Corridor tiles for base building

[Fire@Jimmi]

Hi,

One thing that I think would be cool in the base layout screen would be the option to lay a corridor piece. It should serve no obvious purpose other than to form a corridor.

I'm no dev, but I can't really see this being a difficult thing to implement.

In Game Benefits:

Allows you more options to design a defensible base IE choke points etc

Bases can be more customisable/unique to the player

In Game balancing factors:

Monetary cost to dig out tunnel

Less space to build rooms which have an obvious use

Cheers

Jimmi

[Fire@Jimmi]

No one? Really? Not even to be torn asunder by rabid fans?

gee..

[Gorlom]

I don't understand the point of having corridors. So I thought it would be better to keep quiet.

Would these corridors take up a whole square? half a square? Double square?

Why can't you use any room for the same purpose? Wouldn't a corridor be void of any cover and just be Really bad (and also very booring to look at?)to have in the ground battle?

What would be the difference between a corridor and any other room? The cost?

[Chris]

It theoretically would be fairly easy to implement, but I can't really see much value in adding it. I think the number of players confused by them being there would outweigh the numbers who found them useful.

[vaultdweller]

I honestly can't imagine how you could actually use them for defensible bases without losing most of your base area. Would you build a ring of structures around the outer perimeter of the base, and link them to the command center with just one corridor, and leave the rest as empty space?

Keep in mind that base defenses aren't like in the original game. The aliens don't attack from a predictable entry point (the hangers) that you can split from the rest of your base. Every perimeter tile is a possible alien access point.

[warioland]

Well better yet, while you have an area being constructed, when you hit the base defense mission, I think it would be fantastic to see the actual area under construction, looking like a real underground cave with bright lights hanging from the top, supply crates and construction gear everywhere as well. Dark in some areas, and immersive echoes when an Op is inside this area. Well I've never been into a cave, but I'm sure it's awesome from pictures I've seen. So add them into the base defense battlescape.

Edited November 21, 2013 by warioland

[Gorlom]

That does sound interesting warioland.

[Gauddlike]

It would give the aliens a chance to set back the building process by destroying the materials you have there as well.

I looked at adding some corridor sections a little while ago but couldn't find a use for them.

They were oversized and difficult to defend without adding artificial constrictions, like abundant furniture.

Remember a corridor section likely has to be the same size and shape as a room and reach all of the same dimensions or alien breaching could bug out and cause problems if they breach to an area where they cannot access the base.

[Chris]

We're going to add a generic "in-construction" room map to the base before release (otherwise structures under construction could pose problems in a base attack).

[superbob]

How about a different approach:

• corridors, per square, cost $10k and take a day to build
  
• players can use corridors to separate base structures
  
• players can build base structures on top of already built corridors
  

additionally, corridors could be equipped with armored doors which take a while to tear down or even defense turrets. Maybe an alternative "fortified tunnel" structure available after researching some alien tech.

So basically, corridors, at a cost, allow to expand the "buildable" base space to either:

• optimize a base for defense (separate hangars)
  
• accelerate construction (build tunnel grid first, then all structures at once)
  
• help plan base layout (space initial structures with tunnels then fill in the blanks )
  

[Gorlom]

additionally, corridors could be equipped with armored doors which take a while to tear down or even defense turrets. Maybe an alternative "fortified tunnel" structure available after researching some alien tech.

Would such things be optional or mandatory if you build a corridor? I ahve a hard time imaginening how you would fit in the functionality of buying doors or turrets after the fact.

Would not having extra defenses for corridors would raise the question as to why the normal rooms dont have those doors, turrets or defensive measures?

So basically, corridors, at a cost, allow to expand the "buildable" base space to either:

• optimize a base for defense (separate hangars)

• accelerate construction (build tunnel grid first, then all structures at once)

• help plan base layout (space initial structures with tunnels then fill in the blanks )

Overall that would really speed up the rate at which you can fill up a base with buildings. Unless Chris, Aaron and those guys over at goldhawk feel it's going to slow atm something would probably be needed to balance that. I guess money (building cost) could be used to replace time as a cost? but would that be fun? Are there any other ways to balance it?

[superbob]

Would such things be optional or mandatory if you build a corridor? I ahve a hard time imaginening how you would fit in the functionality of buying doors or turrets after the fact.

I think of this as a separate structure you gain access to once you complete some research. So in this case it would be called a "fortified tunnel", cost maybe $25k, take 2 days to build and automagically be equipped with latest "heavy *** weapons" type you researched.

You could build it as a new tunnel or on top of an existing tunnel to upgrade it to the fortified version. I consider this as simply acknowledging the fact tunnels could be used for making defensible base layouts, and as such might very well be fortified. This would give players another way of preparing against enemy attacks and be a great excuse for making attacks on bases happen more often.

Would not having extra defenses for corridors would raise the question as to why the normal rooms dont have those doors, turrets or defensive measures?

I don't think it makes not having defense turrets everywhere else seem strange. With how cramped most base areas seem, I don't think there's much room for these anyways, maybe with the exception of hangar, garage and command center areas. Still, these might make the personnel feel a bit uneasy, so I think its reasonable to restrict them to explicitly fortified areas.

Overall that would really speed up the rate at which you can fill up a base with buildings. Unless Chris, Aaron and those guys over at goldhawk feel it's going to slow atm something would probably be needed to balance that. I guess money (building cost) could be used to replace time as a cost? but would that be fun? Are there any other ways to balance it?

Even though I've been powergaming through my current playthrough, I've rarely had enough cash on hand to start a base with more than a radar and a few hangars. So filling a base with tunnels just to place all the structures at once seems like a rather decadent thing to do. In almost all circumstances it would be wiser to spend the money as soon as it comes in, so the base is up and running sooner, rather than wait until you have $3M accumulated and spend it all at once.

I like the idea of having the option though, just so I can hope to do it sometime, while knowing it's hardly an optimal solution - pretty much something to be done once I'm so far ahead I don't know what to do with all the money.

[lemm]

Well, instead of corridors, you could let the players decide where to place the doors. The rule would be that each existing structure needs to be connected to the command post by a chain of doors. This would let players fill up the entire 6x6 grid while allowing for an alien-resistant design.

[Gorlom]

How would you let the player place the doors though?

[lemm]

Kinda like this. Clicking on a red box will add or remove a door between the base structures. The game will not allow you to remove the last door that connects the structure to the command center.

Of course, it's probably too late to add something like this in, but the way that base map files are constructed (doors and passages are overlaid upon base structures) means that this mechanism might not be too hard to program. Or so I would guess.

[superbob]

So what would be the cost of arranging these doors?

In case of tunnels, they would cost something to build, delay construction and take up space, in return for making base defense a bit easier.

OTOH, locking down doors might have an effect on base efficiency, but that would be more difficult to model in a believable way. Also might require a more modular approach to mapping base structures, whereas tunnels are just another base submap.

[Fire@Jimmi]

Thanks for replying guys. I'm a little bit disapointed at the lack of enthusiasm towards my idea, but I'm a big boy so no worries.

How about a different approach:

• corridors, per square, cost $10k and take a day to build
  
• players can use corridors to separate base structures
  
• players can build base structures on top of already built corridors
  

additionally, corridors could be equipped with armored doors which take a while to tear down or even defense turrets. Maybe an alternative "fortified tunnel" structure available after researching some alien tech.

So basically, corridors, at a cost, allow to expand the "buildable" base space to either:

• optimize a base for defense (separate hangars)
  
• accelerate construction (build tunnel grid first, then all structures at once)
  
• help plan base layout (space initial structures with tunnels then fill in the blanks )
  

Now here's a man who shares my vision

[Gauddlike]

Remember that aliens don't just breach through hangars and an access lift any more.

They can breach from the edge of any building.

Adding a corridor section between buildings just allows them to breach into the building or the corridor.

To cope the corridor needs to be the same size and shape as a building as well.

It is a fairly easy mod to add them though, you can even add doors.

I don't know how the aliens AI would handle doors they couldn't open, they would probably just bug out rather than trying to breach them.

[Gorlom]

To cope the corridor needs to be the same size and shape as a building as well.

Couldn't you make them any shape you wanted as long as there's a row of available tiles along each side?

[Gauddlike]

You could make the interior of them have any shape and design of cover yes but the exterior dimensions of the space the corridor 'building' takes up needs to be the same as the other buildings.

Just pointing out that the design may not look like they imagine when suggesting it.

So a corridor like this should work:

http://imgur.com/1zTMiLz

*edit missed one* http://imgur.com/QvUAh3M

But this probably wouldn't:

http://imgur.com/qMr6KPh

They might look a little odd if they don't have all four edges connected though.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Gauddlike

[Gorlom]

The last one would work if you made a row of available tiles along the edges of the square and just put in 4 walls (preferebly indestructable if that can be done) at appropriet places.

_______ ¨ ______

I__¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨__I

I¨¨###¨ ¨###¨¨I

I¨¨###¨ ¨###¨¨I

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨

I¨¨###¨ ¨###¨¨I

I__###¨ ¨###__I

I______ ¨ ______I

[Gauddlike]

Yeah should do, that ties in with what I was saying about it basically being a room with obstructions rather than a proper corridor.

[Gorlom]

perhaps. but your rooms looked more like rooms with cover than rooms with "obstruction" or unavaliable areas. Maybe there isn't any destinction and I'm just overly pedantic.

[Gauddlike]

Probably because they were just examples of how a corridor type structure could be built.

You could replace the cover items I threw in with solid walls or anything else you fancied.

I also had one where most of the centre of the room was blocked out using the exterior wall tiles but I disliked it as it was difficult to see anyone in the room.

I wasn't sure if aliens would try to spawn in the blocked off sections and become stuck.

My other problem was that those types of rooms don't really help you to defend your base, they just cut down your sightlines.

Look a bit less interesting as well with very little space to add props. http://imgur.com/jvwdGW5

A more open structure with defensible spots helps you defend, if you get there first.