Separate the Safe Zone from Crafting Bench

[MechWarden]

It's an idea I've tossed out a few times, but hardly anyone replied back. So I'm just going to keep this simple,

Would it help or confuse things if players had a special device that marked/established the base and the Crafting Bench was just a bench?

I'm not too worried about the how's and why's just yet, only if could be a net gain to have the two functions separate.

[Yaridovich]

I think this is very unnecessary and would just over-complicate things.

[Deagle Trainee]

Why though? You'll always need a crafting bench, so not making it the focus is a bit weird. Even in a temporary base, it would be nice to have a crafting bench. Just in case you forgot something. Or don't want to make the full trip back to base.

With the safe zone focused on the crafting bench, you can sleep anywhere without worrying about changing your respawn location. Plus they have quite a bit of durability, so it's less likely to be destroyed by an enemy before someone can stop it.

[MechWarden]

The main reasons I ask is because it is easy for players not notice or misunderstand Safe Zones (given the semi-regular "base being attacked" often being fixed by "keep your Bench powered"); on top of not understanding how far it goes and what it exactly does. You build a makeshift frame bench and somehow that alters the very space around it make your spot safe.

It if were two separate things it tells the player, by showing, what they actually have to work with. Later on, upgrades for both get introduced as per normal. Given how important the spawn blocker is, it likely would have some good durability to it. (again, not wanting to get into the weeds on assumed stats)

Having it separate means the player can have more control over their safe area. They could know where their control ends and where the wild begins, rather than being confused as to why critters are still wrecking their stuff when extending too far.

I totally get it, other games uses the basic bench or whatever arbitrary buildable as a way to mark things, but I feel like that's a game design that many people aren't going to get right away, especially when all you get is a little icon with a House and no other indications.

In short, what's in the game feels too simple and is not really explained. It would still make sense to find some broken premade spawn suppressor, build a crafting bench to fix it, and use that suppressor as the flag/core/whatever of your base.

[Burning like KELT-9b]

yes, i believe that benches, marker flags, and safe zone makers should be separate entities, to make the benches less redundant. it also gives you more control on what things you needed to build for your base instead of slap dabbing on that same furniture in multiple places just to get the required feature, its also bad in aesthetic side. not saying that benches upgrades are useless, quite the contrary; i'd like it to be more expanded in meaningful way instead of just x% more durable.

i can understand that benches and marker flags are combined since benches often become the corner stone of a base but what i dont understand is the safe zone maker part. sure, you wont have that problem if you just build small bases that one crafting bench acting as safe zone is enough but once you try expanding beyond that, youll find it pretty stupid to build these things repeatedly just to get a specific benefit and knowing you pretty much not gonna use the rest of the benches' functionalities. in the end i dont mind benches have that functionality, but i'd rather also have different types of buildings that have its specialized uses for the sake of efficiency and aesthetics.

[burger boy]

Originally posted by MechWarden:

The main reasons I ask is because it is easy for players not notice or misunderstand Safe Zones (given the semi-regular "base being attacked" often being fixed by "keep your Bench powered"); on top of not understanding how far it goes and what it exactly does. You build a makeshift frame bench and somehow that alters the very space around it make your spot safe.

It if were two separate things it tells the player, by showing, what they actually have to work with. Later on, upgrades for both get introduced as per normal. Given how important the spawn blocker is, it likely would have some good durability to it. (again, not wanting to get into the weeds on assumed stats)

Having it separate means the player can have more control over their safe area. They could know where their control ends and where the wild begins, rather than being confused as to why critters are still wrecking their stuff when extending too far.

I totally get it, other games uses the basic bench or whatever arbitrary buildable as a way to mark things, but I feel like that's a game design that many people aren't going to get right away, especially when all you get is a little icon with a House and no other indications.

In short, what's in the game feels too simple and is not really explained. It would still make sense to find some broken premade spawn suppressor, build a crafting bench to fix it, and use that suppressor as the flag/core/whatever of your base.

another option, would be to add an visible field ( similar to when you're connecting power outlets ), to show the radius and active-status of the craftingbench.
-- that, would make things far more obvious for when it's active, how far it reaches, and keep things simple.

[Memorizzi]

I have over 30 hours in this game but never realized that the crafting bench has a ...what a safe zone? what does that even mean?

[Slideshow]

Originally posted by Memorizzi:

I have over 30 hours in this game but never realized that the crafting bench has a ...what a safe zone? what does that even mean?

Regularly, mobs respawn in certain rooms/corridors. When that room/corridor is within a certain distance from a powered workbench, the spawning in that room stops.

[NoxKata]

Originally posted by Slideshow:

Originally posted by Memorizzi:

I have over 30 hours in this game but never realized that the crafting bench has a ...what a safe zone? what does that even mean?

Regularly, mobs respawn in certain rooms/corridors. When that room/corridor is within a certain distance from a powered workbench, the spawning in that room stops.

I had no idea that was the case! I have initially built my first workbench in that starting break room by the first kitchen and haven't moved it. Ive seen the 'safe area' notification, but I thought that was just where the game designated it for people to have a spot to stay.

Guess I'll be scouting a new spot soon!

[MechWarden]

Originally posted by burger boy:

Originally posted by MechWarden:

-snip-

another option, would be to add an visible field ( similar to when you're connecting power outlets ), to show the radius and active-status of the craftingbench.
-- that, would make things far more obvious for when it's active, how far it reaches, and keep things simple.

I thought about that as well, but I kept running into a game design issue where a single part was getting too complex in relationship to others. Having it show the limits would need its own UI, and that made it feel even more weird than it already was.

If I wanted that kind of functionality, along with others I thought would have been helpful, it would mean having to pull that game mechanic out and putting it into its own dedicated part.

---

Originally posted by Memorizzi:

I have over 30 hours in this game but never realized that the crafting bench has a ...what a safe zone? what does that even mean?

There is no official term for it, but it is a zone where enemy spawns are suppressed. It actually extends further than what that House icon suggests, preventing critters from (hopefully) eating your base while you are gone.

---

Originally posted by Escape_ParadoX:

Originally posted by Slideshow:

Regularly, mobs respawn in certain rooms/corridors. When that room/corridor is within a certain distance from a powered workbench, the spawning in that room stops.

I had no idea that was the case! I have initially built my first workbench in that starting break room by the first kitchen and haven't moved it. Ive seen the 'safe area' notification, but I thought that was just where the game designated it for people to have a spot to stay.

Guess I'll be scouting a new spot soon!

I was in the same boat when trying out the game in its 2nd Playtest. Got most of the way through, only to find out about it much later.

Would have been nice to know sooner that I could move my base.

Then not even a couple hours later after finding out, with an idea and a bunch of resources at hand, I broke the game and turned the entire Office Sector into a disquieting dead zone.

To me that felt broken, and it really didn't cost very much in resources. So another aspect of this idea is to at least make safe zones feel earned as well. As to how... I'm not sure yet, but making a separate device with its own required parts is one good way to limit things at the start.

[Deagle Trainee]

Originally posted by MechWarden:

The main reasons I ask is because it is easy for players not notice or misunderstand Safe Zones (given the semi-regular "base being attacked" often being fixed by "keep your Bench powered"); on top of not understanding how far it goes and what it exactly does. You build a makeshift frame bench and somehow that alters the very space around it make your spot safe...

I feel like you're overthinking this. I'm not sure how someone can play a game like this and be confused by this, unless it was their first survival game.

As someone else suggested, a visual area of effect, preferably when placing the bench, should be more than enough. As well as the ability to increase that range somewhat through upgrades or whatever. I don't see how that would be weird in a game about made up creatures and portals to other dimensions.

I also don't think you're supposed to be able to avoid base raids. The notification for a safe zone only implies it's somewhat safe. Not that you'll never be attacked while in your base.

Originally posted by MechWarden:

How?! There's outlets everywhere in this game. With, so far, 2-3 large sources of water in various places in the building. The outlets, batteries, as well the ability to reroute power makes it so you can build anywhere.

[MechWarden]

Not everyone plays Rust, or whatever game that uses your basic buildables as a land claim marker. I think it would be more fitting and lore accurate to have a neat looking tech device, teleported in from who knows where be at the starting area (and maybe at other spots as well), and starts the walk though the Safe Zone mechanic.

Also I didn't say it would avoid raids, but now that you bring it up, the point where you could possibly avoid raids depending on how you place things, but that's beside the point.

Also, where did I ever say this? I literally can't find it in my post history.

Originally posted by MechWarden:

How?! There's outlets everywhere in this game. With, so far, 2-3 large sources of water in various places in the building. The outlets, batteries, as well the ability to reroute power makes it so you can build anywhere.

You done goofed your quote tags.

Let me fix that.

Originally posted by Deagle Trainee:

Originally posted by MechWarden:

I was in the same boat when trying out the game in its 2nd Playtest. Got most of the way through, only to find out about it much later.

How?! There's outlets everywhere in this game. With, so far, 2-3 large sources of water in various places in the building. The outlets, batteries, as well the ability to reroute power makes it so you can build anywhere.

You played the Playtest before, right? It was short. The spot I picked worked really well, even glitching out Portal Storms to the point of not working (which I'm glad the devs fixed lol). There wasn't a pressing need to move after being established.

As said before and brought up by others, nothing about the Safe Zone was really talked about in the game, and there still is nothing. That's the whole reason for this idea, people can and will miss that important mechanic. I've seen Let's Play and game streamers miss that detail, and they are not nOObs by any stretch of the word. They power through games as a literal job and can miss that detail.

[Zukaro Travon]

Originally posted by MechWarden:

It's an idea I've tossed out a few times, but hardly anyone replied back. So I'm just going to keep this simple,

Would it help or confuse things if players had a special device that marked/established the base and the Crafting Bench was just a bench?

I'm not too worried about the how's and why's just yet, only if could be a net gain to have the two functions separate.

I'd rather the safe zone be separate from the crafting bench. I don't necessarily want multiple crafting benches in order to expand my safe zone, or I might want to use a strategic safe zone location to cover a particular area, but may not want to place my crafting bench in the spot that gives me the optimal safe zone.

I think just a flag I can place down would be great (especially if I can customise the flag). Maybe make certain upgrades (like the portal storm prevention) be applied to the flag instead of crafting bench. Though I get why the crafting bench was chosen as the home marker (it fits thematically) but I'd rather have more control over the safe zone.

Also, I'd really like a toggle to be able to SEE the safe zone. I want to know exactly where my safe zone ends and be able to visualise it easily.

[Monokuma]

I think crafting benches should keep their safe zone, but also have a portable crafting bench item similar to the portable charger.

Yes, I'm looking for an excuse to use more suitcases.

[Golden Dragon]

Основная проблема возникает когда вы хотите расширить свою безопасную зону. Не создать новую а расширить текущую, что бы например покрыть ещё одну комнату вблизи.
При этом нагромождение верстаков не имеет никакого смысла, так как всё равно ваш склад с ресурсами будет только у одного.

[MechWarden]

And here I thought the idea was dead, again.

At the risk of killing the thread again, the reason for this idea is multi part.

• Intuitively show and introduce the idea of a safe zone to players.
  
• Allow more freedoms to modify the borders of your claimed area.
  
• Keep the UI of such features clean and consistent with the rest of the game.
  
• Balance out the cost of claiming area.
  
• Give a lore reason as to why it is the way it is.

I know the game is in EA and unfinished and rough, but there are some glaring problems with the current system, and the most elegant way of solving in my opinion was to separate the safe zone effect from the Crafting Bench and making it its own device.

Originally posted by Golden Dragon:

(Google Translated)
The main problem comes when you want to expand your safe zone. Not to create a new one, but to expand the current one, for example, to cover another room nearby.
At the same time, piling up workbenches does not make any sense, since in any case only one will have your warehouse with resources.

If I'm reading the context right, that's pretty much matches my feelings.

There is no way to expand out without placing another Crafting Beach, which feels weird. Also outposts sometimes don't need a Crafting Bench.

And one issue I brought up elsewhere is that Crafting Benches can be made cheap and can be used to claim huge amounts of area. Plus if cheesed right, you never have to worry about them, because raids won't trigger on them.

Also, I should post this on the Suggestion forum at some point, but I wanted people's thoughts on it first, since the last 'wall of text's idea just sank like a rock.