in that lmao. if thats the case then there's literally no point in having an actual base. cyclops is just op

Because it's the noise they don't like.

[chicken]

Originally posted by Ruiner:

Originally posted by vivy:

... seriously? where's the logic in that lmao. if thats the case then there's literally no point in having an actual base. cyclops is just op

Because it's the noise they don't like.

Oh. Well thank you so much for everything. Definitely plopping my home in a Cyclops.

[Just Chill]

Originally posted by vivy:

Originally posted by Ruiner:

Because it's the noise they don't like.

Oh. Well thank you so much for everything. Definitely plopping my home in a Cyclops.

Also don't forget to turn the exterior lights off. ;)
They may like these not either. ^^

I personally don't like the Cyclops as its own base, but rather use it as resource hoarder.

Putting beds, etc. inside seems to make it a bit too cluttered for my taste.
While wall lockers and big lockers can be packed towards the walls of the clops.

But any way you enjoy the game is fine.

Happy diving. ;)

[Heron]

I'm kinda new with 22 hours in. Atm I use it as a mobile hub to venture into the unknown. I only move it for this purpose, packed with all materials to set up a new main base and some plants for infinite food and water supplies. The sonar helps greatly to judge the layout of your surroundings and find cave entrances in uncharted regions.

[Coops]

I use it the same way Just Chill does, to collect and transport resources.

Cons to using cyclops for a base.
- no scanner room
- no water purifier
- no nuclear power
- no bioreactor
- constantly using power cells
- need a base anyway to recharge power cells unless you have the thermal charger
Even with the thermal charger you have to wait around and can't go anywhere while they charge.
- vulnerable to attack by reapers, electric eels, etc
- can catch fire and sink
- destruction of the cyclops results in losing all your collected materials.
- can only bring one vehicle with you (prawn or seamoth not both)
- limited storage space (can't expand like a base can).
- no alien containment so cannot use eggs or farm fish.
- no external growbeds (harder to farm creepvine, gel sacs, blood kelp, etc) and no outdoor garden to appreciate the beautiful plant life.
- there is a bug where you can fall through the cyclops and walk underwater without using oxygen but cannot swim back up to it.

Probably more but that's off the top of my head.

[admiral1018]

It's up to you and your individual play style. At worst, the Cyclops is great at hauling large quantities of resources around the map. So, if you decide you want a sprawling base with a 7-floor ACU and lots of rooms, the Cyclops will make gathering those resources much more convenient.

As for the mobile base, the Cyclops was really designed to be used in the underground biomes -- meaning Lost River and deeper. That area can be very intimidating on a first playthrough, especially since you can no longer use the Seamoth below 900m. It's also necessary to harvest some of the materials from that section and craft items at a fabricator, so the Cyclops might allow you to save time returning to the surface.

[swoopnhuck]

I am in my final stages of prepping to visit the Lava Zone and ending the game as I have outfitted my Cyclops with tons and tons of raw material resources as well as some refined materials. I have also prepped tons and tons of food and water, plus I have tons and tons of spare power cells. But if the need does arrive I have also prepped a few lockers that contain everything needed to slap down a temporary base should I need to re-charge power cells (though I doubt this will be needed) and this temporary base will also have a scanner room.

I have definitely over prepped and I am mortgaging most of my future on not having my Cyclops destroyed and the only thing that remains for me to do in the short term future is to spend some time in the Prawn suit getting used to how that grappling arm works as I don't want to be deep in the Lost River and/or Lava Zone and trying to learn it there.

Going to be sad to end the game though. It is only a medium sized research base but I have alien container full of some interesting predators such as the Crash Fish, the Mesmer, a Crab Snake, Crab Squid and a Bone Shark. I am still on the look out for a River Prowler egg.

[Just Chill]

Originally posted by swoopnhuck:

River Prowler.

These things give me the creeps. XD

I mean sure, Leviathans are scary.
Glowing ghosts, reaper with its fangs... The Sea Dragon on the other side is a puppy. ^^

But these things... They are not leviathan size, but still they are a horror. oO