artwork Base Building

[Kyrissa]

Hello all, my apologies if this is posted in the wrong place. Anyhow, I've seen bases in game, in screenshots, and in videos which are beautifully built. Some of you are amazingly talented builders, artists, if you will. 

 

I am currently working on a base on Scorched. To date, most of the things I build always wind up boxy, or turning into towers. I always seem to run into some sort of annoying issue that takes me hours to figure out. Our main building on Center is so jacked up with snap points and uneven ground that I don't even know where I'd begin trying to renovate it without accidentally taking out half the tower. I want our build on Scorched to be different.

-How do you all go about building your beautiful bases?

-What steps do you take when planning it out?

-How do you deal with uneven ground? 

-How do you make everything line up so building transitions are smooth and connected, not off by a smidge?

Uneven ground is a fact of life with Ark, I know that. I also know that both foundations and pillars have their benefits. I've tried to do just foundations before and quickly learned that anything built that way would turn out on the smaller side and would quickly be outgrown or be close to useless to start with. I've also tried doing just pillars, but there are issues there at times, and aesthetically speaking, foundations look nicer and don't have the unsightly crawl space underneath. I know there are ways to hide these open areas beneath a building that is on pillars, however I'm not quite sure how to do it. I'll have to post some screenshots of the base of our Center tower.. many of you will get a laugh or cringe out of it, I'm sure. Does it take a lot of patience and finagling to get stuff to look nice, or is there a quick and easy way I'm missing out on? I know that more detailed structures will, of course, take more time and effort to build. I guess I'm just wondering if there are ways to build things to be functional and aesthetically pleasing without spending hours trying to make stuff fit together just so.  

 

I'd appreciate any feedback or tips you guys have on the subject. Please feel free to post screenshots of what you have so I can admire your work. If you do share your work, I'd also appreciate a short summary of how you got it to look that way. ? Thank you!

 

[GenTech1000]

Hi Kyrissa! I’ve heard your call and have come to your aid! (This will be a bit to read so bear with me. Also, what platform do you play on?)

To answer your first question, it really depends. Sometimes I have an idea and just do it. Other times, I take a while to plan and make everything perfect. However, I usually plan as I go. As for the process, here’s what I do. 

1. Find inspiration- It can be a picture online or a sudden idea. Find your source of inspiration. I recommend checking out Unite the Clans, GG Fizz, and other builders on YouTube. They have inspired me and taught me several tips and tricks. 
2. L O C A T I O N- Location is crucial to making a build shine! Find a place that you feel like you want to build in or that you want to build in the future. I flew around Ragnarok for about an hour marking locations that I would want to build in. 
3. Construction- Start building! I typically make the exterior first to get the look that I want. I then mold the interior to fit my needs. However, going in with a detailed plan would probably be your best option. Also remember to keep checking the exterior for any improvements that you could make. 
4. Decor- Once done with the construction, decorate your build. I recommend eco’s mods, ozocraft, the peachy decor mods, and the pimp my home mods for decoration. They really make an empty house into a home. 
5. Finished!- You’re done! Marvel at your work and, if needed, modify it. 

That’s what I do at least. 

As for the terrain, you don’t always have to fight it. For example, in one of my builds, I built in a cliff. I then integrated the cliff into a terrarium for some Microraptors. 

Heres the build. 

But, for support, you’ll need to use what you’re comfortable with. I use pillars and the glass walls in S+ to support my creations. 

For your next question, the answer is simple. Plan your build better. Don’t just run in and start unless you’re confident enough to do so. Try to be more careful and your build could come out a lot better. 

Finally, the final question. The time for a build is as much as you are willing to put in. Sometimes, it takes DAYS to finish a build. The one above took me almost twelve hours I think and the one I’m working on has taken me at least a day. However, if you know what you want and are efficient enough, it shouldn’t take that long. 

If you want to see more of my builds, search my name up on here. You’ll find my stuff easily. If you need some hands on training or other tips, shoot me a message and I’ll be happy to help you. 

P. S. - Here’s some tips I posted for another aspiring builder. You might see some of the same stuffing posted here but its still good advice. 

 

[Coelacanthus]

If you haven't seen his works around the web, I highly recommend doing a search for Captain Fatdog. I genuinely don't think I'd enjoy Ark half as much if I hadn't watched and implemented what I've learned from his videos. He has some great tutorials on how to build complex and/or circular structures on uneven ground. If you're on console like me and don't have access to all the wonderful mods out there, learning some of his techniques is a game-changer.