Where to start when building on a freighter?

[MistrBill]

Can anyone point me to something like 'building on freighters for dummies'? I'm stumped by it. How much space do I have to build? What fits where? Should I build on the first deck or the second? It isn't obvious to me at all why things can be placed in some areas and not in others. Can I make a big open space somehow, like I see in videos, or do I just need a bigger freighter for that?

I see that some people have built a corridor with ten storage containers, five on each side. I can't even figure that out. When I try to build storage, instead of the boxes, I get some sort of room with a console.

I don't see a lot of specifics either in the game or on line, so maybe I'm just slow. Should I just start building crap semi randomly and see what happens? Anyone care to throw a knucklehead a rope?

[japp_02]

It's in the upper freigther floor where you build, you can remove all corridors if you want with the exception of the corridor leading to the bridge.
I wish you a nice building!

[Gatun]

Originally posted by MistrBill:

I see that some people have built a corridor with ten storage containers, five on each side. I can't even figure that out. When I try to build storage, instead of the boxes, I get some sort of room with a console.

I don't see a lot of specifics either in the game or on line, so maybe I'm just slow. Should I just start building crap semi randomly and see what happens? Anyone care to throw a knucklehead a rope?

Storage boxes are for land bases, room with a console is for freighter base, same thing, looks different.

Not necessarily a right and wrong in this game, enjoy experimenting / discovering.

You can always do a manual save, try something, then reload to undo.

[TGC> The Games Collector]

Originally posted by MistrBill:

I don't see a lot of specifics either in the game or on line, so maybe I'm just slow. Should I just start building crap semi randomly and see what happens?

Yes.

oh, maybe this might help. https://nomanssky.gamepedia.com/Freighter#Building_spaces

[Pul Myfinger]

Originally posted by MistrBill:

Can anyone point me to something like 'building on freighters for dummies'? I'm stumped by it. How much space do I have to build? What fits where? Should I build on the first deck or the second? It isn't obvious to me at all why things can be placed in some areas and not in others. Can I make a big open space somehow, like I see in videos, or do I just need a bigger freighter for that?

I see that some people have built a corridor with ten storage containers, five on each side. I can't even figure that out. When I try to build storage, instead of the boxes, I get some sort of room with a console.

I don't see a lot of specifics either in the game or on line, so maybe I'm just slow. Should I just start building crap semi randomly and see what happens? Anyone care to throw a knucklehead a rope?

{partial answer :: other good answers already posted}
We are all 'dummies' when first building on a freighter. Just build and see what happens.
Just go to the build menu, select a room and place it. The freighter walls will auto-expand. Some parts work, some parts fit together, some don't.
Can't build on the flight deck or the command deck afaik, only on the 'habitat' deck. You can expand up and out from the habitat deck with giant room(s) or floors.
It used to be a problem building upper floors: flooring would disappear, fall thru, etc. Might be ok post-NEXT.
If you build with items that don't snap together properly, beware of falling outside freighter - pita.
At one point, I was planting in trays and then deleted the trays, leaving the plants in-place ??? That might help with not having to recharge the trays ???
Build something amazing.

[Clamtacos]

What I wish I knew before I started building:

• Go as far back as you can in your freighter and start removing everything working your way back to the command deck. You'll get a ton of building materials that way and the default layout it comes with is pretty awkward.
  
• If you build tech in a room (examples: large refiner, base salvager) and then delete the room without deleting the tech first, the tech remains but anchored in an "empty" space that you will no longer be able to build a room in leaving you with a broken, unusable section.
  
• Leave space for for multiple command rooms or make them right away because you're going to want them when you begin doing multiple simultaneous expeditions.

[Gatun]

Originally posted by Clamtacos:

What I wish I knew before I started building:

• If you build tech in a room (examples: large refiner, base salvager) and then delete the room without deleting the tech first, the tech remains but anchored in an "empty" space that you will no longer be able to build a room in leaving you with a broken, unusable section.

stick a door onto a cuboid room or corridor looking into the "empty" space and you can delete what's there. Do NOT step out of the door!

[Johnny in the Clouds]

Originally posted by MistrBill:

Anyone care to throw a knucklehead a rope?

You're no knucklehead :)
It can be useful to colour the 'storage rooms' to aid finding things. The 'rooms' are the storage boxes you build on the surface of planets. Like wise you can colour the storage boxes to aid recognition.

Originally posted by Pul Myfinger:

Can't build on the flight deck or the command deck afaik, only on the 'habitat' deck.

You can add decoration items to the bridge deck if you wish. Not all fit very well but can be added.

[Johnny in the Clouds]

Originally posted by Gatun:

Originally posted by Clamtacos:

What I wish I knew before I started building:

• If you build tech in a room (examples: large refiner, base salvager) and then delete the room without deleting the tech first, the tech remains but anchored in an "empty" space that you will no longer be able to build a room in leaving you with a broken, unusable section.

stick a door onto a cuboid room or corridor looking into the "empty" space and you can delete whats there. Do NOT step out of the door!

That's a useful tip! :)

[Pul Myfinger]

Originally posted by Buzz Lightyear:

Originally posted by MistrBill:

Anyone care to throw a knucklehead a rope?

You're no knucklehead :)
It can be useful to colour the 'storage rooms' to aid finding things. The 'rooms' are the storage boxes you build on the surface of planets. Like wise you can colour the storage boxes to aid recognition.

Originally posted by Pul Myfinger:

Can't build on the flight deck or the command deck afaik, only on the 'habitat' deck.

You can add decoration items to the bridge deck if you wish. Not all fit very well but can be added.

hmmm, maybe I'll change out the captain for a potted plant. ...

[Gatun]

In your TKGRAPHICSSETTINGS.MXML file change "RemoveBaseBuildingRestrictions" to "true" and you can build just about anything anywhere. Since it allows you to build without a base computer just be careful that anything placed before the base computer is not part of your base for base uploading purposes (doesn't apply to your freighter).

[Clamtacos]

Originally posted by Gatun:

Originally posted by Clamtacos:

What I wish I knew before I started building:

• If you build tech in a room (examples: large refiner, base salvager) and then delete the room without deleting the tech first, the tech remains but anchored in an "empty" space that you will no longer be able to build a room in leaving you with a broken, unusable section.

stick a door onto a cuboid room or corridor looking into the "empty" space and you can delete what's there. Do NOT step out of the door!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, thanks so much! Gonna go try this.

[MistrBill]

I'm certainly not complaining about getting more out of a game rather than less, but my whole feeling with a freighter boils down to 'what the hell am I supposed to DO with this thing...'

Thanks for the replies, it's giving me some starting points to work with.

[Clamtacos]

You mean besides showing it off and impressing women you bring over on dates? You'll end up using it as a mobile base with storage probably.

[jbbuzz]

OP. It sounds to me as though you might have the same glitch as I do on PC. When drilling down on the menus, it will mistake a single click for a double click almost every time. I have to back out once to get back to where I wanted to go.
For example, if I want to build a freighter component, it will plop a room, even though I only wanted to go to the sub menu. I have to back out one step to get to where I wanted to go.
Very annoying.

[Hammered56]

You can also number your storage rooms and write down the contents, in case you forget.