Things to build..

[Zourin]

The fun part of solo is that you don't have to build like a paranoid hoarder, but at the same time, it gets a little tougher to plan things out, especially with limited access to engrams. I don't have to worry about perimeter walls or metal construction, but there are a lot of (open) designs that are useful to set up to support play.

A bedroom, 2x2, is usually big enough for one person with space for a crate and a large storage box to handle changes of armor and equipment storage. A standing torch is usually required in here for light.

A kitchen is usually also very early. I typically opt for a 3x3 main room with the fire/pot and/or standing torches for heat in the middle (best coverage). Storage for berries and meat is obvious as well, and possibly extra space for medical/alchemical supplies as well (mortar and pestle nearby)

Storerooms are pretty practical, 2x4 seems to be enough space for bulk storage of most general goods like wood, stone, fiber, seeds

Smithies. A good extension or standalone building for storing metal and smithy-related goods beyond basic storage.


These are basics just about everyone whips up.. but I've come across more for the ambitious builder with time and resources.

- Loading Bay. An area adjacent to storage where you can 'pull up' pack animals to unload them. I usually do a mostly enclosed space 3-4 high to prevent predators from spotting me from a distance and jumping on me while I'm busy. It also allows me to unpack animals while benefitting from the 'indoors' status as often as possible.

- Mining Camp/wayhomes. I set one of these up on the west side of Frozen Fang. Having 'homes away from home' can make getting distant resources much easier if you have a new place to relocate to temporarily. I figure setting up small homes periodically will mean having a sheltered place to stay through the night rather than have to risk 'camping under the stars'. Even a thatch hut would do in a pinch, as long as it has a campfire for cooking and a water supply (or tank)

- Watchtower. There are a lot of places where a good view can speed up hunting, or at least warn of rampaging Rexs. Useful with a spyglass

- Marina. I've seen people building water-based bases and pens for tamed sharks, and they usually aren't a bad place to set up land pens while you cross to islands for supplies. Not unlike a mining camp, only you would need a place to park your pack animals for the return trip.

- Flight Tower. Not unlike a watch tower, but I've yet to play around with flight enough to try and land a bird on a tower. A lot safer than on the ground, i'd wager. Setting up a series of these would allow a relay of safe landing points to get from point A to point B by air.

- Cave Camps. Nothing worse coming out of a cave and being starving, thirsty, injured, and doing so at night. A small waycamp near caves is certainly a good idea for the solo or co-op group. A few tanks with jars, a shelter, and some stashed food and you're set to at least not die of something silly when you step back out.

- Watershacks. Probably my craziest idea.. a small 'emergency' shelter built on a pillar from the sea floor near known oil and pearl spawns, for when you overstay your afternoon dive past dusk. Also acts as convinient marker for the nearby resources.

Other ideas?

[Zyanir]

These are awesome ideas!

~ In reference to the flight tower; we built such a tower. Its one foundation walled in, about 6/7 walls high. The base is expanded to about 2/3 foundations outward. Ladders are stuck to the wall to gain roof access. The landing zone itself is spread out to about 4/5 spaces outward so the birds don't fly to the ground after dismounting. It works great! The birds like to walk a bit after dismounting, so having such a broad landing zone makes it so that they don't walk off the edge in search of a standing spot. :D

[Demonpriest]

You should worry about perimeter walls depending on where youre base is located. Mine is in the north, and just on the other side of the river 5, "Five" T-rexes were chomping their way through the local wildlife. Without walls, my dinos /well, me too) would have been screwed.

As a little bonus: My little sealife-shelter
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=484680953