[Spoilers] Ice Citadel Platform Guide

An explanation of what Ice Citadel Ground Platforms are intended for.

Spoiler Warning, You Have Been Warned

The guide is a spoiler. I'm not going to further spoiler-text the content to protect people who come to this guide. Also, the only reason I'm creating this is because I searched the internet and could not find any references to this (and given that "platform" searches will turn up operating system platform results, I figured someone would appreciate having a guide that spells this out.)

Finding the Platform Construction Option

• Open the construction menu (by clicking anywhere where there is open terrain)
  
• Select the Ground category (While the category becomes available between acquiring access to wall structures and access to the orbital base-- the Platform option is hidden until you reach 25 honor. It unlocks with the Ice Citadel zone unlock.)
  
• Select the Platform
  
• Place the platform on the ground in Ice Citadel's ground. (It seems to only fit in the lowest ground area near the lake.)

NOTE: While it does seem to be possible to select the platform and then change to any of your first three cities, the platform cannot be placed on the ground in that area. (It appears it may be possible to place it on your city, but I do not have any area large enough or clear enough to let me try... so I am not attempting that.)

Purpose of the Ground Platform

After building the platform (10 frames, 16 beams, 70 cases) you will now have the option to build sidewall structures on the platform in Ice Citadel.

Observations

Thanks to those who have contributed comments to enrich this brief guide.

• Each platform is 81 sq areas. That's 9x9 1x1s, or 4.5x4.5 2x2s. (Not the tiny squares, but the actual small/medium/large building squares.) Source: Mazian [author]
  
• Being 9x9 1x1s, you should have space for 9 sidewall structures per side. There needs to be at least half a building width between platforms to place a sidewall building. If platforms are touching or there are ground structures within half a building width, the sidewall structure may be obstructed. (I did not get consistent behavior from ground structures obstructing sidewall structures.) Source: Mazian [author]
  
• Building's cannot be placed such that they bridge between two platforms. Each building must be building within a single platform grid. Source: Mazian [author]
  
• It is possible to stack platforms (one on top of another), theoretically granting more sidewall space without consuming more ground space. Source: Galatian [comment]
  
• It is possible to stack up to ~ 50 platforms before it is no longer possible to zoom out far enough to be able to see the top surface of the platform. There appears to be no hard limit on how tall your platforms can be built. (Source also said they built up to ~ 60? before it was no longer viable to place structures on top of the platform.) Total viable height is affected by camera mode. Orthagonal vs Normal. Orthagonal permits taller platform stacking. Source: Rainbow Droid [comment]

Conclusion

I estimate that you can place 5 platforms in Ice Citadel. Placing the platforms in contact with each other does not allow you to span structures across two platforms. Also, placing them next to each other prevents you from using the vertical wall space where two platforms touch. (You seem to need at least 1-2 spaces, or 4-8 squares) distance between platforms. I did some testing with platforms and ground structures and they cannot fully overlap. (Someone with more will to math than I will undoubtedly figure out if it is more efficient to build 3-4 platforms and use the extra sidewall space or compress 5 platforms... My rough estimate is that 3 platforms gives you 12 wall surfaces, one for each side of a platform-- but if you compress to 4 you might only get 8 sides, since the inner 8 sides are in contact with another platform they don't count... and 5 you might get the equivalent of 10 sides. So it's probably more efficient to do 3 platforms at a slight distance from each other.)

Based on Galatian's comments, it is likely advantageous to build multiple platforms on top of each other (as high as it will let you) to increase sidewall space available. (Obviously this is only if you are going for max population region, and not relevant if you don't care about anything but the campaign.)

PS - Frames cost 7 matter, Cases cost 10 matter, and Beams cost 14 matter. Doing the math, that works out to be 1064 matter to complete a platform.

[BigSilverHotdog]

Cheers I'll post another comment if I discover anything else of significance.

[Mazian]

Done

[BigSilverHotdog]

No problem but make sure to mention that the possible build height is affected by the camera mode, orthogonal camera allowing more height than normal camera.

[Mazian]

I've added your comments to the Observation section of the guide, in case anyone else wants to try their hand at building tall platforms to maximize sidewall building space. Thank you!

[BigSilverHotdog]

I don't care about "winning" because this is a city builder. With the Ice Citadel unlocked I'm just starting the best part of the game -- building an epic, massive, extremely complicated city. I've come up with several ideas that use various platform stacking concepts. I managed to stack up to about 60 in my test run, before no longer being able to add more due to camera issues. Actually building on that high of a platform is also very difficult (all buildings are huge and WAY up close to the camera and you can't zoom out).So max usable height is somewhere in the 50s (estimated, I didn't actually count)

[Mazian]

Sorry that I can't directly answer your question-- I only built one platform with a second platform on top of it, just to verify that I could stack platforms. Then I moved on to "winning."

I gave the game another playthrough recently (after the new free content was added.) Since building another platform prevents you from building anything on top of the platform (while construction is in progress)... I didn't see much value in stacking platforms excessively (it does give you more wall space, which is useful for packing in more structures... but given you can "beat the game" without doing it... I quickly grew bored with the idea of trying to stack platforms.)

[BigSilverHotdog]

I also forgot to mention that I've only been able to build this high by using orthographic camera. I didn't realize this fact until I tried to switch to normal and I could not even see the current platform under construction and trying to click on it would give me build menu as if the space was empty, even though I knew the platform was there. Weird stuff.

[BigSilverHotdog]

Anyone know the maximum possible height or issues with extremely tall builds? I'm currently about to pass the highest viewpoint (approx 40) as I near the end of my first full campaign run and I'm starting to think there is no hard limit except that soon I won't be able to see the highest platform to place the next one.

Maybe I can mod the viewpoint to extend higher?

[Mazian]

Thanks for the additional tips!

[eYeBaLLduDe]

I squeezed 6 platforms in there (5 in the bay and one at the root of the peninsula).

You just need the width of a pedestrian street (two small squares) between the platforms

Make acouple of backup saves before you place the platforms since they can't be demoledged.

Pause the game, add harbours and waterfilters along the shore so the platforms wont come to close and you have wasted alot of shore line.

Then use the streets as spacers when you place the platforms.