Cost effective defense?

[coldcell]

My map is flat, so I'm building everything out in the open. Any suggestions for a defense layout that's cost effective?

My home area is roughly 50x50, so I can't afford to perimeter the whole area with sandbags and turrets (steel cost, power cost, components cost, etc).

[Limdood]

if you can manage a single layer thick perimeter wall, do that.

Then on each side, put a long, 8-15 square, single-tile-wide corridor (or just on opposite sides for cheapness).  Line the entire corridor with deadfall traps.  Steel ones are far more damaging than stone or wood (means you'll kill more raiders, but will have less "wounded" raiders in your kill corridor).

Place a door on each side of the corridor so your colonists have another exit.  also place a door every 3rd square of the corridor itself so that you can rearm traps and collect bodies without stepping all over them.

NO DOORS into the colony.  this works as long as there is a clear path into the base down those corridors...the doors on the sides are just for your colonists to circumvent the traps.

Set yourself a little sandbag kill pocket on the insides of the corridors.

Additionally, or instead, you can try to take advantage of the AI.  pawns with personal shields, even nonviolent pawns, are a huge advantage for a firefight.

Set up 2 forward positions, about 3 squares up with a sandbag, wall, sandbag, and place the personal shielded pawns behind the wall.  They will gain cover from the wall corner and sandbag from incoming fire, and as the "closest" pawns to the enemy, they'll be shot at.  You can put the rest of your shooters out in the open in a big clump behind and between the shielded pawns and they won't get shot at (unless the shielded pawn goes down or gets lit on fire).  beware grenades, rocket launchers, and inferno cannons.

[Hieronymous Alloy]

The cheapest defense is rooms along an open hallway; let the enemy into the hallway, stand in he doorways, doorway walla give cover and you can retreat behind doors for safety, then reposition in other doorways, etc. Think like urban combat.

You could also try a small internal killbox at the end of said hallway, rather than an external perimeter of turrets.

[Shurp]

How many turrets *can* you afford?

Build a perimeter wall around the whole base.  Leave an opening with the usual killbox (turrets) for non-sapper attacks.  For sappers, you have a problem.  You can try to lure them to your killbox once they break through the wall.  Door games help.  Also if they break into your bedrooms they can't damage anything too valuable and you can dive in with melee weapons and chop them to bits inside. (so keep bedrooms to the outside of the base, valuable stuff inside or near killbox)

[Sinosauropteryx]

Heironymous has the right idea, you don't need a lot of static defense in the early to mid game. Just build a lot of doors to your buildings and play peek-a-boo. Make sure every room has a door to every adjacent room, so you can retreat and reposition internally. You really can't have enough doors.

Later on transition to Limdood's method when you have enough stone. I like to make my trap corridors like pic related, it really slows down centipedes as they bang on doors and bunch up. You can EMP and focus-fire them with little risk.

[attachment deleted by admin due to age]

[Xav]

My map is flat, so I'm building everything out in the open. Any suggestions for a defense layout that's cost effective?

My home area is roughly 50x50, so I can't afford to perimeter the whole area with sandbags and turrets (steel cost, power cost, components cost, etc).

I've found the most cost effective defense is building walls FAR away from your base structures.  Some places single walled and others doubled (as in wall, open space, then another wall).  Raiders will take varying amounts of time breaking though depending upon whether they attack a single layer or double of wall (raiders seems to spread out to attack from multiple points).  This tends to make the raiders attack in more like waves rather than all at once.  Sometimes they will just trickle in and become easy targets to focus down, but once the groups get large it can get quite challenging to keep your colonist from receiving any injuries.  This also makes relocating to different parts of your base/map a necessity rather than simply setting up around kill boxes every time...and more interesting.

I stay away from kill boxes being my 1st line of defense.  I have, however, set up smaller kill boxes INSIDE my home base as a place to retreat to and as a last stand.  I find stone blocks to be a necessity as well and have never used sandbags.  On an open world, I suppose neither of these will be easy to come by naturally on the map.  I would definitely, at least, build a wall around your settlement.  Also, double wall any building that is important (either WW or WoW) and double wall corners that you think you will hiding behind and firing around.

Just some thoughts.  Good luck!

[FridayBiology]

If you have a few survival rifles then I'd suggest setting up large growing zones from your defenses to about 16-18 spaces from your base as a effective no mans land. it'll mean your guys will get hit but, you'll knock over most guys in less shots with a decently skilled colonist.
You could build up your food reserves and move if you have a hard time and are playing alpha 16.

[b0rsuk]

Remember, on a flat map you won't have much steel or even stone to build with. You can't afford a ton of traps, especially steel ones.

I have success with Polis layout (Greek city-states). I start with a public square in the middle and build houses around it. All doors doors face the square (inwards, not outwards). A bit later I build a perimeter wall, connecting it to the backs of houses. I have one or two entrances into the colony. Turrets, even if you can afford them, are not really necessary.

My biome is arid shrubland. I have around 5 tamed elephants and 2 rhinos in my first year. I assign those beasts to a personal shield wearing melee colonist and put them in a house near entrance to colony (it helps if it has multiple exits). If enemies make the mistake of running inside, I stomp them with elephants. Note war beasts drain a lot of herbal medicine.

In cold biomes, make sure to take the fight outdoors. Snow is a HUGE help because it slows enemies so much.

Curiously, one of better defense structures is the autodoor. Stone autodoors, especially close to corners, let you push door peeking to the extreme.

A few outdoor lamps connected to a switch are a big help when there's a raid at night. Your people stay in dark, targets are illuminated. Lamps are super cheap and a switch makes sure they don't drain batteries. It's perfectly doable to run a 2-generator colony until you need High-tech research bench and the multi-analyzer.

[Wanderer_joins]

Early on: doors and fluid movement in your home area is enough

Later: a wall for massive raids

And asap, pods to escape if things get bad

[Nomsayinbrah]

How long can I survive if I use none of the methods all you people just said?

Just plain:

SWWSWWSWWSWWSWWS
  CC    CC    CC   CC    CC

S= Sandbag
W= Wall
C= Colonist

Just that method on the sides raiders can attack, will I last long with this? (I'm new)
I'm not in the open like OP. Only 180 degrees is open. (or 50% --> one side)


EDIT:

Remember, on a flat map you won't have much steel or even stone to build with. You can't afford a ton of traps, especially steel ones.

I have success with Polis layout (Greek city-states). I start with a public square in the middle and build houses around it. All doors doors face the square (inwards, not outwards). A bit later I build a perimeter wall, connecting it to the backs of houses. I have one or two entrances into the colony. Turrets, even if you can afford them, are not really necessary.

Wow, this is actually a reall cool idea tbh... You make me want to start new

[Hieronymous Alloy]

How long can I survive if I use none of the methods all you people just said?

Just plain:

SWWSWWSWWSWWSWWS
  CC    CC    CC   CC    CC

S= Sandbag
W= Wall
C= Colonist

Just that method on the sides raiders can attack, will I last long with this? (I'm new)
I'm not in the open like OP. Only 180 degrees is open. (or 50% --> one side)

You can deal for a while but you will be overwhelmed eventually.

EDIT:

Remember, on a flat map you won't have much steel or even stone to build with. You can't afford a ton of traps, especially steel ones.

I have success with Polis layout (Greek city-states). I start with a public square in the middle and build houses around it. All doors doors face the square (inwards, not outwards). A bit later I build a perimeter wall, connecting it to the backs of houses. I have one or two entrances into the colony. Turrets, even if you can afford them, are not really necessary.

Wow, this is actually a reall cool idea tbh... You make me want to start new

Yeah, I don't call it that in my guide but this "polis" setup is very similar to the approach I use. Bedrooms as your outer perimeter, central stockpile plaza ringed with turrets.

[Nomsayinbrah]

How long can I survive if I use none of the methods all you people just said?

Just plain:

SWWSWWSWWSWWSWWS
  CC    CC    CC   CC    CC

S= Sandbag
W= Wall
C= Colonist

Just that method on the sides raiders can attack, will I last long with this? (I'm new)
I'm not in the open like OP. Only 180 degrees is open. (or 50% --> one side)

You can deal for a while but you will be overwhelmed eventually.

EDIT:

Remember, on a flat map you won't have much steel or even stone to build with. You can't afford a ton of traps, especially steel ones.

I have success with Polis layout (Greek city-states). I start with a public square in the middle and build houses around it. All doors doors face the square (inwards, not outwards). A bit later I build a perimeter wall, connecting it to the backs of houses. I have one or two entrances into the colony. Turrets, even if you can afford them, are not really necessary.

Wow, this is actually a reall cool idea tbh... You make me want to start new

Yeah, I don't call it that in my guide but this "polis" setup is very similar to the approach I use. Bedrooms as your outer perimeter, central stockpile plaza ringed with turrets.

Ohh, a guide? Can you link it?


edit: nvm im stupid 

[b0rsuk]

I use the name "polis" because the way ancient Greeks built their cities amuses me. They started with a city square, and built structures around them. That's because they thought public matters were the most important. Ancient Athenians even invented a word for a person who put private matters over public matters. The word was "idiot".

Another reason I build like that because bedrooms are usually the least expensive rooms you have, and the easiest to repair. It's only problematic if you use silver floors, sculptures or (golden) royal beds. A lot of effort goes into dining room/kitchen/food storage so it's in a well protected place. Other high security areas are hospital and workshop.

[coldcell]

Heironymous has the right idea, you don't need a lot of static defense in the early to mid game. Just build a lot of doors to your buildings and play peek-a-boo. Make sure every room has a door to every adjacent room, so you can retreat and reposition internally. You really can't have enough doors.

Later on transition to Limdood's method when you have enough stone. I like to make my trap corridors like pic related, it really slows down centipedes as they bang on doors and bunch up. You can EMP and focus-fire them with little risk.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'm curious about this layout. So when the enemy enters through the opening, my guys are positioned behind the doors? Like ~5 guys? When the doors are opened and pawns shooting, can't the enemy simply walk inside?

[Sinosauropteryx]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'm curious about this layout. So when the enemy enters through the opening, my guys are positioned behind the doors? Like ~5 guys? When the doors are opened and pawns shooting, can't the enemy simply walk inside?

It's just a corridor in a compact shape. The doors mostly exist to reset the traps. The exception is when you get attacked by centipedes, they bang on the doors and then you can send guys in there, EMP them and focus fire them down. Otherwise just let the enemies walk through the corridor.