Sharing rooms vs cramped environment debuffs.

[Sacarathe]

Which is best, lots of small rooms or few large rooms?

[andriusha]

And how big must a building be so a colonist wouldnt get a debuff? I have a 10x11 house for each of my settler, which is quite big, but they still get the debbuf.

[nnescio]

Which is best, lots of small rooms or few large rooms?

The "small room" penalty only lasts as long as your colonists are in cramped quarters (so they disappear when your colonists are no longer in their small bedrooms) while the "shared room" penalty lasts forever even if your colonists are outside, provided that they are still sharing the same bedroom. The normal cramped penalty (-5 happiness) is also less than the shared bedroom penalty (-8 happiness).

You can cheese around the system a bit by designating beds for prisoners and reassigning them back to colonists -- colonists who do not have a claimed bed will never suffer from the "shared room" penalty. Generally not worthwhile, as you would have to repeat it every night, but it is useful for emergency cases like when a colonist on the verge of a mental break.

And how big must a building be so a colonist wouldnt get a debuff? I have a 10x11 house for each of my settler, which is quite big, but they still get the debbuf.

You need a minimum of 27 walkable tiles, so a 6x5 (interior dimensions) would work with room for three flowerpots (or one flowerpot and one equipment rack). A 4x7 room would work as well, with only room for one flowerpot. Make sure the bed's pillow isn't on one of the corner tiles though. A pillow that borders at least two walls will always give the cramped penalty, regardless of the actual size of the room.

Incidentally, having less then 7 walkable tiles will give a more severe cramped penalty (-10 happiness instead of -5).

In any case, it isn't overly critical to assign individual, large-sized rooms to your colonists, especially for your first three colonists in the first ten days of the game (as they have a "new colony" bonus). Generally, you only need to cater to your miners and the corpse haulers. The other colonists are usually happy enough to not require better rooms, and the soldiers get hit with fear bonuses so often so their loyalty is usually pretty high anyway.

Speaking about fear, it is a much easier method to enforce loyalty instead of happiness, as you no longer need to accommodate to the needs of your colonists.

[DeltaV]

I usually go for simple 3x3 individual rooms for each colonist, each with a light and a flower pot. The flowers help counteract the -5 penalty, and it's not like -5 is big anyways (You get -8 just from eating).

[ShadowDragon8685]

I usually go for simple 3x3 individual rooms for each colonist, each with a light and a flower pot. The flowers help counteract the -5 penalty, and it's not like -5 is big anyways (You get -8 just from eating).

Technically speaking, the pot and the light are unnecessary. Colonists don't suffer darkness penalties whilst sleeping, nor do they benefit from flower bonii whilst sleeping. They only receive the penalty from the cramped environs, which acts upon them all night; meanwhile, the flowerpot bonus will only apply for a split second while they leave their bedroom.

[thebadman]

I usually instantly charge with my 2 miners+settler team at rock near geyser and make hall, leave some space so i can make later some tunnels for bunkers then i make cantine with comdesk on one side leaving the other for armoury in future.

From this point i build only bedrooms with 10x3 space(Bed must be in middle to avoid crampled evironment debuff).
Flower pots are much better in the hall than in rooms, also colonists don't get buffs from them while sleeping and you need few of them in one room.
Lamps are usually like pots, but because i don't use turrets but M-16/R-4/Einfield spammers in bunkers i build them lamps for short buff.

[W1Z25]

i use 2x4 rooms and have no issues.. granted im a ruthless person who uses fear to keep them happy lol

[thebadman]

i use 2x4 rooms and have no issues.. granted im a ruthless person who uses fear to keep them happy lol

Whats point of making separate rooms if you can keep them loyal with prisoner executions?

[Kender]

Are we talking about a POW camp? XD

[windruf]

i'm using 5x6. cos 5x5 is still cramped.

[Cdr.Keen]

You need a minimum of 27 walkable tiles, so a 6x5 (interior dimensions) would work with room for three flowerpots (or one flowerpot and one equipment rack). A 4x7 room would work as well, with only room for one flowerpot. Make sure the bed's pillow isn't on one of the corner tiles though. A pillow that borders at least two walls will always give the cramped penalty, regardless of the actual size of the room.

I don't Know how to explain it right, but I feel unsave with a bed which do not touch 2 walls. It also has to be placed on the opposite of the door. I need to face my escape route.

[thebadman]

You need a minimum of 27 walkable tiles, so a 6x5 (interior dimensions) would work with room for three flowerpots (or one flowerpot and one equipment rack). A 4x7 room would work as well, with only room for one flowerpot. Make sure the bed's pillow isn't on one of the corner tiles though. A pillow that borders at least two walls will always give the cramped penalty, regardless of the actual size of the room.

I don't Know how to explain it right, but I feel unsave with a bed which do not touch 2 walls. It also has to be placed on the opposite of the door. I need to face my escape route.

Well, actually im using 5x6 because then i can place bed right next to door and nobody is crying about size when prisoner isn't in the middle of room.

[Mad Duck of Doom]

If you really want to be evil you can use a 4x4 room with two beds.

[thebadman]

Evil guy would make 3x3 room at egde of map so they get slept outdoor debuff as well.

[Darker]

Evil guy would not build any beds, just Gibbet cages and would simply buy new slaves from Slave traders when the old die from exhaustment.