The problem with having a
huge variety of block shapes to choose from, is that I occasionally hyperfocus on unimportant details. I spent enough time working on the Flying Brick Mark IV to go through
two Zirax attacks. The Mark IV isn't
much different from the Mark III. I removed a relatively massive portable constructor in favor of more cargo, and moved some of the heavier components so that the ship was better balanced. I also replaced the sharp corners at the front with rounded ones. This took less than an in-game "day," which was when the first attack was due. I then spent
three days, the time between attack waves, blinging out the
rear of the ship.
At any rate,
behold, the Flying Brick Mark IV.
Aside from the fact that it still pitches
down noticeably slower than it pitches
up, the variations on other two rotation axis are barely noticeable. And it's
all done by thruster distribution alone. I'd like to armor it up some more, but the forward, lateral, dorsal thrusters are barely enough to keep it airborne when empty. I'll need to upgrade them before armoring it up any more.
To do
that, I need a
good source of elements which I can't find on
this planet or its moon. That means I need to either continue scavenging the ruins, both ancient and modern, that are scattered around this planet, and hope for some good loot; creating a warp capable ship to explore other planets... or perhaps raiding the Zirax for the stuff I need.
Okay, Zirax... I tried to place nice. I stayed out of your territory as much as possible, and only destroyed your drones when
they attacked
me. Remember, you brought this upon yourself.
I return to space, determined to mine some cobalt at all costs!
Revenge is mine! Bwa ha ha ha ha ha!
Okay, poaching 314 units of cobalt ore from their land isn't exactly anyone's idea of a roaring rampage of revenge, but it's
really (ahem) annoyed them. It's been a while since my reputation with them had dropped permanently below "hostile," but mining that ore has dropped my reputation down to zero! That increases the chance of a raid from 37% to 53%? Yikes!
With this much cobalt, I can finally add to my base again. First up, a project that could no longer be delayed: a repair station, so I can repair my light armor. I've gotten two from scavenging: one modified for every day use, and one modified for EVA work. I also have a medium one for more hazardous environments, and a suit of heavy armor... that barely allows me to jump, so I don't use it all that much. The second, of course, is the Advanced Constructor.
New power draining machinery also means even more signal logic work... which is well worth it in the long term. My base has gone from a net loss to a net gain, solar energy wise. Solar Capacitor levels had fallen as low as 17% under normal use, and it's now up to an all time high of 63%. Some people post pulse pounding action vids of the games they play. I post screenshots of my base's "fuse box" and signal logic page.
I've also done something similar, though smaller scale, for my various vehicles, allowing me to easily conserve power in the field without shutting
everything down. Next up: designing a warp capable ship that
isn't a glorified fighter. Oh, and doing a bit of a redesign of the surface portion of my base. I want to include a lever in my base that will activate the base's defenses. Not
just the the defensive turrets, but also lower metal shutters over the base's windows. While the "armored" glass windows stops most of the damage from a drone attack, it seems like some of bullets are getting through to damage the taller equipment in my workshop, and I'd rather not move them to the basement and operate them remotely.
edited because proof reading before posting is a thing I keep doing..
Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars. 
This was neutral territory, you maniacs! 
