How do you have a successful colony

[Neotic]

what do you guys do to make your colonies last?

[Argelle]

I'd say learning what catastrophy may arrive and get prapred to it?

[b0rsuk]

By applying the exact counter the threat needs.

I play on Randy Random 100%. I no longer lose colonists except in early game when I still don't have good equipment (mostly armour) and beer. Past early game, you can respond to anything and prepare to anything.

[hwfanatic]

I like planning a lot in advance. Like, laying out plans for the whole base before I even unpause the game. I get it most people would not consider it fun or flexible enough.

So, instead try to identify the biggest threat or your own weakness and work on making it a non-issue. Don't overwork your pawns and concentrate on their immediate needs before removing mood buffs. A hungry pawn is always a bigger problem than one not having his own room to write home about (just an example).

Avoid design decisions that have a common-mode failure point i.e. systems that can be knocked out by destroying just one turret, building, tile, or disabling just one pawn.

Adopt a defense in depth approach. Build multiple layers of bunkers that can delay and pin down attackers with a small defending force, while you tend to your wounded. Build weak but enticing cover for your enemies at your optimal firing ranges. Light them up with standing lamps, while covering in darkness of your own bunkers. Use turrets to draw fire from your pawns, not the other way around.

I'm sure everybody could offer more practical advice if you are interested in anything in particular.

[Wex]

Build covers on basically the whole map, then make deadfalls trap on the side that would be used against you;
have one big mined section, where the colony is not, so infestation spawn there, admist long range corridors;
have one set of battery disjunted by a switch, put at least 2 extinguisher in those rooms;
build turret so they have priority over your firing pawns;
build chockepoints in the map, put mines in those chockepoints;
Use mortars only against psychic (or poison) ship; they are not reliabile enough to be used against raids;
have at least 2 entry points in your base, so you can alternatively pop out and shoot at manhunters.

[CrazyTribal]

Depending on the area you start, that changes everything.. but in general:

Food - Need to make plans for expanding your food reserves for supporting larger and larger colonies.

Medicine - Stock up on this a little at a time from the start.. herbal meds are nice...but grow slow.

Security - Figure out your defense plan.  Plan for everything. Sappers.. long range shooters.. Mechanoids and other dangers.

Lasty I'd say make sure you have a totally sealed base or at least a massive area with lots of food and medicine for when things like Toxic Fallout happens

[Shurp]

to follow up on hwfanatic, don't forget to use the "plan" button to lay out where you want your future development to be.  It can save you the trouble of tearing down turrets and walls as your base grows.

[b0rsuk]

I like planning a lot in advance. Like, laying out plans for the whole base before I even unpause the game. I get it most people would not consider it fun or flexible enough.

So you're one of the strip miners....

Call it lack of imagination if you will, but I do the opposite. I build a room and put all my colonists there along with a stockpile (dining table usually outside). My rooms are initially multi-purpose, then I repurpose them and build a proper hospital, laboratory depending on current needs.

[Wex]

So you're one of the strip miners....

Call it lack of imagination if you will, but I do the opposite. I build a room and put all my colonists there along with a stockpile (dining table usually outside). My rooms are initially multi-purpose, then I repurpose them and build a proper hospital, laboratory depending on current needs.

I do the same thing. Usually, the first room I build, becomes the entrance of my base. If I can manage, I put this room at the entrance of a valley, so I can have a rapidly roofable farming land.

[quxzcover]

My idea of a successful colony is 80+ colonists with a stable power supply, food supple, and security. i like seeing how far i can push the system and how many colonists i can get before i inevitably topple my empire. the key to this is make everything expandable. don't limit anything. and obviously at that point a mountain base with a kill box is basically the only way to keep 80+ colonists alive. charge rifles at the back, turrets on the sides, and dead fall everywhere else.

[hwfanatic]

Of course everything starts in a single room. I just know where the rest of the rooms will be well in advance.
And they are mostly modular, so the purpose is unknown until the need arises.
Not sure about that remark, though.

[Neotic]

thanks guys ill keep this in mind for my future colonies.

[b0rsuk]

thanks guys ill keep this in mind for my future colonies.

You've made a very vague question and got very vague answers.