Ranty: Good Base Locations? (and lack therof)

[dragonalumni]

Perhaps it's just me. (And an another board where we often talk about Kenshi) but nobody seems to know any "decent" base locations.

Every single piece of flat land, that might have a piece of copper and iron nearby, that isn't in the desert seems to be owned, and unfortunately for us, we cannot yet take by force that land from it's "owners".

There are some places with iron and copper, but the land is so corroded that building anything substantial is impossible.

IF our buildings actually had those foundations that we supposedly researched, they should be able to be built in such locations without looking horrible, but as it is now it's really hard to make anything resembling a flat base.

I've heard something like "Kenshi isn't about building bases" but at the same time we are given an enormous amount of ability to do just that and I think every Ninja, Samauri and Ronin, would like a spot of land to call his or her own.

Why is it that on a huge continent, well, half a continent, we cannot find a spot to call home? It feels like an intentional design decision to make it so.

OR I'm completely wrong and I just haven't found some good spots, if that is the case feel free to educate (share your base locations with) me.

One piece non-owned flat land with water, copper, iron and in a non desert location wins 10,000 internets. Bonus points for not being 1000 KM to the nearest shop.

[Hatsune_Neko]

umm
theres like tons of places to build to have a semi flat base layout, like literally all over, they might not have all the resources but there is literally hundreds of places.

now for perfectly level, there is very few places as the ground is not fully flat. swamps are flat, but have tons of trees. you got tons of mostly flat land in holy nation territory. lots of flat flood plains but teaming with river raptors. up north you got even more flat land and some that have perfect spots to build a fortress. just poor resources.

but one thing the Dev does intend us to do and that is to not turtle in one spot, hence all the requirements for research, and certain places being able to grow certain crop types.

but for me personally, yea you're over thinking what you think is unacceptable flat areas. there's a lot out there, but if you're looking for the one perfect spot with everything. you're not really gonna find it.

me i don't personally care how flat my area is, long as it's workable. as you can see below.






maybe in the future the Dev will give more options to level the buildings.. but for now.. we wait.

[philthymcnasty]

Did you just start playing this game?

How about the Leviathan coast? tons of high grade copper and iron there, and water wind and fertility.

Then there is the shun. That has some good places with good iron and copper and fertility too.

The hook has some good places as well, with iron and copper.

Why am i not giving specific locations? because there are tooo damn many good flat base spots in those places, at least 60 by my last survey.

the vain has an interesting mix, and at west coast there is are places that have good iron and good copper and you can grow all the crops.

Now, noob farming is not easy. I do not start base building until i have 6 guys with 10 our higher stats, and even then this is a base in arid places, so i live off of dustwhichs and hemp.

[philthymcnasty]

You know, now is a great time to talk about the most underrated resource in the game, but the most important one: wind.

Screw green crops, screw high grade iron. you NEED wind. all the other biofuels will take food away from you, stable wind does not.

So for your first base, i recommend around squim. there are other places in the shek territories too.

These places are fairly flat, have good iron, barely enough copper, no mini godzillas, and friendly traders.

There is almost a constant wind here, and you need wind for light. You can not craft good without light.

the down side is bandits, but you can recruit any race and not worry about zealots hating you.

[dragonalumni]

Did you just start playing this game?
How about the Leviathan coast?
Then there is the shun
The hook has some good places as well.
the vain has an interesting mix.

No. Well.. I'm a hundred hours in give or take.
Leviathan Coast has Leviathans and needs to cross Cannibal country to find a decent shop.
Shun (that is Shek land?) might be ok if you want to grow cactus.
I can't remember where the Hook is offhand, tbh.
The Vain has no iron. (afaik)

[dragonalumni]

umm theres like tons of places to build to have a semi flat base layout, like literally all over,
they might not have all the resources but there is literally hundreds of places.
...
maybe in the future the Dev will give more options to level the buildings.. but for now.. we wait.

You kinda replied to me in another persons thread and here also, I'll reply here because it's obviously more suited to the topic, I was probably unnecessary making the same comment in two places.

So in regards to your words.. "Literally hundreds".. Well, I don't know if that's accurate. There is surely a dozen places with a lot of flat land with no resources though, no iron, or just desert. Yeah you're right I could build in anyone of these places. While I don't except a perfect flat green valley, or pure convenience or every resource it should be possible to pick and choose some locations that have most of these and ultimately all I really hope for is that buildings become more stable and able to be placed reasonably well in a hilly or sloped environment. Really there is no reason to force a building placed on a 10% slope to also be sloped 10% to the horizon. (IMHO of course) The prebuilt cities look fairly nice, usually with nothing more then a "just noticeable" slope and I think players should have the same ability.
...
That's the point of this thread, to make some conversation (noise maybe) about this topic.
Btw, Your tower looks like something in Pisa, Italy.

[Hatsune_Neko]

the description is extremely accurate. there really is hundreds of places to easily build.
what the differance is your criteria of what's considered a decent build spot
you mentioned you need basically all the basic resources before considered decent. which does indeed lower the amount of places available.

this is by design by the Devs. to force you out of your first base and make other bases to get the resources that you need. so that option will most likely not change, in fact i'm waiting for them to reduce the amount of iron and copper because right now it's pretty abundant. or at least lower the quality of the ore that's in place. still lots of balancing needed on it.

as for the NPC towns being mostly level. that's because they was placed with the ingame editor, it can allow leveling of the buildings, but then again it has the problem of breaking pathing. you might notice some buildings have massive ramps up to them, this is to get over the building being level but losing its original pathing to the door as it was broken.

[philthymcnasty]

Your best bet is to establish a disposable research base, and build up your tech until you get that automated iron mine.

That way you can build next to a high level copper deposit, and still get iron.

Another option is the iron melting furnace. if you are in a place with copper and no iron, but can'tables, then you can melt down their iron clubs for iron.

While 100 hours is not noob time, there is still a lot to pick up. I have been at this game off and on for a while now, and i still have questions about the mechanics. It is at the point where i am actively researching what each skill does via different in game experiments.

I have a base that can grow everything between the swamp and the borderlands. It sucks at growing green fruit however.

Green fruit is overrated. Cactus and wheat straw are more than enough to live off of thanks to dustwhichs. Cotton sucks, and only has one use. Hemp can be used for fabric, is used for med kits, and can be used for biofuel.

One issue that i keep running up against:there is a lot of stuff to be added. Based on in game lore and other indicators, the area next to the borderlands when it opens up might be really good farm Territory. The problem is it will be filled with very horrible monsters.

[dragonalumni]

Perhaps it sounded like I was looking for something "easier" but that really isn't the case. I'm already tech level 6 and growing everything either outside or in hydroponics. I've got stocks full of everything and and mass producing master crafted armor and Edge2 weapons.

Instead of devs being worried that bases locations are too good and removing iron and copper, as they have from versions 93 to 95 previously, I think their time, for the sake of fun, could be used to level out some spots a little to make them fun to build on.

That's just one crazy guys idea of what would make Kenshi a better and more fun game.

[Hatsune_Neko]

having a option to level our buildings is more likely to be added then the Dev leveling out pieces of land for the players, that's some major work to redraw the static map just so a player can have a level base.

[dragonalumni]

having a option to level our buildings is more likely to be added then the Dev leveling out pieces of land for the players, that's some major work to redraw the static map just so a player can have a level base.

That would be more or less the same result though and I would be happy to see it. Currently building a base is the most frustrating experience personally because, if I would like for example a north door, I can't do it because the slope will be twice as bad unless I point the door "south east".

I ultimately believe that Kenshi have the potentially to be one of the greatest games ever made, but certain things, like building things (in a way the players expect to build) and fleshing out the living world feeling (factions and take overs, and revenge) need to be finished and fleshed out. To be honest, these aspects should not be as difficult as the vast world already created and I look forward to the finished product that Kenshi will be.

[Q T Arbuthnot]

I found quite a good location on the northwestern edge of the swamp (just northwest of the northwesternmost swamp village). Straddling the border between Swamp and Border Zone, you have 100% Arid on one side and 100% Swamp on the other. Within a relatively small flat area, you have a 100% copper resource, a 100% Iron resource, a 50% spot for a stone mine (you can't have everything), a level 1 well works at 209%, and on the Border Zone side you have a fairly steady wind (no wind on the swamp side) which allows your generators to run at or near 100% most of the time.
The only real problems are raptors and blood spiders

[Rambler]

I like the Border Zone because it has lots of wind, Stenn Desert and Spider Plains are also good for that and there are trade caravans. Iron and copper are available in lots of places but I don't want to worry about fueling generators. Agree that building in the Border Zone right next to the swamp works well, built a base on the road underneath the middle waystation. There are swamp raptors, spiders, and hostile shek factions roaming around there though. Darkfinger had the best resources I've seen but cannibals are an issue there. Arid terrain is enough for dustwiches so I don't limit bases to green terrain.

[simpkin_11]

I setup in the hook:


Copper and Iron.. check

Water and decent fertility... Check

Arid 100
green 10

Cactus.. check
Wheat.. check (60%)

But with a few XL wheat farms, its enough to keep a few full bread baskets and feed all my guys.

Most of the Cactus goes to making rum, can be sold at the small outpost or a little further away, clownsteady.

Wind power works most of the time, I upgraded some batteries, and have enough to cover things when the wind stops blowing.

CONS:

Cotton: I am always short on cotton.
With farms at 10%, I at best get 12-20 cotton per harvest, per xl farm

I tend to pick up all they have at clownsteady when I do my rum trade run.

Leather, with the goat issue, getting enough leather seems to be an issue as well.

I tried to set my base to public and see If I can get some traders, but have not seen anything yet.

A few bands of hungry farmers attack here and there.. but nothing too crazy.

[simpkin_11]

Think I figured out my, lack of traders and people issue...

I technically have 2 outposts..

First one, was not in a great area and is abandoned.. went by there... and saw a lot of drifters roaming around in the middle of nothing (no buildings)

[Rambler]

There's a waystation in the Hook that may have hemp for sale, even if the major cities don't sell it. Should grow a lot better than cotton. Might be a good idea to put up walls around your base if you do that though, since the samurai might not like it.

[simpkin_11]

There's a waystation in the Hook that may have hemp for sale, even if the major cities don't sell it. Should grow a lot better than cotton. Might be a good idea to put up walls around your base if you do that though, since the samurai might not like it.

Thanks I will give hemp a try.


Also.. removed the last building (had a stone mine I forgot) and it removed the first outpost.

So now I only have 1 outpost. I noticed more random drifters and citizens wondering around my outpost.

I setup a small shop, but so far, nobody has bought anything.

Did notice that my guys will eat food out of the shop counter, without paying for it....

buncha free loaders...

[gamerking52]

The three locations I have found to be really good potentials.

The first location, with Burn in the picture, is very open, it has little water (about 60% wells), but you can grow cactus easy as well as hemp fairly easily, but wheat only gets about 50% growth, it has a very wide area for building, you gotta spread out a little bit but you can get plenty of copper, iron and stone. Nearby some dust bandit camps up north, but they probably don't cause too much trouble. This is my most likely location to settle on.

second location, the one with Bo in the picture and on the map the location with the three horn-like terrain around it. It has a great spot right next to it with LOTS of iron and copper veins. And you can build mines in that area, both iron (once you have the research) and stone and get lots from it. you can wall that area off as well to make it look like your own little industry camp.... Close to spider valley, Shek cities, and it looks like you probably get left alone. The main problem with it, though, is that it has very little water (30% per well) and the space for building is limited thanks to all the hills around it. I think the location LOOKS really cool, but sadly it is impractical from what I can see. Both here and the first location will probably not be trader friendly, but that just means you need to walk to towns yourself.

Third location, on the beach, is probably my favorite potential from what I have looked at. Right between fishing village and ghost village on the coast. There is Iron and Copper, lots of open space, no problem with conflicting with the fishing village, you can grow greenfruit surprisingly. Easy access to World's End, I am hearing about things regarding requirements living in Holy Nation and United Cities Territories, although I am unsure of if that is implemented but it may one day, and that is a scary thought. Since it is more technically Tech Hunter territory, you shouldn't have issues with that, gives access to secret armories (won't spoil exact locations), and there don't appear to be any bandits or animals to attack you nearby. Also, the cannibals are nearby and they always drop medicine so if you run low you can always farm. The problem is that this takes you so far North that I am choosing not to do it because I will feel too disconnected from the world.

[christian2142]

I've encountered quite a few jack-of-all-trades locations in my time on Kenshi, but this takes the cake!

It has access to everything you'll want and need (except high amounts of wind output, sitting at around 2 mph): 100% water, areas with 100% fertility, 50% arid and 100% green crop yield, 100% stone, and 100 quality iron on the hillside with 55 quality copper only a short distance away. The only downsides are infrequent scrawny cannibal attacks (which are easily manageable, especially if you're lucky and start with a few cannibal hunter camps in the area) and even more infrequent shrieking bandit attacks (which is arguably the main threat of this location). It also borders the Cannibal Plains (the hill being partially split between Cannibal Plains and Hidden Forest), meaning that you might have to put up with an annoying watermark going across your screen whenever passing the camera between either biome. However, it also means you get the 50% arid crop yield from the plains (whereas the Hidden Forest only has 100% green crop yield).

[Hatsune_Neko]

v0.96.2 Experimental
-Placing buildings now has an adjustable slope-matching setting, so you can make more upright buildings