Can anyone please explain Workshop and Proving Grounds

[Rock1m1]

I have a few questions regarding the workshop. I managed to play the game without the workshop but suddenly decided to make it out of curiosity. So what do these workshops actually do? How do I maximize their use? I heard to have to make them at the center for maxium effect?

Finally Proving Ground. I don't understand why I am able to make so many instances of the same armor type? So basically I have to make each and individual armor for everybody?

Thanks

[Wyrtt]

1. Worshop turn 1 eng in 2. But those 2 can only by used in adjacent rooms.
2. Proving ground makes experimental armor, weapons and gadgets which are stronger than normal items. But you are making them individualy instead of geting infinite supply.
Normally you dont have and dont need enough resourses to make armor for everybody.
Spider useful for sniper or ranger. Heavy armor for your tank.
You are more interested in special ammo which can boost your dmg.

[Argenblack]

Workshops let you slot an engineer or two in them to provide two "bonus" engineers per slotted one that can perform engineering tasks (building, staffing, etc.) in slots adjacent to the workshop.

Proving grounds builds you single instance armor/ammo/weapons that's more specialized than the across the board upgrades you unlock from research. For example, where plated armor gives you an engineering project to upgrade everyone's armor to warden, the proving grounds lets you build one EXO suit with armor and an integrated weapon.

[Mr. Nice]

Workshop gives effectively asked one engineer to do the work of two, by giving you two gremlins which can man adjacent facilities. For gremlins for two engineers if you upgrade. By the time you factor in power use, upkeep, plus the up front cost and opportunity cost, is very debatable if its ever worth building one.

[Rock1m1]

Thanks a lot. I guess I made a big mistake making a workshop at the side? Adjacent to left and right I presume, not up and down?

[Wyrtt]

Originally posted by Rock1m1:

Thanks a lot. I guess I made a big mistake making a workshop at the side? Adjacent to left and right I presume, not up and down?

up down lefr right but not diagonaly.

[Halfinger]

Originally posted by Rock1m1:

Thanks a lot. I guess I made a big mistake making a workshop at the side? Adjacent to left and right I presume, not up and down?

Up, down, left and right (not diagonal) So yes, you would normally want to build one in the middle and you can plan around it. Personally, I found them fairly useless as by the time they may be useful I have more than enough engineers. I assume they would be best for engineer starved games, which can happen. I find labs useless for the same reason.

[Rock1m1]

Thanks. I kinda regret making it now I think lol. Hope a future update makes the workshop and laboratory more worthwhile to have with good bonuses.

[Mistfox]

Workshops are good for a "fast start" but decline in effectiveness later. People have calculated that buying the engineers is cheaper than making a workshop and I agree, but I still use them to excavate all the surrounding rooms at once.

[Scorrp10]

Workshop may be a necessary evil if the game flat out refuses to give you Engineers. None pop up at HQ or BM, no Engineer rewards on scans, VIP missions or guerilla ops. If you are doing ok on engineers, shop is a waste.

Placement of shop is not too critical, but you generally want it next to facilities that need Engineers at all times. For example, Resistance Comms. You need 2 of those, 2 engineers in each for full network.

I think shop was envisioned as something more as game has concept of engineer level, where some engineers give better bonuses. That concept never made it to release. But apparently, tinkering with levels in ini files can make a single engineer in shop provide 6-7 staffing gremlins. Build two comms and two power relays around your shop, and a single engineer can get them all fully staffed. But again, that game feature never made it.

Proving grounds is somewhat confusing as it has projects and items piled together - those should be tabbed. Projects are like research - you do them once. Like 'plasma grenade' upgrades all your grenades.
Items are special armors, ammo, grenades and are built one at a time.

[Fringehunter7719]

Best explanation for workshop is never build one, it's not worth it.

There are technically possible fringe cases where you fail both the early engineer granting missions, no engineer scanning pops and no engineers show up at either the HQ or black market that would make it worthwhile, but I've literally never seen a screenshot, let's play, or one of my own campaigns where that happens. They are way, way less frequent than you might get the impression of. Seriously rare.

If you go engineer minimalist (staffing only the second slot in res comms that gives +4 and leaving the +2 slots empty; Upgrading 2 power relays with elerium conduits; Making sure to build psi lab on a shielded power coil; Using second shielded power coil for either one res comms or a shadow lab), then 5 or 6 engineers is ample for an entire campaign (and you won't need that many till near the end), with them being granted via council missions, guerilla ops, scanning, purchasable for supplies at HQ and for intel at the black market (inventory shifts after each supply drop or ~3 weeks and there are two rolls from engi/sci/soldier at each of HQ/BM making none available in any given 3 week period quite rare).

It's a popular misconception that building a workshop gives you a fast start, but it doesn't. In reality, you won't even build the workshop till more than half way through early game (because doing so means pushing GTS/AWC/PG further back, and those have direct usefulness in combat), when you do it will have a 20/40 day construction time depending on difficulty and will take a slot and require power. Typically people staff the power facility to run the workshop, which along with the two engineers committed to operating the gremlins means you pay lots of supplies and time digging out and then constructing the facility for a net gain of 1 engineer past the time it would actually help you.

It's not only more expensive than buying an engineer (by a large margin) and gives you an ongoing $75 a month maintenance (which is far from insignificant), but in terms of getting the key facilities of GTS/PG/AWC/Psi Lab/Res Comms up, it slows you down, even compared to simply doing nothing (i.e. not buying an engineer and not building a workshop), let alone compared to investing in engineers over time with the cash you save, both initially and on an ongoing basis of $75 a month.

[Rock1m1]

I have 4 engineers now and a workshop...is it bad idea to sell the workshop?

[Scorrp10]

You already built one. Might as well use it for that +1 engineer. Unless you really need the space and power for something else. Which rooms are adjacent to it again? (On sides, above and below)

[Fringehunter7719]

Originally posted by Scorrp10:

You already built one. Might as well use it for that +1 engineer. Unless you really need the space and power for something else. Which rooms are adjacent to it again? (On sides, above and below)

What he said. Once you have one you may as well keep it. $75 a month is a pain, but you've already borne the brunt of the cost.

If you end up playing another campaign at some point, then my advice may prove useful, but at the point you're at, you may as well ignore it now.

[Rock1m1]

I honestly never thought room placement made any difference so I randomly built them depending on my needs.

[gimmethegepgun]

Originally posted by Rock1m1:

I honestly never thought room placement made any difference so I randomly built them depending on my needs.

The Workshop and power coils are the only things that matter for room placement.