What is your most efficient base form?

[Sugar Show]

I call this "The block", like Domino block.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2069088630

Chadrracks with big hospital and guest room for extra commodity.
Workshop is next at stockpile, little cryo-room for the dead is also there.

The defenses are minefield (mostly to avoid sieges) and some grenade launchers.

[Markus Reese]

My most effective is a vanilla play, but I make a subdivided hallway/walkway system. Entries act as a bunker defensive wall so that colonists are spread and in cover no matter wear they fight. It allows any part of the base to be used as a chokepoint with fallback positions no matter if the enemy is sappers or drop pods into the base.

I dont really have a screenshot on steam that shows it off well, this is an aerial shot of my current base I took a bit ago where I was trying to create that castle feel with main corridors, etc and areas designed to allow me flank and crossfire. Not my best one, but I was trying to create that castle feel, though map resulted in it being a bit hodge podge.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2016812182

[kevinshow]

I've become a fan of using pitfall traps, so I make layouts with multiple small buildings that are about 3 tiles apart (rather than one big building or one big campus with all buildings behind walls). Traps are laid between the two buildings, so as attackers walk through the area, they get affected by the traps.

This is partly because I haven't really played around much with turtling-style bases or funneling attackers into an area to get slaughtered. Instead, I depend on the traps to take out some outlying raiders and then my colonist group takes out the remaining people who make it into the defended area. The defended area is just another open area between buildings that I have my colonists run to, to await the attackers.

[MortVent]

I tend to use a mix of design elements.

Often turning geo vents in random areas (hard to link) into turret centers (geo generator, walled off, trapped hallway to it, several automated turrets on the outside) to do some damage to raiders/threats

I do tend to wall off farm zones (keep wild critters from eating the plants) and grazing fields (for chickens/non-violent animals)

For my main bases I tend to build complexes either with some outbuildings or all one building branching off from a central room... with royalty I make the central room the throne room/entertainment/dining area.

[Markus Reese]

Originally posted by navorskatie:

I've become a fan of using pitfall traps, so I make layouts with multiple small buildings that are about 3 tiles apart (rather than one big building or one big campus with all buildings behind walls). Traps are laid between the two buildings, so as attackers walk through the area, they get affected by the traps.

This is partly because I haven't really played around much with turtling-style bases or funneling attackers into an area to get slaughtered. Instead, I depend on the traps to take out some outlying raiders and then my colonist group takes out the remaining people who make it into the defended area. The defended area is just another open area between buildings that I have my colonists run to, to await the attackers.

This is a form I sort of do with my tribal colonies. I have a type of hut O do visually, a 5x5 inside with corners clipped making a sort of cross shape. I found those corners are a great place for traps as are beside the walls midlength with a three wide corridor. At hut intersections are usually a tree or something that doubles as cover too for my peeps.

[ambi]

This screenshot is pretty old (A14?). But I think the logic is still valid. I think a grid layout is the most efficient. Place turrets at each intersection, so no matter which direction the enemy attacks, it'll run into turrets. The enemy will usually split up when they reach your colony, so your turrets can pick them off piecemeal. Hide your people behind the turrets or in one of the rooms if need be.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=764721577

[Markus Reese]

Yeah! That is a great way to play ambi. Even more relevant now with the increased ways that the AI will attack. Can sacrifice sections of base while you secure others, but every place is defendable, with ability to retreat if needed.

[nascarnik]

Originally posted by Ambigore:

This screenshot is pretty old (A14?). But I think the logic is still valid. I think a grid layout is the most efficient. Place turrets at each intersection, so no matter which direction the enemy attacks, it'll run into turrets. The enemy will usually split up when they reach your colony, so your turrets can pick them off piecemeal. Hide your people behind the turrets or in one of the rooms if need be.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=764721577

Man all I can think is a missclick to friendly fire while having all turrets selected would lead to a massacre.
Better hope the mechanites never research hacking.

[Kid 1,000]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2034371916
With this defense you won't get a scratch on you, unless they drop on top of you. But they never drop too many on top even in late game.

[Kid 1,000]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2070785384
The benefits of this design are having the kitchen/workshops close to respective warehouses w/ wooden autodoors. The long hospital for quick, linear access. Two kill boxes, which will save resources. The rec room in the center. There is also growing zones in the center (somewhat) and an indoors geyser to create free heat. I'm totally out of room though for all practical purposes. I try to keep the bedrooms at least 4X4 to increase mood.

[Markus Reese]

Originally posted by Kid 1,000:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2034371916
With this defense you won't get a scratch on you, unless they drop on top of you. But they never drop too many on top even in late game.

Combine that with bunkers for something really potent! Also spread out guys a bit more to take even less damage. The centipedes with cannons in a swarm would really make that one a hassle.

[Razorblade Nipples]

This design just sort of spread organically for me. Seems to work well. Then again permanent summer is pretty easy. My earlier play throughs all had brutal winters and cold snaps that seemed to come early and end late. I just try and keep a logical flow of raw resources to storage to production to finished storage.

https://i.imgur.com/AyZbjIc.jpg

[liosalpha]

Efficient? what does that even mean.... Form over function any and all the time.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2071197250

[ThinkAwsome]

Originally posted by Kid 1,000:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2034371916
With this defense you won't get a scratch on you, unless they drop on top of you. But they never drop too many on top even in late game.

Speak for your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ self... They drop on top of me mid-game, and its not a few

[Premu]

There is probably not the single best layout - especially as everyone might have slightly different targets. But there are certainly some good general rules:

- Keep storage of goods and places where these are processed close - especially for short works. The most important example for that is obviously the kitchen which should also be adjacent to your main freezer. As an additional tip - place shelfs in your kitchen where you store vegetarian ingrediants for your fine and lavish meals. If your pawns just go to the freezer to get meat and deliver the final meals they'll save a lot of time running!

- Try to keep you sleeping spots on the outer side of your base and you central meeting points and production facilities in the center.

- Use automatic doors for those doors which are used often, like your main entrances.

- Make several storages for specialised stuff if possible - Keep your medicine in the hospital, not in the main storage, for example.

[Stalker9]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQi4i6zJ16o&t=9s