Is there any actual base building?

[Door Into Summer]

Or do you simply build predetermined devices the game determines you need?

[Zarinthal]

there's no base interior but you go out, suck up and spit out dirt for resources, build a machine with the resources, get better resources with the help of the machine, so on. You also have to collect research material items to unlock new machines. There's no story, so try to ask for help as little as possible, if you cannot figure out a thing, try working around it for a while. The majority fun in this game is the figuring out part, though base building and infinitely deformable planets are fun too, and the planets are decent sized, if a bit repetitive

[Pesky]

There are two parts to this answer. This is not a town-builder or a god game. There's nobody there but you or, if you play multiplayer, all the players.

You start from just your shelter and landing pad. To do things in the game you build machines, platforms to put them on, power-sources, places to store things, vehicles, and many other things. To a large extent it is your choice on what to do next. You might want to see what a certain machine does, or whether a certain type of platform is a shape that you will find useful. So you can choose what to make next. This is the 'base building' of the game. If you want to 'finish' the game, you will end up having to build many machines and other things. There is a lot of freedom in where to place them, and you can move them without cost, so you get to arrange and rearrange things to suit you.

You can't just build anything at any time. Sometimes you want to build something but you need to build something else needed to build it or power it. Or fetch something it needs to do its job.

The second part is this. From a point during the game you will find you can make things that can sculpt your environment. It's not very detailed, but you can make an above-ground base with walls and a ceiling, and a stairway up to your landing pad on the roof. Or you could move most of your secret evil base underground leaving just an innocent home and landing pad visible from orbit. And you can paint these things any colour you've seen, to stand out brightly, or to camouflage them.

[Domaorn]

i tend to use the tool so i can place platforms vertically then trim everything so it has them buried into the upright walls i make. just the ports showing in most cases.. lol fun times fun times but no.. there are no walls, doors, or roofs.. everything you print is outta the box ready to lay down or connect to something. only thing new thats different is the rail system and thats basically the same thing... hmmmm i wonder if i can sculpt around the rails lol

[PhailRaptor]

There are plenty of ways to use the platforms, machines, Auto-Arms, and sensors to create extensive automated processing systems to turn raw harvested resources into finished synthetic ones. Almost Factorio like, without the belts. And there is, at least currently, a feedback loop you can make with the Trade Platforms and Scrap Shredders that is resource positive, allowing you to even forgo input of resources harvested from the planet.

But that is the extent of the "base building" of the game.

[Joelle]

Originally posted by PhailRaptor:

There are plenty of ways to use the platforms, machines, Auto-Arms, and sensors to create extensive automated processing systems to turn raw harvested resources into finished synthetic ones. Almost Factorio like, without the belts. And there is, at least currently, a feedback loop you can make with the Trade Platforms and Scrap Shredders that is resource positive, allowing you to even forgo input of resources harvested from the planet.

But that is the extent of the "base building" of the game.

Issue I have with this right now is what is the true point of the automation? I think the new rail system is great, but if the point doesn't align with the game intent other than something fun to do, it feels a bit pointless to spend the energy putting it all together.

[Pesky]

If you have to repeatedly go somewhere to collect what an autoextractor has produced, or if you have two bases, trains are amazingly helpful. No walking, no driving. No risk of falling down a hole because you weren't paying attention. Just get in and press a button. Want a nice view on the way ? Use high rails.

Want to collect a a resource from a deposit near a planet's core ? Underground minitrain. Rails stick to walls and ceilings as well as floors. You can get a roller-coaster ride on the way !

But more than that, ASTRONEER is one of the few games I've played where trains are easy to build (auto-curving rails, easy-switching points, automation if you like that sort of thing) and fun. In real life I'm not into trains. I've played a bunch of games which incorporate trains and in most of them they are no more convenient than some other way to transport yourself or goods. But in ASTRONEER trains are both efficient and fun.

[Pesky]

Also, to return to the OP, I think I now understand what the OP was asking. I think they wanted to know if you could build a building. With walls and doors and windows and stairs and stuff. And the answer is that you can't. Unless you're willing to sculpt one out of soil. Sorry.

[Joelle]

Originally posted by PeskyTheTroll:

If you have to repeatedly go somewhere to collect what an autoextractor has produced, or if you have two bases, trains are amazingly helpful. No walking, no driving. No risk of falling down a hole because you weren't paying attention. Just get in and press a button. Want a nice view on the way ? Use high rails.

Want to collect a a resource from a deposit near a planet's core ? Underground minitrain. Rails stick to walls and ceilings as well as floors. You can get a roller-coaster ride on the way !

But more than that, ASTRONEER is one of the few games I've played where trains are easy to build (auto-curving rails, easy-switching points, automation if you like that sort of thing) and fun. In real life I'm not into trains. I've played a bunch of games which incorporate trains and in most of them they are no more convenient than some other way to transport yourself or goods. But in ASTRONEER trains are both efficient and fun.

Yeah, I think my question here was mostly aimed at what is the point in setting up that automation in the first place with an auto-extractor/trains etc if you get the ability to do so end-game and really have no need for a mass of resources any longer.

[Joelle]

I could see more of a reason to do so if you got mining abilities early on and they just evolved over time. That would make it a bit more enjoyable there I think.

[Pesky]

Automation begins as the game starts. The design of containers, allows them to suck up only the type of thing that's already in them. So start a container off with one piece of resin, and it can automatically absorb any resign produced or placed in a connected socket. Leave a machine producing a gas, and it can all end up in a giant gas bottle for you to tap when you need it. No attention needed.

An early mission tells you to build an auto-arm and have it feed research items into a research chamber. Almost all automation can be done using these auto-arms, which can be used in a variety of ways. They even have a 'filter' element to them, so they will move one type of resource around and ignore anything else. With this you can have a 'dump anything here' patch, and use a number of auto-arms to sort it all into the right containers.

I would call auto-extractors mid-game. They're the last thing needed for automated production. You can, of course, choose to complete end-game missions before you bother to unlock their blueprint. Because ASTRONEER gives you the ability to do anything in any order.

[Empath demon]

The cost and complication of auto extractors makes them a bit silly to use before finishing the end game quests. Once you have one paver and one large rocket you can just do the thing, refueling and repackaging using the astronium trades. I agree some kind of post-ending project would be a really great addition to feel like I had enough time to really explore all the bits and bobs. Some kind of planetary megaproject, or ... I really don't know, but for such a creative interesting game it's disappointing that the final quest is just.... the end. I have no reason to build a factory now. It was a bit of a let down. Sandbox game with an adventure game ending.

[Pesky]

The original intention was that reactivating the ??? would be the difficult end-game project, and that it would be so difficult that most players would naturally do everything else first.
However, the way the game has evolved means that this is not how most players see the game.

In fact several of the newer missions are blatantly more difficult than that original mission. And since several of them lead to very little return (A QT generator ? I'll put it with my other seven.) this may seem strange to someone who doesn't know the history of the game.

This may be something the devs want to address before they stop working on ASTRONEER. Or it may not seem like a problem to them. I have no idea.

[Empath demon]

Originally posted by PeskyTheTroll:

The original intention was that reactivating the ??? would be the difficult end-game project, and that it would be so difficult that most players would naturally do everything else first.
However, the way the game has evolved means that this is not how most players see the game.

In fact several of the newer missions are blatantly more difficult than that original mission. And since several of them lead to very little return (A QT generator ? I'll put it with my other seven.) this may seem strange to someone who doesn't know the history of the game.

This may be something the devs want to address before they stop working on ASTRONEER. Or it may not seem like a problem to them. I have no idea.

It's a serviceable game if they're just looking to make it "good enough" and move on. Maybe a little steep on price considering the cash shop, but fine. A lot like Subnautica 1, however, it feels a little cheap where the edges meet and never gets around to really elaborating on the elements of gameplay that feel genuinely satisfying. We get to tinker a little with a few interesting mechanics but are never presented with opportunities to explore deeply and make big dumb weird goofy beautiful creations.

Ironically, the cash shop is probably underused because there's not much drawing people back into the game over and over like in (eg) minecraft (explore/build) or mindustry (defense/design) or whatever. Well that and it's unreasonably expensive, $6 for a skin is a MACRO transaction folks. And using a gacha currency feels... completely off-theme for the rest of the game, at least to me personally. And borderline scammy.

I'd love to see some harder quests that require a large number of late game resources, and not just "place them in a container" quests (although that would be sort of good enough probably). A reason to set up factories on different worlds to generate resources would feel like a final arc to me.

[Pesky]

Actually, the cash shop is probably a little underused because it has nothing in it that helps you play the game. It sells cosmetic items (clothes and gestures and such things) only. And that's something I like about it.

[Empath demon]

I agree, if there must be a shop it's good that it's purely cosmetic. I think in some more sane future, gacha currencies should maybe not be legal, since all they do is obfuscate and drive up the actual costs.