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Probably just keep it simple, but IDK what do others think.

Not too easy, though. Still to be determined. A stray bullet hit my main constructor and suddenly it is quite hard to keep everything maintained. We shall see as the base progresses.

I did notice however that their skill doesn't increase due to this activity. WAI?

Today I had a heater drop below 50% and it started smoking. Took me some time to figure out what was going on. Kudos for implementing.

So far I spent a grand total of 0 components for repairs, although the guy does spend quite some time doing the maintenance on a daily basis. I have to play many more hours to get the idea of how balanced it is. I do believe, though, that even properly maintained things should have a tiny chance of breaking down.

I'm pretty sure it just displays pawn's accuracy, without considering weapon's stats.

There are probably a couple. I use Numbers: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=16558.0

Mods that will just make your life easier and don't necessarily change the game mechanics:

Fluffy's Tabs, Relations, and Medical Info
koisama's Numbers
CCL might be required by some mods and the CCL Vanilla Tweaks are nice to have.

My $0.02

Good to know. Thanks.

The fix only removes the errors, but doesn't actually fix the graphics, did I understand this correctly? At least on my system.

The results are in. What a great way to spend your sick day.

Room size: 169
Buffer size: 95
Coolers set at: -99

Test 1: http://i.imgur.com/Pch7n8i.png
Test 2: http://i.imgur.com/4SdVill.png
Test 3: http://i.imgur.com/WdEPtmt.png

On average: http://i.imgur.com/wukjKQ7.png

Conclusion: A single double wall with an airlock and no buffer (B) is probably the most efficient material-wise. Having a buffer (A, D) is preferable in the ice sheet biomes because you can dump your fridge heat into it; and a buffer can have other purposes beside temperature regulation.

Only one test left to be done: door speed.
EDIT: From a couple of runs, on average, there is no perceivable difference between wooden auto-doors and regular stone doors using (B) layout. The airlock temperature varied wildly, but the room temperature remained stable.

That's it. I've satisfied my curiosity.

@Ghizmo It doesn't.

A few more static tests before I let them pawns move around: http://i.imgur.com/8WAZq1b.png

Room size: 169
Buffer size: 87
Ambient: 57
Coolers set at: -99

As far as static tests go, a single double wall with an airlock pretty much beats everything else. Buffers didn't do so well.

A few more layouts: http://i.imgur.com/JcBvrVP.png
Some of them fail rather miserably. My conclusion here is that buffers do not accomplish much on their own due to (I presume) roof leakage.

Room size: 169
Buffer size: 95
Ambient: 57
Coolers set at: -99

OK, let's first test the debris theory: http://i.imgur.com/s6CID8D.png
Space 169 initially for all 4 rooms, reduced to 60 with chunks. No difference observed. Added heat wave as well.

Let's get some base readings regarding buffers: http://i.imgur.com/MVvtVW5.png
All rooms are 169, all coolers are set to 0, buffers differ in size. Bottom row incorporates air locks.
Cooling only the buffer is pointless, as expected.
The difference between buffered layouts and a single double wall seems rather minuscule, which leads me to...


For my next test I'm considering the "human element", where I let pawns haul in stuff to test the effects of air locks. I suspect this will have the largest effect overall.

And just for the record: 2 coolers broke down during the course of this experiment. 

If you look at it at 90 degree angles, yes, but it is not a square.

Items in rooms, like stacks of steel, affect room size and might affect temperature.

Now you got me interested. I'll have to test that.

Strangely enough I netted a difference of only 1 degrees by adding the second door to double-walled tests (not published). I considered the difference insignificant, but it may as well be that heat and cold don't propagate at the same rate. Needs further testing.

Maximum room size (excluding walls) without cave-ins is 12x12, but since that is not symmetrical in RimWorld, I use 11x11 with 13x13 walls. If you are worried your walls might get destroyed, use granite or plasteel "structure beams" like this.

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1------⊠------
2-           -
3-           -
4-           -
5-           -
6-           -
7⊠           ⊠
8-           -
9-           -
0-           -
1-           -
2-           -
3------⊠------

Four tiles is enough to hold the whole roof should all other tiles somehow disappear (fire and triple rocket launchers come to mind) so you can use cheaper material for other tiles.

If you want to experiment, I urge you to get a copy of RoofSupportGuides - Tool from https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=10320.0

In answer to the original question: I don't think it would be much fun with the available storytellers on challenge (which I consider baseline). They tend to send overwhelming forces - forces that would otherwise own your colony unless there was some cheese involved. And everything can be considered cheese if you are brave enough - even pausing the game. 

I'd start by creating a custom storyteller that would send measured forces, and then we would also have to evaluate what would be required to survive. For starters, we'd need something to draw fire, something interesting and worth shooting at that would make the enemy stop and try to dig in. And since that is usually a turret, then you'd have to have a couple of bubbled pawns running around the battlefield instead. Note that you cannot manufacture shields and have to rely on what you pick up. Then, you'd have to provide interesting cover options for your enemy to prevent them from closing the distance too fast (stone chunks, sandbags, 1x1 walls, trees, etc). And of course, you would have to create layers of bunkers that will let you stay in the relative safety of darkness, while also lighting up the surroundings with lamps.

And having accomplished all that, and survived for sufficient amount of time, you would still have mechanoids drop from space and right into your fridge, while you are trying to decide whether to send the half of your pawns that are bedridden with malaria to fight just to have them die a few hours later from sickness.

My point being, the game effectively forces you to invent ways to cheese the hell out of your enemies with its hyperactive storytelling. And whether you consider something cheese or game mechanics is ultimately up to you.

Thanks, this is informative if a bit odd. Wall thickness doesn't seem to matter if no air conditioning is used. I'll perform my tests with heaters.

Looking forward to your results. It's a bit odd because the model doesn't include every single mechanism of heat transfer, but it works fairly well the way it is. Baking in the sun the whole day (temperature measurement was done at 17h) even the single-walled room managed to stay 3 degrees below ambient temperature without any coolers, which is expected.

I'll try to investigate buffer effectiveness later today, even though I have a pretty good idea of the results as experienced during regular playtime.