Building bases in slightly uneven terrain

[Zeihold_von_SSL]

Dear Devs,
Dear Modders,
Dear Community,

I finally bought Ark, after a few friends recommended this game to me. Since then, I'm addicted!

But the longer I spend time with this game, the more I get upset about the building mechanics.

Me and my tribe (a bunch of friends) play on our own dedicated server and the first few days I stayed with them until I was ready to take off and build my own base. So I took the time to pick up a nice location.

The location for my house was perfect (at least it seemed so) because there was no or at least not much height difference.

So I started laying the foundations. After a few foundations the trouble started, because there was no valid snap point to extend the foundation further. First I was confused and I tried different angles and so on.

That was the point I noticed, that there is a limit to what height difference you can compensate with a foundation and I reached that limit quickly.

In the realy world, there are a few things you can do about that kind of problem (to work around it so to say):

1) You can flatten the area by ablating or raising the ground.
2) You can lay your foundation on top of stilts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilt_house)

My first attempt then was to use the pillars as stilts. But I figured out that due to the fixed height of each pillar, that there is no (good/easy) way to reach one even ground level. Especially if you want to extend an existing foundation or even an existing house.

So I would like to raise a feature request. I "need" a way to compensate height difference in the terrain. To fix this I would suggest multiple basic approaches.

1) You could add a new engram type (stilts) which can be stacked (in height) to put a foundation or maybe a ceilling on top of it to level the terrain.

2) You could modify the pilars to reach that goal.

3) You could implement an option to ablating or raising the ground (with a tool or a dino).

I would really appreciate that kind of change. Because this part of the building system drives me crazy right now.

Thanks in advance for considering. :)

Best regards,
Zeihold

[Sminky]

Use Pillars and cealling tiles. You can build 2 out from a foundation, then place the Pillar 'inside' the 2nd Cealing tile. it's will look neat and will act as a foundation, and you can continue this process as much as you need.

We have a large base that more or less goes up a mountain using this technique.

[Drakon]

When building with wood/stone/metal pillars (stilts) alot of people make the mistake of building from the ground up with them, where its actually designed to be built from top down. The part where you cannot use foundations anymore you need to start using roofs, when you get 2 roof lengths away from a foundation you then need to snap a pillar to the roof and build the pillar down untill it comes in contact with the floor, then you can continue building your roofs out to form a nice even floor supported by pillars.

[Primarch_hanma]

you can attach ceiling parts to the foundation to build over uneven terrain

[Zeihold_von_SSL]

Okay, I will try this. But in my opinion the "top down" approach is a workaround and not how you should actually build. ;)

[Drakon]

Once you get use to building from the top down it makes alot more sense for making sure everything is at the same hight, and its alot more easier and faster than building from the bottom up.

[Jerryn]

Uneven ground. Try this. :D

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=578402804

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=578403032

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=578403946

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=573058940

[Zeihold_von_SSL]

WOOOOOOOOW. THAT IS HUGE _AND_ IMPRESSIVE!

[Jerryn]

Originally posted by Zeihold_von_SSL:

WOOOOOOOOW. THAT IS HUGE _AND_ IMPRESSIVE!

If you are a builder, over time, you are going to do the same. Find more interesting and challenging areas to build, and design more efficient base designs.

[ANN]

u can literally build everywhere with pillars

[Valkyrie Valentina]

BUT your all missing one point, using pillars and roof is a weak point in your foundation. take a few out and bam.

[Jerryn]

Originally posted by Josey Wales:

BUT your all missing one point, using pillars and roof is a weak point in your foundation. take a few out and bam.

Same is true for foundations, they just have high points(though pillars used to also).

And, if you are on PVE, then time that is the risk, is if the pillars are not metal and left vulnerable to other dinos; and then stone is only vulnerable to a giga.

Where I build my base, even a giga cannot reach the columns; even with the oversized AOE bite.


Also, you can protect those areas with walls, rams, fencing, and a few other game mechanics, so that, in a pvp, someone has to get through those to get to the underside of you base.

[AliciaG]

Originally posted by Jerryn:

Uneven ground. Try this. :D

Pretty impressive Jerryn. Where exactly did you build? Looks like a good spot.

[Jerryn]

Originally posted by AliciaG:

Originally posted by Jerryn:

Uneven ground. Try this. :D

Pretty impressive Jerryn. Where exactly did you build? Looks like a good spot.

It is a rock column, only accessible by a bird or by build a tower/ladder and/or ramps to reach it.

It is at approximately 42 by 67, give or take.

There is a second rock column(with a much flatter top) just slighty north of that. When you have the resources, you can run a wall from one column to the other, put in some gates at the right points, and fence off the upper levels, and you will have a huge animal paddock. Only down side is that there is enough room for stuff to spawn in; that could be good or bad depending on what you have in there.

There is a small river and cliff to the east, which you can put B. Gates on for making a pen; just have to watch for stuff falling in from above(can fix that with a fence). Also makes a decent taming pen. However, to the West side, there is also a small cliff; but B. gates at each end, plus a dino gate or door and wall, and this makes a very good taming pit.

It is east of Frozen Tooth, which is a good source for metal, crystal, stone, and obsidian; and also rare flowers and mushrooms. Also good for gigas, scorps, rexes, argen, sabers, etc. Also, Far Peak is not too far away, to the north east.

The swamp is to the south, so lots of cement paste, boa eggs, and chitin.

If you build a ramp to the east side, over the river, the woods are good for wood, as they are not overrun with small berry plants; less time cleaning inventory.

And plenty of stone available from the rocks at the bottom, plus a few on the east side. Also 3 metal nodes to the east, just up the hill, for when you need some quick metal.

Lots of brontos, spinos, trikes, compies, dilos, paracers, carnos, raptors, and such. About the only thing you will have to go any distance for, currently, is mammoths and wolves.

And, multliple medium to high level drops close by.

About the only thing I have to go any distince for is pearls and oil, but you can keep a shark/icy in the river mouth to the north, and there is plenty in the area, or just fly to the snow biome and do the run around the entire edge.

This has been, be far, my favorite spot to build, and my favorite base so far.

[I Also Banana]

I build on Pillars now and love it! But I'm in PvP so a little worried about the strength of them. Been thinking of adding walls around the pillars for extra protection, anyone tried it? So like put a ceiling in between each pillar and put four walls around the ceiling.

Also Jerryn, that looks awesome!

[Jerryn]

Originally posted by Steggs101:

I build on Pillars now and love it! But I'm in PvP so a little worried about the strength of them. Been thinking of adding walls around the pillars for extra protection, anyone tried it? So like put a ceiling in between each pillar and put four walls around the ceiling.

Also Jerryn, that looks awesome!

Main issue you will run into is clipping into the ground. You will be able to get some walls to clip to the ground and make a complete seal. In other places, you will not be able to, which leaves gaps.

Howerver, you can fill those gaps with other things, including ramps and regular foundations.

If you want the most secure, you will put layers of ceiling tiles, to allow the walls to connect to them. There is even a trick you can do with a double floor, which can allow you to do double walls, make it even harder for them to get to your pillars.

Also, if you don't plan to go under you base again, put down spikes and traps. Make the under side of your base a pain to get through.

You can also protect your assests a bit by not putting them along the outer wall and/or installing a shell wall around your main build.

However, no matter what you do, ultimately, in PVP(especially PVO), a determined and well organized tribe can get in to your base. You just need to make it expensive and painful for them.