Nevermind this playing without turrets nonsense...

[Shurp]

So, my colony of 7 colonists gets a radio message of a refugee fleeing pirates.  "Oh what the heck, I could use an eighth, maybe she'll be ok" I think.

So, it turns out she's fine.  And then 27 pirates show up chasing her.  !!!

I suppose my colony wealth of 150,000 has something to do with it.  But seriously, I need a *lot* of guns to take down a mob of that size.  8 people with survival rifles isn't going to cut it.  Even 8 people with LMGs are going to have a hard time.  I suppose 8 miniguns might have had a chance...

But if the AI is going to throw that many warm bodies at me, screw that, I'm going to throw steel death right back at 'em.  I guess it's time to start an "everyone's welcome" base filled with every useless twit that shows up but defended with turrets and mortars.

[jpinard]

Have any screenshots of that battle?

[b0rsuk]

Which year was that ?

[Elixiar]

You can still win a battle with those odds, I recomend building a small fort nearby the colony that you can retreat to when outnumbered, as long as you get the first strike on them you can pretty easily bring down their numbers.

As for the fort it wants to be sandbags outside the entrance, wall with door. Second line of sandbags, wall with door, final stand point with sandbags.

By late game you can adopt that layout around the entire colony (but with 2 exits).

You still don't need turrets. You just need to be smart.

[b0rsuk]

And don't forget the beauties that are Triple Rocket Launcher and Doomsday Rocket Launcher. Even an insanity lance could help on the right target (like a melee fighter in good equipment, at the right moment).

Mortars really show their potential against big raids.

[Wanderer_joins]

A few psychic insanity/ shock lances on carefully chosen pirates can help a lot. Usually the guys with rocket launchers will destroy their own group if you target pirates with personal shields.

[Shurp]

Screenshot.   5502, 144 days in.  What's odd is that even though it's a "refugee" event the attackers are affiliated with an Outlander union.  Which is why there's so many of them -- they're just carrying guns and parkas and some armor vests.  Nothing seriously expensive.  They're as bad as tribals.

(I had previously shot up an outlander visitor in order to provoke some recruitable outlander raids... I guess this is the result.   Lesson learned: if you're going to war with the locals, you need turrets or miniguns.)

[attachment deleted by admin due to age]

[cultist]

Maybe you should have spent some of that 150k on buying rocket launchers and stuff?

[Shurp]

Maybe you should have spent some of that 150k on buying rocket launchers and stuff?

That would require that I get visited by a trader carrying rocket launchers and stuff?  Combat traders are happy to bring me shipping containers full of steel spears...

[b0rsuk]

In 5502 yes, that's a lot. Must be the wealth. But then again it's fall the 3rd year, a lot of time has passed. Don't bite more than you can chew ! And I have good news for you:  unlike normal raids, chased colonists can overlap with other raids! Another raid can happen within hours or weeks.

I divide colonists into 3 groups:
* melee fighters
* shooters
* mortar operators

Pawns incapable of violence can't operate mortars, so they need to stand out with at least 1 skill other people can't focus on.

[SpaceDorf]

I divide colonists into 3 groups:
* melee fighters
* shooters
* mortar operators

Pawns incapable of violence can't operate mortars, so they need to stand out with at least 1 skill other people can't focus on.

Which include Shieldbait, Medevac and Janitor
I love non-violent Doctors. No reason for them not to wear a personal shield.
And always availabe after a fight .. if they were useful as Mortar operators that would be better, but I don't play with mortars, so I don't care.

[b0rsuk]

In my current melee only colony the only non-violent wanderer is Darknight, he joined with around 14 Medicine, Growing, Animals, Research. But capable of violence even with skill 0 is always better. For example my most recent recruit, Norman, is abrasive 80 year old crafter currently on psychite withdraval. But hell, 12 Crafting burning passion, 12 Research burning passion. She's my official EMP Grenade Operator. When you must defeat 3 centipedes with inferno cannons, she's the hero! She's triggerhappy, she spams EMP like there's no tomorrow.

[SpaceDorf]

Sure .. no argument there ..

I had this wonderful day too, when Kyle joined, a 81 year old soldier with 14 shooting, and passion in mining and construction .. which I did not have in this colony .. and to top it with cream : absolute no medical issues ..

[Shurp]

Durrrr.  I forgot about devmode.  I can still save this colony... it's time I put my stockpile of 2000 steel and 50 components to use.  That's easily 10 turrets I can park in the middle of the alley they're running down...

(Yes, I have an odd concept of cheating.  I'll be deleting steel with the destroy tool to offset the turrets I'm spamming with the build tool.)

[Rahjital]

This is where outdoors, town-like colonies with winding alleys have a great advantage. You can ambush small enemy groups in close quarters with all your might, then move and regroup before any more enemies can move into position. Animal swarms also work really well this way. Rinse and repeat until enemy retreats.