Tips on base planning

[Shawn]

I've done a few restarts due to painting myself into a corner with my base layout... due to not having a clue how many things work.

I know some people here have very elaborate bases.

Do you create some kind of plan in advance? How do you make these elaborate bases on very hostile planets?

[Bryant]

Originally posted by Shawn:

Do you create some kind of plan in advance? How do you make these elaborate bases on very hostile planets?

Slowly…. My Vulcan base took awhile and I restarted a few times to get the hang of things, I started with a simple 3x3 and crammed as much as possible in it. Starting out was slow, and I still have a ways to go, but kind of have a plan in my mind. It doesn’t always work, but at least we can remove stuff and I can reclaim gases. Before that.

[Daviana]

typically i just make a sad little box, with all my stuff in it, then i start building an actual good base. once that's more or less ready, i move all my stuff from the sadbox (patent pending) to the good base, and grind the old shelter down for delicious resources.

[Muppe]

I start with 1x1x1 and everything than water+hydroponics outside. While i progress i build everything inside, so i end up with great mess. Then i build hallway(10x1x1 etc), and start building my "nice to live in"- base. But you have to survive first, right?
(I dont support solar/wind, so batteries go inside before hydro, but....i think OP know's more than i , so....) :=)

[PlasmaBlister]

There is no "right way" to build the base, there is your way. Find your way... :)

My way involved dying over and over by never eating or drinking.

[Shawn]

Hmmm....

Seems I am overthinking it? My last base was on the moon and I thought I had things going well, but I decided that after setting up this big elaborate advanced furnace I wanted to put my printers nearby, so I built out this big 2 story room.

And... when I tried to move the printers in I had put in so much wiring/piping running under just floors that the printers wouldn't go down because 'no support'.

So, I was looking at tearing everything apart to get the printers in and just kinda gave up in despair and thought I'd start a new game.

Seems every time I think I've got a handle on this game I find a new wrinkle.

[toolsong]

"that the printers wouldn't go down because 'no support'."

On certain rooms I leave an empty level underneath the floor for services and it sounds like you're doing the same.

It's a bid odd that you cannot construct a machine on a solid floor, but there's a simple workaround.

Place frames underneath but don't fill them in, add machines, deconstruct frames.

[RavensDaemon]

Originally posted by notbyson:

typically i just make a sad little box, with all my stuff in it, then i start building an actual good base. once that's more or less ready, i move all my stuff from the sadbox (patent pending) to the good base, and grind the old shelter down for delicious resources.

This, I use all starter iron frames and walls to make a 4 x 1 x 5 safe space with everything in it. Then work on a bigger base.

[JeanDeaux]

Originally posted by Shawn:

Seems every time I think I've got a handle on this game I find a new wrinkle.

I've been playing this for a while myself and still find myself here.

[pelorios]

I followed this guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LYvajif8jA&t=2034s and basically build a windowed 3x3 to start with. The airlock is a bit of work but everything else is easy to follow. - never figured out how to manually open the airlock, you lose some air if you do that, so be prepared to wait everytime you want to go in. Do not bother with the eggs as the chickens have their AI currently disabled (they won't move and won't eat) which is a bit of a blessing coz its pretty much the biggest "hurry" factor in this guide - i.e. building the base quickly so that the eggs don't spoil.
I am fairly in the starting stages as well, one thing I figured out is be prepared to move things around a lot.
Putting the oxygen tank and the water filtration inside helps, since you can add oxygen and nitrogen (from the water filtration) and slowly build up an atmosphere.
You will also need to add a N2 filter in your suit at some point (instead of all three being for CO2) if you go for 75-25 Nitrogen-Oxygen air mixture in your air canister which you can do pretty much the same way as it shows you how to make a canister for fuel.
I moved on since then, expanded the room a bit, added a 3x4 flat basic solar panel farm outside with another station battery, which i am now replacing with trackable solar panels which was a pain as they can't be in a square, they have to be in a line otherwise they block each other, what i meant by 'be prepared to move things around'.

There is also a series where someone has successfully made a 3x3x3 compact base in a very limited Moon world (i think with no ice whatsoever) which should have quite a few gems in there is how to build things compactly and also how to use one system to feed another, for example plants eat up CO2 and produce Oxygen which takes care of oxygen production given enough plants etc etc. This is the link for the first episode (i haven't watched them all) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLXBBQWWEsE

[Wafflez [CZE]]

Even draw it on a piece of paper to see what rooms should go together. Think up of the various rooms you would have and figure out their inputs and outputs. Then make them close to each other.
For Vulcan - working greenhouse exhausts oxygen so place other rooms where the fuel is mixed close nearby, etc etc.

The most important thing is logistics. Careful about excessive airlocks slowing you down (luckily they made them faster recently). Also dont wanna travel many turns for too long just to get to your printed products. Good idea is to build around your manufactory. The further it is, the longer it takes to scale up the base. Using and stashing into crates is ok but note you're bound to forget some item and ought to keep coming back for it to the manufactory.

Also multiple corridors and airlocks around your base would help you get from point A to point B as you scale up. Good luck!

[Daviana]

IMO there are two types of base builders - the 'procedural' builder and the 'planner' builder. the planner builder figures out everything before he even begins - this could just be an abstract level of "first will be entrance, then 3 doorways to living quarters, manufacturing, and maintenance" and just sorting out the specifics (power cables, pipes etc) on the ground, or it could be absolutely obscene levels of figuring out exactly how many cables your base is going to use.

the procedural builder is more sortof what the 'typical' player is - basically, you build box, and just... keep building stuff. figuring it all out on the fly. this has the benefit of being very much survival oriented, since you arent gonna be building stuff you... well you cant build yet lol. but ofc you can run into some awful roadblocks where previous work is now in the way.

personally, i always build 'on the fly' - i have somewhat of an idea regarding what i want, but not much planning goes into it. my recommendations for this? always build with an eye to expansion. sure you could just have 1 single entrance airlock, but what if you want to build a second room? you gonna knock out one of the walls and depressurize your home?

what about cables? are you gonna always be pullin out the cable cutters for any sort of addition? it'll get difficult real quick. so build stuff with an eye towards future expansions - maybe leave a couple open ends on your power lines, for future machines or solar panels. sure, a second airlock is expensive, but it means you won't have to knock a hole in your wall down the line?

my last tip - give yourself plenty of space. no need to cram everything in super tightly when you're still new to stationeers like me - and i consider myself new, it's like KSP hahaha.... but until you have a real good grasp of space and space usage, it's a-okay to give yourself a little bit more room than maybe you absolutely need!

[Dingo]

I spend months on single base, i'm a builder not a survivalist.

I don't really prepare layouts ahead of time, but after so many bases, i kind of learned what works and what doesn't. In general i try to keep 3 vertical frames (6 meters) per floor. the middle frame is the 'human' space, above and below is mechanical space. This makes it easy to route everything.

Electrical goes above, plumbing below, with recycling chutes running 1 step below the pipes.

Space is free, like the guys said already, there is no need to make everything cramped.

Alternatively you can set up small manufacturing base while you build your dream mansion in that prime spot with great sunrise :)

[Shawn]

This has been a cumulatively helpful discussion to me. I wish I could hand out multiple 'answers'.

I tend to try to maximize the utilization of space, and I've seen repeated comments here that space is free. Which you know... an entire planet to build in!

"But, dammit, I can fit somin somin somin in this space"! <--- I need to get over that.

Dingo: Your layout system is useful to me. 3 vertical for each livable space.

(Why did I just envision the movie 'Moon')?

[Dingo]

Originally posted by Shawn:

(Why did I just envision the movie 'Moon')?

Haha, good movie :)

Forgot to mention, decide on elevator spot early on if you going to use it. also for vertical bases, allocate cube worth of space for vertical tunnel on each side of the base to get your piping and electrical between the levels consistently and without hustle.

In the end OCD wins .. i think, spaghetti management is the difference between ballin' and balls base ...

[Daviana]

yeah thats the biggest tip out of this thread: space is free, don't be afraid to 'splay out' a bit. planning your space ahead of time, like dingo said, really is the difference between a poor base and a great base.

think of it like this: if one of the wires blew from overload, how long would it take you to find and replace the wire? hahaha