Defensive layout strategies

[darkestaxe]

I recently had a base defense mission where I realized my 'defensive' layout was about as horrible as I could have possibly created. After thinking about it for a bit I can't really come up with a reasonable way to make any reasonable defensive layout.

First off, it turns out the fire-trap doesn't grate sewers and isn't very lethal to invaders, it just keeps you separated from your enemies for a while. Worse dirt is also sewer accessible. Apparently corridors are the only way to avoid fighting in sewers. Sewers are very slow to traverse and fighting there is definitely not my idea of a fun afternoon.

Beast dens are the only facility that blocks roof passage. Thus the only way to force enemies to fight you in an accessible focal point would be to surround your access and hangers with a layer of corridors, surrounded by a layer of dirt?

Thoughts? It looks like the 'defensive' layouts on Piratez-ufopedia are for early versions. I heard your bases get assaulted monthly after a while, and I'd like to know how to keep those defense missions down to a few hours each, or even 30 mins. No sewer treks.

[ivandogovich]

Go offense, not defense.  Put Kennels, Dens and Barracks right next to Hangars and Lifts.  This allows your troops to spawn closest to the enemies.  Have some of your barracks gals in the top floors, run up to the air passages and bomb the Hangars with satchel charges, etc.  Add what ever your flavor is, to this general concept.

Bottom Line:  Defensive layouts aint much of a thing in Piratez per Dioxine's design.   

[Zippicus]

Overall there's not much you can do about the sewers.  What you described would block sewer access to the rest of your base, but some jerks will still probably go down there and make you flush them out.  Also that's a pretty big sacrifice on base space for the (questionable) benefit.  And for what it's worth, I find the gas traps much more usable than the fire traps.  That being said I rarely use any trap buildings in my bases since the space is at a premium.  The buildings that spawn enemies are the lift, hanger, spa, and summoning circle so you would have to isolate all of those if you're hell bent on blocking sewer access to the rest of your base.

What I generally do is build bases with a choke point at the lift in case of early/surprise crackdowns with the intention of filling in the choke with barracks, beast den, etc once I can afford it.

[legionof1]

Some corrections, more then the beast den block the upper level, there are a number of others, some of the higher tech radars, and some of the defense/gun emplacement buildings.

I prefer a mix of choke points and aggression. Any building with the cross shaped ground floor right next to the lift and surround the other 3 sides with buildings that spawn friendly units like barracks, burrow, ect. Hangers go on the other-side of the lift from the rest of the base. First few baddies funnel into the crossfire in the ground hall way and get chewed up. After that push through the ducts to huck bombs into the hangers, or cut through the walls of the sub floor, between the sewers and the ground floor if the duct level in the elevator tile gets wrecked blocking passage. Reserve a few sources of motion detectors to aid in the sewers clean up.

If things go real bad fall back into the duct level and abuse hatches for some more kills.
 

[AgentFransis]

Yes, shock and awe the invader scum.

Usually I don't like to bother with base defense so I build several flak cannons when they're unlocked, later to be replaced with armored vaults and luxury barracks. I don't know how they fare against things like cruisers and battleships but so far they easily vaporized whatever came (and wasn't blown up by the airforce).

Recently however I purposefully baited a guild crackdown to get a guildmaster and I did it like described above with barracks, vaults and kennels around the hangers and lift. I didn't chuck explosives into the hanger but I did send soviet style attack dogs with 3 primed hellerium grenades on them. The survivors were dispatched so ruthlessly by gals with blossoms and vibro axs that the guildmaster simply surrendered.

I am now trying to get the academy incompetents to take a break from having psychic orgies for two minutes to deliver me a provost but they couldn't find my base even after four waves of crackdown craft flying right above it. Oh well, I'll keep nuking science vessels until they try again.

[sanyaskillpro]

placing barracks near the lift may backfire horribly against cryssalids. they have enough tu to run from lift through security corridor corner to barracks lower entrance, open the door and take a swing at the gal standing it front of it... learned it the hard way

[legionof1]

Eh chrissys may be fast nuff but buy the time your facing them on retaliations i can usually afford the losses. Mind its not just gals near the choke theirs tanks and other auxiliary units around that a chrissy will have more trouble with.

or just dont stand near the ground floor doors turn 1 if its church. Back up a tile or 2.

[Ves]

I place extractors somewhere near the hangars as well. Enemy terror units (not he 2x2 units) have a tendency to camp on their second floor, and i'm uncomfortable having them elsewhere in the base. Better not having to watch too many directions.

[BBHood217]

I am now trying to get the academy incompetents to take a break from having psychic orgies for two minutes to deliver me a provost but they couldn't find my base even after four waves of crackdown craft flying right above it. Oh well, I'll keep nuking science vessels until they try again.

Alternately, you could just shoot down the last wave of a crackdown mission (which could be a cruiser or similar very large craft) and hope the provost survives the crash.

[KZad Bhat]

There's always one in an Academy Hideout. If you can handle them attacking your base, it's not much harder attacking theirs, if one pops up. If nothing else, save up your money and your second round of research on kidnapping VIPs nets you the chance to by a Provost.

[AgentFransis]

Yeah I know but the last one was a battleship which I didn't think I could take (I had two Nightmares with lascannons and a Kraken with railguns) and the two enemy bases in my game are both guild.

If it comes to it I'll buy one. I'm itching to play with the gray codex toys.

[cc]

Yeah I know but the last one was a battleship which I didn't think I could take (I had two Nightmares with lascannons and a Kraken with railguns)

You thought correctly.

and the two enemy bases in my game are both guild.

Enemy bases generate lots of negative score, so you should take out at least one.

[KZad Bhat]

I haven't fought a battleship lately, and don't think I've ever flown Nightmares or Krakens. But it is possible they could have shot it down. Which has the stronger shield/armor? I did find that's the one you send up to hit it first, let it start shooting at that one, then the others move in. But I don't think those in combination were really enough to take a battleship unless you're really good, and really lucky, so probably still a good call.

Mercenary base . . . yeah, without awesome weapons I wouldn't bother. Again you have to be really good, and really lucky. I did get a bit lucky in one game against the Academy, when someone with a rocket launcher went berzerk, killed herself, and two other academy troops, both with pretty heavy weapons. And getting a shot at a Provost using an Electric Lasso, the main reason I even went in the first place!

But, if you are equipped and good enough to handle Mercenaries, you can get very good stuff there. They are among the best equipped, and unless you'd already broken their whole line their higher-ups open up good stuff too.