How would you set up a defense for this base?

[CyPunk]

As the title says, just looking for some fresh ideas. I am relatively new to the game (my profile hours are deceptive... I keep the game open allot) but got the normal Cassandra down, usually killbox centric defense. Current game is Randy extreme though and while defenses have held perfectly, my population and wealth is climbing (tribal start, one colonist, no resources).

Note the open space on the bottom is an enclave: considering moving power generation there if needed to free current space for mortars and more grow zones one day.

Yet I have mostly been working upward, hoping to secure the two geothermal gysers at the top. Note up from the geysers I can block that whole are with a relatively small wall if needed.

So where would you draw your lines and with what (trap mazes, turrets, killbox etc.).

Only special defense related mod I use is embrasures, mainly as internal vents doubling as infestation security (works well, but too time consuming to farm hives).

Apologies to my fellow mild OCDers for the mess in the middle: hard start so survival took precedence over asthetics. A fix (new workshop, lab) is in the works...

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1377935164

[=(e)= Lemonater47]

"I'm relatively new to the game"
>tribal start
>1 colonist
>no resources
>extreme
>randy random.


You know I think you can call yourself a veteran lol. Can't actually see your hours because you have your profile partially set to private. New feature steam brought it and turned on by default to hide everyone's games. Without telling anyone they did it of course. Idiots.


Anyway I'm more of the open defence kinda guy. A lot of cover, turrets mines and deadfall traps with a nice complement of mortars. Using my farms to ensure no trees grow out there denying them any form of cover. And an outer wall with large gaps mainly just to force enemies to
Close the distance so they don't sit back sniping. I did a cave base once and just didn't find it fun. Having 2 entrances that they were forced to go through.

With the geothroermal generators you want to build all you gotta do is build a small wall
Around each and have a door so they can be accessed for repairs. Keeps the riffraff out.

[Tomibouzu]

I'd Just make a field of Deadfalls and a few walls to split up and force the raider close enought for gun turrets to not just be sniped. Maybe some IED of both offensive types placed in places where they will be more focued and Chunks filling in the empty space.

[grapplehoeker]

Those geothermal vents are ideally located for you to build a hydroponics chamber between them and then a couple of 'exhaust' corridors from the geothermal plants will provide heating. Just make sure you're careful with distances - not too hot ;)
As for defensive layout, you're using embrasures, so I'm not going to suggest anything.
In fact I don't understand why you haven't quit using them long ago, once you learned the basics of the game. They're too op and as such they're a crutch and one you shouldn't need anymore.
I wish you success ;)

[billy]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

As for defensive layout, you're using embrasures

i had to google what they were as i had never heard of them in rimworld . Then i saw they were a mod , they seem pretty ludicrous

[Tomibouzu]

Originally posted by billy:

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

As for defensive layout, you're using embrasures

i had to google what they were as i had never heard of them in rimworld . Then i saw they were a mod , they seem pretty ludicrous

I had never heard the word before and had to google it. Thought he was talking about the thing before the little Killbox. I've actually wanted those in some form in the game, but they could end up OP unless they have little HP compared to a wall of similar material.

[CyPunk]

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

Those geothermal vents are ideally located for you to build a hydroponics chamber between them and then a couple of 'exhaust' corridors from the geothermal plants will provide heating. Just make sure you're careful with distances - not too hot ;)

That is the plan more or less. I had a very nice layout for those my previous, and first proper (non learning game) but since it was an easy biome they were wasted. Looked nice though (easier to make it pretty without mountains in the way).

Originally posted by grapplehoeker:

As for defensive layout, you're using embrasures, so I'm not going to suggest anything.
In fact I don't understand why you haven't quit using them long ago, once you learned the basics of the game. They're too op and as such they're a crutch and one you shouldn't need anymore.
I wish you success ;)

Well, I can delete the mod then, I've not used them before this game: vanilla first, then mods, then pare them down. They just seemed so ideal for internal base (infestation) defense in a mountain, since I've never done a mountain base. Will read more on dealing with infestations.

[CyPunk]

Originally posted by =(e)= Lemonater47:

"I'm relatively new to the game"
>tribal start
>1 colonist
>no resources
>extreme
>randy random.


You know I think you can call yourself a veteran lol

lol, well I saw a youtuber do it, looked fun, followed his advice, and got lucky with that ancient danger (mechs killed bugs, spacers kill mechs, I cleaned up). Interesting about the hours clock, will check that out.

Thanks for the advice: this is my first full (more or less) mountain base and it is a bit constraining.

[CyPunk]

Originally posted by Tomibouzu:

Originally posted by billy:

i had to google what they were as i had never heard of them in rimworld . Then i saw they were a mod , they seem pretty ludicrous

I had never heard the word before and had to google it. Thought he was talking about the thing before the little Killbox. I've actually wanted those in some form in the game, but they could end up OP unless they have little HP compared to a wall of similar material.

Probably depends on the mod, but the one I downloaded has, for example, 475 HPs for a granite embrasure compared to 595 for a wall, or 450 for sandbags. They provide 75% cover vs 65% of sandbags. Not sure how/whether they effect AI behaviour.

[Astasia]

Trap corridor. Always. Doesn't really matter where.

Originally posted by Tomibouzu:

I've actually wanted those in some form in the game, but they could end up OP unless they have little HP compared to a wall of similar material.

Their health doesn't matter because enemies will just run right up to them and shoot through them like your own colonists can, canceling out much of your cover and turning your defenses against you. They only really protect against melee. Melee enemies will go for the door instead of trying to attack the embrasures.

If you want to take full advantage of embrasures it helps to also use a mod that adds deep water teraforming, so you can built a moat in front of them keeping enemy shooters from countering them. Without being able to find cover the enemy shooters will engage your units behind the embrasures instead of attacking walls or doors, and then you realize they don't do as much as you'd expect. The way the game handles ranged combat means misses can often still hit, and your guys will take damage far more often than 5% of the time, especially against things like LMGs and miniguns which spray an area with bullets.

I used to think embrasures were OP, but then I realized they suck pretty badly compared to the base game trap corridor defense. With a large trap corridor you can safely wipe out most raids without being shot at a single time. Having a killbox with cover marginally better than standing behind wall pillars really doesn't do much on top of that.

Originally posted by =(e)= Lemonater47:

Can't actually see your hours because you have your profile partially set to private. New feature steam brought it and turned on by default to hide everyone's games. Without telling anyone they did it of course. Idiots.

Wow, good to know. Would have taken me ages to figure out something had changed. I remember like last week looking at a profile and not seeing game time show up and I thought Steam was just lagging.

[Tomibouzu]

Originally posted by Astasia:

Trap corridor. Always. Doesn't really matter where.

Originally posted by Tomibouzu:

I've actually wanted those in some form in the game, but they could end up OP unless they have little HP compared to a wall of similar material.

Their health doesn't matter because enemies will just run right up to them and shoot through them like your own colonists can, canceling out much of your cover and turning your defenses against you. They only really protect against melee. Melee enemies will go for the door instead of trying to attack the embrasures.

If you want to take full advantage of embrasures it helps to also use a mod that adds deep water teraforming, so you can built a moat in front of them keeping enemy shooters from countering them. Without being able to find cover the enemy shooters will engage your units behind the embrasures instead of attacking walls or doors, and then you realize they don't do as much as you'd expect. The way the game handles ranged combat means misses can often still hit, and your guys will take damage far more often than 5% of the time, especially against things like LMGs and miniguns which spray an area with bullets.

I used to think embrasures were OP, but then I realized they suck pretty badly compared to the base game trap corridor defense. With a large trap corridor you can safely wipe out most raids without being shot at a single time. Having a killbox with cover marginally better than standing behind wall pillars really doesn't do much on top of that.

being able to shoot through them helps them a bit with balance, but Manhunters are what i'm worried about. Gotta kite, but that is kind of blah in the game.

[CyPunk]

Originally posted by Astasia:

Trap corridor. Always. Doesn't really matter where.

Thanks: think I will do that, already drew up a schematic for one. (ADD: will be the first time I used one, but even that little one there already is just sooo effective).

Originally posted by Tomibouzu:

being able to shoot through them helps them a bit with balance, but Manhunters are what i'm worried about. Gotta kite, but that is kind of blah in the game.

Since you bring it up, just been doing more kiting than I've in the past, due to low tech level vs. mechs but some acquired sniper rifles. Effective but tedious. Question: any mod to show weapon range while still being able to move the pawn? Just to leave the range marker on. My search turned up nill.

[Tomibouzu]

Originally posted by Forschungsfüchse:

Originally posted by Astasia:

Trap corridor. Always. Doesn't really matter where.

Since you bring it up, just been doing more kiting than I've in the past, due to low tech level vs. mechs but some acquired sniper rifles. Effective but tedious. Question: any mod to show weapon range while still being able to move the pawn? Just to leave the range marker on. My search turned up nill.

when drafted click the gun icon next to the draft button. you can't pick where you want to go while this is up. If you pick a place to go and open it you can watch it move.

[Ultra]

I see you mentioned manhunters, the way i deal with them is to mine out a corridor a single tile wide and stick all my colonists in there at the end of it, then the pack can only melee one colonist at a time (even better if its a brawler) and everyone else shoot forward. Only problem is friendly fire, but its not that bad and far better then dealing with them in the open, at least befoe you get turrets. I play on randy intense so i come across manhunters real quick into a game sometimes and have to improvise like this, 1 wide tunnel (usually a start for my mountain home) is something made in the 2nd day or earlier.

[Billy]

A ♥♥♥♥ ton of mortars.

[SquidTheKiwi]

Originally posted by Forschungsfüchse:

Originally posted by Astasia:

Trap corridor. Always. Doesn't really matter where.

Thanks: think I will do that, already drew up a schematic for one. (ADD: will be the first time I used one, but even that little one there already is just sooo effective).

Originally posted by Tomibouzu:

being able to shoot through them helps them a bit with balance, but Manhunters are what i'm worried about. Gotta kite, but that is kind of blah in the game.

Since you bring it up, just been doing more kiting than I've in the past, due to low tech level vs. mechs but some acquired sniper rifles. Effective but tedious. Question: any mod to show weapon range while still being able to move the pawn? Just to leave the range marker on. My search turned up nill.

I believe The mod "Range Finder" is what you're looking for. It allows the use of a hotkey to display weapon ranges for selected pawns and is toggleable. It should be on the workshop.