Biter Defense Question

[SkylineCVC]

Hi guys,

I just started a megabase using the peaceful option. My problem is that the game doesnt feel right without normal biters...
So I wanted to start another game with standard difficulty.

My main problem with biters is that they are very enerving when scaling and planning for megabases. You can't just watch your beautiful (spaghetti) base for a few minutes without biters breaking through somewhere and eating your factory...

So I have a question:

Is there a point (tech wise / defensive wise) where you can wall off an area, place X turrets or lasers and you will never have problems with biters braking through again? In other words: Peaceful mode in a conquered area.

Greetings and thanks,
Skyline

[astroshak]

Yes and no.

Once you can automate laser construction, wall construction, and have Medium Power Poles or Substations aplenty, you can run around making a wall backed by a row or two of lasers to claim territory for your own. Of course, you also have to power those lasers ...

But, if you annoy the biters enough, and/or use some mods that make biters stronger, they *can* get past the lasers to eat the wall. So, its not completely biter-proof. For that, you would need to add higher damage turret types (Flamethrower Turret for AE damage, or Gun Turrets for single target damage, both with their ammo logistics issues) and back it all up with a roboport network with some Repair Packs.

Its certainly doable to wall off a large swatch of territory. But, especially earlier on, its not exactly doable to make it biter proof, merely biter resistant.

[zOldBulldog]

A wall, 3 rows of laser turrets, flamethrower turrets at max distance in front row, and bots with repair packs... will stop pretty much anything. Add routine visits of an artillery train to remove newly migrated nests... And you are in great shape.

Or for a simpler option, disable biter expansion instead of going peaceful. After you clear biters away from your pollution cloud they will not approach you. But you still need to fight them if your pollution cloud grows or you want to expand. And... This is the default if you use the Railworld preset.

[Koub]

The most effective way I've found to do so is with walls, flamethrower turrets, with a few laser turrets to help them off. I also have gun turrets (because I start walling off with them before I have laser turrets) but I think once protected with flamethrowers and lasers, the gun turrets don't fire that often.

[SkylineCVC]

Thanks, guys!
Regarding your answers I fought the biters in my peaceful savegame a bit and came to the conclusion that bulldogs suggestion (turning of biter expansion) is the way to go for me. Maybe I will do a factory with full expansion enabled afterwards.

Greetings,
Skyline