How do you decide the progression of your base?

[namiasdf]

Seeing some of these challenge builds, I am getting the feeling that some people like having a direction when playing a sandbox game like FTB?

For me, it was at first, gaining inspiration from what I saw on Let's Play videos. Mainly started with Etho, etc. Once I became experienced enough (and applying what I have learned from my current study program), my imagination took me beyond what I could watch in Youtuber's and then mainly relied on my own imagination/intuition.

How do you determine what you build? Right now, because I am so far into my base, deciding what I would like to build next is a complex process. I have to consider each new systems accessibility, expandability, space/energy footprint, etc. because due to the synergistic way that FTB tends to build upon each mod, the effects of a new system are never linear and in most cases, all effects are not obvious/determinable.

It then becomes largely a management of risk vs. cost. Project management dictates the flow to which the system is built and is largely reliant on the rate to which the resources I would be uses are acquired. Then I'd have consider starting costs in terms of energy, and whether I can maintain that higher-demand for the starting period, as to allow me to progress into the stable period (i.e. Boiler warm up times and its energy efficiency as its heat increases).

I was just thinking about the planning I put into what I do and wondered if you guys did the same.

 

[DREVL]

I generally just build a facility to push through the tech progressions, then when I'm end game I then build creatively according to whats around me and what I'm feeling at the time.

 

[rhn]

Always start with a temporary base in order to just gather a few stuff to begin with. Get myself a jetpack etc. so I can get around. Just to get the basics covered. I try not to place this base anywhere with any special landscape features. I don't want to have to move it for building my main base.

I then look around for quite a while, looking for inspiration from the landscape or for a suitable location for a pre-developed architectural idea that I have had. Once I find the place/concept I start designing the details of the layout of the place in my head first. I factor in all the stuff I know I have to make room for, and add a couple more just for future unknown/new things. Then I start "sketching" out the layout with cobble/dirt. Two important factors in the design of a base for me are:
-That machinery is as seamlessly integrated into the build as possible. I want machines etc. accessible but wires and cables etc. have to be hidden.
-To build in small spaces(I hate having a large hall with a bit of machinery in one corner). Together with the first factor this presents a lovely challenge. Fit large machinery into small spaces while still presenting a nice facade for it all.

In terms of tech progression I might use one of more optimal solutions, but I try not to depend entirely upon it. For example I could easily have expanded my current build to just have a ton of boilers supply all the power, but I chose to stick to one boiler. I then build it up in tiers with various different kinds of power sources complimenting each other. Smart control is another very important part. I might have resources to just leave it all running constantly, but I want to build it as efficient as possible, never wasting fuel if its not needed.

So in short, I tend to plan it all out in advance so my tech/magic progression follows the architectural development.

 

[Hoff]

I generally don't plan jack far ahead of time. I usually plan as I do.

I will spend a week IRL looking for somewhere that gives me the inspiration to build something there. I might also get random inspiration from a block, mod, picture or otherwise. From that point I just have an idea of how I want everything to look. From there I work in all technical aspects to fit that look rather than a look fitting around the tech. For example I am currently building in a greek style and am going to work in rotarycrafts ore processing and potentially a few other things from it.

As for the method I choose to process it generally is fairly random but sometimes I try to find something that will fit the design I'm using. Like the rotarycraft stuff because it's not extremely far fetched to imagine Greeks building water wheels and using shafts and gears to generate torque and speed to generate a form of power to crush up rocks into dust, then washing out the impurities, then drying, then heating, and finally smelting the remains. When I do delve into technology that cannot fit in the build I generally build an off-site camp for it or underground. I might even do some kind of heavenly/mount olympus stuff with my current build because "And sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".

As for why I progress it is usually a means to an ends of being able to build to my desire. For my current build I will need massive amount of clay and marble(Chisel) so I'll need to setup an automated miner. This time though to complement my ore processing I'll be using rotarycrafts autominer because it can receive silk touch.

 

[PierceSG]

For me, I usually go cave/shaft mining and some basic wheat farm for resources and food for a lengthy period. Then I start up some rudimentary power generation and ore processing. Then next up is gathering more stuffs to automate stuffs gathering. Once I got raw material gathering automated, I go start on automating my farms, followed by mob farms. Once I got everything up and running, then I decide what base to build.

 

[Adonis0]

Well this time around, I've been playing and deciding my actions based around a particular story that I managed to make up
I got an idea for how I wanted my end base to look like, and then a story developed around how and why it was designed the way that it was and so forth.

It's been fun going "Ok, now that I've built this, I need to go kidnap an enderman"
With this story I've restricted myself with tech, but allowed myself freeform of the magic mods (Which have their own built-in progression)

 

[Yusunoha]

I build my basic base which I spent the early days in till I gathered enough resources to build a new base.

 

[PierceSG]

Speaking of Endermans...I need to build something like what Saice posted. They are pretty rare 'round where I live now.

 

[Saice]

I first build the Hovel of Shame.

Then depending on the theme of my build I use the Hovel until I have a skeleton of a base structure I can move into.

It really depends on the build. Often if I am doing single structure build I like to get a basic layout done, light the place up, and get a bunch of mining done. If it is a multiple structure build I like to get what ever I an going to use for storage and basic ore processing up first then play it by ear from there.

After that it all really depends I rarely have a solid plan and build more on a as needed as i get a whim kind of way. Also I tend to get a growing list of 'things to do next' which always grows faster then I complete things off the list.

 

[MigukNamja]

Like Saice, I'll build a Hovel of Shame at first. This will protect me from monsters at night. I will then start on my master plan with the first building being constructed from vanilla or near-vanilla materials like stone, smoothstone, glass, wood, etc.,. I'm not a big cobblestone fan unless it fits well. My Tinkerer's Construct building, for instance, is a good one to use Cobblestone for. But, not much cobblestone after that.

As for building order, I will start with 1 building with my starter tech/mod, which is almost always TiCo. I will then branch out from there depending my goals for the particular world.

This world, I started on a wizard's tower. It has taken weeks (real-life) to complete and I'm now almost finished with Thaumcraft 4, Mystcraft, and Enchanting. Granted, I wasn't solely focused on it. I have also been building other buildings. I *may* move my TiCo Smeltery and tables into its basement that's yet to be built. I'm torn whether TiCo is more Magic-y and belongs in the wizard's tower or is more Tech-y, if I had to pick between those two. It's not either, really, so it's currently in its own building.

One things that bugs me late-game is having a crappy-looking or inefficient (movement-wise) base. I aim to have a base that looks good, flows well, and is not too messy/cluttered. It's much easier to do that if I have a master plan, but even if I don't or I change plans later (I often do), I will re-purpose floors or move entire buildings.

 

[jokermatt999]

I typically do things similar to rhn: tiny temporary base until a jetpack, then search for a build place, and design it around my existing machines/workflow.

As for tech progression, I start with TiCo. It's really made the early game a lot more fun to me. I usually get a quartz grindstone up as early as possible, at least if I'm watching something on my 2nd monitor and not worried about time. From there, I get TE going with Stirling engines, and maybe a basic MFR treefarm if I'm worried about power/wood. I do some mining til I feel ready for the nether (I prefer not to cast my portals), and then get a jetpack.

From there, I look around to find a build spot that inspires me. I almost always make my places circular (thanks plotz!) and modular. I usually try to get AE set up for autoprocessing, go a bit further in TE, and try to get a quarry up if I have energy.

That's my usual routine. Of course, I'll also put in time with other mods like MPS, MFR, or Thaumcraft.

Recently, I've been playing on a Tekkit Lite server with a friend (he's hosting, so his choice) who hadn't played since the old EE2 days, so it's been fun showing him the new mods and ways of doing stuff. I pushed hard for using AE, and he seems to really love it. I just can't wait til 1.6 FTB comes out. The new TE and TC in particular look amazingly fun to work with. Maybe I'll do a Logistics Pipes system too.

 

[Merendel]

I generaly start out with a hole in the ground as an initial stageing area. This usualy does not even get a proper door, just a dirt block to keep zombies out. Sometimes I'll start a small wheat farm outside if there is water avalible close otherwise I go strait for mining. After the first mining run I'll setup some basic proccessing, Sometimes this ist TiCo but I've also been known to go for TE or IC2. Either way mining trips will continue till I tech up enough to get some basic mobility enhancement (jetpack or whatever the modpack has) and then I go out looking for a perminant location.

Once I find a spot that suits my fancy and I have an idea of what I want to build I rough out the general floor plan in cobble and may even build my initial workshop out of cobble as well (to be replaced with more apropreate materials as they are avalible) I transport what equipment and supplies I have over from the old hole in the ground and start my setup. The workshop tends to be just an expanded and nicer looking version of the hole in the ground base. It has storage of valuable materials and equipment for manual proccessing. Dedicated rooms for auto proccessing will be built later as my resorce income increases. If I cant incorperate those rooms into the asthetic of whatever I'm building I'll holow out a basement area and put it all down there as I generaly dont need to access the auto proccessing except when I'm expanding the system.

Basic farms for renewable resorces will be setup outside and automated as soon as I have resorces to do so. Likewise the main building of the base will continue as needed materials become avalible with priority given to rooms I have an imidiate need for. Just like the workshop if the need is great I may resort to simple materials at first with the intention to replace later.

 

[Neirin]

Before starting a world I usually have some idea for a build I want to try out. Once I start the world, I look for an appropriate place for my build and set to work terraforming. I get a hole in the ground to work out of while I terraform and build a skeleton structure. If my build idea involves quarrying out the area I'll probably have a second temporary building as the first one is most likely within the quarry area. By the time I've finished my primary build and gotten my basic base up, I've probably gotten sucked into one mod or another and will just sorta run with that.

 

[WuffleFluffy]

Well, I set up a base on my server that was in a green heavily wooded and hilly area, set up a small house, then dug out a mine, then I built a TE buildingthen a TC building, then a big two story 'storage and sorting building', followed up by a small building for enchanting and then a big lava tank for ender pumped lava.

I set up a big room full of barrels (about 40), with 'insertion pipes', the quarry would send stuff in and it would all end up in various barrels.

Then.. I stumbled across Applied Energistics! After watching a few tutorials I discovered that a bunch of 64k ME storage units, an ME controller, disk drive housing, a ME crafting table made an entire building and storage system completely obselete.

After demolishing the big building, I then demolished everything else, put dirt back, planted trees, covered up the quarry pit(s) and now I have a tiny little house with a crystal chest full of ME stuff and an Ultimate Hybrid solar cell... tens of thousands of items are all stored on those 64k storage units/cards...

Wondering what i 'll do now? But being able to pick up everything and fly away is just fun

 

[Runo]

I tend more towards a slow land grab approach. I'll build a small box to start, usually out of planks with a cobble roof, typically around 8x12 or something like that. As I start to run out of space, I'll build out from my current structure while utilizing some of the current walls, then eventually demolishing the walls if they are no longer necessary. I usually keep some inside walls so I dont end up with a big bland room like most people. I try my best to build with the land rather than creating a flat area and perfect shape.

Eventually, once I get essentials and my place has grown to around 2 chunks, it becomes clear how best to build the home into the landscape while maintaining function and form. At this point I do a major renovation.

 

[CreepaCatcha]

What i normally do(in the minuscule amount of survival i do) is build a small house out of the nearest type of wood (btw dont use the pink wood for a door if your a dude, trust me) and get the basics, ore storage, basic power etc. Then usually i expand my house underground. its much easier than building walls, you actually get resources for building a room unlike on the surface. This is more efficient though it is a pain on servers with golden shovel claims.

 

[AshmanTheGuy]

I normally start by finding somewhere flat to build a small house. Nothing fancy, just something that is functional and safe. If I can't find a flat area, I dig underground and build it there instead.

After I have advanced in IC2 and I have enough materials to do so, I find a new location and take a quarry with me. I then dig underground to about layer 50/60, then start the quarry. The remaining space allows me to build all the rooms I would ever need for storage, processing, farms and more. I then demolish the old house I lived in and move into the new one.

 

[mushroom taco]

Just basically do whatever I need. I usually just build a box/4 boxes with 1 or 2 block hallways in between (no, not 9x9s). I'm not very architecturally gifted in minecraft.

 

[Darkone84]

I normally build a "Cave of Shame" and just do lots & lots & lots of mining or until storage is an issue.

Fly around for a bit to find area I like (has to have a river) and than set up a chunk loader, set it to 49 chunks. Than I build a wall around the boarder to keep mobs out and looks cool also setup lots of torchs. Than I built a little town with in the 49 chunks e.g. Workshop, Bee Hive, Power Plant, Farms, Mage Tower, Tank Room, Escape Boat, Ect.

 

[mushroom taco]

I normally build a "Cave of Shame" and just do lots & lots & lots of mining or until storage is an issue.

Fly around for a bit to find area I like

Exactly this, except that I go nomadic with backpacks
*that you spawned in*
WHO SAID THAT