The Base Building Guide

[Easter Bunny]

Hello Builders and Builders-to-Be! 

In an effort by the GM's to clean up the forum we've been asked to take a look at the Base Building pins. This guide is our attempt to consolidate some of the important tricks, tips and guides that our community has provided.

You can click HERE to find a list of the original pins as you might remember them prior to 2024

 

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  We are excited to announce the new
⭐Community Base Directory! ⭐

This version is designed with enhanced search customization and created so that your base entries cannot be added, removed or tampered with. Please! Give it a look and submit new entries / updates!
 

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What follows next is our attempt to provide all that same information into one post. Here is a table of contents with links to help you land at the info you want to know:

Table of Contents:

• Getting Started: A look at editing keys, slash commands and starter tips
• SG Music: A brief how-to
• Light Sources: A guide as to which lights produce light
• Base Teleporters: A detailed how-to
• FAQ: Help yourself to the self-help section
• Archived Tips & Tricks: A collection of the older posts that helped craft this guide
• Dacy's Video Guides

City of Base Builders Discord:

https://discord.gg/p5wGMHhuP2
I personally think it is the single greatest resource for base builders, new, intermediate or seasoned - if you are looking to explore and learn more about the Base Building Community you are - officially - invited! 

Happy Building!
CR Dacy & CR Easter Bunny

Edited February 6 by Easter Bunny

[Easter Bunny]

Getting Started:

From the Base Building Cheat Sheet by Impish Kat 

 

Keys:

 

Shift = Hold for vertical movement

Ctrl = Hold for horizontal movement

Alt = Hold for spin

Shift + Alt or Ctrl = hold for 360 spin

F1 = Cycle through grid sizes

F2 = Cycle through snap angle degrees

F3 = Enable or Disable room clipping

F5 = Cycle through anchor points (floor, wall, ceiling, surface)

Shift + Tab = Cycle through visible items

Ctrl + Z = Undo

 

The Slash commands:

 

/editbase [1/0] = Turn base editing on or off. 1 = on, 0 = off

/unbindleftdoubleclick = To prevent your character from "randomly" porting across the base and into the base floor

/visscale [1/5] = Set the vis scale while in the base. Technically, I believe the number can go as high as 99, but I haven't seen any difference after 5

/gridsnap [value] = Set item placement grid to [value] degrees. Default grid = 1

/anglesnap [value] = Set rotation value to [value] degrees. Default snap = 5

/roomclip [1/0] -- 0 = In parent room, 1 = no constraints

/seeeverything [1/0] = See the boundary boxes for everything in the base. 1 = on, 0 = off

/stuck - To get back to the base portal

/sg_passcode [word] = Set the base passcode to [word]-<game generatednumer>  (note: you need to be on a character with base edit permissions to use this command.)

/basedefaultsky <0-16> - Set the default sky setting to one of 16 preset values:

 

      0 - Praetoria

      1 - Atlas Park 

      2 - Boomtown 

      3 - Mercy Island 

      4 - Grandville 

      5 - Cimerora 

      6 - Night Ward 

      7 - Shadow Shard 

      8 - Storm Palace 

      9 - Dense Fog 

     10 - Rikti Invasion 

     11 - Zombie Apocalypse 

     12 - Praetorian Invasion 

     13 - Lighted Paths 

     14 - Shadowed Paths 

     15 - Spaaaaaaaaaace!

     16 - Dimensional Ripple

 

Getting Started (Video Guides):

From Dacy's Video Guides 
 

A selection of Dacy's video tutorials with first time builders in mind:

•  Introduction to Base Editing: Getting Set Up  

  A brief look at what you need to get your base started, and also, how to set the sky to "open sky".

• COH Base Quick Tips: A Quick Look At Editing Commands

  A very short overview of what commands you need while editing.

• COH Base Quick Tips: Placing Plot and Rooms

  Start with the basics!

• Base Quick Tips: How to Open The Sky

  The often asked,"How do I change the ceiling to sky?"

• COH Base Quick Tips: Moving Entry Portal

  Often asked right after they learn how to open the sky...

• COH Base Quick Tips: Placing Objects on Top of Other Objects

  How to put things on the table instead of them appearing to float over the table...

• Quick Tips: Raising and Lowering Room Section Walls

  How to raise and lower sections of walls inside of rooms, even if they're blocked by objects.
   

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• Return to the Table of Contents

Edited January 5 by Easter Bunny

[Easter Bunny]

SG Music: 
Adapted from the Base Building Cheat Sheet by Impish Kat 

How To:
Entering the command: /sgmusic "filename" will play the given sound file in the supergroup base, using the Music channel. You must have base editing permissions to use this command.

 

This will play any sound file from inside the piggs or data folders. Everybody who enters the base will hear the music you selected if it is in the pigg files; but if you place your own .ogg files in your data/sound/ogg folder, only you (and those who have a file with the same name in that folder) will hear it.

 

The music will update in real time if you use the command while inside your base, so you can use this to pseudo-DJ events in your base.

 

File names that end in _loop will loop forever, that's how the game's always worked. So if you use /sgmusic "levelup7" it will play the level up sound once (when you enter the base) and then be silent, but if you use /sgmusic "Objective_loop" it will play the glowies sound forever (and drive everybody insane looking for it.)

 

To remove the music, use /sgmusic ""; currently playing music will fade out, not abruptly stop.

Music/Sound Files:

Here is a list of all sound files including music, ambient loops, and even SFX for all the powers as they appear in the files: https://pastebin.com/HugC2rA0

 

 

Impish Kat noticed that most of the time you only need to use the last portion of the file name and without the .ogg.  For instance: the file AtlasPark_AtlasPlaza.ogg only needs AtlasPlaza to run with the /sgmusic command.

However, some files did require using the full file name.  So, it might take a couple tries to get it right.

 

Impish Kat was unable to get a normal file to loop by adding that parameter. 

Also, most of the files marked "unused" did not want to play for me.
 

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• Return to the Table of Contents

Edited January 22 by Easter Bunny

[Easter Bunny]

Light Sources: 
Adapted from Light Sources - Which Ones Actually Make Light by Raevyn_Darke

Note: Since this list is from 2019 it is no longer comprehensive - but it is still a handy guide
 

Makes	Light	||	When	Buried
Yes	No	||	Yes	No	||	Item
x		||		x	||	Wall Torch
x		||		x	||	Bonfire
x		||	x		||	Floor Torch
x		||	x		||	Hanging Fluorescent
x		||	x		||	Medium Light Column
x		||	x		||	Recessed Fluorescent 1
x		||	x		||	Recessed Fluorescent 2
x		||	x		||	Small Light Column
x		||	x		||	Tech Lamp 2
x		||		x	||	Accent Lamp
x		||		x	||	Adjustable Floor Lamp
x		||	x		||	Ceiling Spot 1
x		||	x		||	Ceiling Spot 2
x		||		x	||	Desk Lamp 1
x		||		x	||	Desk Lamp 2
x		||	x		||	Floodlight
x		||		x	||	Floor Lamp
x		||	x		||	Fluorescent Light
x		||	x		||	Gas Lamp 1
x		||	x		||	Gas Lamp 2
x		||	x		||	Hanging Lamp
x		||		x	||	Large Accent Lamp
x		||		x	||	Large Adjustable Lamp
x		||	x		||	Large Ceiling Spot 1
x		||	x		||	Large Ceiling Spot 2
x		||	x		||	Large Ceiling Spot 2 (Off)
x		||		x	||	Large Floor Lamp
x		||	x		||	Large Fluorescent Light
x		||	x		||	Large Hanging Lamp
x		||		x	||	Large Reading Lamp
x		||	x		||	Large Shoji Lamp
x		||	x		||	Large Shoji Wall Lamp
x		||	x		||	Large Wall Light
x		||	x		||	Shoji Lamp
x		||	x		||	Street Light 1
x		||	x		||	Street Light 2
x		||	x		||	Gas Lamp
x		||	x		||	Red Light
x		||	x		||	Red Hanging Light 1
x		||	x		||	Red Hanging Light 2
x		||	x		||	Green Light
x		||	x		||	Green Hanging Light 1
x		||	x		||	Green Hanging Light 2
x		||	x		||	Blue Light
x		||	x		||	Blue Hanging Light 2
x		||	x		||	Blue Hanging Light 1
x		||	x		||	CoT Light Crystal
x		||	x		||	Docklight 1
x		||	x		||	Docklight 2

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Edited January 5 by Easter Bunny

[Easter Bunny]

Base Teleporters: 
Kicking off this section with one of Dacy's Quick Tips series on the subject:
 

COH Base Quick Tips: Interior Base Teleporters

The how-to for how to connect the pieces so you can zip about your base in no time!
 

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The remainder of this section is verbatim from Raevyn_Darke's Raevyn's Guide to Base Teleporters (or, See the World on Less Than 5 Inf a Day)

Take it away, Raevyn:

 

Between the forums and the Discord channel, I see a lot of folks confused about setting up base teleporters. It's easy to do once you understand the principles, but since there are things that aren't self-evident, I decided to put together a little guide. (With pictures and everything! Ooh! Ahh!)

 

I've separated my lame jokes from the main text by using a different font color for your convenience.  ;D

 

Contents of this Teleport Guide:

1. The Basics
2. The Components
3. Setting Up a Zone Teleporter
4. Setting Up an In-Base Teleporter
5. Troubleshooting
6. Tips, Tricks, & Tidbits

 

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#1: The Basics

(or, What's All This Hullaballoo About Teleporters, Now?)

 

Base teleporters are, in the simplest terms, a base item you can click that will move your character to somewhere else. Because real heroes & villains don't take cabs, and car insurance in Paragon is just outrageous.

 

What base teleporters can do:

• They can transport a player to any city/hazard/trial zone that has a beacon and matches their alignment.
• They can transport a player to another spot within the base, a new function since the old days that's super-cool.

 

What base teleporters cannot do:

• They cannot transport you to zones you can't access. (i.e., Heroes can't go to villain zones or vice-versa, and low-level Praetorians can't go to Primal Earth.)  Silly baby goldsiders, you can't escape Cole's utopia that easily, muahaha!
• They cannot transport you from city zones into the base. (Though, as noted by justicebeliever--thanks!--you can get a base teleporter power by collecting badges or purchasing it from the P2W vendor.)
• They cannot change where you zone in to the base when you use a base portal, or make it so different people will zone into the base in different spots.  No making the peons turn up in the back alley by the dumpster while the CEO shows up in the penthouse suite; sorry.

 

A note on "Secret Entrance" Portals:

 

Despite being a type of portal, the "secret entrance" is an entirely different beast than a teleporter, with different rules. The secret entrance cannot be deleted.  So much for that Poe-themed base idea. There can be only one secret entrance.  ...#highlander...  If you ever see more than one, it's a glitch; leaving the base empty of people for 20 minutes should reset it. Though the secret entrance can be moved anywhere in the base, the entrance room can't be resized or deleted. Typing /stuck will return you to the secret entrance. Anyone entering the base through the secret entrance will always be facing south.  And it just goes south from there! Haha! A-haha...ha...*cough* 😒 Leaving via the secret entrance will return you to the zone you were in before you entered the base.  Déjà vu, or a glitch in the Matrix? You decide. If you entered using a base portal, you'll reappear beside it; if you entered any other way, you'll reappear at the zone's designated teleport spot. (Thanks to justicebeliever for the clarification. 🙂 ) Okay, so now that we know what teleporters are and aren't, how do they work?

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#2: The Components

(or, 'Porters & Beacons & 'Port Points, Oh My)

 

Regular teleporters (i.e., the "teleport to zone" types from the live era) have two parts:

 

Teleporter                                                                               Beacon

                                                         (the thing you click)                                                                (the place you go)

Arcane Example:                        

Tech Example:                            

 

 PI Paragon's VP of Engineering, Karen, agreed to be in these photos to provide a sense of scale. She's a shapeshifter and a bit of a clothes-horse, but so dependable and dedicated--I never see her leave her office!

 

For in-base teleporters, there's one other component, a teleport point...but we'll come back to that in a bit.

 

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#3: Setting Up a Zone Teleporter

(or, Transportation by IKEA)

 

To make a working zone teleporter, all you need is a teleport device and a beacon of the same style placed within range. That's it!

 

Back in my day, we only had one basic and one advanced 'porter for each style...and you needed a special Transportation Room and enough power to run the thing...and even then, the basic 'porters would only go to two places, uphill, BOTH WAYS! These young whipper-snappers and their free, pretty, 10-destination porters don't know how good they have it! Muttergrumblemumumble...

 

(I'm totally kidding about the grumbling, to be clear. They can pry the new porters from my cold dead hands.)

 

The beacons, up to ten per teleporter, can be placed anywhere...above the porter, behind it, buried in the floor, wherever...as long as they are within range. You can tell if a beacon is in range in two ways:

Click on the beacon, and make sure there's a yellow box around the teleporter (or vice versa). -or- Click on either the beacon or teleporter, and check the object description box (the "Info" tab for beacons, or the "Aux" tab for the teleporter). The attached items should be listed.

 

 

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#4: Setting Up an In-Base Teleporter

(or, "But I Don't Wanna Go Outside, Mom!")

 

For teleporting to another area within the base, there's one more piece you need: a teleport point.

 

Regular beacons teleport you to zone points the game already knows how to find. So, to make an in-base teleporter work, you need to explain to the game where you want people to end up. That's where this tab comes in:

 

 

Currently, there are ten points available to place inside your base. When placed, they look like this:

 

 

VP Karen not included.

 

So, let's say you want to teleport from your office to your bathroom. When you gotta go, you gotta go, amirite?

 

To do that:

• In your office, put a teleport device.
• In your office, put an Aleph beacon.
• In your bathroom, put the Aleph teleport point.

(Teleport points don't have a style, and can be used with either arcane or tech devices.)

 

And voila, you can teleport directly from the office to the potty. Base Teleporters: Bringing you proper hydration without fear since 2019.

 

Note, the above setup will only get you to the bathroom. If you want to teleport back, you'll need to repeat the steps above, except in the opposite direction and using a second teleport point.

 

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#5: Troubleshooting

(or, LIEZ!! It doesn't work!! UR AY FRAUD AN SHUD B ASHAYMED!!)

 

I hope that amused someone because typing like that made me die a little inside.

 

If you've placed a teleporter and it doesn't work the way it should, there are a few things to check:

 

• Did the beacon connect to the wrong teleporter?
  • If you have two teleporters close together, the beacon may have linked to a different one than you expected. And next thing you know, the teleporter and the beacon are arguing about infidelity on Dr. Phil.
• Are you trying to connect more than ten destinations to a single porter?
  • Any beyond ten won't connect. That's what happens when you let the henchmen do the math.
• Are you using a functional teleporter?
  • As one might imagine, teleporters labeled as inactive or destroyed won't work, but it's an easy mis-click. Now where do I get a portal repair tech at 3 AM on a Saturday?!?

    The second-most common problem:

• Is your character the right alignment to see the zones in question?
  • A villain character can't go to hero zones, and vice versa, so the list will be blank even if the beacons are connected and working properly. Nice try, Lord Recluse.

    And--*drum roll*-- the biggie:

• Is your beacon the same style as your teleporter?
  • Items from the tech tab will not connect to items from the arcane tab; the styles must match. Arcane & tech elements in the same teleporter ensemble is so last season.

 

                 Remember...

 

 goes with 

 

 goes with 

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#6: Tips, Tricks, & Tidbits

(or, Things You Wish You'd Known Before Wasting That Last 3 Hours)

 

• The order zones appear in any teleport listing is according to the zone's ID number in the internal database. The only way you can affect the list order is to link beacons to separate teleporters. We won't discuss how long I tried to alphabetize the teleport beacons before I learned this.
• I (like a number of other folks, it seems) like to set up my zone 'porters with one for blueside city zones, one for blueside hazard/trial zones, one for redside zones, and one for everything else (although our current base has them split up slightly more for aesthetic reasons). If you aren't sure/can't remember which zones are which, this wiki page may help; it has zones separated by alignment, and you can sort the list by type or level.
• None of the teleporters are tintable, except the Oranbegan Portal in the Arcane tab. That one lets you recolor the runes that circle around the edge of the portal. I see a red portal and I want to paint it black...
• There are currently no doors in the base builder that open/close...but you can simulate one using in-base teleporters. You'll need two teleporters (the Interdimensional Shard is a popular choice because it's small), two beacons, and two teleport points. Place the Shards as far inside your doors as you like, as long as enough sticks out for people to click on. Place Beacon A on one side of the door, and Point A on the other...then place Beacon B on that side, and Point B back on the original side, as noted in this high-quality illustration:
   
  [Point A, Beacon B, Teleporter]  {[DOOR(S)]}  [Point B, Beacon A, Teleporter]
  Great, there goes our whole graphic design budget.
   
  Note, you'll want to use two teleporters and make sure your beacons connect the way you intend, because otherwise both destinations would show up on the same teleport list, and someone could inadvertently teleport to where they already are. Ha ha, suckers. Er, I mean...  :-X
• Whatever direction you're facing when you click an in-base teleport point, that's the same way you'll be facing when you come out the other side. (As ajax34i observes, the points -- and the Secret Entrance, for that matter -- do have directional arrows you can see using the Hidden Markers option...but they don't seem to actually be correct or do anything.)  Turn around, bright eyes...
• Since you're actually teleporting instead of using the door like a door, you have the option of putting the "other side of the door" anywhere in the base you like. It doesn't have to be physically near the original door.  And they'll never know they've been fooled! MUAHAHAHA!! ...well, unless they look at the map.
• If devious hidden doors are your jam, you can easily bury your teleporter almost all the way inside pretty much anything...secret door hidden in the bookshelf, anyone? From Catgoyle: "For semi-secret in-base teleports, the globes are about the right size to fit the "interdimensional shard" into (and I hide the beacon under the floor -- enable room clipping)."  Just make sure Alfred doesn't set it off accidentally while dusting Wayne Manor.
• There's no way to re-name the in-base teleport points. What you see is what you get. Fun Fact: I learned that the point names are letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Thanks, Google!
• Clicking a teleporter always brings up a pop-up destination menu, even if you only link one beacon. At present, there's no way to make it click-and-go like mission doors.
• Some of the flatter teleporters (the Carnival of Light portal, etc.) are difficult to select once they've been placed. In addition to the usual camera angle shuffle, it can help to hold shift, which helps you click objects hidden behind other things. If all else fails, you can choose "Current Room," sell off the portal, and start over.
• If a sound/visual effect remains after you delete a teleporter, leaving the base for 20 minutes should reset the map. Anybody else entering the base in that time will prevent the reset; stowaways walk the plank.
• WanderingAries adds that if you've read all this and decided it's too much work, you can always coalition with someone who's built zone teleporters already and use theirs. 😉

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  Return to the Table of Contents

Edited January 5 by Easter Bunny

[Easter Bunny]

FAQ: 

Adapted from Base Builders FAQ by Impish Kat

 

These are questions that we see quite often on Discord and in the Homecoming forums.  It is not necessarily a complete Q&A. 

 

Now, in no particular order...

 

Can we please have more storage?

Highly unlikely.  Keep in mind that there is an item limit of 20K items for the entire base.  There was a time when the devs tried to raise that limit, but it broke things in disastrous ways.  Each piece of salvage, inspiration, or enhancement gets stored directly to the base map, which means they essentially become base items.

The upside to this is that you cannot delete a room if there is salvage in the units.

 

Can we please have AH?

The Auction House is not accessible in instanced maps, which bases are.  The short reason is because it puts a massive load on the mapservers.

 

Can I belong to two super groups and have a personal base?

No, a character cannot belong to two super groups.  However, you may want to create a personal base with an alt, then coalition it with the larger super group.

 

Can coalition members access storage?

Unfortunately not.  This is the drawback if you are trying to have a personal side base.  Coalition members cannot access storage.  They can, however, use the portals, craft, and empowerment stations (they would need the salvage in their personal stash).

 

Can I invite my alts to my super group?

Yes!  Simply use the slash command /altinvite charactername.  You can also promote and demote sg members even if they are offline.

 

Why am I not earning prestige in sg mode?

Prestige has been disabled.  It does not cost anything to build a base.

 

Can more than one person edit at a time?

Nope.  Only one person can work in edit mode.

 

How do I set a passcode?

Use the slash command /sgpasscode yourpassword.  This will generate a passcode with your chosen word and an appended number.  Look for it in the system spam in your chat window.  Write it down.  Give it to friends to access your base.

 

Can I delete the entrance room?

Nope.  The base entrance room holds the code for the base editor.  Consequently, it is a permanent fixture. You cannot delete the entrance room.  You can move the portal to any room you like, but you cannot delete the entrance room.

 

Can I access the editor from another room besides the entrance?

Yes.  /editbase 1 to enter edit mode, /editbase 0 to exit

 

Do I need power and control?

A few medical items do need power and control.  For most other things, power and control has been disabled.

 

How do I rotate items?

Alt; spin an item on primary axis

Ctrl + Alt; rotate item on secondary axis

Shift + Alt; rotate item on tertiary axis

 

How do I stack items on top of each other?

Use F5 to change the items attachment mode to "surface".  Use F1 to disable the grid for precision placement.

 

What does room clipping do?

Room clipping (F3) allows you to sink items into the walls and place items in doorways.  However, items must always be connected to a room.  No matter how much you clip or float them, they must still be within or touching a rooms boundaries.

 

What does angle snap do?

Angle snap cycles through angles that an item will snap to when rotating. You can also set a custom angle with the slash command /anglesnap #degrees.

 

Can I duplicate or copy an item?

Unfortunately not.  You have to pull each item from the editor one at a time.

 

Can I scale an item down/up?

Nope.  Items are baked into their own scale.

 

Can I group items together?

There is no function or command to do so at this time.

 

How do I move a room with stuff in it?

Moving decorated rooms is a PITA.  It can be done... you just have to make sure that absolutely nothing is touching the walls.  Even anything on the floor must be moved away from the walls.  Also, there needs to be an absolutely clear space for a connecting door at the place you intend to move the room to.  The tiniest vent or cable touching a wall will prevent the room from either moving or attaching to the new spot.

 

How do I get open skies?

One of the styles for high ceilings is open sky.  It will show the default world sky.  You must have the section set to the highest ceiling to see it.

 

How do I change the default sky?

Use the slash command /base_default_sky [0-16] as described in the Getting Started section of this guide.

 

What are sky "boxes"?  How do they work?

There is a sky option in the item tabs.  These are box volumes of sky effects. When placed in an area that has the open sky ceiling, you will see the chosen sky effect.

 

Can I customize NPCs?

No, they like to customize themselves.  NPCs will change every time the base map is loaded.

 

What's going on with the lingering fx?

Certain items with fx will leave a ghost when moved.  This can get worse the longer you stay in edit mode.  Recommend exiting the base to reset.  Sometimes logging out of the game is necessary.

 

Yikes!  I have duplicate entrance portals!

This is actually fairly rare.  If exiting the base, or re-logging the game does not fix it, you may need to wait for the next server maintenance.  You can also submit a help ticket, or try contacting an @OnDuty GM in Discord to help.

 

Yikes! I've encased my entrance portal in a wall/pillar!

Make sure you are in "create room", "place item", or "current room" mode.  When you have a section highlighted, you will notice that the object window shows a graphic that is divided into sections; two sections on top, one large middle section, and two sections on bottom.  You can add/remove the sections as desired with that graphic.

 

Yikes!  I've deleted something I didn't intend to.

Ctrl + Z is your new best friend.  You can undo up to 8 levels.  However, according to the i25 patch notes, touching a storage item in any way clears all undo history.

 

Are there any working doors?

Not as items.  But you can create clickable doors with the teleport system.  Hide a porter in/behind a door, but leave enough out to be clickable.

 

How do teleporters and beacons work?

Teleporters must be paired with beacons to work.  They are connected by proximity.  Teleport and beacon styles must match; arcane 'porters to arcane beacons, tech 'porters to tech beacons.  Each teleporter can support 10 beacons.

 

What are teleport points, and how do they work?

These are new, specifically to be used within the base.  You can now create intra-base porters.  There are new beacons that match the points. Teleport points are the landing spots that the corresponding beacons tell the 'porters to go to. Teleporters and beacons must still be matched up (by proximity and by style) to transport to a point.  The point itself can be placed anywhere.

 

How do I build outside?

To build on top of a base, follow these steps:

    1.      Enable room clipping

    2.      Fill a section (or room) with a wall pillar

    3.      Put stuff on top of it.

    4.      You can build above up to a height of 900 or a low of -2,000 but you still have to stay close to the lateral edges of the base plot (or room).

 

How do I move between inside and outside?

To move between while in edit mode, you may want to set a section with "open sky" ceilings and use that as a "doorway". 

To travel between indoor and outside while in normal game, you will need to set up some intra-base teleporters.

 

How does outdoor lighting work?

Outdoor lighting brings ambient light to the entire world (including inside the base) as if it were a zone.  As it cycles through day/night you will get all the shades of outdoor lighting.

But there's a catch.

Outdoor lighting disables indoor ambient light, and also breaks lamps and other functional item light sources.

At this time, we cannot have both.

 

Why can't I see things that are far away?

Your draw distance may be low.  To adjust, use the slash command /vis_scale # and set it for any value from 1-20. (hint: 20 is best)

 

Can I delete a room above/below an outer build?

Not a good idea.  No matter how much an item is clipped or floated, it must still remain in contact with its room boundaries.  Deleting a room will delete all its items.

The exception to this is that you cannot delete a room if there are salvage units with stored items.

 

Can I save and move my base to another server?

Yes and No.  You can save your base for posterity with a demorecord.  It will create a file with all the base information.  However, Homecoming does not support moving it between servers.  There is also no guarantee that another private server will be able to do so.

 

What happens if I transfer my character to another server?

If you move a character to another server, they will lose their sg membership. If that character is the sole member of a base, both the sg and the base will be lost to the void.
 

---

Return to the Table of Contents

Edited January 5 by Easter Bunny

[Easter Bunny]

Archived Tips & Tricks:
Here you can find the original posts as you might remember them prior to 2024:
 

Base Builders Cheat Sheet by Impish Kat

Base Builders FAQ by Impish Kat
Base Building Video Guides by Dacy
Light Sources - Which Ones Actually Make Light by Raevyn_Darke

Raevyn's Guide to Base Teleporters (or, See the World on Less Than 5 Inf a Day) by Raevyn_Darke

And thrown in for good measure, a great post that doesn't get updated often enough:
The MacGyver Manual, or "You used X to make Y?!? by Raevyn_Darke

Thank you once again to Dacy, Impish Kat and Raevyn_Darke for your contributions to the community!
 

---

Return to the Table of Contents

Edited January 22 by Easter Bunny

[Dacy]

VIdeo Guide

This topic gives a list of videos created to help people with everything from basic base questions to more complex editing techniques. Feedback, questions, and requests are all welcome.

 

I now have these listed by loose category; some are in more than one category.

 

Here is the link to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DacysBaseBuilding

 

Most of these are short quality, and can be viewed in HD if you set your viewing for that. URLs and descriptions are listed here, thumbnails are throughout the topic.

 

Start Here:

Introduction to Base Editing: Build a Basic Base

This is a comprehensive video that will tell and show you most of the basics you need to move forward.  How to start your sg/vg, changing the plot, setting up rooms, choosing styles, colors, lighting, skies...what things need to go into a base to give you all the services. How to put in teleporters, suggestions for organizing teleporters and salvage setups, and lots of tips and a few tricks to get you off to a great start. Close captioned.

Introduction to Base Editing: Getting Set Up, (This is one of the first videos, and covers only the very first steps to starting a base)

A brief look at what you need to get your base started, and also, how to set the sky to "open sky".

COH Base Quick Tips: A Quick Look At Editing Commands (More concise, with visible cursor)

 

A very short overview of what commands you need while editing.

A Look At Base Editing Commands (recommend Quick Tips version)

Improved to cover slightly more, more  concisely. Looks at setting up the editor to make editing as easy as possible, which keys to use to manipulate objects, and placing your base entry portal in or out of the base, and how to deal with the error when people get stuck in the entry portal when entering base.

All New Building Above and Below the Base

With Page 6, everything changed! Updated info on how to get set up to build above or below, followed by information on things you need to know: what are the advantages and disadvantages and trade-offs.

Base Quick Tips: How to Open The Sky

The often asked,"How do I change the ceiling to sky?"

COH Base Quick Tips: Placing Plot and Rooms

Start with the basics!

COH Base Quick Tips: Moving Entry Portal

Often asked right after they learn how to open the sky...

COH Base Quick Tips: Placing Objects on Top of Other Objects

How to put things on the table instead of them appearing to float over the table...

COH Base Quick Tips: Interior Base Teleporters

The how-to for how to connect the pieces so you can zip about your base in no time!

 

Specific Guides

Kitchens!

A guide to putting together the appliances you've seen in my kitchen, with some options to what's been shown.

Windows You Can See Through, Plus More

Construction tips for making windows you can see through, and a look at options the base editor offers for ready made windows; which walls are best for the outer walls of a house, and different door options.

Base Sky Options

Goes over some of the different base-wide sky options, and how they effect objects you place, plus, the place-able skies found in the "Skies" tab in the Place Item category.

Terraforming

Making higher grass hills, rock formations, and floating islands.

Roads and Cement Surfaces

The replacement for the one with the wonky video; a look at good materials in the editor you can use for roads and other cement surfaces. 

Building Material for the Outside of Buildings

A look at some materials good for the outside of buildings in actual finished buildings in a base. Both house and city buildings shown.

COH Basebuilding: Creating Roofs

Creating roofs, different types of roofing materials.

 

TOURS

Base Tour: Power Girls

See a high-end townhouse.

COH Base Tour: The Invincible Ones

Tour of award winning space ship base on Excelsior.

Base Tours: The Pagoda

Base tours of the most awesome bases in Paragon: Today, the Pagoda!

 Base Tour: Rat City

Tour the one, the only...Rat City

Base Tour: Karma

Tour the island everyone talks about...Karma Island!

Base Tour: Sleigh Belles

The holiday base everyone will be talking about!

Base Tour: Paragon Galleria

See a wonderfully realized full scale mall!

Living in Style: Apartment Tours

Two apartments by @BBBadger, beautiful!

The Chapel

Dacy's own build, a perfect place for weddings!

Granny Victoria's Tea Room

A gorgeous Victorian tea room. Go for the tea, stay for the decor!

Boardwalk

Shouldn't a boardwalk be fun? This one is!

 

New Series: Base Quick Tips

Base Quick Tips: How to Open The Sky

The often asked,"How do I change the ceiling to sky?"

COH Base Quick Tips: Placing Plot and Rooms

Start with the basics!

COH Base Quick Tips: Moving Entry Portal

Often asked right after they learn how to open the sky...

COH Base Quick Tips: Placing Objects on Top of Other Objects

How to put things on the table instead of them appearing to float over the table...

COH Base Quick Tips: Interior Base Teleporters

The how-to for how to connect the pieces so you can zip about your base in no time!

COH Base: Quick Tips: Positioning Those Pesky NPCs

Can't seem to  target NPCs?  You're not alone...but there's a solution!

COH Base Quick Tips: Using Banners: More Than Just Decoration!

Make colored walls, carpets, and more!

COH Base Quick Tips: Making Spiral Stairs

Creating spiral stairs is easier than you might think!

COH Base Quick Tips: A Quick Look At Editing Commands

A very short overview of what commands you need while editing.

Quick Tips: Raising and Lowering Room Section Walls

How to raise and lower sections of walls inside of rooms, even if they're blocked by objects.

 

New Series: Building Skills (Placed some older videos in this category on my channel, more in depth than my quick tips on a single topic)

COH Building Skills: Lettering

There is a lot more to lettering than just the oversized alphabet in the editor! (issued before the new letters came out)

Building Skills: Disguising or Hiding Base Services

Get your salvage and other services to look like the rest of your base! 

Building Skills: All New Building Above or Below the Base

Same video as referenced above, but is part of the building skills series. Lays out both the technique for building above or below a base, and the considerations you need to know about before you make a decision on where you want to build.

COH Building Skills: Making Slides

Flat, self-propelled slides, downward slope slides, and...UPWARD slides? See how to do them all!

 

Older Videos, Still Good Info, But On the List to Update!

Creating Different Levels in Your Base

A look at the different items you will need to create different levels in your base, how many levels you can put into the base within the walls, and different items you can use to achieve different looks.

Advanced Base Editing Techniques

A few things I’ve learned that should help you edit some trickier things more easily. 

Working With Water

Placing water so it looks good, without flicker or gaps, which water plates need solid surfaces under them to prevent characters from falling through them if they are placed over air, and making pools and rivers and lakes.

Building Complex Items

Shows techniques I use in making complex items, with a demonstration build using the techniques.

Base Lighting Options

It might seem unimportant as a topic you should visit before you start building, but how you choose to light your base has a big impact not only on how it looks, but impacts the decision on whether or not to build outside of the base walls. Know exactly what you're choosing if you choose to build above or below.

Wall and Ceiling Options in Your Base

A look at what your options are for walls, both as part of the base itself, or as in what items make good walls and ceilings, and where to find them. Dacy shares her favorite way to make straight white walls and ceilings.

Make Your Base Work For You (shorter, but the all new Introduction to Base Building: Build a Basic Base covers all this and more)

Setting up base functions: Storage, Rez Facilities, Teleporters, Services and Buffs. Dacy shows you what is available and where to find it, and how to set it up. She includes a trick she picked up to make storage units disappear.

Making Base Function Look Fabulous (Recommend instead: Disguising or Hiding Base Services)

A short tour of some bases for samples of what Dacy spoke of in "Make Your Base Work For You", in making your functional pieces look good, or seem to be part of your design, or even completely unnoticed.

Help For Editing Problems

The editor has quirks and outright bugs. This segment is a bit longer than others, but deals with negotiating these bugs and quirks. Why is your item jumping around? What do you do when things have shifted around from where you put them? How can  you get rid of flicker? These and other problems are sorted out.

Quick Tips to Fix Editor Errors

For those who don't want to watch the longer and more complete “Help For Editing Problems" and just want to know what they can do to avoid or fix a problem.

 

 

Return to the Table of Contents

Edited April 21 by Dacy

[Easter Bunny]

CR Dacy and I are very excited to announce the new Community Base Directory ( and Guestbook!) 
(Now also linked here at the top of the Base Building Guide as well)

With a very special special THANK YOU to @Matsiyan for hoping to make our vision a reality ❤️

The directory is a list of Homecoming Base Passcodes created by our incredible community here. It's intended as an update from the CoH Base Passcodes and Everlasting Yellow Pages directories created by @Cap'n Capitalism back in 2019 (Thank you again for that!)

This new version of the directory was created to allow for enhanced search options when trying to locate a base. It also cannot be tampered with, intentionally or accidentally, by others trying to input their base information.

We'd REALLY like to see a comprehensive, inclusive directory, and there's a bit of a possibility that this might at some point be accessible from the game, and it most certainly has already been shown to be able to transfer to a pop menu setup.

We have different descriptive tags to help people find your base, and setting what things define your base definitely needs your input, so please help us out so people can find your base if they'd like to visit it, or just so it's listed as something you've done.

There is also a guest book for people to write down comments about your base; have you ever wanted to know if someone visited and what they thought?? This is a fantastic upgrade, and we took in a lot of information and ideas to create it. We want and need to hear if you have any questions about it or especially if you have a problem of any sort. 

In order to publish a base entry or update you will create and then submit a Google Form that will feed all the necessary info into the directory. I think it's a pretty neat piece of internet wizardry myself...
 

We strongly encourage you to take a look and to submit updates ❤️❤️❤️ Share with everyone all the amazing work you've done!

Comments also welcome! Thank you!
- CR Dacy, CR EB (and BIG shoutout to @Matsiyan)

Edited February 6 by Easter Bunny

[ZacKing]

Question about the base listing... is another one really needed?  We already have extensive lists of bases with passcodes on the Wiki.

 

Torchbearer Bases

Excelsior Bases

Everlasting Bases

Indomitable Bases

Reunion Bases

 

Each of the server subforums has a link to those Wiki pages too.  Wouldn't it be easier to just link to these and/or sticky the threads in the server subforums? 

[Dacy]

Well, Easter Bunny may be able to elaborate more, as he spearheaded this project, but here's why we got involved.

We found that:

1) there were many discrepancies between the wiki and the forum google docs. As evidenced by the sign asking that people not delete other's entries, the entries could be changed, and some were. Our system does not allow for that. Changes have to go through one of the directory caretakers.

2) The docs that were in place were hard to navigate, because things were in the order they were input and not alphabetical order, and Google docs are not easily searchable without someone who knows what they are doing at the helm. (THANK YOU @Matsiyan!) The person who made the original doc is not here anymore.

3) The docs' descriptive categories leave a lot to be desired.

4) We wanted something searchable, especially, searchable by category. We wanted something where people could add guestbook comments. We wanted features that would appeal to people, and we have hopes of getting this version accessible in game, because too many people just ignore the docs as they are now. Most people don't even know that the Wiki versions exist.

5) We have/are collating all of the entries from various places and hope that the owners and/or builders will submit how they'd like the entry to be.  See, some bases aren't there anymore. Some bases have inactive codes. There was a directory in my Discord of some, some had entered/listed their base in a topic such as Show Off but then there was nothing for that base in the docs, even some contest entries had never been listed, so we're just trying to do what we can to get things all in one place in a usable format. 🙂

 

Also, we want to help all of those who want to find a particular kind of base; we get requests like, "Do you know where I can find *a particular kind of base*? Some people want to see particular things, whether for builds of their own, RP, or just curiosity, and there's no real way to find those bases right now without spending a lot of time in the current docs.

 

It would be best to link the new docs to the wiki; any idea who to talk to about that?

 

-Dacy

[Easter Bunny]

Nope! I think you covered it pretty well without me, Dacy. ☺️

Other than "extensive" is not the word I would have used to describe the wiki lists. Those are just copies from the original Google Doc directories... which as you've already explained left a lot to be desired. Having combed through that list, two other personal directories that were shared with me, the Basecode Passes thread, the Contest threads and the Show Off thread I can now say none of these were extensive.

And I agree, it would be wonderful to link this directory to the wiki - please send them my way if you know who I can chat with about that!

Edited February 6 by Easter Bunny

[ZacKing]

On 2/6/2024 at 4:56 AM, Dacy said:

Well, Easter Bunny may be able to elaborate more, as he spearheaded this project, but here's why we got involved.

We found that:

1) there were many discrepancies between the wiki and the forum google docs. As evidenced by the sign asking that people not delete other's entries, the entries could be changed, and some were. Our system does not allow for that. Changes have to go through one of the directory caretakers.

2) The docs that were in place were hard to navigate, because things were in the order they were input and not alphabetical order, and Google docs are not easily searchable without someone who knows what they are doing at the helm. (THANK YOU @Matsiyan!) The person who made the original doc is not here anymore.

3) The docs' descriptive categories leave a lot to be desired.

4) We wanted something searchable, especially, searchable by category. We wanted something where people could add guestbook comments. We wanted features that would appeal to people, and we have hopes of getting this version accessible in game, because too many people just ignore the docs as they are now. Most people don't even know that the Wiki versions exist.

5) We have/are collating all of the entries from various places and hope that the owners and/or builders will submit how they'd like the entry to be.  See, some bases aren't there anymore. Some bases have inactive codes. There was a directory in my Discord of some, some had entered/listed their base in a topic such as Show Off but then there was nothing for that base in the docs, even some contest entries had never been listed, so we're just trying to do what we can to get things all in one place in a usable format. 🙂

 

Also, we want to help all of those who want to find a particular kind of base; we get requests like, "Do you know where I can find *a particular kind of base*? Some people want to see particular things, whether for builds of their own, RP, or just curiosity, and there's no real way to find those bases right now without spending a lot of time in the current docs.

 

It would be best to link the new docs to the wiki; any idea who to talk to about that?

 

-Dacy

 

Ok so if I'm understanding this right, the HC team doesn't have any control over what is or isn't on the Wiki, but why can't people from HC contribute to the Wiki?  That way information can be kept up to date and sorted/organized how you all would like.  If it's "official info", just set permissions on the page(s) so that only someone from the HC team can edit or approve edits.  That way, people aren't deleting info.  As far as the Wiki not being searchable, not sure that makes sense since Wikis have search functionality already built in.  Anyway, just wanted to ask since this new list separate from the existing Wiki seems redundant to me.  I guess I'm not the target audience for it though, so good luck with it.

[heyedwin]

Large objects such as Villain ramps, statues, and others. Can those be resized while holding down certain keys? What I mean by that is, let's use a giant Atlas statue for example. Can I (with a push/hold of a certain key) resize that Atlas statue to human scale/height? I've done the whole 'CTRL+F' and typed in 'resize' on this page. But there is no mention of it, so I thought I'd ask.

[ZacKing]

1 hour ago, heyedwin said:

Large objects such as Villain ramps, statues, and others. Can those be resized while holding down certain keys? What I mean by that is, let's use a giant Atlas statue for example. Can I (with a push/hold of a certain key) resize that Atlas statue to human scale/height? I've done the whole 'CTRL+F' and typed in 'resize' on this page. But there is no mention of it, so I thought I'd ask.

 

Sadly no, you can't resize or change the scale of objects.  Just move them around.

[Dacy]

3 hours ago, ZacKing said:

Ok so if I'm understanding this right, the HC team doesn't have any control over what is or isn't on the Wiki, but why can't people from HC contribute to the Wiki?  That way information can be kept up to date and sorted/organized how you all would like.  If it's "official info", just set permissions on the page(s) so that only someone from the HC team can edit or approve edits.  That way, people aren't deleting info.  As far as the Wiki not being searchable, not sure that makes sense since Wikis have search functionality already built in.  Anyway, just wanted to ask since this new list separate from the existing Wiki seems redundant to me.  I guess I'm not the target audience for it though, so good luck with it.

We have since had quite a bit of discussion with the wiki moderators. People from HC (that's anyone, not the City Council necessarily) DO contribute to the wiki, and they'd like it if more did so.  However, anyone can be an editor, there is no "limiting" the editing permissions.

 

The original info was taken from a Google sheet, which was open to player editing. Some malicious edits happened, and I'm sure there were also mistakes, as it was easy to mess up a page and not know how to fix it. Not so with wiki, it allows you to preview changes and you must choose to enact them; nothing happens unless you choose to make it happen. So, the wiki itself may or may not have been corrupted by players, or the information may have been corrupted before it got there, we don't know. There is no real way for the moderators/editors to know if an edit is an honest and helpful edit, or someone changing something they should not. What we do know is, at this point, it's very obvious that there is a good deal of error.

 

What EB has done is meticulously comb through ALL of the available bases. He took the Google doc, he took the wiki information, he took the small directories that I had on my discord, he took the listings on the forums that were never entered into the directory, he tried to find as many sources of base listings as possible. He's gone through EVERY code to see if it's valid. Found some that were invalid, found some bases that had vanished.

 

What we want to do is change the wiki to reflect the new format and  more accurate information. Much of what is on the wiki regarding base listings is inaccurate. We'd like to do new listings, from the new directory, which we manage and maintain and update. People enter the information for their bases, but we are the ones entering it into the directory, so that the information can't be corrupted by anyone maliciously or accidentally. We cannot provide the same protection to the wiki, but, we will monitor it and correct it if we determine someone has changed something that should not have been changed. We will also link to the document in the wiki, and people are encouraged to make update requests and new entries on the google doc, which will be linked to numerous places.

 

We need people to update their bases to reflect what the base is, the most accurately. I invite you to go and LOOK at the document in question. We think it's quite nice, and hope others like it as much as we do.

 

-Dacy

[ZacKing]

6 hours ago, Dacy said:

I invite you to go and LOOK at the document in question

 

I have LOOKED at your new listing document, thanks.  I keep my own list of bases that I like and/or frequent and will update it as needed.  As I said, I'm not the target audience for this so best of luck with it.  I'm sure there are players who will get some use out of it. 

[UltraAlt]

On 2/10/2024 at 3:55 PM, Dacy said:

We will also link to the document in the wiki

 

I would suggest that both you and EB put the link to the base listing document in your signatures so that it can be easily seen when the two of  you make a posts.

I think that would be good for the community. People might not know what they are looking for until it is up on the screen in front of them.

[ImperialZombie7]

Wait I can have a base? How do i get one and how do I customize it? I am only lvl 11 and probably just havent gotten to the part where it gets introduced but Im curious.

[ZacKing]

4 hours ago, ImperialZombie7 said:

Wait I can have a base? How do i get one and how do I customize it? I am only lvl 11 and probably just havent gotten to the part where it gets introduced but Im curious.

 

If you are hero side, go to the Supergroup Registrar in City Hall in Atlas Park.  Click on the NPC and create your supergroup.  If you are villain side, you need to visit the registrar in the Arachnos building in Port Oakes to register your villain group.  Once you've done that, head to any base portal and click on it to enter your base. 

 

Once inside, I highly recommend watching the excellent series of base building videos Dacy put together to guide you through the base editor on how to build things.  Those videos are a truly superb way to learn the ropes. 

 

Good luck and enjoy building!

[Dacy]

4 hours ago, ImperialZombie7 said:

Wait I can have a base? How do i get one and how do I customize it? I am only lvl 11 and probably just havent gotten to the part where it gets introduced but Im curious.

Welcome to the City! Yes, you can have a base, and  you can learn to make it into what you want it to look like! Our editor has a bit of a learning curve, but not bad, and it's very flexible.

Have a look at my YouTube channel for tours to see some great examples, and here is a video to get you a great start! There are other, shorter videos if you prefer, just have a look, I recommend the "Starter Set".

 

Join the Base Building discord, too! https://discord.gg/Wkp9XCz2BJ  Lots of helpful info and people!

 

-Dacy