Top 10 Planetbase Tips

Some valuable hints on how to run your colony efficiently.

Tips

1. Fix problems before they happen

By the time you run out of food, energy or oxygen, it might be too late to correct the situation.

2. Design a base layout that minimizes travel distance

Dorms and cantines should be close to the workplaces to minimize the time wasted by walking around. Landing pads should have several airlocks and storage domes near them to facilitate trading.

3. Monitor the food charts

If the amount of food in store is decreasing, you will eventually run out of it, and people will die.

4. Monitor the power storage charts

By having a quick look at the power storage charts you should be able to immediately see if you have enough power generators or collectors: If you were very close from running out of power the previous night, then you either need more collectors (if you maxed out the power storage the previous day) or more generators (if you haven't).

5. Build larger power generators if possible

They cost the same per KW, but produce more energy for the same amount of spares and take less space.

6. Use the manufacturing limits panel

To make sure colonists are not spending all your vauable metal and bioplastic producing stuff you don't need.

7. Trade any resources you don't need for coins

Then when a trader lands with that technology you really want, you'll always be able to buy it.

8. If you can see you are going to run out of power during the night, disable non critical structures before it happens

You can do this manually or using the button in the grids panel.

9. Manufacture a ton of carrier bots

This will free the humans for more important tasks. It will also increase morale, as carrying stuff around makes people unhappy.

10. Don't accumulate ore or starch

They serve no purpose apart from being transformed into metal or bioplastic. Sell them for coins or build more processors and use the processed resources to build stuff.

[djfordham]

I hate fighting. So I always build in closed circles containing only a landing pad (or starport) and an airlock. Keep the airlock disabled by default. When a ship lands, if they're not welcome, don't enable the airlock. After a while, they run out of O2 and die. Build 3 such circles. Keep only one landing pad active at a time. If intruders land, all you have to do is disable the landing pad and enable another one. If you do allow entry, don't forget to either disable the airlock again (if colonists arriving), or disable the landing pad (to save power while visitor ship sits on the pad).

[PyroFox]

my biggest tip is have an area for ships to land. have about 3-5 air locks in total that liknk to a room that links to another room for security. that way the ONLY way intruders can get into your base is through security who is already stationed there. because secruity is always there you can drop the percent of security down to 10% early game and 5% late game easily.

[PestMastah]

Distance is key. But also attach medbays and cabins to SMALL airlocks. You get more beds this way. Also, for bio domes build medium first.. 3 wheats + 2 tomato (not GM) = 6 wheat and 6 tomato at a time. That's 12 Pastas per harvest!
Turn off immigration every now n then and go slowly. Also, never buy at 60%+. Sell only excess food/biopL instead.
Starting out can be rough but u can make medical supplies and buy spares and ore for a long time before u even have that first mine. Which by then should only have driller bots in it. :D

[ThePimpness]

@elevenkingslave Sell smaller batches non consistently. Unless you build more carry bots it will take all your workers to sell the excess and cause functioning issues.
Currently with 626 people i have 50% biologists. 18% workers 49% bio 20% engineer 4% medic 7% guard. I have too many guards, It seems like too many medics since they cannot heal 10 people when they show up, and maybe too few engineers. Biggest issue was the building cap. Had to start removing airlocks for expansion. Carrier bots are the best. Without them my base was failing. People moving things to often and not working.

[ElvenKingSlave]

I would really like to do what 10) suggests. However, every time I sell everything my workers are taken away from their tasks which ends up with me not having any food or spare parts so my power production crashes and my colonists starv. 4 times I have reached 250 colonists and then everything tilts and I end up only saving 25-40 of them.

[JurasTW]

I thought GM food would solve my problems. I was wrong. The speed at which the plant degrades is insane. With 50 pop the biologist began to struggle with the plants and it just snowballed in everyone dying. had to reroll 1.5 hours of game to find the moment when poop went down. Sticking to 4 wheath 1 maize 1 gm tomato two medical and meat on the side. I suggest to go very lightly on the tomato and onions. they are great, but they can destroy you.

[nbkarger]

Food, for me, has never been a problem as long as you have two Bios for every Bio-Dome. BillGamer1

[Adarious_Mistdancer]

The last point is a double bladed sword. Earlier on especially, you need those resources, especially the bioplastic. I have, however, found that where I struggled the most so far is with production of medical supplies and with food production with a population over 50.

[romanmolina]

Great! Thanks.

[Sanman]

thanks