Base Design

[ThePixie35]

I was a pondering one afternoon about the right construction of base. I know that everyone plays different, and everyone likes different building styles. However, is there a consensus of how to build?

As far as I can see, there are two camps. "Modular" and "complete". I use these terms loosely. An example of a "complete" build is, in my opinion, direwolf20 and his new void age base. His base uses one room for a single purpose, such as liquid storage. With "modular" design each room is a bit more varied in its purpose, such as Ako.

I am undecided in approach to my next base and would like to know opinions.

 

[SatanicSanta]

To build one must place blocks. That's the only consensus I can think of.

 

[RedBoss]

There is no "right" way to build a base.

 

[Hambeau]

I don't place many blocks for my bases, I remove them.

But then, I'm a little squirrely and like to seek out Natura Redwoods to live in... I usually go with 4 floors at first, with the floors made of half-slab stone to avoid spawn-ins (I once had a ticked off Enderman follow me home when my floors were 3-blocks high).

I leave the center blocks as a pillar to mount ladders on, and continue digging down to below root level where I build my TiC smelter. From this room I pick a direction and start what I call my "Stairway to Bedrock" (apologies to Led Zeppelin).

The tree provides an abundance of wood, a 13 block diameter tree producing over 2 stacks of wood for charcoal or other uses per floor... The bark makes a "Secret" door that mobs seem unable to find. When the smelter is up I make clear-glass bay windows for each of the four walls on each floor, for visibility.

At times I've had complete farms on dedicated floors, and have even grown ore-berries in the tree, although these days I hollow out between the roots where they spread out for that and grow my food outside.

 

[PoisonWolf]

I like to build following the chunk layout grid. Since I use a chunk loader, and my server is an old laptop, I build base on RAM efficiency so I prefer to keep a few chunks loaded as possible. Right now, my giant alveary tower is comprised of a single chunk, but that I started building at Y = 245 for the first floor, Y = 238 for the next floor, etc, with each floor holding 6 alvearies. I should be able to get about 200+ alvearies in a single chunk this way, I think.

 

[DREVL]

there is only one way to build bases. 9x9x9 cobble boxes. Any other way, and your just pretending.

 

[Kitchen_Fire]

there is only one way to build bases. 9x9x9 cobble boxes. Any other way, and your just pretending.

I prefer a series of 13x13x2.5 cobble boxes. It is more cozy that way.

 

[MigukNamja]

Lately, I've been distributing my bases. I have a "main" base where I spend most of my time. This is where my AE MAC and Pattern Encoder are, and the mods which I enjoy using that take time, such as TC3 and Bees. I *try* to keep my main base to minimum in terms of client lag, which means as few moving parts as possible, i.e. no engine or machine spam.

Other bases have included farms, power production, liquid tanks, small-scale (single-block macine) processing, and large (multi-block) machine processing, not necessarily mutually exclusive.

I could put all my functions in 1 chunk, aye, but it's fun building bases in the Nether, The End, strange MystCraft worlds, etc.,., each with their own feel and flavor. Having a Nether base suspended directly over lava, for instance, has a James Bond-villian-style feel to it.

There are many "wrong" (laggy, hard to expand, hard to move around in) ways to build a base, but no 1 "right" way to build a base.

 

[DREVL]

I prefer a series of 13x13x2.5 cobble boxes. It is more cozy that way.

your pretending. make it 9x9x9.[DOUBLEPOST=1380813362][/DOUBLEPOST]Now I will say, I'm a pretender too. I do 16x16x8 modules. easier to think about whats going on if I count in chunks.

 

[ThePixie35]

My words are failing me. I just want to know peoples construction style, cos peoples idea will greatly influence my next builds. Do people have tank rooms?

9x9 are cheating. Single chunk builds leave little room to expand in a aesthetic way.

 

[Celestialphoenix]

9x9's have done more damage to people's builds than Team Avo and ICHG combined ... enough with the unimaginative boxes please.

'modular' and 'complete' designs have their own advantages, its usually best to blend them together and design the rooms around the contents.

 

[Bihlbo]

I think your base design depends entirely on your goals. Do you want to build a town with streets in a plains biome, lots of spread-out farms, a train connecting everything, with automation focused on biological processing (seeds, meat, bees, etc)? Or do you want a huge EU setup with a nuke reactor? Or do you want to go whole-hog into Thaumcraft and some other mods that don't use MJ or EU? Do you want to build a huge project, and if so what? Do you just want lots of space? Do you want to be underground? Do you want to use teleporters? Will you be playing with others or alone?

All of these things and a thousand more contribute to the design process. The only real "wrong" way to do it is the 9x9x9 cobble jail. It's wrong because it requires no thought of your own. Put yourself into what you're doing and you can't go wrong.

 

[Museli]

My bases tend to either be huge flat areas with only an external wall, and different floor colours for areas with different functions, or a series of buildings made of different materials with different functions. The only thing they all have in common is that they're fairly flat, and they have a series of roughly carved out tunnels underground to accommodate as much of my wiring and piping as possible.

Do people have tank rooms?

I don't - I prefer my tanks to be near the machines that need them, so I don't need to travel to another room to check fluid levels.

 

[YX33A]

I tend to build INTO things, not around them. I do a very dwarf style home usually, building down from a location I like, but more often now try to build multiple houses for different goals and link them somehow. Usually Mystcraft these days, but on occasion Dimensional Doors, or simple teleporting.

 

[SatanicSanta]

there is only one way to build bases. 9x9x9 cobble boxes. Any other way, and your just pretending.

Wrong. 20x40x12.

 

[fergcraft]

even more wrong what ever random size I build sometimes just the amount of starting resources

 

[TheAbstractHippo]

I really like building circular towers.
Okay, I'll just leave now...

 

[RedBoss]

I built a 60x60 base that was over 100 blocks tall from basement to top floor ceiling. It had 3 floors and a split level.

I suck at automation, and my plant and animal farms were outside. I still felt like I didn't have enough room.

Anything small that I build always seems cramped once I start adding machines. My "basic" structures usually run around 30ish by 19ish. If I build in a cave I spend most of my time making it not look like a cave inside. This stops me from ever building tech stuff. I hate caves, they're dirty lol.

TL;DR I build randomly and I like creme brulee

 

[CapturetheBomb]

My bases are all 9x9 interior space rooms built into a large mountain. I spread out as needed, adding rooms for automation or specific mass farms.

 

[Enigmius1]

Behind every smartass answer in this thread is someone who is insecure about their ability to build. Build envy: it's a thing. Freud said so.

If one wants to know the general consensus for building, recognizing that the term "general consensus" doesn't mean "everyone", it would be rectangular structures with peaked roofs and all kinds of prosaic cosmetic details like walkways and lamp posts. In short, straight lines at 90 or 45 degree angles and teeny little detail bits that represent a low risk aesthetic detail. I'm not being overtly critical of this style because they aren't building my structures. If Bob builds it, Bob uses it and Bob likes it, it's a good structure. I personalyl find it a bit uninteresting to ultimately recreate in voxel detail any of the myriad houses I can find in my neighborhood. Very little in Minecraft is permanent. Take a risk, build something different, and if you don't like it, tear it down and build something else. Over time you find you're doing less tearing down and more building.