This is exactly the point I'm trying to make. End the battle before it even really begins. Plus, you get the pick of the litter after.

???? Yeah that is some very interesting behavior. Sounds like it works though.

My bases are generally just 11x11 rooms with 3 or 5 wide hallways in-between. I've been experimenting with circles and diamonds lately, though. If you really want a good base, there's really only two main rules to follow: 1. Make enough space 2. Good workflow 1 is pretty self-explanatory, 2 just means kitchens should be close to freezers, factories close to warehouses, etc. You follow those two rules and you'll do great.

Why do you need wide hallways? I always made them one tile wide and they seemed to work just fine. (but maybe I don't know something)

@@Dagroth pawns pushing past each other slow down. 3 wide allows you to setup internal defenses, while 5 wide allows things like storage/defense/trees.

Try away my friend. I'm always happy to share some Rim-knowledge. And hey, I'm thinking about doing a video about alternative defenses sometime. You know, stuff like warg armies or mechanoid setups.

Here's a question. How would you feel about story videos? I've written out some BioTech stuff. Also a story about hillbillies versus exploding zombies.

Story videos I would love! Sounds amazing. Chance for longer videos by you is always welcome! Hillbillies versus exploding zombies sounds about as crazy and chaotic as possible and I'm all for it haha

@@VenomSteak any play throughs in future?

@@andrewj6611 definitely.

This is sort of a goodbye to tutorials, for now. I'll still make them, but I'm going to start trying story content!

@@VenomSteak nice

I hear you on the burnbox. They're the ultimate answer to any organic raid. Mechs on the other hand, firepower+emp is the answer. And a good answer it is! One thing that I've discovered about that: in the current game version, weapons like the LMG get a massive boost against large enemies like the centipede. 2x accuracy, in fact. Now I want to make a video on an anti-mech, LMG killbox XD

@@VenomSteak LMGs only? I think it may be all burst/"spread" weapons, so probably also miniguns and maybe assault rifles?

@@Dagroth I don't know for sure because I haven't tested it all yet. But I picked LMGs because they hit a sweet spot where they might actually do more damage to larger enemies than an assault rifle or even a minigun. But I can math all day, I won't know for sure until I've tested it.

Thank you, I always appreciate some appreciation. Stay tuned for upcoming zombieland content.

Thank you. Yeah I don't like the burnboxed because sometimes, you get burned (pun intended). This kill box take a little more maintenance, but it's more than made up for by salvage. It's main advantage is that it offers automated defense; most humanoid raids are NOT going to make it through the maze, let alone in good shape. Basically, if it takes you a minute to get everyone sorted, this thing's got you covered and it does it for the absolute minimum space needed. But yeah, bigger killboxes _can_ offer bigger defenses, for sure.

I appreciate that, I really do. I'm glad you tested it, always good to see for yourself. Btw, I use a version of this killbox in my Randy LIF playthrough so yeah. It'll get you through.

That's what the doors at the entrances are for. Don't want to use it right now? Just seal it up!

That's good in general, but wouldn't the raids attacking immediately either target walls or go wherever they please (and not where you want them to) in that case? (although I just thought about keeping some powered turrets outside, so the immediately attacking raids would go there, wreck them, and then pick new targets to go where I want them, maybe that'd work)

Yes to your question. The solution is to have more than one killbox. Once you close one, enemies go to the other. With something cheap and small like this, you really have a lot of options.

I built this one to last. No exploits, no cheats, just combining the best of the game's mechanics. PS I now want to make a Tunneler melee horde...

@@VenomSteak i now integrated this into my toxbox meatgrinder killbox, needs optimization since accidental tiggers of the incendiary mines are a pain in the .... but the downing rate of even anomaly creatures is borderline criminal.

Trap mazes make sure the enemy won't make it to your gates. In the rare event someone does, well, that's what the Singularity is for.

You could even stick more shooters there. Up to you!

True, but if you're using fire, that will just let the heat out.

Right, on cleanup: 1. How much equipment do you lose: depends. You definitely lose some, but a lot of it ends up dropping outside the structure once the spaces fill up. In bigger raids, it can be an unGodly amount. 2. Is it only certain types: most items are flammable (in vanilla). 3. How do you safely put out the fire: I usually let it burn and replace it. This box is so compact, it's not a _huge_ hassle to fix up, especially for a late-game colony. However- if you want to put it out safely, approach it from the *outside* and *deconstruct* a single wall to let all the heat out. Rimworld has a funky mechanic where an unsealed room *instantly* becomes the outside temperature. Once you've done that, you can safely put out the fire. *Firefoam Pop-Packs* work wonders here. Finally- you can use the paramedic Mechanoid. Impervious to heat and can put out fires with foam. Last note: it's usually easier to just have mutiple of these killboxes (so at least 1 is always ready). If it were me, I'd let the 1st box finish burning (free cleaning!), shut the doors on it, then prep the doors on my 2nd box. Rotation/redundancy are just a good idea in general in this game.

@@VenomSteak Hugely helpful. Thank you for your time.

You're very welcome. One thing I didn't mention in the vid, you can always close the doors when you don't want this thing in use! Good luck to you.

You know, I've never tried that. Might be fun XD

Huh. I think that's actually getting patched out btw.

Yeah actually. My approach to mechs is a little different, as I don't tend to use killboxes. I like to use heavily armored units equipped with jumppacks and assault rifles. Gives them good damage and the ability to reposition at a moment's notice. You can also use sniper rifles if you really want to keep them at a distance. It also helps to have a melee colonist with locust armor/shield-belt to draw fire. This leaves your ranged units free to focus fire whatever is targeting them. Speaking of, focus fire is your friend. Engage one target at a time to reduce the amount of incoming damage. Finally, use emp nades/mines/mortars. Mortars are my fav because they have a huge AOE and can be fired safely from afar. They can easily stun massive portions of a mech raid, leaving you free to focus fire them one by one. If you really want to use static defense against them, I'd recommend something called the signularity killbox. It's an invention pulled from like the Chinese version of reddit, re-posted by a guy called AdamVsEverything. It'll let you kill mechs with very little chance of retaliation. It's a bit of a complicated setup, but very effective.

Yeah, I was going to do a whole segment on how to deal with mechs, but I decided to cut that for now. Truth is, this is not a great killbox for mechs. Much better to have an open area (as mechs don't take cover on purpose) where you can get a lot of fire down-range + EMP nades. This killbox is cheap and simple enough that it can be its own thing. I'd recommend you make a totally different setup specifically for mechs.

How would you direct the mechs to the other killbox? I mean, sure, the enemies target turrets etc, but I believe they pick their target the moment they start an attack, so at least the raids attacking immediately would go where they please with not many options to redirect them?

@@Dagroth This killbox has doors at the maze entrance. You'd just close that and the mechs would stop for a moment, then redirect to the next available turret/killbox. I've tested this so I know it works.

Yep. Takes a lot of the edge off of raids.

In my testing, the singularity killbox led to a lot more damage to my pawns. This killbox trades a few traps in order to keep my people safer, it's also cheaper outright to build. And hey, just think. Traps cost a little steel, chemfuel, labor. You can get all of those things from a good raid. For free.

P.S. great point on the zoning. I can't believe I've never even considered that before, I bet that would make a wicked melee setup too.

@@VenomSteak even the best compact setups can only get 9-11 colonists with chairs in a shooting zone, but there is no collision limit in retaliation zones as those pawns aren't drafted. a singularity also works a lot better with this method as actual received damage is a DPS check for enemies running past the first set of doors.

@@bugfriendz thank you, Bugfriendz. You've breathed new life into my melee-only challenge.

freaking awesome, I might have to cover that.

My goal was to keep this killbox as simple and small as possible. It is modular tho, so if you wanted more power you could just add another section onto the maze. At that point, there is just no way a raid is getting through there before breaking. I know because I've tried XD

Oh yeah, I've never used CE. I imagine you can't really get away with the whole "firing over the shoulder" thing. But the trap-stacks, man. They are such an underrated defense. You can bring down an organic raid before they even get to you with enough of them. One thing I didn't mention: don't hesitate to use a lot of traps. A lot of times, you get back what you put in in the form of smeltables and... meat.

We could... it's just so cheesy! RimWorld is cheesy!

Hm... that did not happen in vanilla rimworld. Possibly they've added the feature in a more recent update or it's a mod. I tested this specific issue months ago so I know for a fact we can narrow it down to those two choices.

Yeah, this little box easily defeats a 10K point raid. Again, the trick is defeating your enemy before they have even a chance to strike you. Come to think of it, I think that is _actual_ Sun Tzu advice.

"Defeat your enemy, before they enter your front door... Randy Random has nothing on these sick tricks, yo." - Sun Tzu. @@VenomSteak

Close but you got the numbers backwards, it's 20 steel and 40 chemfuel per trap. We use them here because it's a lot less risky than sending your people out there, and it's always ready in case your pawns aren't. Besides. When the raids are big enough to justify this level of defense, just think: enough metal salvage and organic material are coming in that you can replace all your traps and then some.

Hmm... this design was working just fine for me. Are all your doors setup the same? 30%+ of your roof gone? If that's true, then yours should work, just the same as mine. Otherwise, it could be an issue with mods OR (and this is the least likely) something to do with your game version.

What's that? Never heard of it.

it's essentially a killbox killer, adding harder and more smarter ai, and i always wondered if it could still be countered@@VenomSteak

@@BamsyTheSergal Has there been any big patches recently? I was really excited about CAI 5000, but I ended up removing it from my save after I found it made the game easier. Giving enemy pawns self preservation is an amazing idea, but in practice I found that it removed all of their aggression. I was facing raids that seriously outgunned me and should have been a major threat, yet all I had to do was create local superiority. The enemy charges forward a few at a time, takes fire, and retreats having taken damage and accomplished nothing. If they had all massed up and pressed the attack (like they do in vanilla), they would have been far more dangerous. Which was a shame because I really wanted to love it.

if i remember it's very customizable, and that i paired it with the void faction it was extremely hard to defend@@Talz1803

@@BamsyTheSergal I might give it a try sometime. There's just so much to do!

You're talking about the singularity killbox. I've seen it, tested it, this killbox worked better. With the Singularity, my pawns took significant damage. Everyone survived, but compare that to the 15 damage a 10k raid did to my pawns here. The main advantage of the Singularity is that it has no moving parts, no re-arm. Only repairs. Ultimately, it's your choice on which you use. Personally, I'm going to branch out and start trying things that aren't killboxes!

@@VenomSteak Singularity is a tedious setup, especially compared to this one, but I will give it credit. When you have two singularities firing on all cylinders, and you're rotating pawns between the two, it is stupidly efficient. However, I've found that it breaks(raider pathing) quite easily with some mods, and thus renders it moot. This box here seems to work no matter what I have installed, and doesn't take much of your focus to keep going. Kudos for the find!

@@nevanbroderick4227 I appreciate that, glad it's working out for you. I designed this thing to be as straightforward as possible. However complex your mod lists get, minefields and chokepoints are always a solid defense. Good luck to your colonies, friend.

The singularity has some issues in my testing. Raids were getting through more often than I'd like, as the turret de-stacking doesn't seem as reliable as it once was. Use traps is a cheap way to defeat the enemy _before_ they can get to you. And they pay for themselves; all the salvage from these massive raids is more than enough to replace what you've spent. That's the mentality I take towards raids.

@@VenomSteak I use singularity a lot and it always works to the point I rarely even use my hospital anymore. The first time I made it I had the same problem you are stating tho. You just need to put a turret and door near the first door they step on inside the killbox and possibly another turret outside where they first enter the tunnel. Also you have to build it so your pawns are shooting towards the West direction otherwise there may be complications . Other than that just make sure you use shotguns (and emps of course) and they will never make it to your pawns. Even if they do make it close all you have to do is close the doors and they will turn around and walk back towards the entrance. After they reset reopen the doors. Or just make another identical killbox next to it and migrate to that one. I've used this killbox against raids that consisted of 200 humans and not a single enemy made it halfway thru the box. I've even used this box against mech clusters with apriticon healers and it still never failed. The singularity killbox is so effective and cheap that it's the single solitary reason I stopped playing RimWorld because it made the game too easy. Even on the hardest difficulty. I had colonies of 8 pawns minimum thriving in late game with no problems at all with my wealth floating around 500k-600k. Sadly it just got too easy and boring because of this darn killbox lol the only challenge/fun was the breach raids.

@@VenomSteak did tynan make changes to collision in recent versions? Last I played was 1.4 and the collision inside the singularity killbox was fine. But maybe things have changed since then, I'm not sure.....

​@@agecali7893unfortunate but yeah. You can even see in my video, two turret sets weren't enough to reliably unstack parts of these raids. However, this setup actually takes advantage of this mechanic. Stacked raiders take damage together, so you end up getting the whole raid over with faster than you would.

@@VenomSteak interesting. I may need to bootup update RimWorld and get my butt kicked soon then. I shall use the tox traps to salvage thy organs lol

1. Multiple IEDs mean redundancy 2. IEDs pop off even when you're miles away 3. IEDs are cheap AND pay for themselves (lots of scrap after a raid...) 4. You can literally have like ten of these around your base. This killbox isn't perfectly optimized, it's cheap and it's good. You can stick it just about anywhere. It's meant to add a layer of defense, after all. Your _real_ defense against the hells of the rim should be strong pawns and turret/animal spam. You really want to get into the nitty-gritty of colony defense? Maybe I'll get around to posting my anti-killbox video. P.S. don't be afraid to spam mines! They are so strong and I'm shocked by how little I see people using them!

Burnboxes are alright, they're just not automated like this one is. Most enemies aren't going to make it through the traps, not toxers or imps not no one. What I like about this one is it pays for itself in terms of salvage anyways. Now, mechs are your real issue. But they don't need to be. At some future date, given the SE wind hits the right note across the wind vane near 12AM on a Sunday night AND I feel like doing it, I will make a guide showcasing how to fight WITHOUT a killbox. There are SO many ways to take out mechs, some of them render even the worst 10,000 point raids laughably easy. The trick is just knowing how to counter them. Spoiler alert: a lot of it comes down to jumppacks and marine armor.

@@VenomSteak I feel you, Mercury is hella in retrograde nowadays

@@SkipPyP00S Tbh I'm just trying to get through school and not stress about well all the silly things us humans are doing instead of making the world a nicer place to live

That's when you pull out the psy-lances

Randy? Is that you?

There's a lot of ways to defend your people without killboxes. I just think they're neat.

Shit... it's been so long since I messed with this build. Best advice is to yet the roof off for now. As long as the room counts as "outdoors" the heat can't hurt you.

P.S. think it's time to make a video on either a safer kill box or anti-killbox techniques.