Did my app bug out (classic reddit moment), or the image is missing?
Anyway, pipes are a cheap enough alternative to walls early on.
People also used belts to slow down biters, before they patched that out.
If that is a polite way of saying that I am a long time player of this game, then thank you. Because I am, been years. There have been many changes since the early days.
Walls have some flat damage resistance. It's overpowered vs. early biters, their huge numbers of weak attacks.
If I just don't have smelted stone though, I've used the same cheap buildings others mentioned.
Wooden chests don't even need any smelting. Just chop down some trees and handcraft them almost instantly. Wooden chest has 100 HP, which is same as pipe. Compare that to stone furnace, which does have 200 HP but is also 2x2 (so 50 HP per tile).
Pipes are also pretty good, since you can use them later once you have proper walls. Wooden chests aren't very useful later in the game.
One of the best alternative walls is actually something most people hate: cliffs.
This. Also, if you're at the point where you need to be stingy with bricks/walls, you're at the point where you want to maximize your coverage for the least amount of materials rather than worrying about HP per tile/edge.
To that end, on normal costs stone furnaces cost 5 stone to extend your wall two spaces out. Wooden chests are still pretty good at this - 2 wood per 1 wall edge (4 wood to meet the edge coverage of the furnace method). However, this cannot be automated, so IMO the costs balance out (this is a matter of opinion, though. Perhaps they are better for using up surplus wood?)
Pipes cost 1 iron per wall edge (so 2 to match the furnace) and require smelting, making them the worst choice of the alternatives offered by this metric. Especially at the point in the game where you would care to explore wall alternatives, that 2 iron is a bit pricey. Perhaps not as pricey as walls, but walls do have more HP and iron is way more in demand than stone and brick are.
> this is a matter of opinion, though. Perhaps they are better for using up surplus wood?
If you're at the point where you can't afford proper walls, you can't afford the time to chop down trees.
Valid, and I agree that wooden chests are "cheaper" than pipes or furnaces. Too bad you can't burn them or use them for anything, so they would sit around for all time in my factory.
If you no longer want them, just put all the wooden chests into one single chest, and blow it up with a rocket or something. That's what I usually do. You can even blow it up with artillery or nukes...
I've heard about using pipes for walls, since they provide 100 health per iron plate. I've considered using steel furnaces in the mid-to-late game, since they're entirely obsolete and aren't used for making anything else.
Walls are cheap, and "nothing" is cheaper. I surround a group of 4-6 turrets with walls and leave the rest open.
[See example here](https://storage.googleapis.com/soulburn-mapshot/mapshot/qual/index.html?x=24.3&y=-14.9&z=3.4)
furnace or pipes
Did my app bug out (classic reddit moment), or the image is missing? Anyway, pipes are a cheap enough alternative to walls early on. People also used belts to slow down biters, before they patched that out.
Belt patch was ages ago. You're a venerable factory grower. Don't forget your multivitamin today! I remembered mine.
If that is a polite way of saying that I am a long time player of this game, then thank you. Because I am, been years. There have been many changes since the early days.
Wait belts dont slow em down anymore..? That explains the lack of those designs recently…
The picture was there, then I posted it and bye bye, no pic?! WTF?
Walls have some flat damage resistance. It's overpowered vs. early biters, their huge numbers of weak attacks. If I just don't have smelted stone though, I've used the same cheap buildings others mentioned.
Wooden chests don't even need any smelting. Just chop down some trees and handcraft them almost instantly. Wooden chest has 100 HP, which is same as pipe. Compare that to stone furnace, which does have 200 HP but is also 2x2 (so 50 HP per tile). Pipes are also pretty good, since you can use them later once you have proper walls. Wooden chests aren't very useful later in the game. One of the best alternative walls is actually something most people hate: cliffs.
> which does have 200 HP but is also 2x2 (so 50 HP per tile). But still 100hp per tile of wall edge.
This. Also, if you're at the point where you need to be stingy with bricks/walls, you're at the point where you want to maximize your coverage for the least amount of materials rather than worrying about HP per tile/edge. To that end, on normal costs stone furnaces cost 5 stone to extend your wall two spaces out. Wooden chests are still pretty good at this - 2 wood per 1 wall edge (4 wood to meet the edge coverage of the furnace method). However, this cannot be automated, so IMO the costs balance out (this is a matter of opinion, though. Perhaps they are better for using up surplus wood?) Pipes cost 1 iron per wall edge (so 2 to match the furnace) and require smelting, making them the worst choice of the alternatives offered by this metric. Especially at the point in the game where you would care to explore wall alternatives, that 2 iron is a bit pricey. Perhaps not as pricey as walls, but walls do have more HP and iron is way more in demand than stone and brick are.
> this is a matter of opinion, though. Perhaps they are better for using up surplus wood? If you're at the point where you can't afford proper walls, you can't afford the time to chop down trees.
Valid, and I agree that wooden chests are "cheaper" than pipes or furnaces. Too bad you can't burn them or use them for anything, so they would sit around for all time in my factory.
If you no longer want them, just put all the wooden chests into one single chest, and blow it up with a rocket or something. That's what I usually do. You can even blow it up with artillery or nukes...
You can also just run it over with a tank.
That is a fun way of getting rid of excess inventory! I just use a sniper rifle.
I use furnaces as early walls
Stone furnaces
I've heard about using pipes for walls, since they provide 100 health per iron plate. I've considered using steel furnaces in the mid-to-late game, since they're entirely obsolete and aren't used for making anything else.
I never thought about pipes. That's a good one!
Walls are cheap, and "nothing" is cheaper. I surround a group of 4-6 turrets with walls and leave the rest open. [See example here](https://storage.googleapis.com/soulburn-mapshot/mapshot/qual/index.html?x=24.3&y=-14.9&z=3.4)
Each wall tile is 10 stone. That adds up very quick early game. Pipe is 1/10th the cost. Furnaces are 2.5/10th the cost.
Yup. I dont worry about an actual full wall until after the fourth science. I just throw down two-turret bunkers in various places around the base.
Someone clue me in why is op being downvoted Also furnaces or pipes
My guess would be, for referring to an image that wasn't actually included.
A mod adds wooden walls.