Should Steel Slag Chunks give more than 10 steel?

[Kirby23590]

tl;dr - Electric Smelter w/ Steel Slag doesn´t feel balanced for the investment you put into it. 10 steel per slag, plus the work needed and the power consumption doesn´t feel worth it for 10 steel.

I'm okay with it since you're supposed to avoid your building such as turrets to be destroyed by raiders and man hunting animals and such. Also leaving Steel Slag Chunks in the open might give enemies cover so it's best to hide them somewhere around your colony all of them.

TBH What i feel that i think the weapons when smelting them to raw resources don't give as much. If I'm running low in components, at least it should have dropped like 1 or 3 of them.

[Call me Arty]

I'm okay with it since you're supposed to avoid your building such as turrets to be destroyed by raiders and man hunting animals and such.

Oh man, really? Shoot, this whole time, I've been letting my turrets get attacked. . . come to think of it, I've let my pawns get attacked too. I'll probably do far better now that I just don't let anything get attacked.
In all seriousness, though, it's not that simple. Animals can be pretty ovewhelming in groups for a poor turret. The average manhunter group is around seven or so critters, so even if two turrets could expertly curve their bullets mid-burst to heart-shot each 100% of the time, there'd still be one very angry animal coming for it. As for humans? Turrets are out-ranged by

• Sniper Rifles (Range: 45)
• Doomsday Rocket Launchers (Range: 40)
• Bolt-Action Rifles (Range: 37)
• Greatbows, Miniguns, and Recurve bows (Range: 32)
• Assault Rifles (Range: 31)
• Short Bow (Range: 29)
• Every Mechanoid Weapon (Charge Lance: 37, Centipedes have: 32-27 range)
• Revolvers (Range: 26)

So, out of the twenty-four ranged weapons in the game, the turrets are out-ranged by half of them. Of those, four are found on mechanoids, and three are neolithic. Now do you see why it's a bit tough to avoid? It's one thing to clear all the cover for 25.9 tiles around a turret, it's another to clear 45 tiles.

Also leaving Steel Slag Chunks in the open might give enemies cover so it's best to hide them somewhere around your colony all of them.

You're right, same deal with rock chunks and trees. It would obviously be the wisest decision to dedicate space that could be used for a resource stockpile, hospital, farmland, or power production, for a bunch of uprooted trees, stones, and chunks of metal. Sure is a shame that none of those are usable in any way whatsoever, and certainly wouldn't compose, like, the only viable building materials in the entire game (aside from plasteel, which is still prohibitively expensive in most cases).

[Kirby23590]

It's not that simple. Animals can be pretty ovewhelming in groups for a poor turret. The average manhunter group is around seven or so critters, so even if two turrets could expertly curve their bullets mid-burst to heart-shot each 100% of the time, there'd still be one very angry animal coming for it. As for humans? Turrets are out-ranged by curtain weapons

Yes it's a thing a downside for turrets, since they are stationary and of course expensive to make especially with plasteel.

Luckily i have some tips under my selves. I build turrets not in the open and leave them there, but i build them in enclosed rooms like say the kitchen, The Dinning Room, The Workshop, Jacob and Amy's bedroom and an Empty Room for turrets. Theres a button called the Uninstall button that minifies the turret and can be hauled to a nearby stockpile zone.

This is how i avoid letting turrets get destroyed by manhunting monkeys or yorkshire terrier manhunter packs. But when the time comes like a raid of tribesmen or angry outlanders. There's a few strategies i do with minified turrets when reinstalling them.

• 1. Deploy them immediately at their zones. Before the raid arrives or starts assaulting.
• 2. Play the waiting game when the raiders go to the killzone or took the bait. Quickly deploy turrets at nearby at the doors or murder holes.
• 3. Deploy them at corners where long-ranged weapon users such as snipers or bolt-action rifle users go to. Where they ambushed and are forced to shoot inside the range of the turret.

That's all i got but i might be missing some. But this is all the info i have for turrets but don't forget after cleaning up the raid or killing the rest of the capybara manhunter pack, Don't forget to Uninstall them! and reinstall in some enclosed room where it's safe where it can be repaired without repairmen getting attacked by manhunter pack leftovers or getting poisoned by the Toxic fallout. Also make sure to toggle off their power when not in use or keep them minfied in the stockpile.

I always think about them as deployable turrets rather than just stationary turrets.

Also leaving Steel Slag Chunks in the open might give enemies cover so it's best to hide them somewhere around your colony all of them.

You're right, same deal with rock chunks and trees. It would obviously be the wisest decision to dedicate space that could be used for a resource stockpile, hospital, farmland, or power production, for a bunch of uprooted trees, stones, and chunks of metal. Sure is a shame that none of those are usable in any way whatsoever, and certainly wouldn't compose, like, the only viable building materials in the entire game (aside from plasteel, which is still prohibitively expensive in most cases).

I don't know but in early games. Especially when playing as tribals.

Rock chunks could function similarly to sandbags since sandbags cost steel and steel is a important material in most cases. When comes to sandbags and stone or steel chunks sandbags have 65% while chunks have 50% cover effectiveness. Luckily the rock chunks are everywhere and you could use dumping stockpiles but only leaving chunk only checked and making them in like patterns of covers, kind hard to describe it. Also it could also reinforce sandbags to slow down melee fighters or mad animals or to block of corners where enemies could use them to lean to and shoot your guys with only to be denied because of a chunk in the way!

Essentially rock & steel chunks function as a poorman's version and cheaper way of sandbags. But i always replace wooden walls with granite or any form stone. Since they are better and of course inflammable but make slow opening but durable doors.

The same thing cannot be said about trees and wood though. They were important in early game until late or mid-game where i only rely on chemfuel generators instead. Wood can be turned into chemfuel but with large potato farms they become obsolete, but i think i heard they are better as weak wooden maces or clubs where they are better for capturing prisoners or subduing berserk pawns though.

but yeah i think wood becomes obsolete and underused unless i'm playing a mod like T's MoreFloors where it adds a bunch of nice varieties of floors especially the mosaic and barn board wooden floors for looks but still.

[PatrykSzczescie]

To prevent enemy shooters outranging turrets, build a wall in a proper way. I prefer switching off turrets rather than uninstalling to prevent them from being targeted.

To the topic: I simply use the smelter to clear off junk. Resources gained I treat as a bonus. However, it's worth smelting once you realize you don't have enough steel to build a deep drill.

[Call me Arty]

 Okay Kirby to be 100% honest that was such a good response that I've had this window open ever since trying to think of a good comeback. I've got nuthin'. I still dislike killboxes though.

[cultist]

I'm curious what kind of turrets we're talking about. Everyone starts with steel obviously, but I personally start replacing them with plasteel turrets as soon as I can spare the materials. You rarely lose one of those to anything other than centipedes (and then usually to fire, which can be blocked with firefoam) and rockets. Maybe several snipers.

[Kirby23590]

I'm curious what kind of turrets we're talking about. Everyone starts with steel obviously, but I personally start replacing them with plasteel turrets as soon as I can spare the materials. You rarely lose one of those to anything other than centipedes (and then usually to fire, which can be blocked with firefoam) and rockets. Maybe several snipers.

That's a good one cultist. I always replace steel turrets with plasteel which is why i consider plasteel more valuable. They are more durable but can still fall to yorkshire manhunters if you're not paying attention. But they are good as turrets or even as durable doors and autodoors! 

Okay Kirby to be 100% honest that was such a good response that I've had this window open ever since trying to think of a good comeback. I've got nuthin'. I still dislike killboxes though.

Thank you I also dislike killboxes as well since it kills the challenge IMHO. I prefer looking at turrets as deployable turrets rather than stationary turrets.

I always like improvising my fights before i start initiate combat in rimworld. Think about the creativity about using your environment like using manhunting rhinos or a thrumbo to attack the mechanoid centipedes and other things!

Edit:Fixed my grammar, sorry i was awake at something like 3 am.

[TheMeInTeam]

I'll probably do far better now that I just don't let anything get attacked.

Just so you know, aside from walls/doors this is legit possible for most raids.

[Rulin]

Faster smelting could be a viable balancing adjustment

[Manly_Dorf]

I think that we should get more than 10 chunks of steel. I mean, we use up so much energy only for 10 chunks?