Editing User:PigeonGuru/Archive

= Colony building guide (pre-'restoration') =

There are different ways to build your base. In all different designs one can opt to either predefine each room role or make modular rooms which are easier to expand but also less efficient.

A superstructure base is a base where everything or almost everything is in one large building rather than smaller separate parts.

This is the most common method to build bases.

* Saves building materials and space.

* More resistant against [[Events#Toxic_Fallout|toxic fallout]].

* Geothermal vents and patches of deep water can limit the design and patches of soft sand will require [[moisture pump]]s before building, marshy terrain can just be covered with [[bridge]]s.

* Some areas might need to be unroofed to prevent cabin fever.

=== Separate structures base ===

It is easier for starting off, but it is overall more vulnerable, so usually does not scale as well into late game.

* Easier to avoid areas with building restrictions.

* Naturally gets rid of cabin fever.

* Requires more space and building materials overall.

* Saves a lot of building materials.

* Easier to control temperature.

* Easier to defend against raids.

* More resistant against [[Events#Toxic_Fallout|toxic fallout]].

* Free, beautiful [[Smooth stone|floor]] and walls.

* Infestations inside can be impossible to deal with.

* Cabin fever can be a real problem.

 

The warehouse is a room with a stockpile. The first room we need to build due to the "outdoors" deterioration on items if left in the open. It is not an official [[room roles|room role]].

 

 

 

=== Bedrooms ===

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good barracks give good mood modifiers so they should have plenty of art, good flooring and high-quality furniture. It should be temperature controlled for better moods. [[Dresser]]s are a very good addition to barracks since they increase the comfort of many beds at once.

 

Colonists like to eat as soon as they wake up, but do not place table and chairs inside the barracks or colonists will use the tables at night and cause 'Disturbed sleep' penalties, instead barracks should be built close to dining rooms.

[[File:dinningroom.png|400px|thumb|right|Example of combined recreation/dining room. The middle is unroofed to get rid of cabin fever and to accommodate a telescope.]]

Dining rooms are rooms with table and chairs for colonists to eat in.

It is usually a good idea to have the main dining room near the food storage so your colonists will actually use the dining room, instead of eating on the floor.

It is also a good idea to have smaller dining rooms near colonists' bedrooms or they might eat their breakfast on the floor since colonists tend to go to bed with food and eat as soon as they wake up.

Good dining rooms give good mood modifiers so they should have plenty of art, light, good flooring and high-quality furniture. It does not need to be temperature controlled. [[Nutrient paste dispenser]]s are very useful in dining rooms to ensure that nobody needs to eat raw food, they are usually placed half in the dining room and half in the freezer.

Dining rooms can be combined with recreation rooms.

The recreation room is a room with sources of [[joy]].

Colonists get bored of using the same joy source repeatedly, so you should have as many joy sources as possible in the recreation room.

In the early game, all you need is a [[horseshoes pin]] and a [[chess table]]. During mid-game you can add a [[poker table]], a [[billiards table]] and a [[tube television]], then upgrade it to a [[flatscreen television]]. Later, buy a [[megascreen television]] and a [[telescope]] from traders.

In big bases, recreation rooms can be partially unroofed to get rid of cabin fever since colonists do not mind playing in hot or cold rooms.

Recreation rooms can be combined with dining rooms.

 

 

 

 

=== Freezer ===

 

The freezer is room with a stockpile that is kept cold by [[cooler]]s. It is not a official [[room roles|room role]].

The freezer is where you to keep your perishables that would otherwise spoil in the storage like food and corpses. Because you will be storing your harvests here, it is wise to position this room close to your plantations to reduce hauling jobs, with the doors pointing toward your growing zones. It should be covered by [[orbital trade beacon]]s so you can sell your food to trade ships.

This is usually the second biggest room in the base. [[Nutrient paste dispenser]]s are usually placed half in the dining room and half in the freezer.

Even though food freezes at {{Temperature|0}} you should have your freezer at least set at {{Temperature|-5}} since it will lose temperature whenever a colonist comes in. It is common to make airlocks in the entrance of the freezer to reduce that temperature exchange. It is also common to make the freezer with double walls to increase insulation. The freezer is vulnerable to [[Events#Solar Flare|solar flares]].

To save power it is a good idea to have the [[cooler]]s set to different temperatures. For example, if two [[cooler]]s are set to {{Temperature|-5}} then both will always consume power, but if a [[cooler]] is set to {{Temperature|-5}} and another is set to {{Temperature|-8}} then the first will only consume power during hotter times when the second is not able to keep the temperature bellow {{Temperature|-5}} alone.

[[Butcher spot]]s, [[butcher table]]s and [[crafting spot]]s can be placed inside the freezer to butcher corpses, make [[kibble]] and make [[smokeleaf joint]]s, since the work to make those is so small and the ingredients are in the freezer your colonists might as well do it there. However, for mass production, it is better to have it close but outside the freezer due to the work speed penalty.  

The kitchen is where your colonists turn raw food into meals. The room should be clean to avoid [[ailments#food poisoning|food poisoning]], so the [[butcher table]] may be placed nearby in a different room instead since it creates a lot of filth.  

Besides stoves, the kitchen should include chairs, light and [[sterile tile]]s. You might want to add a little vegetable stockpile inside to save travel time, as plants take a while to spoil. Not flooring the kitchen can be a better option if you lack sufficient janitors, as dirt floors have less of an impact on both cleanliness and beauty than the dirt tracked into the kitchen, unless if you kitchen is full of blood instead of dirt.

It does not need to be impressive, but it is usually a good idea to add a little art since colonists tend to stay there for a long time. It should be temperature controlled for better working speed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early game crafting stations include the [[stonecutter's table]], [[sculptor's table]], [[hand tailor bench]] and [[fueled smithy]]. Mid game crafting stations include the [[machining table]], as well as the electric versions of [[hand tailor bench]] and [[fueled smithy]]. Late game crafting stations include the [[fabrication bench]].

 

 

It does not need to be impressive, but it is usually a good idea to add a little art since colonists tend to stay there for a long time. It should be temperature controlled for better working speed.

 

It should be built close to storage.

 

The laboratory is a room with a [[simple research bench]] or a [[hi-tech research bench]].

Research speed is affected by the cleanliness of the room which is why it might be worth making a separate room for it.  It should be isolated to avoid other people walking in dirt.

Besides the research bench, the laboratory should include a chair, light and [[sterile tile]]s. After you get the [[hi-tech research bench]] you can also get a [[multi-analyzer]].

Zone out colony animals.

[[File:smallhospital.png|310px|thumb|right|Example of small hospital.]]

The hospital is a room with a medical bed. It is a place specialized in treating your colonists. If you do not have one, colonists will be treated in bedrooms. The room should be clean to avoid [[infection]].

In early-game all you need is [[floors]], [[bed]]s and a light source. During midgame you should replace your floor with [[sterile tile]]s and your beds with [[hospital bed]]s, and add [[vitals monitor]]s. All these will increase treatment quality.

Store medicine in or near your hospital so your doctors can quickly patch up your colonists.

Good hospitals give good mood modifiers so they should have plenty of art and high-quality furniture. It should be temperature controlled for better moods and to prevent heatstroke or hypothermia from visitors. Since injured colonists will likely spend a lot of time in the hospital it is a good idea to add televisions which they can watch while in bed. If you do not have televisions, other colonists will go to the hospital to cheer them up to provide [[joy]].

It should be built close to the base entrance for quicker rescue.

Zone out colony animals.

=== Armory ===

The armory is a room with a stockpile for weapons and armor. It is not an official [[room roles|room role]].

It does not need to be impressive, nor does not need to be temperature controlled.

It should be built close to your defenses for quicker reaction to raids, and should also be far away from the prison.

=== Barn ===

[[File:tamingbarn.png|250px|thumb|right|Example of taming barn. Even [[Megaspider]]s may be tamed if they show up as an [[events#herd migration: (animal)|animal herd]] but you will need to beat them down and bring them in to have time to tame them and do it safely.]]

 

 

 

It does not need to be impressive, indeed it is better to not put down floors to avoid animal filth. It does not need to be indoors but you might want to at least partially roof it in case a [[Events#Toxic_Fallout|toxic fallout]] happens. It does not need to be temperature controlled unless if your animals cannot handle the local temperature.

 

It can be combined with outdoors rooms, like your power supply area. It should be built close to freezer or warehouse.

The prisons is the place where you put your captives of war. Better prisons make it easier to recruit people. Still, they are not consistently used, so one should consider how much effort and resources should be invested in it. During mid-late game, prisoners without immediate use can be kept for free inside [[cryptosleep casket]]s instead.

* [[Bed]]s or [[sleeping spot]]s.

* Safe temperature.

[[File:fullprison.png|400px|thumb|right|Example of prison. The hospital/barracks gives a better mood than the cells and have access to a [[nutrient paste dispenser]] but the prisoners in cells are less likely to try to escape.]]

* [[Floors]].

* Table and chairs.

* [[Psychic emanator]].

* [[Nutrient paste dispenser]].

* [[Sterile tile|Sterile floor]].

* [[Hospital bed]].

* [[Vitals monitor]].

* Isolated from the rest of the base, but not close to the map edges.

* Isolated from any potential weapons, even [[wood]] and [[beer]].

* Doors connected to an empty walled area, possibly guarded by [[Mini-turret|turrets]].

Prisons can have the following rooms:

==== Prison barracks ====

Barracks are rooms with multiple prisoner beds.

Cells are rooms with a single prisoner bed.

If you are lacking space for prisoners, a colonist bedroom can be temporarily turned into a cell.

Prisoners often first enter your prison injured, so having a proper prison hospital can help avoid unnecessary deaths and infections. They are like a regular hospital attached to the rest of your prison, however, you do not need to have televisions in it since prisoners are not affected by [[joy]].

The prison hospital does not need to be a separated room only for healing. It can be the barracks but with medical features.

For storing stocks of food and [[herbal medicine]] to prevent spoilage. If you have a [[Nutrient paste dispenser]] you can place half of it and all the [[hopper]]s inside.

=== Tomb ===

The tomb is a room with [[sarcophagus|sarcophagi]].

Not the most important of the rooms, but colonists do go visit sarcophagi or graves filled with dead colonists for [[joy]] so you might want to give a nicer room for them to do that.

You will need fields, buildings and animals to provide the raw materials that your colony needs.

=== Crop fields===

[[File:biggreenhouse.png|300px|thumb|right|Example of greenhouse. The top [[sun lamp]] has 24 [[hydroponics basin]]s which is the maximum possible. They are particularly important in cold [[biome]]s.]]

Crop fields are growing zones or [[hydroponics basin]]s, designated to the desired plant type.

Crop fields do need to be protected from raiders or they will burn them down, which can be hard on harsh [[biome]]s where the fertile soil might be far away from your base; however, crop fields are not particularly important structures, so they need not be given priority in defense.

Ideally, they should be made near your freezer.

They are much more expensive than fields but they allow crops to grow all year in cold environments. It is common to make airlocks in the entrance of the greenhouse to reduce temperature exchange and make it with double walls to increase insulation. They are vulnerable to [[events#blight|blight]]s and [[Events#Solar Flare|solar flares]].

To save power it is a good idea to have the [[heater]]s set to different temperatures. For example, if two [[heater]]s are set to {{Temperature|21}} then both will always consume power, but if a [[heater]] is set to {{Temperature|21}} and another is set to {{Temperature|24}} then the first will only consume power during colder times when the second is not able to keep the temperature above {{Temperature|21}} alone.

Mines are areas your colonists go to mine.  

If you are mining the stones in the outside layer of a mountain then you got nothing to worry about. However, if you decide to mine deep inside a mountain, then you need to build a proper mine as you mine out the stones to avoid rocks collapsing on top of your colonists. Wood is usually a good cheap material to use to make mines.

Another thing to worry about when making mines is [[infestation]]s. You can build doors inside your mine to create choke points where you can fight the insects and help your colonists running away. Alternatively, you can fill up the whole mountain with wood so [[infestation]]s can not happen at all.

=== Drilling rooms ===

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Pig]], [[Wild boar]], [[Elephant]] and [[Megasloth]] are the only ones that can graze and haul.

[[Dromedary]], [[Muffalo]], [[Elephant]] and [[Megasloth]] are really versatile.

One should notice that combat animals are much better at defending caravans than defending your base.

[[Solar generator]]s provide power only during the day. It provides 1700W during summer peak hours near the equator, but little to none during winter near the poles. They are particularly good to power up [[sun lamp]]s since these only consume power during the day. They should be used together with [[battery|batteries]] so you may still have power during the night. They are vulnerable to [[events#Eclipse|eclipse]]s.

 

[[Wind turbine]]s provide unstable power throughout the day. It can provide up to 3000W, but it usually gives less than that. They should be used together with batteries to make up for the instability.

It requires plenty of open space for maximum efficiency and any obstacles can easily reduce efficiency. To prevent trees from growing and obstructing the turbines, you may grow crops underneath the turbines or fill in the gaps with solar generators.

You can get the [[wood-fired generator]] which runs on wood, or the [[chemfuel powered generator]] which runs on [[chemfuel]]. Both provide a constant 1000W of power, so it is a good idea to have some of these as a backup power source, or even as your main source in biomes that are loaded with trees. Since they are stable they do not require batteries.

Chemfuel is significantly more efficient than wood, so once you research the [[biofuel refinery]] it is better to refine wood into chemfuel before using it as fuel.

3 [[Boomalope]]s generate enough chemfuel to run 4 generators. It is easy to run an entire base on that setup since they generate more energy than you spend to grow food for them, specially if your colony is somewhere they can graze.

[[Infinite chemreactor]]s generate enough chemfuel to run a generator, which in turn generates more than enough power to run the chemreactor.

It is overall an amazing setup but [[infinite chemreactor]]s are hard to come by, so you should not expect to run your whole base on that.

[[Geothermal generator]]s constantly gives 3600W of power after being built on a steam geyser.  

While powerful, it has one big issue; you can not choose where the steam geysers will be, so if you do not have one inside your base you need to cover them with walls to protect them. If you wall off your [[geothermal generator]] completely with double walls the raiders will ignore it most of the time. They will, however, sometimes randomly attack your walls, but it is really unlikely that they will destroy both walls and reach the generator. As it can randomly break down, you should still add doors so colonists can enter, better to use stone doors because they are durable and raiders can not ignite it.

Another problem is that raiders will likely destroy the conduits connecting the generator to your base, so build multiple conduit lines to reduce the likelihood of raiders completely severing the connection. Also, even though they do not need batteries, you should build some in case it gets disconnected during a raid.

Note that they generate plenty of heat, so they should be unroofed or they will catch on fire.

=== Watermill generator ===

[[File:watermills.png|500px|thumb|right|Example of watermills setup. It runs a big base without batteries.]]

It is quite easy to run a base just on watermills but of course, rivers are not available in every map. Since they are stable they do not require [[battery|batteries]].

=== Vanometric power cell ===

A [[vanometric power cell]] constantly provides 1000W of power and can be placed anywhere. Like the [[infinite chemreactor]], they are hard to come by, so you should not expect to run your whole base on that.

[[Battery|Batteries]] store surplus power.  They are recommended for when you rely on power sources that are not constant, such as wind or solar power. They allow for power storage during times of excess to be used during times of demand. For instance, this makes them useful to store spare power generated during the night from fueled generators in order to supply [[sun lamp]]s during the day.

 

 

Batteries need to be placed under a roof to prevent short-circuits during rain and should be placed indoors to protect them from external threats. Connect them to the grid via switches and shut off part of them after they are filled to reduce the impact of short circuits and have back up batteries in case of emergency.

 

 

It is not a good idea to have just one conduit spanning the entirety of your base. While it saves materials, short circuits or other events can create breaks that can disconnect entire parts of your base from power. Instead, build a network with redundant pathways so that the grid will continue to function even if there is a break.

 

Also, it is better to split the power network of your base. Having more than one power network makes power management harder but the [[events#zzztt...|short circuit]] event will be much smaller since it will not affect your whole base and all your power reserves.

Unless you are playing on peaceful difficulty, you will eventually encounter major threats, so you will need to prepare your defenses for that.

More defensive buildings can be seen on [[defense structures]]. Here, we show only the basics.

 

 

 

 

=== Killbox ===

A basic yet powerful defense setup is the [[defense structures#killboxes|killbox]]. It is a walled area full of [[deadfall trap|trap]]s and [[turret]]s where you fight your enemy, making sure they do not out-range you or have cover, while your colonists have plenty of cover. It only works if it is the only entrance to your base and your whole base is surrounded by double walls.

Turrets should all be connected to your power grid by [[power switch]]es. Put them in front to distract enemies such that they go for them before your colonists. They should be switched off if a [[events#manhunter pack|manhunter pack]] shows up, as it is better to let them die by your traps and finish them off by melee blocking them.

If a full-melee raid with [[shield belt]]s or a [[scyther]]-only raid shows up, throw [[EMP grenades]] at them while they gather around your turrets as it will disable them. While they are occupied attacking the turrets, you can shoot them up, and if they manage to destroy all the turrets, prepare to finish the survivors by melee blocking them.

[[Centipede]]s with [[inferno cannon]]s are one of the major counters of killboxes, since the fire makes your colonists lose control and run out of cover. They are the main reason why you should have walls and not only [[sandbag]]s in your defense. Their [[inferno cannon]]s can shoot over [[sandbag]]s but not over walls, so a colonist behind a wall is less likely to catch on fire than a colonist behind a [[sandbag]]. Having some [[firefoam popper]]s inside your box helps a lot with extinguishing fires and preventing future fires. [[EMP grenades]] also cripple them a lot if you can get close enough to throw them.

Some enemies do not run into your box, but can be lured into it, such as raiders from sieges or mechanoids guarding crashed ships. Snipers can safely poke them from far until they aggro and bring them to the box.

Killboxes do not protect against sappers and raiders dropping on top of you. For those, you will need another strategy.

Some rooms should have its temperature regulated by some method or another, so as to keep a comfortable temperature for colonists to work and sleep in and protect them from extreme temperature conditions such as [[events#heat wave|heat waves]], [[events#cold snap|cold snaps]] or simply the outdoor ambient temperature.

Smaller rooms such as your bedrooms should be thermally connected to a larger central space through [[vent]]s. Your [[heater]]s and [[cooler]]s should be all placed outside the bedrooms. This reduces the number of [[heater]]s and [[cooler]]s you need to build while keeping your bedrooms at a comfy temperature at the same time.

Keep in mind, that you will also need to be prepared in case of unusual temperature events, such as [[events#heat wave|heat waves]] or [[events#cold snap|cold snaps]]. Which, in severe cases, will cause heatstroke or hypothermia. [[events#heat wave|Heat waves]] will also spoil your food and corpses.

If your regular [[heater]]s or [[cooler]]s are not enough or there is a temporary power outage or you are a tribe without the ability to harness electricity yet, you can use [[campfire]]s or [[passive cooler]]s to heat or cool down your base respectively. Both have the same effect as their electric variants, except that they need to be refueled and are limited in their available temperature range: campfires can not heat above 30°C while passive coolers can not cool below 15°C.  Also, their temperature effect is full and cannot be controlled.  Depending on what gear your colonists are wearing, it is possible for them in a room heated with campfires to complain about it being too hot.

These are best used to keep colonists comfortable during [[events#heat wave|heat waves]] or [[events#cold snap|cold snaps]]. If you always encounter uncomfortable temperatures during summer or winter then it is time to get more [[heater]]s or [[cooler]]s.

 

=== Do not rush flooring ===

Until you have enough manpower to spare for cleaning jobs, instead of building any floors, you can use the terrain as floors. Terrain does not generate animal and human filth and filth trailed on constructed floors makes for a much worse beauty penalty than using dirt floors, so this can actually make your rooms look better. It is also cleaner than constructed floors with dirt on them.

However, for places like hospitals, it is always better to use sterile tiles and manually clean them instead.

To reduce the amount of dirt inside your colony buildings, put any kind of flooring covering places where colonists and animals frequently walk. This reduces the amount of dirt brought inside your base.  

This should obviously be done only if you have enough janitors.

[[Moisture pump]]s clear out moisture from the ground around them, creating dry land suitable for construction and agriculture.  They are excellent in swamp biomes for clearing out shallow water, marshy soil and mud in order to build structures.  Their effect is permanent, so they can safely be deconstructed once the land you want to use is dry.  Note that shallow water will be converted to stony soil, which only has 70% fertility.  Still, this can be the only way to farm on the ground in [[biome]]s like Extreme Desert and Ice Sheet. Can not be used for farming in Sea Ice since it creates ice ground.