Let's talk about base building

[Merder]

Edit: I just wanted to add that when I posted this it was probably way too soon for me to make any judgements on base building. Once you get used to the way it works it's pretty good. I've seen some structures built by others that left me really impressed. My own bas is still just a box but I'm looking forward to building so cool stuff!

Original: I'm enjoying the game so far but it seems like base building needs some work.

My chief issue is the way floors work considering how uneve the terrain is. Placing floors directly on the ground results in a messy looking base with grass clipping through the floor. The system also doesn't seem to take stability into account.

To keep the grass from poking through I was able to place a single pillar and the build a 2x6 floor on top of it with the whole thing appearing to balance on the single pillar.

I would like to see actual foundation pieces with built in ground support (similar to Rust or Exiles). I think the game would also be fit from a stability system (a check to make sure places pieces are actually supported and don't defy gravity).

Aside from that I'd love to see some improvements to snapping of building pieces. Right now it's difficult to actually snap pieces together. (It's not impossible but figuring out where to point the cursor to get a piece to snap to another piece can be somewhat frustrating.

[Merder]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Aeekto:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Ccrack:

i would actually like some kind of foundation piece myself, mainly to just hide any tiny gaps i can see where i dont want the, but having an easier way to place blocks on the underside of other blocks would work just as well

i do like how you have to plan buildings more carefully. want a fire indoors? you need a high roof and windows to stop the smoke killing you, and some pillars to hold up said roof
you can make some really creative designs with the different wood angles, would love to see more types of models for them

you can flatten the ground, you can fill it up, you can build roads, etc.... no need for foundations to fill gaps

I'd like to see foundations even with the ability to flatten. It's what players are used to in other survival games. If you prefer posts or floors just sitting on the ground that's cool but adding more options is never a bad thing.

[Merder]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Aeekto:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Merder:

I didn't even realize the game had terrain manipulation until I read a few other posts.

One thing I'd like to see is for the game to provide a bit more explanation in the beginning. For example, early on the crow tells you to build a workbench. Then you plop one down in an open field but you can't use it because it isn't under a roof. It's possible that I missed something. If so it would be great to have a task list on screen at least during the tutorial:

Craft a stone hatchet
Craft a hammer
Set up a floor for you base
Build a workbench

Something like that. Maybe that's too much handholding for some but I think it would make the game more accessible.

Another flaw is that you have to have the workbench to make the hoe. That means you are forced to start building on uneven terrain before you have the opportunity to make a flat spot to build on.

Of course you can you throw up a temporary structure for your first bench but that seems like unnecessary work.

you shouldn't stick to your first base anyways, otherwise the travel get realy long once progressing.
usually you build a small starting home and each time you advance you first build outposts with portals and at the point you probably gonna build in snowy biomes or the one of the other realy beautiful ones.

I admit I've only spent about an hour in the game so far. I'm going to play more tonight. But I agree - the map seems pretty big and I'm sure the first spot I picked isn't going to end up being an ideal location later in the game.

[True Defective]

I think that the walls could be a foot or two higher.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2384231563

[Duster71]

I agree with op that snapping of floor or load bearing posts ect needs work (grass through the floor) What I do question is the need to go beyond the period pieces timeline. I think some are pushing a roman roads, bath houses ect narrative..

[Merder]

Diposting pertama kali oleh True Defective:

I think that the walls could be a foot or two higher.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2384231563

This is a big gripe I have with a ton of survival games. Why is the wall height exactly the same height as my character? Nobody actually makes walls 6 feet tall. Rust is about the only game that got wall height right. Conan Exiles is one of the worst offenders because their system all but forces you to make every wall double height.

[Kurtino]

You can flatten once you've already built your base.

If there's dirt clipping inside your house, for example, if you use your hoe inside your house and click on the dirt, it'll automatically lower the dirt to be underneath the house. From there you can basically flatten it however you want it.

Short of removing your ground tiles to flatten even more precisely, it's on you to build your house in a flat enough area to start with, and not to expand too much. I don't think it's the game's fault for not giving you the ultimate terrain manipulation tools off the bat, but there are plenty of building mechanics that allow you to correct this.

I'd say this game's building mechanics are the strongest I've ever seen at their core. The snap and axis logic feels great to use, and the terrain manipulation is solid and smart without it being over the top simulation style (like minecraft/no mans sky).

[True Defective]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Merder:

This is a big gripe I have with a ton of survival games. Why is the wall height exactly the same height as my character? Nobody actually make walls 6 feet tall. Rust is about the only game that got wall height right. Conan Exiles is one of the worst offenders because their system all but forces you to make every wall some double height.

Coffee Stain must have used the dwarves from Deep Rock Galactic to make the building measurements.

[Maximus]

Wood seems to support 8ish blocks vertical, and 4 blocks away from vertical support.

Get ground semi flat with hoe, then place down a single pillar. Lay out a row of floors on top of it, adding a support pillar in every corner, rinse and repeat until you reach desired floor size. Then start adding desired walls and roofs. To add an indoor fire place, remove a single floor, use a hoe to raise ground even with the floor and place down campfire. Make sure to leave ventilation for smoke.

[Emme]

The game needs a construction mode with free cam, 1st person view and a better snap system to build more precisely. Right now building with not much space around you like for example building a watchtower is absolutely painful in 3rd person view.

For building foundations we already have all the tools we need.

[True Defective]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Emme:

The game needs a construction mode with free cam, 1st person view and a better snap system to build more precisely.

+1 for first person view when indoors

[Mavor]

Terrain tool, 'Pathen' option = removes grass but doesn't alter terrain height.

Also, the game's building system allows for a ton of freedom - with part clipping and free placement both options. Can't really think of another building survival game that has less restrictions.

[Merder]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Kurtino:

You can flatten once you've already built your base.

If there's dirt clipping inside your house, for example, if you use your hoe inside your house and click on the dirt, it'll automatically lower the dirt to be underneath the house. From there you can basically flatten it however you want it.

That's good info. Thank for the tip.

[Merder]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Mavor:

Terrain tool, 'Pathen' option = removes grass but doesn't alter terrain height.

Thanks!

Also, the game's building system allows for a ton of freedom - with part clipping and free placement both options.

I'm not really a fan of either of these because it results in janky looking buildings, but that's just my opinion.

[Macdallan]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Merder:

Diposting pertama kali oleh True Defective:

I think that the walls could be a foot or two higher.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2384231563

This is a big gripe I have with a ton of survival games. Why is the wall height exactly the same height as my character? Nobody actually makes walls 6 feet tall. Rust is about the only game that got wall height right. Conan Exiles is one of the worst offenders because their system all but forces you to make every wall double height.

You can build a second wall on top of the first, or a half wall on top of each, then put the roof on your house. Problem solved.

Conan Exiles does not force you to build every wall double height if you use the roof tiles properly, though I tend to build double or triple height walls very often in that game because why not!!! :)

Diposting pertama kali oleh Merder:

Diposting pertama kali oleh Kurtino:

You can flatten once you've already built your base.

If there's dirt clipping inside your house, for example, if you use your hoe inside your house and click on the dirt, it'll automatically lower the dirt to be underneath the house. From there you can basically flatten it however you want it.

That's good info. Thank for the tip.

It is a good tip but unfortunately it seems that it doesn't always work. I have a couple houses where the dirt clips in a few spots no matter what I do.

Diposting pertama kali oleh Maximus:

Wood seems to support 8ish blocks vertical, and 4 blocks away from vertical support.

Get ground semi flat with hoe, then place down a single pillar. Lay out a row of floors on top of it, adding a support pillar in every corner, rinse and repeat until you reach desired floor size. Then start adding desired walls and roofs. To add an indoor fire place, remove a single floor, use a hoe to raise ground even with the floor and place down campfire. Make sure to leave ventilation for smoke.

Possibly the best and simplest explanation I've seen describing one of the better ways to build. If you aren't building on fairly flat ground, or don't want to level a bunch of terrain, it really is important to begin with one pillar and one floor tile and to work from there. It took me a while to really get the hang of it but now that I've made a half dozen houses I'm getting fairly good at judging heights and placement. It's become much easier to get thee support posts in the right places. The free placement can help, but I agree with another post in that it can certainly start to look janky.

[Merder]

Diposting pertama kali oleh Macdallan:

Conan Exiles does not force you to build every wall double height if you use the roof tiles properly, though I tend to build double or triple height walls very often in that game because why not!!! :)

"Force" was a bit hyperbolic, but if you play Exiles in third person the camera gets weird on single wall heights that have another floor above them. Tall characters can also have issues in single wall height spaces.