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I wanna help myself and others make better defenses, so shot your best ones and put em here.

This is because I see too many threads "too many X enemies after X time in Rimworld on X difficulty" I see a mixed answer to these, so what works?

Also don't forget to do the POLL above
Btw, F9 and F10 create the best screens :D

My setup is that my entire base is under the thick roof of the mountain and the only way in is through two killboxes.  And a picturesque path to the nearest edge when they flee... lined with more turrets.

[attachment deleted by admin: too old]

Quote from: JimmyAgnt007 on September 03, 2014, 04:29:57 PM
My setup is that my entire base is under the thick roof of the mountain and the only way in is through two killboxes.  And a picturesque path to the nearest edge when they flee... lined with more turrets.

The defenses look nice, but the turrets can explode if some pawns get close enough. Although with high enough fire power you'd need Mechanoids to break the line I would think.

Its a better idea to have a kill box with 3 sides all lined with turrets if you want a chance to Incap a mob. Spread the turrets out to prevent them from killing friendly turrets.

However, The best defense against Pawns would be a narrow hallway with turrets inside, they'll act as land mines and take out any thing that goes inside.

If I ever feel like it I'll post screenie's

One of my earliest attempts at a Turret Farm:
(http://s22.postimg.org/p4m78475d/Turret_Farm.jpg)

One of my later designs:
(http://s21.postimg.org/4vxy7670n/Turretsunrise.jpg)

I use the Boxes of Death. Enemies charge in, attack a turret, turret goes BOOM, enemies dead, next wave attacks the next turret, turret goes BOOM, more enemies dead. The great thing about this that a single turret can take out enormous numbers of enemies, you're not using much metal, and you get your metal back after everything goes explody.

It's easily expandable too, so you can start with a single Box of Death, and just build more as your colony grows and the threats get bigger.

(http://i.imgur.com/aJLOpuR.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/S1xQgPR.jpg)

This is my welcoming zone from The fabled town of Uptodaterton

Works really well against everything except mechanoids that drop spank in the middle

but I have emp mortars ready for that, and single turrets littered all across the town along the walkways as a failsafe
And lots of doorways for quick escape!

Viewers at twitch called it "The Pacman Defense System"
(http://i.imgur.com/4QcfRPh.jpg)

Quote from: Gonorejus on September 04, 2014, 10:16:56 AM
Viewers at twitch called it "The Pacman Defense System"
http://i.imgur.com/4QcfRPh.jpg

Aw! Walking through the long dark corridor littered in bones only to end up in pacman's mouth seems really, really cruel

I hope you give any visitors the same treatment! they'd sure deserve it!

Quote from: Gonorejus on September 04, 2014, 10:16:56 AM
Viewers at twitch called it "The Pacman Defense System"
(http://i.imgur.com/4QcfRPh.jpg)

Having watched this in action, I can attest to it. I have seen him take out legions of mechanoids without a single casualty. He doesn't mention that the hallway drives most raiders insane before they even get to the killbox and the empty area with the single wall is actually a trap to cave in and destroy the mechs automatically.

(http://i.imgur.com/mUY8WyI.png)

This is mainly theoretical (haven't tested it for longer than a few in-game months and forced raids), but I dub it the logic locker. How it works is that when raiders enter through the top, they target the left turrets and thus head right -- but when they get over to the right, they check for threats and detect the turrets on the right, which makes them head left. They continue going left and right until they give up/go crazy/etc. Mechs will literally just do it forever.

This is my normal defense though, which takes out everything and wastes no resources:
(http://i.imgur.com/GmWG6sT.jpg)

Whats the best way to deal with raidees dropping INSIDE the base? Keeping every habitable space roofed WILL eventually drive every colonist insane as the cabin fever sets in. So is there a way to create an area used regularly by colonists which is classed as outside, but which prevents any raiders dropping in?

Quote from: TheGrover on September 05, 2014, 05:21:19 AM
Whats the best way to deal with raidees dropping INSIDE the base? Keeping every habitable space roofed WILL eventually drive every colonist insane as the cabin fever sets in. So is there a way to create an area used regularly by colonists which is classed as outside, but which prevents any raiders dropping in?

They in most cases prefer to drop on the Trade beacon so keep that in well defended area

and it never hurts to keep inactive turrets all around the base just incase
and keep the design so that there's lot of corners and doorways and escape routes for your colonists to take cover in

Having weapon racks all over helps too =P incase you haven't got someone equipped after an injury or something!

I have yet to see something more effective aside from land mine turrets than the Pac Man defense.

Quote from: Shinzy on September 05, 2014, 07:58:48 AM

Quote from: TheGrover on September 05, 2014, 05:21:19 AM
Whats the best way to deal with raidees dropping INSIDE the base? Keeping every habitable space roofed WILL eventually drive every colonist insane as the cabin fever sets in. So is there a way to create an area used regularly by colonists which is classed as outside, but which prevents any raiders dropping in?

They in most cases prefer to drop on the Trade beacon so keep that in well defended area

and it never hurts to keep inactive turrets all around the base just incase
and keep the design so that there's lot of corners and doorways and escape routes for your colonists to take cover in

Having weapon racks all over helps too =P incase you haven't got someone equipped after an injury or something!

You mean keep your trade centre on the OUTSIDE of your fort's kikl box? Allowing you to keep some open spaces besides those over solar panels without fear of lunatics and mechs dropping into your garden and killing most people before you know youre under attack :p

Quote from: TheGrover on September 05, 2014, 08:32:36 AM

Quote from: Shinzy on September 05, 2014, 07:58:48 AM

Quote from: TheGrover on September 05, 2014, 05:21:19 AM
Whats the best way to deal with raidees dropping INSIDE the base? Keeping every habitable space roofed WILL eventually drive every colonist insane as the cabin fever sets in. So is there a way to create an area used regularly by colonists which is classed as outside, but which prevents any raiders dropping in?

They in most cases prefer to drop on the Trade beacon so keep that in well defended area

and it never hurts to keep inactive turrets all around the base just incase
and keep the design so that there's lot of corners and doorways and escape routes for your colonists to take cover in

Having weapon racks all over helps too =P incase you haven't got someone equipped after an injury or something!

You mean keep your trade centre on the OUTSIDE of your fort's kikl box? Allowing you to keep some open spaces besides those over solar panels without fear of lunatics and mechs dropping into your garden and killing most people before you know youre under attack :p

Well,.. yes! that would be much better actually =P having them land right in the middle of the killbox has proven to be problematic
why haven't I ever though of that, oopsie

This was my attempt at a traditional funnel from earlier alphas (http://puu.sh/bmwco/e465193f4f.jpg).

The two large doors are both blast doors which are sealed in the presence of raiders. Unfortunately, I was waiting so long for Phoebe to provide a raid for me that I eventually just used the dev console to start one from the hostile tribals and for the most part, they were content to whale/wail (I don't know the correct word) on the door even though I could repair it from the inside. This was pretty much how that raid turned out (http://youtu.be/z5OGD5_9cA0). After killing or incapacitating the few that came through the funnel, I just sealed the second blast door and let everyone do some colony maintenance until the raiders outside gave up. Then the Void came along, which resulted in the mess of black I have right now. They can't be cremated or buried but looking at them is TANKING my framerate because there's some 200+ void corpses laying there, plus another 60-70 spread around the map. I literally have no ingame method of clearing them up that I know of.

My most simple "killbox" litteraly no skill needed at all :P

http://imgur.com/Ol36BiG (http://imgur.com/Ol36BiG)

Personally, I somewhat frown upon kill-boxes and the like. I find that they are "unfair," and create a no-risk=high-reward sort of system. I also rarely use turrets, though mainly because of their inefficiency compared to a skilled colonist. As such, my "Best Defence Systems" are typically the sort of which below.

The only times I ever really use turrets is when build them inside of these sort-of makeshift bunkers.

(http://i62.tinypic.com/vy7cl1.png)
[Stone walls for their strength and inflammability, stonecutter's table to create impassable terrain whilst not affecting the turret's effectiveness, sandbags for the turret's protection, powered door for increased strength when compared to the simple door {after correct research,} stone tiles in front of bunker to prevent obstructive plants, complete roof with no form of lighting resulting in turret being harder to successfully hit due to being in the dark.]

I find that these "bunkers" are very helpful for guarding areas, particularly areas inside of the colony where no other defences are present should raiders land somewhere inside the walls, or if an animal wanders somewhere inside the colony and promptly goes insane. The two empty spaces between the sandbags and walls on either side of the turret allow for colonists to safely fire alongside the turret as well. Everything can be repaired from the inside of the "bunker."


Multiple "bunkers" can also be strung together to form structures such as this gate. This allows and area to be completely walled-off without restricting colonist movement and provides support for a garrison of defensive soldiers.

(http://i59.tinypic.com/33peo3o.png)
[Note: a small problem with this design is that colonists are unable to fire upon enemies behind the doors that make up the gate.]

These are fairly new experiments of mine, so I welcome helpful criticisms.

P.S. The idea for this thread is excellent, in my humble opinion.

Quote from: ITypedThis on September 05, 2014, 10:35:01 PM
-snip-

Interesting use of furniture. I was wanting to try with a butcher table, but never got around to it under the impression I wouldn't be able to shoot over it. Guess that puts my fears to rest!

Quote from: Srgntcuddles on September 05, 2014, 11:32:37 PMInteresting use of furniture. I was wanting to try with a butcher table, but never got around to it under the impression I wouldn't be able to shoot over it. Guess that puts my fears to rest!

Haha, thanks! One would be surprised at the amount of things a pawn can shoot over!

Or at least I was. :P

Quote from: ITypedThis on September 05, 2014, 10:35:01 PM
P.S. The idea for this thread is excellent, in my humble opinion.

Thanks buddy :D

@FMK, can you explain further (or post a pic in action) of your Logic Locker?

Quote from: TheGrover on September 05, 2014, 05:21:19 AM
Whats the best way to deal with raidees dropping INSIDE the base? Keeping every habitable space roofed WILL eventually drive every colonist insane as the cabin fever sets in. So is there a way to create an area used regularly by colonists which is classed as outside, but which prevents any raiders dropping in?

As long as you have a walkable path from your base to the edge of the map with no doors in the way, it's considered "outdoors" even if it's got a roof.  You can design a killbox/defense with that in mind, and have your main room be "outside".  All the colonists need to do is walk through the main room, and no more cabin fever!  (Is that an exploit?)

Quote from: milon on September 06, 2014, 09:13:16 AM
@FMK, can you explain further (or post a pic in action) of your Logic Locker?

Quote from: TheGrover on September 05, 2014, 05:21:19 AM
Whats the best way to deal with raidees dropping INSIDE the base? Keeping every habitable space roofed WILL eventually drive every colonist insane as the cabin fever sets in. So is there a way to create an area used regularly by colonists which is classed as outside, but which prevents any raiders dropping in?

As long as you have a walkable path from your base to the edge of the map with no doors in the way, it's considered "outdoors" even if it's got a roof.  You can design a killbox/defense with that in mind, and have your main room be "outside".  All the colonists need to do is walk through the main room, and no more cabin fever!  (Is that an exploit?)

an exploit? well, if your colonists are living like dwarves and have never actually seen real sunlight, then yes it is an exploit. the inside of a mountain cannot ever be considered outside IMO

Quote from: milon on September 06, 2014, 09:13:16 AM
@FMK, can you explain further (or post a pic in action) of your Logic Locker?

-snip-

Basically this (http://i.imgur.com/eoVtQxQ.png) is what happens. As you can see the mechs are all grouped up near the middle, because as they near the bottom they realize the path to their target is the right side and head towards the top, but as they near the top they change target to the other turret and realize their target is back down the left path.

It basically takes advantage of the fact that enemy AI can re-evaluate their task every so often, along with the fact that the closest target doesn't necessarily mean quickest to reach -- even though the game likes to think it does. (I'm looking at you, colonists going to the longest stockpiles to reach just because they're closer)

It probably doesn't compare to most of what's been posted in the thread, but I like to call this one "The Bulkhead"

(http://puu.sh/b7PCC/5f92657524.jpg)

Layered walls with rubble filling the inside. Pretty cheap to make, and pretty durable too. The long corridor makes raiders want to run through it rather than stand in it, so they get pushed out into an area with no cover (by the turrets).

My only criticism of the Bulkhead is that they can take cover on the wall and shoot around it, but only one guy can do that..

@FMK

I like the design but how do your colonists get in and out? Do you just let them take an age to walk on the sandbags?

On another note, thanks for voting people! :D

Quote from: SubZeroBricks on September 06, 2014, 05:52:40 PM
@FMK

I like the design but how do your colonists get in and out? Do you just let them take an age to walk on the sandbags?

On another note, thanks for voting people! :D

hm, yes, in my current fort, i made a nice winding sandbag path to make any raiders go loopy before they get to the killbox, but since my colonists need a way out to gather minerals etc, the raiders just bang on the blast door (Superior crafting mod) til a dopey colonist goes to repair the door and accidentally opens it... any possible solutions?

one of my funniest moments was quite early during one of my colonies where i got a friendly visitor. suddenly i got the message that a squirrel has gone wild and were attacking one of my growers, the friendly visitor wanted to help and started shooting at the squirrel. the only thing he hit was a headshot for my colonist which was a vegetable after that.. -.-.

Quote from: TheGrover on September 06, 2014, 09:12:07 PM

Quote from: SubZeroBricks on September 06, 2014, 05:52:40 PM
@FMK

I like the design but how do your colonists get in and out? Do you just let them take an age to walk on the sandbags?

On another note, thanks for voting people! :D

hm, yes, in my current fort, i made a nice winding sandbag path to make any raiders go loopy before they get to the killbox, but since my colonists need a way out to gather minerals etc, the raiders just bang on the blast door (Superior crafting mod) til a dopey colonist goes to repair the door and accidentally opens it... any possible solutions?

The only thing I could think of is having an open hole and when you get attacked you quickly send a guy to build walls

Quote from: SubZeroBricks on September 06, 2014, 05:52:40 PM
@FMK

I like the design but how do your colonists get in and out? Do you just let them take an age to walk on the sandbags?

On another note, thanks for voting people! :D

The current map that screenshot was taken from basically has interconnected mountains spanning the entire map, so I just pop out through holes every so often to grab stuff and then seal them up the instant any trouble shows up. Otherwise I'd just go out where you see the wooden door in the picture.

Quote from: ITypedThis on September 05, 2014, 10:35:01 PM
sandbags for the turret's protection

Turrets don't benefit from sandbags or any other source of cover for that matter, you can get rid of them.

Quote from: HatesYourFace on September 07, 2014, 01:27:00 PM

Quote from: ITypedThis on September 05, 2014, 10:35:01 PM
sandbags for the turret's protection

Turrets don't benefit from sandbags or any other source of cover for that matter, you can get rid of them.

Really? Huh. :o

Thanks for the heads-up!

Quote from: SubZeroBricks on September 07, 2014, 04:41:16 AM

Quote from: TheGrover on September 06, 2014, 09:12:07 PM

Quote from: SubZeroBricks on September 06, 2014, 05:52:40 PM
@FMK

I like the design but how do your colonists get in and out? Do you just let them take an age to walk on the sandbags?

On another note, thanks for voting people! :D

hm, yes, in my current fort, i made a nice winding sandbag path to make any raiders go loopy before they get to the killbox, but since my colonists need a way out to gather minerals etc, the raiders just bang on the blast door (Superior crafting mod) til a dopey colonist goes to repair the door and accidentally opens it... any possible solutions?

The only thing I could think of is having an open hole and when you get attacked you quickly send a guy to build

walls

Thats what i was going with, which works fine until someone goes to gather an item from outside during a siege... when the raiders are moving in to calmly gather my sand for sandbags, and go mad just as they bump into the colonist.

My nextfort is built in a mountain using very few foreign resources, so it should be less of an issue, except s tribe turned up before i finished sealing the permiter, and i found out the hard way that 3 of 5 colonists were incapable of violence. Still only lost one when they retreated... so now only 1 of 4 can actually fight...

Quote from: HatesYourFace on September 07, 2014, 01:27:00 PM
Turrets don't benefit from sandbags or any other source of cover for that matter, you can get rid of them.

I thought that they limited the blast when a turret explodes.

Quote from: HatesYourFace on September 07, 2014, 01:27:00 PM

Quote from: ITypedThis on September 05, 2014, 10:35:01 PM
sandbags for the turret's protection

Turrets don't benefit from sandbags or any other source of cover for that matter, you can get rid of them.

they minimize the blast when they explode and provide indirect cover as far as i know there is still a chance that the bullets hit the sandbag instead of the turret. the chance is by far not that high as by pawns but any chance is better than no chance.

Quote from: Xerberus86 on September 08, 2014, 08:52:51 AM
they minimize the blast when they explode and provide indirect cover as far as i know there is still a chance that the bullets hit the sandbag instead of the turret. the chance is by far not that high as by pawns but any chance is better than no chance.

I believe current understanding is that turrets gain no bonus from cover at all. If a bullet hits a sandbag in front of a turret it wouldn't have hit the turret anyway, it would have hit the bare ground. Walls definitely provide blast reduction, it may need to be tested regarding sandbags.

Quote from: Xerberus86 on September 08, 2014, 08:52:51 AM
I believe current understanding is that turrets gain no bonus from cover at all. If a bullet hits a sandbag in front of a turret it wouldn't have hit the turret anyway, it would have hit the bare ground. Walls definitely provide blast reduction, it may need to be tested regarding sandbags.

This is how I understand it too.

Sandbags do not limit blasts.  I learned that the hard way in Alpha 4, and I don't think it's changed since.

Better to put stone next to turrets these days.
TBH I didn't know you could do this until recently.

More defense systems screens please

Well, I dunno if it's the best defence system, but having the crematorium near the killzone is certainly more efficient. ;)

(http://marvinkosh.omniloth.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/screenshot1_reduced.png)

Quote from: marvinkosh on September 10, 2014, 09:23:58 PM
Well, I dunno if it's the best defence system, but having the crematorium near the killzone is certainly more efficient. ;)

How are those solar panels getting light under a roof  :o

Quote from: dices543 on September 11, 2014, 06:27:33 PM
How are those solar panels getting light under a roof  :o

Looks like a 2x6 no roof zone for each panel to me

Yep.  Tucked away inside, they're a bit less vulnerable to slash and burn tactics.

Also, updated the killbox screenshot.  As if the turrets weren't overkill enough, I've added embrasures and new walled-off sections.

Here is something Ive been trying on my current build.

(http://i.imgur.com/78Rceoc.jpg)

the wall at the bottom hides the turrets until raiders get close and when they are in range, the colonists can pop out from behind the doors and start shooting.

They get cover by peeking out of the doorway and I think they get a bonus for being in darkness while enemies are in the light. The butcher tables prevent enemies from storming in.
This has worked somewhat decently. colonists can duck back inside the doors to avoid explosive shells from centipedes, and beds are right there for people who need treatment.

(http://i.imgur.com/qmeKDrn.jpg)

here's my current colony.

1) i call this the "forked tongue" defense : the top is the main entrance leading to the turret kill box. the bottom entrance leads to my "open area" facilities. the clear path in the middle is part of the trap to lure the enemies to rush in. this path also allows my troops to enter/exit the base faster. while the sandbagged "sheltered" twists near the entrance prevents enemies from using the walls as cover.

2) i usually close this 2nd entrance during raids. but on peace time, this basically allows me to have easy access to my "open area" facilities, while forcing any raiders to still pass through the killbox to reach the main base which holds my "essential" facilities. it also has it's own "sheltered" twists and a series of turret-explosion killbox (good against squirrel apocalypse, which gives my troops enough time to reach the main killbox)

3) these are my backup farms and flower patches strategically placed to give morale boost for every passersby.

4) this is my "open area" facilities which includes solar panels, trade beacons, mortars, and my spaceship. the trade beacons are placed near the entrance so it acts as raider bait, so there's a chance that they leave rather than causing further damage or casualties. also, mortar overkill. even a single troop can cycle between mortars.

5) i placed the prison area here as my final buffer against attacks so i can use my prisoners as "meat shields". it's also a good gathering place for people to chat up and boost morale.

6) dining and kitchen area. i placed it near the prison and med bay for faster feeding.

7) med bay for healing injuries

8 ) "recycling" area : for stone/metal production and cremation

misc :

* i surrounded my base with stone floors to prevent fires from spreading.
* i use double walls in my primary steam generator to prevent accidental ceiling collapse under siege.
* i use each bedroom to hold batteries

@keylocke

I like your base a lot :) and good explaination (y)

@ SubZeroBricks

thnx thnx.  ;D

i modified the base recently and changed the doors/walls arrangement of the mortar area to make it easier for troopers to cycle between different mortars.

also, i forgot to note, that i keep my turrets turned off to conserve energy and only turn it on before the attackers reach the main killbox. which allows the batteries to soak up to full which lets me use all of my turrets in short bursts before battery depletion.

and another note i forgot : there are pathways in front of the turrets in the killbox for colonists. i basically place them in front of the turrets as "meat-shields with miniguns". it's also a good pathway for quick rescues of incapacitated troops.

also, the "essential" interior part of the base starts from the prisoner area down to the main generator. these are the first things i build, followed by the main killbox. the rest are just "expansions"

i should also add a room to store a pile of disconnected "backup" batteries (disconnect after full).
for emergencies..

---------------

further improvement notes :

* i'm planning to change the wall composition of the main killbox in my next colony. since the conduits i used to power the turrets are too vulnerable to siege attacks. so the killbox walls will become a metal wall / stone wall hybrid rather than pure stone. i'm gonna do the same thing with the walls leading to the turrets near the secondary entrance.

* i'm also thinking of removing the turrets in the side nearest the entrance. (they barely get much use anyways)

* also, i would probably make the trading area and solar panel area larger next time. in case i don't get lucky with two steam geysers, and for larger trading capacity.

-----

edit :

* oh yea, the research table used to be within the med bay. but i relocated it after i finished all useful research (asides from ship tech). i rebuilt it in the new location, when i was finally ready to start ship tech research.

* also, i use mortar barrages against scythers as well (asides from siege raiders). i just send a troop to hit the "hornet's nest" and then run away allowing the mortars to damage and eventually aggro the scythers causing them to charge towards my killbox.

Quote from: keylocke on September 16, 2014, 10:20:17 PM
@ SubZeroBricks

thnx thnx.  ;D

* i'm planning to change the wall composition of the main killbox in my next colony. since the conduits i used to power the turrets are too vulnerable to siege attacks. so the killbox walls will become a metal wall / stone wall hybrid rather than pure stone. i'm gonna do the same thing with the walls leading to the turrets near the secondary entrance.

* also, i would probably make the trading area and solar panel area larger next time. in case i don't get lucky with two steam geysers, and for larger trading capacity.

Well first your welcome.

If you create a two layers of stone wall that sandwich one metal wall the turrets still are powered as the range is about 3 on wire, I think.

My most recent colony's map had no steam geysers I made an external power solar farm. (shot below)

(http://i.imgur.com/ugxVrcO.jpg?1)

note 1 at the top left of the module there is a lead going through a mountain to batteries cells and the main base.

note 2 I had about 2 arrays of these by the time i was bored with the colony at year 3

I'm working on a castle, the idea it should remove any cover of the attackers.
It need's some mortars and the inside filling in.
(http://i58.tinypic.com/2vd3b4y.jpg)

Quote from: Funkmachine7 on September 17, 2014, 02:07:47 AM
I'm working on a castle, the idea it should remove any cover of the attackers.
It need's some mortars and the inside filling in.
(http://i58.tinypic.com/2vd3b4y.jpg)

Nice castle, do keep in mind that drop pods and ship parts can get behind your defenses and drop right in your courtyard. Would suggest planning for a few turrets pointing inside and defensive positions setup in your courtyard on top of everything else.

For some reason raiders always seem to drop on to my trade beacons.

I'm working on filling up the inside with rooms.

Just keep in mind that mortars punch through thin roofs. Since you are using the shield mod, get some CRAMs up for mortar deflection. Also, Jaxxa's shields currently wink out when you are not viewing them, and they need to be recharged after each loading of a save game, so if possible don't save when someone is shelling your colony.

Thanks of the tips.

I'm hopeing that with two walls, i can avoid having the base blown open too badly.
The inner wall probably need more defences, im thinking of thickening the inside of the outer wall and placeing a few sniper turrets in the middle of the inner walk way, probably with doors as well to slow down any attackers that get inside.
At the worst the door ways will be stronger than wires and make the power grid stronger.

Explosive mortars will very rarely punch holes in stone wall, and incendiary mortars simply cause fires, which are fairly easy to take care of.  If you have about three explosive mortars to fire back with, the seigers are going to have a bad time.

I like using metal for an inner wall, because when it is destroyed you can recycle the slag back into metal.

Here's my lastest idea:

(http://marvinkosh.omniloth.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/thumb_screenshot4_reduced.png) (http://marvinkosh.omniloth.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/screenshot4_reduced.png)

So as you can see, I've got turrets in the killbox, but on the other side and in the bottleneck before the killbox, I've got embrasures, and there are stone walls behind those embrasures to hide behind.

The reason for this is that well, standing next to the embrasures to lean out and shoot is all very well, but the attackers can use it against you by attacking from a certain direction, or so it seems.  By shooting from behind the stone walls and through the embrasure, it seems to negate that trick.

Here is my latest defense system... and it's practically invulnerable.

(http://i.imgur.com/2IF1Emu.jpg)

The way it works is that colonists can repair objects at an angle, so by creating a room with diagonal walls like this, you can lock in your colonist during an attack, and whenever a wall or a turret gets hit, they will rush over and repair it. Of course, it helps that every wall and every turret is made from plasteel ;)

But you can basically sustain any attack indefinitely, and since the outer door is locked, your colonist can keep doing whatever they want to, even during an attack (although, I usually have 4-5 people exclusively on repair duty during attacks).

As for power? Well... you do need a lot of it for this many turrets. But, as you probably know, setting up a wind farm outside is completely safe. It's never attacked, even when my wind farm is in the middle of the map out in the open.

High-res here: http://imgur.com/a/jU3Cm

One thing i dont understand about some of the defense ideas posted here.

There are several defenses that make it very hard to get in the base but how about get out of it?

What i mean is, I've seen long hallways/corridors filled with either chunks or sandbags to slow down the attackers and maybe even dark so they go nuts or something. But how do your colonists get out of the base?
Unless you are self sufficient inside your base (doubtful you can achieve that without mods) you need to go out to hunt, farm, mine and so on.

Having alternative entries/exits doesnt work because sometimes the enemies just ignore your main fortified entry and go for the other one.

And, what about sieges? How do you deal with them?

Sieges are fairly easy to deal with. Equip a group of really good shooters with sniper rifles, and just take them out from a distance.

But I do agree with the long hallways with sandbags. Great for defense, terrible for logistics. But currently, raiders will take the path of least resistance (relatively), so if you create a 'side entrance' that is strong enough, they won't ever try to attack it. Like this:

(http://i.imgur.com/NPmH5dY.png)

I have done the same with 6 x Plasteel doors. I'm hoping, as I have not yet tested it, that raiders will ignore them and head for the double steel doors instead (conveniently ignoring the 18 turrets I have on standby in a sea of marble chunks :D)

I'll post up some screenshots later. It's a bit silly. ;D

I like to build with lots of separate houses. Ample use of doors provides lots of cover and a maneuvering advantage. Once the enemy gets close, retreat indoors, and run to a new spot.

This is from a7 though, in the very cold/hot I have been playing since lots of houses are a bad idea.
(http://i.imgur.com/IVqKbtL.png)

More images of this colony at http://imgur.com/a/Kt4DY (http://imgur.com/a/Kt4DY)

Quote from: baekdal on March 25, 2015, 10:23:42 AM
Sieges are fairly easy to deal with. Equip a group of really good shooters with sniper rifles, and just take them out from a distance.

But I do agree with the long hallways with sandbags. Great for defense, terrible for logistics. But currently, raiders will take the path of least resistance (relatively), so if you create a 'side entrance' that is strong enough, they won't ever try to attack it. Like this:

(http://i.imgur.com/NPmH5dY.png)

Ah I see. Ok then, question:

Whats to prevent the colonists to use the main entrance?
Im not entirely sure how pathfinder works for colonists but do they consider the resistance of the ground they are gonna walk on when deciding how to reach a certain spot?

I mean, if its shorter to get outside through the main entrance but its slower to walk through all the sand bags and chunks, will the colonist choose the alternative exit which is farther away but doesnt have all the crap on the ground that slows they walking speed?

Or do you have to micromanage every colonist?
Or maybe use some locked doors in the main entrance ??? (thinking while typing, if you place a disposable door at the main entrance, say made of wood, and lock it, the colonists will obviously go through the secondary entrance. When attacks happen, they will destroy the wooden door and proceed as normal and after the attack you rebuild the door ...)

How do you guys do it anyway?

My colonists largely use the 6 door exit I have built now rather than going through the killbox itself, though that depends on where they're coming from and where they're going; sometimes they route through the killbox but they tend to avoid it now, which is nice.

I've also observed colonists walking around a small stockpile of chunks rather than over it, so I suspect the routing takes time and effort into consideration. Might go some way to explaining the random-ass nature of hauling at the moment.

Generally speaking, colonists will path the same way as raider, thought the path of the least resistance. The difference being that doors offer 0 resistance for colonists, and a massive resistance for raiders. So a huge tunnel filled with doors offers zero resistance for colonists, but a huge one for raiders (which is why they path to the kill box).

But, if you have a problem with colonists walking towards the wrong door, just lock it. This won't affect which door the raiders will aim for, but colonists will always have to path to the side-entrance.

As for me, during a raid, I always lock the outer doors (after safely securing everyone inside), using the double room method I describe on page 4 of this thread. This way, no colonist will ever come into physical contact with the raiders, for any reason. They will repair any damage caused to the outer wall (from the inside), but not go outside and be caught in an ambush.

I have noticed that a lot of people have been using crafting tables to create an impassible area that does not block weapon file. I tried this in A9, and find that they can now be pathed over with a slowing effect similar to chunks. Are there any other items, in vanilla A9, that block movement without blocking weapon fire?

I really like this, and I'm going to try it out. I'm sick of rebuilding all my turrets in my kill boxes after every raid. I need metal for other things! I have one question for you: about how many blocks is it from your front line of turrets to the back wall? Is the back wall at max range of the turrets?

Quote from: baekdal on March 25, 2015, 09:17:00 AM
Here is my latest defense system... and it's practically invulnerable.

(http://i.imgur.com/2IF1Emu.jpg)

The way it works is that colonists can repair objects at an angle, so by creating a room with diagonal walls like this, you can lock in your colonist during an attack, and whenever a wall or a turret gets hit, they will rush over and repair it. Of course, it helps that every wall and every turret is made from plasteel ;)

But you can basically sustain any attack indefinitely, and since the outer door is locked, your colonist can keep doing whatever they want to, even during an attack (although, I usually have 4-5 people exclusively on repair duty during attacks).

As for power? Well... you do need a lot of it for this many turrets. But, as you probably know, setting up a wind farm outside is completely safe. It's never attacked, even when my wind farm is in the middle of the map out in the open.

High-res here: http://imgur.com/a/jU3Cm

I cant say much about a9 since my colony is preety young, but from general tactics atleast in my opinion is to have same ammount of mortars as colonists so you can quickly tin out the group of raiders that are siging or preparing for attack.
At leater stages have open colony or multiply point of entrys with multiply structures that allows you to manuover and cover.
This is mainly for larger groups that run thrugh most of kill boxes. By having spread buildings and place to manouver will make it easier since raiders will split up in smaller and smaller groups, trying to set fire to something or brake something else while your team can eliminate smaller groups with ease. Heaving spread out buildings means that if they lit something on fire it wont burn entire colony.
Sniper to kill that nasty target that need to be killed also good for weakning raiders before the main encouters.
If map is big and thers a part for manouvers, a fast walker or jogger sniper can split big raids in half and just run around that bigger part of the map and lead that part of the raid behind him while rest of your colonists deal with the rest of the raid.
Keep in mind that im a space button junkine, and normally most of that tactic require alot of well tactic and planning :D

Here is my current colony, named "Turtlehead" for no reason whatsoever, as of sometime the other day, this week.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26582192/Games/RimWorld/Turtlehead(A9)/Turtlehead_Killbox1.png)

Population: 9 or something
Food: All of it
Resources: Too much

Killbox:
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26582192/Games/RimWorld/Turtlehead(A9)/Turtlehead_Killbox2.png)

It's a bit excessive:
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26582192/Games/RimWorld/Turtlehead(A9)/Turtlehead_Killbox3.png)
The whole area is filled with marble chunks to slow attackers down. They also seem to afford some protection to the turrets, of which there are 18. You'll notice only a few are on.

Here's why:
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26582192/Games/RimWorld/Turtlehead(A9)/Turtlehead_Killbox4.png)

Right from the get-go I knew I didn't want to be running power conduits through the middle of the killzone as they'd almost certainly be destroyed, so I ran conduit to the rear of the killbox to power most of the turrets. They run through switches so are only on when needed. The few that are on permanently connect to the conduit coming from the topmost geothermal generator, which will run them on its own. Sort of a backup, and those turrets being permanently on cover for random crazy things wandering in. The additional switches control the standing lamps, which are switched on when my colonists are drafted and ready, then switched off again when the shooting starts. Double wired for redundancy.

Colonist entrance:
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26582192/Games/RimWorld/Turtlehead(A9)/Turtlehead_Killbox5.png)

6 plasteel doors. I've found that waves of psychotic animals will beat on the doors rather than go through the killbox, but moving all colonists into the killbox seems to pull most of them away from the doors. Keen eyed observers will have noticed the slag hiding in the chunks near the entrance to the killbox. A turret used to be there that I had not yet replaced. That softens up incoming raiders and kills many more when it inevitably explodes.

Effectiveness: Devastating :-X

MisterVertigo, the distance is so that the edge turrets reach the middle entrance, so that all turrets can fire at all incoming raiders (well, nearly):
http://i.imgur.com/2bEkNc8.png

As you can see from this raid, they didn't stand a chance. They didn't even reach the turrets ;)

(http://i.imgur.com/2bEkNc8.png)

Quote from: JimmyAgnt007 on September 03, 2014, 04:29:57 PM
My setup is that my entire base is under the thick roof of the mountain and the only way in is through two killboxes.  And a picturesque path to the nearest edge when they flee... lined with more turrets.

I do mine the same way.

Quote from: Monkfish on March 26, 2015, 06:40:14 PM
Here is my current colony, named "Turtlehead" for no reason whatsoever, as of sometime the other day, this week.

Effectiveness: Devastating :-X

The primary improvement I would reccomend on this is to have all your repair people have shields - it would prevent explosive damage from certain mech types - and its also possible for a shot to go through diagonally through the V wall (which shields would protect).

I like though that it is simple.

I like to play in open space, so I spread out some "outposts", which basically a bunch of turrets (sniper, shredder & explosive) with their own power-generator, enclosed within embrasure. The main base also has mortars and turrets (gatling & flamer) around the edges to protect against drop-pods or finishes off any remaining raiders.

Here's mine: http://i.imgur.com/udzvmiN.jpg

Quote from: Teague on March 26, 2015, 11:17:19 PM

Quote from: Monkfish on March 26, 2015, 06:40:14 PM
Here is my current colony, named "Turtlehead" for no reason whatsoever, as of sometime the other day, this week.

Effectiveness: Devastating :-X

The primary improvement I would reccomend on this is to have all your repair people have shields - it would prevent explosive damage from certain mech types - and its also possible for a shot to go through diagonally through the V wall (which shields would protect).

I like though that it is simple.

It is effective enough, at least so far, that I can lock my colonists inside the main area and leave them go about their usual business. The turrets decimate the incoming raiders until they have had enough and leave. Then I'll release my colonists to repair whatever damage was caused.

I also forgot to mention that there's an orbital trade beacon under one of the chunks in the middle of the turrets. The idea here was that surprise drops coming in on the beacon would find themselves in the middle of the killbox. Lulz.

Thanks for the reply, baekdal. I tried this out last night (with a few less turrets) and it did work very well. The only issue I had was that my enemy's siege cannon took out my power early in the fight, so the first one didn't go so well! :) However, after that it worked great. I need to come up with a good backup power solution to make sure those turrets are always running though.

Unless you happen to have a geothermal vent near to your killbox, you'll want a bank of batteries somewhere near to your killbox that can be connected in the event of an emergency.

Quote from: MisterVertigo on March 27, 2015, 09:37:39 AM
Thanks for the reply, baekdal. I tried this out last night (with a few less turrets) and it did work very well. The only issue I had was that my enemy's siege cannon took out my power early in the fight, so the first one didn't go so well! :) However, after that it worked great. I need to come up with a good backup power solution to make sure those turrets are always running though.

Ahh.. yes. I had that problem too. Solved it by running power in from either end (all connected to power switches. If they take out one path, the power just comes in via the other.

One trick though would be to make the room larger. A distance of 4 between the turrets and the power line prevents power separation. during attacks.

hmm.. it seems that not much has changed in vanilla defense systems since the early alphas. but as for the many steel door side entrance (which is a hassle to go through for my workers), my solution is simply just to build a temporary wood wall past the door to block the side entrance in case of an attack.

(http://i.imgur.com/Ky8w00p.jpg)

1) there's a lone turret in front of the side door. this is for distraction, explosion, and auto killing lone psycho animals.
2) behind the side door, there's a stack of wood. this is to be able to quickly build a temporary wall behind the side door in case of attack. (enemies would prefer going through the killzone rather than attack the wood wall.
3) the killzone arrangement has stone walls alternating turrets, which prevents domino explosions. the stone walls also give good cover for my soldiers. and their close proximity to the turrets, allows them to be able to repair it during firefights.
4) in the small chance that enemies manage to go through the kill zone, there are two more exploding turret rooms following the killzone.
5) if they still manage to survive. i ambush them in the prisoner room, using the prisoners as distractions and meat shields.
6) if all else fails, i have an escape hatch that leads to cave mazes throughout the mountain.

------------------------

notes :
-i haven't been building mortars anymore. a squad of cyborg snipers (careful shooters) with powerclaws are my main line of defense and offense, backed by my minigunner squad.
-i rarely draft my melee troopers. but they're great for defending the base corridors, so i keep them at base and only draft when intruders managed to pass through my killzone (very rare)
-i don't use grenadiers anymore, either. has anyone found a really cool way to use them?

Quote from: keylocke on March 30, 2015, 09:50:14 PM
-i don't use grenadiers anymore, either. has anyone found a really cool way to use them?

I usually build mountain bases and I make my cooks, who rarely go outside, my grenadiers. Grenades are really good in halls and I also found out that the Triple Rocket Launcher isn't affected really by the quality of it so I buy the shoddy and terrible ones for 100-300 silver and save them for emergencies. My grenadiers then become the rocket holders.