Improving the habitat modules
xerxys
Berlin, DE Join Date: 2015-03-23 Member: 202471Members
Berlin, DE Join Date: 2015-03-23 Member: 202471Members
Having spent a long time working on my sea-base, I've started to form opinions about what I think could be done to improve habitats and ways they could be expanded.
I hope you like some of my ideas!
- Better placement control: Placing certain items, including most equipment and furniture, is done totally by eye and can lead to some messy-looking set-ups, and no mater how hard you try, lining things up to give things a uniform look is virtually impossible. Two possible solutions could be having a set grid/axis-based placement system (similar to Sims), or specific hard-points on each of the hab pieces for certain items. My biggest peeves at the moment are solar panels (more than one and you end up with a mess of angles and directions!) and large lockers (why don't these snap flush to the walls!?)
- Integrated machine panels/niches: As a further extension to my above point, having systems integrate into the rooms and corridors would look amazing, similar to the seamoth control panel. Fabricators, fragment analysers, lockers, workbenches... As well as the option to place free-standing versions, having built-in options would give a super-modern and clean look and feel to bases.
- Even better signs: The initial implementation was already pretty thorough, but there could be more options as to how they can be used. Being able to label vertical connections at the floor or ceiling, have the signs able to hang from ceilings in the middle of corridors, and 'stack' signs so that they snap together to form a kind of sign board or signpost.
- Customisable colour schemes: Whilst the futuristic palette of the hab pieces is good-looking, customising the look and colour of both the modules and their lighting would add some interesting options to help bases blend in with their surroundings or indicate different base types or individual areas within a single base.
- More expansion options: The hab pieces feel quite basic at the moment and I'm sure there will be lots of extra updates, but some of the ideas I have are alternative room sizes/shapes, the ability to stack rooms floorlessly on top of each other and form stacked galleries (imagine a central pillar-like structure, with gantries running around each level, leading off to various workspaces and labs and such, connected by spiral stairs, or ladders, or even lifts). Diagonal connector shafts, to connect two levels without the need for a ladder would be great.
- More specific rooms: The moon pool is amazing, so how about a botany lab, cartography (or rather, oceanography), water filtrations plant, dedicated power room, Cyclops dock, fish farms, dedicated rec/kitchen/storage rooms?
- Surface systems: In future updates, a greater use of the ocean's surface would add realism and extra playability. Wave and wind-harnessing turbines could provide even more energy options. Surface docks could see a jet-ski style craft that would allow you to speed around the map much more quickly than underwater, or a way to harvest meat that isn't fish from flying fauna. The escape pod could even be turned into a surface anchor-point for your base.
I hope you like some of my ideas!
Comments
The specific rooms would be awesome... a cartography room?! With a 3d map of what you have discovered so far? Maybe to create more of the map you have to keep pinging places with the Seamoth sonar (or a special "wireless" sonar specifically for the cartography room?). Fish farms, power room, botany, storage room, all excellent ideas.
I also agree that all of the base parts are plain at the moment, it is definitely still an early implementation. I love the customizable lighting in the base. The ability to build lamps? Or ceiling lights? And a "customize" tab on the PDA that when you're facing something you can press a key and one of the color menus comes up on your PDA that lets you change its light or color?
+1 for removing the floors between stacked rooms. and ability to have spiral staircases up and around them. Until something similar (or larger rooms/buildings) are implemented walking in the bases will always feel very confined in the vertical direction.
I think he just means a large square room.
But another thing that the game has which I think needs to be looked at before long, especially in more difficult modes, is the salvage... You get every ingredient back from everything! I built a big base really close to my escape pod to start off, then simply moved it piece by piece further outwards after exploring, without losing anything. There is no penalty for making a wrong choice, or changing your mind.
Whilst I love how tight the construction system is, it really does need to punish me for removing pieces after constructing them. However, the current mechanics of the game have the glowing purple 'building process,' where the components are added in sequence before a section is active. This could be expanded on and used as an in-game base designer mode. By activating the Designer mode, you can place any of the components currently available to you, but they will not be built, even if you have enough components in your inventory. You can build and design your base, adding any components to see how they'd fit and look, and it would give you an idea of the cost of building.
Designing the base like this can be hazardous in-game, with O² or enemies proving a hazard, so the Design mode would freeze everything in the game - oxygen, food/water needs as well as creatures. But you are unable to pick up or use any items in your inventory and if you change your current item from the builder, or swim too far from any placed item, Design mode would be deactivated.
This could also be a way of introducing modular room sections, to enable you to design your own size rooms using pieces. Due to the pieces having open sides, you can only leave Design mode when rooms are 'valid,' after which you can leave Design mode and you construct the entire room in one go.
And all that from playing Fallout 4 for a few hours!
You can do something similar to that already, you can layout your entire infrastructure in purple temporary matter before you start building.
However I'd would say while the mechanics are indeed forgiving they are also restrictive.
Because junctions aren't automatically created where applicable it reduces your options regarding your base layout.
Ideally our basic corridors should consist of a straight corridor, a 90 degree curve, a 45 degree curve, a 1 Storey slope, a 1 Storey stairwell and a 2 Storey stairwell.
If you the include our current round room a small square room and a large square room, base building in general will be a lot better overall.