building a workshop base

[kurja]

Workshops being entrance points from the surface, how do you design these things concerning defense? I can't come up with anything that would really make sense.

[H-Hour]

It's tricky because they're 2x1 in a 5x5 base. I've never gotten more than 4 into a base. But I've had luck with this layout:

Code: [Select]

e = entrance
o = any other building
x = workshop

ooooo
ooooo
  o 
xxexx
xx xx
However, it requires a lot of start-up time, as you can only build on building off the base entrance right away. Another layout that can work is:

Code: [Select]

e = entrance
o = any other building
x = workshop
u = storage to destroy

ooooo
ooouo
   oe
xxxx
xxxxYou can build off the entrance right away, then build a quick storage unit at "u" to continue quick development. Later on you can remove this and you haven't wasted that much money.

Of course, it all depends on where the dead spots are. Some locations just won't allow 4 workshops. I usually find I've got to do some destruction along the way to get a good production base.

[kurja]

hmm. 4 workshops sounds like a bare minimum for taking apart ufos and building new interceptors, do you build a number of these workshop bases?

I usually have only three bases, first one gets a lot of labs, second one is mainly for armed forces and the third one gets the workshops and a ufo yard next to it.

[H-Hour]

In my 2.5 campaign I needed two production bases (by late game). I think I ended up with 5 bases. Here's what I built in order. Parentheses mark transitions in use from early to late game.

Central Asia (first base -> assault squad/interception/research)
USA (interception -> interception/production)
East Asia (interception -> very late in the game it became a mega research facility with 80 scientists)
Africa (production -> production)
South America (interception -> assault squad/interception)

I tend to expand early and quickly. USA went up immediately. East Asia and Africa at around the same time (though East Asia was not used much). South America was mid-game and not used much.

Although money is tight, I'm pretty committed to salvaging UFOs and selling off everything I can. I don't keep more than one item of anything unless I'm really using it. A new player (or new to 2.5) will probably not be able to expand quite as fast as I did, since they'll lose some aircraft learning air combat the hard way (unless they're save-loading). But expanding has a built-in economic incentive. The more UFOs you are detecting and bringing down, the more cash you'll get from nations and salvaging.

I also have a less demanding production schedule than some players might, because I'm very sparing in my use of armour and ammo. I'm usually entering with 1/4 of my team unarmoured (scouts, fast snipers). And rookies have to earn their armour upgrades. If you've not racked up a dozen kills, it's combat armour for you, because you're probably the guy I'll sacrifice to keep my veteran alive. The combat roles with better survivability get better armour. I lost loads of assault specialists, so only a few of the most veteran assault guys got nano or power armour.

In terms of production, the hardest (but most rewarding) task is to keep advancing interceptors. You'll probably never have a full fleet of the latest interceptor, but rotating new interceptors in when you can spare the production time is really important. And if you can time your expansion right, you can often keep those stilettos around in auxilliary bases to mop up small UFOs and save antimatter and ammo. I had to sell off some of my stilettos, but still used a few even at the end of the game, and the Dragons still played useful roles as well.

[Wolls]

When a base attack is spawned, the UFO or UFO group should fly to a base that is randomly picked, the selection being modified by the bases' weights. A base's weight is a function of how well-known that base is to the aliens (the base will make itself more known the more it attacks nearby UFOs) and the degree of alien infiltration and/or XVI infection of the area the base is located in.

http://ufoai.org/wiki/Talk:Gameplay_Proposals/Campaign#Base_attacks

Yaay for old data.. I'm thinking of purely workshop bases where:

I usually have only three bases, first one gets a lot of labs, second one is mainly for armed forces and the third one gets the workshops and a ufo yard next to it.

I'll build the ufo yard and workshop base (3) right beside the first base or the second base, which ever can take out a harvester.


For base 3 ( workshops) I go for maximum efficiency.. no soldiers, no batteries, no radar.. no defense.  To be honest I am unsure what effect having those (soldiers, running intercepts,  radar) exactly has on the so called 'weight'  umm like does having a missile battery make the base more likely to be attacked?  Does having SAM installations around the base lead to the aliens having a greater interest level in that base?

The text for the Radar building, implies that the 'active scanning' will garner more alien interest... but to what degree?

So I build 'workshop' bases, right beside active ( usually radars + assault / interception) and hope that the aliens are more attracted to the active base.  Its kinda like throwing a penny on the sidewalk and sure some people will notice it, so you chuck a $100 bill right beside and no one notices the penny anymore.

I'm also trying to maximum three bases ( with radar installations so that I have expanded coverage, and taking out everything they spot).  Tactically I suck later game, but in 3-4 campaigns at 5-8 months, my workshop base when positioned beside another active base has never been attacked.  Maybe I'm fluky??


PS. I usually just end up destroying that one workshop in my first base.
PSS. I had a base where I threw down multiple batteries ( laser and missile in an attempt to see if that alone would take down a harvester) and complete exaggeration that base seemed like it was a base defense every other mission.
PSSS. Early to mid-game money is tight on normal / standard campaigns.. but with the increased action 'hard' is actually the easiest in terms of money.

[kurja]

For base 3 ( workshops) I go for maximum efficiency.. no soldiers, no batteries, no radar.. no defense.  To be honest I am unsure what effect having those (soldiers, running intercepts,  radar) exactly has on the so called 'weight'  umm like does having a missile battery make the base more likely to be attacked?  Does having SAM installations around the base lead to the aliens having a greater interest level in that base?

afaik it is not necessary for aliens to actually fly to a base to attack it; if that's the case such base would be instantly lost?

[ShipIt]

afaik it is not necessary for aliens to actually fly to a base to attack it; if that's the case such base would be instantly lost?

Ground based missions are possible. Happens more often in late game, when aliens have bases.

If there are no defenders when a base is attacked, all employees are lost and all base buildings are destroyed, except the entrance. So you can start from there again.