Bases are very common in our Dark RP server. What isn't very common to see is a well built base. I see people wasting half a dozen props to do something that should be easily accomplish-able with only a few props. Some people also don't understand how to make a base difficult to get into and resort to forcing raiders to go through many doors, this only delays the inevitable.

Things to consider when building a base:

• The amount of props it uses.
• Visibility.
• Prop-push, prop-climb, and gravity gun resistance.
• Bulletproofing
• Fireproofing
• Cover ratio.
• Battering ram proofing.

Prop Efficiency

You should always try to conserve props, even if your base doesn't use many props compared to your prop limit. The best way to do this it to build your base inside a room/building. Bases built in the sky or in the middle of town will always be weaker than a base built inside a building and will take more props. These bases also cause more graphics lag for people on older computers. Another way to conserve props is to use exclusively standard phx, these come in many shapes and sizes so you should be able to find one that fits almost any need. Avoid metal phxes because these have more polygons than standard ones.

Visibility

You should also take visibility into account while you are building your base. You should be able to see any enemies near your keypads and you should have many areas that your enemies cant see. This will ensure that you can surprise your enemy. Have firing ports at all angles and in odd locations and your enemy should never be able to hit you. You can also build barricades that either fold upwards or fade in to surprise your enemy, these will allow you to attack from angles that your enemy was never expecting. Do not use props with one way visibility to do this, this will make raiders paranoid and therefore harder to defeat. It is better to give them a false sense of security.

Prop-push, prop climb, and gravity gun proofing

Prop-pushers and climbers can ruin your day easily, they can climb over your walls or simply force their way through by physgunning props into your base. This is so easy for them to accomplish that admins will rarely arrive in time to stop them. Prop climbing can be stopped by a simple roof over any outdoor areas you have, or by building walls inside your base that go all the way up to the ceiling. Prop pushing is a bit harder to stop, it can be stopped by freezing your props however most prop pushers tend to be police and therefore have battering rams available. The key to stopping prop pushers is to put frozen props behind any props that raiders have in their line of sight. This will stop raiders from being capable of completely prop pushing your base. To stop people from gravity gunning your props you need only to set their weight above 251.

Bulletproofing

Most of your base should be completely bulletproof, failure to bulletproof your base will result in you being shot when you least expect it. using precision alignment will ensure that all of your props are perfectly aligned, making it impossible for bullets to pass through cracks in your props. You should however leave a few gaps in your base to shoot out of in case you are being raided, these can be covered by fading doors or hydraulic doors to prevent people from using them against you. These gaps should allow you to attack people who are near your keypad. Your keypad should also be close enough to these gaps to allow you to remove any keypad crackers on it.

Fireproofing

Fire in DarkRP is capable of destroying welds and unfreezing props. It normally takes at least two printers exploding to burn props sufficiantly for this to happen however it can happen with just one. You can decrease the amount of time props burn for by setting their physical properties to concrete. You can also reduce fire damage by having a means of ejecting your printers from your base if they burn.

Cover ratio

Your cover ratio is the area of your enemies body/the area of your body that is showing. You should keep your cover ratio as high as possible while you are defending your base from raiders. The area around your keypad should be open, giving your enemies little cover. The inside of your base should give you a lot of cover and there should be plenty of places to completely hide your body to reload, change weapons, and heal.

Battering ram proofing


~The SammyServers Dark RP MOTD

A single gangster must be able to break into your base, however it isn't a requirement for a battering ram to be able to break in. Battering rams break through Fading Doors, Dynamic Doors, and regular doors. You can use hydraulics to build a door out of physics props that the battering ram cannot break through. this deprives CP of their main advantage over gangsters, the ability to open doors instantly. If you build one of these doors CP will be forced to buy a keypad cracker from gangsters or use a Tech specialist.

Battering rams also unfreeze props so everything should be welded, you should also prop push proof your base in case CP become desperate and attempt this.

EDIT: I might add guides for specializing a base for certain classes later.

EDIT 2: No I won't, those will be included in my class guides later, this article is done.

Which brings me to something i have been annoyed about for a while. the battering ram has become fking useless as a raiding tool. almost everyone uses the conna's tools fading door tool, because it disallows battering ram entry. Uberdude uses a hydraulic door that likewise cannot be rammed. i would very much like to see the battering ram restored to its former usefulness. (perhaps make it so that it forces access granted on any keypad owned by a warranted person)

P.S Uberdude: I WILL RAID YOU. cheap ass murderholes, heroin, and hydraulics or not. i'll FIND A WAY DAMMIT
(>.<)

P.P.S: GG btw XD i thought i had you with the shipment trap Jihad i pulled (never expected selective explosion damage)

Last time I checked fading doors can be batter rammed in, you need a warrant though.

Thanks for doing this Uber, It'll help a lot of people.

Great article, Uber! Check your PM's!

Fine job my friend

Nice one bro. Just remember to keep hydro tec a secret fatty XD!!

Amazing guide...mine never turn out like the steel Bastion though

Thanks Uber! Now I can protect myself from those pesky CP, Gangsters and Thiefs!

I have a couple tips:
Nocollide every prop that you think is close to touching.
Weld fucking everything.
Set every prop's weight to at least 251.
Shift+E with physgun is your friend.

Good article.

Wow, on most of the server I play on putting a frozen object behind your walls to keep police from battering them down is against the rules.
Nifty.

Nice nice nice, this will help me and many other people alot.

Nice Uber. I build nice bases but It takes me a few mins. I always have a helping hand with me like a friend or 2 to help with dem Gangsters or CP's. We talk to each other over skype. I do use Fading doors. I'm still trying to get down the hydralics. They do confuse me. But yeah very nice job. I also see your base well made. (We will raid you one day ^^) (Get READY!)