Guidelines for Building Bases Discussion

[Dacy]

Recently, I realized I have unspoken guidelines I use when building my own bases, and if I'm honest, they are the criteria I'm considering when I'm looking at other bases, too. I bet other people have their own criteria for what makes a good base...and it very well may not be the same as mine! I'm curious as to what sort of guidelines we are using when we build. Mine, I know, are heavily influenced by the concepts of Usability, a field my husband is in (think user friendly experience; making things feel easy and intuitive.) So here are some of what I've been able to verbalize as concepts I am using:

1. Build as small as possible. Yes, sometimes your project is big, and big bases are impressive, but big bases also have problems with lag, some memory/storage potential problems, and the larger they are, the more likely they are to be overwhelming to guests and even your own sg. Big bases must follow the rest of these rules closely to work well.

2. Have logic and organization. This one is hard! This is the most difficult thing to define or determine. It's really a usability issue: where will people expect to find things? What is the logical way you would get to that place? Maybe it looks really cool, but if the organization isn't logical, it's going to confuse people, and confused people leave bases.

3. Put the services near the entry. This is another usability issue, but I find that most people, even those who RP, want to be able to quickly use base services when they are needed. These, fortunately, can be disguised to a large degree, and should be grouped logically so that you find all of a particular type of service in one area. Sure, you may then wish to spread out some other NPCs throughout the base, but people do not want to wander all over to find what they need, especially if the base is large. Think convenience when designing services. Then think, how can I make these look like they fit my theme and look good?

4. Flow. This goes back to your base organization and logic. Does it flow? Can people figure out how to get around your base intuitively? Does it make sense? It's a little different from just organization and logic, flow should be effortless, intuitive, but the basis of flow IS the logic and organization, so they are closely related.

5. Continuity and compatibility. This is just a personal one, but I think it makes a big impact on your base's impression. Are the items you used consistent with the overall look and theme? We have items from all different types of things; there's tech, arcane, medieval, gritty/sewer, and a host of eclectic items. I've seen these blended well so that the tech looked arcane, or there was a reason why the arcane was next to the tech, but I've also seen bases where it looked like little thought was given as to the cohesiveness of the overall base, it was just, “hmm, this is cool”. To me, even if that individual piece looks "cool", a mishmash isn't so "cool".

 

What do you think? Does this make sense? Do you agree, or if not, where do you disagree, and why? I'm interested to hear what you think!

 

-Dacy

[EmmySky]

I agree with all your points!

 

My base has everything you need up front and handy.  I am working on personal rooms.  I have made a meeting room that segues into the cemetery (my son likes spooky).  Once I finish rebuilding my cemetery, I have a large empty room that will become a maze/mystery escape.  But still, every essential thing is in the entry and an addition 1x2 room with 2 doorways so its a big open 2x4 area.  

 

On live all my base builds were a 3x3 grid...small 2x2 room (9 of them) for the villain group and larger I think 6x6 or 8x8 (9 of them) for the hero group.  It was logically and well laid out but I am trying to go a different way now.  My SG is just my son and myself (lotta alts) but I have seen random people passing through who use it as a hub.  I dont wanna confuse them so the front end will remain clear and easy!

Edited May 6, 2020 by EmmySky

[Eva Destruction]

1:  Eh.  Yes, big bases are impressive, and sometimes you have to go big to suit your concept.  I've visited bases that are near the item cap that are less laggy than some mission maps.  As for being overwhelming, if you take into account point 3, your SG can take or leave all the extras.

 

2: This is really subjective.  What is logical to you might not be logical to someone else.  I got lost in your spaceship and had to /stuck my way back to the entrance a few times, even though it clearly had a lot of thought put into the layout.  Of course, it would help if we could rename the teleport points, and I'm sure it's easier to get around for someone who is in the SG and has memorized what TP points go where.

 

3: Yes for keeping them near the entrance.  As for making them look good, that depends on your SG.  Some people expect salvage racks to look like ugly salvage racks.

 

4: Again, as with 2, it's subjective.

 

5:  Yes on this too.

 

I personally have another guideline, which is that it's my SG's base, not my base.  I want a cool base that I can show off on Discord, but they mostly use it as a transport hub; the fact that it's IN SPACE is gravy.

[Coyotedancer]

My tastes are... a little different from other builders' tastes, I suspect. I've been told outright that my base designs are "too dark", "dingy" and that they "just don't POP", even when I'm very pleased with them.

 

I prefer low-key, natural environments... Wood, stone, water, plant-life... that look like they might be actual, lived-in places.

 

I don't do 'flashy', so I tend to avoid bright colors, bright lighting and objects that are FX-heavy eye-catchers. (The Sanctum of Shadows' navigation beacon is about the showiest thing I've ever constructed-)

 

I don't always put things in easily-accessible locations.

Sometimes I'll take Form over Function.

… And while I do tend to build big, I also do a lot of small detail work, and tend to end up with multiple micro-environments within that large-scale design.

 

All that said, I KNOW my tastes are odd, so I don't in any way expect other bases to conform to my preferences. I don't judge them based on what I would or wouldn't build. I believe in "To each their own".

 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by Coyotedancer

[Dacy]

@Coyotedancer, nothing in my guidelines says a base has to be flashy. Looking good is the most subjective thing there is; what's awesome to one might be horrible to another. I would call out a base that's well organized that I think you would like, if you care to visit (not mine), Ghost-1471 on Everlasting. Definitely more natural tones. Well organized.

 

@Eva Destruction,

10 hours ago, Eva Destruction said:

2: This is really subjective.  What is logical to you might not be logical to someone else. 

This is true, and without testing I can't tell what the majority of people would expect to find, where. But I try my best to make it as logical as I know how. What I was getting at is I've been in some bases where things are just scattered, with no logic I can see at all. Combine that with a big base, which I've often seen happen, and honestly I don't see how people use it. You're right, things can be memorized, but they are easier to memorize if they are at least grouped, imo.

 

10 hours ago, Eva Destruction said:

I personally have another guideline, which is that it's my SG's base, not my base.  I want a cool base that I can show off on Discord, but they mostly use it as a transport hub; the fact that it's IN SPACE is gravy.

I agree; my home base isn't flashy or big, first of all because it's for my sg, and they'd rather not have a big base, they want everything close in and easy to navigate. And I've learned to appreciate smaller bases.  You are right, some large bases hardly lag; often it's a matter of how many fx you have, and water, etc.  I've had bases with items far below the cap where the lag was horrible because of fx.  But I think the lag is a consideration, and just in terms of size, the more items you have, the more you risk snafus with the storage, because the base has to rewrite itself every time storage is accessed. The more items, the more of a chance that something goes wrong.

 

I'm sorry you got lost in my space ship base several times; the floor you come in on, tho, is where all the services are. The rest is gravy/window dressing. I think I made it so it's hard to get lost on the service floor. 🙂 And  yes, it would have been awesome to be able to rename the points, I know this would help in many bases for people to be able to find places more easily. Also, smaller text so you could label destinations would help. 

 

-Dacy

[Coyotedancer]

1 hour ago, Dacy said:

@Coyotedancer, nothing in my guidelines says a base has to be flashy.

 

I wasn't aware that I said you did...

 

*I* don't do flashy, That's not to say in any way that other people shouldn't if that's their preference. I apologize if I seemed to imply otherwise. 

[Dacy]

Sorry, @Coyotedancer, I realize you didn't imply that I did, it just felt almost like you were apologizing for not liking flashy stuff, that your tastes were more natural.  That's individual, and I was just trying to assure that what I was posting here has nothing to do with style, just how that style is laid out. 🙂

 

-Dacy

[KingofMonkeys]

Always nice to find a good balance between efficient function and thematic aesthetics. Have everything you need within sneezing distance of the entrance, while still having plenty of play room for the spectacle and creativity.