An explanation of what Ice Citadel Ground Platforms are intended for.
Spoiler Warning, You Have Been Warned
The guide is a spoiler. I’m not going to further spoiler-text the content to protect people who come to this guide. Also, the only reason I’m creating this is because I searched the internet and could not find any references to this (and given that “platform” searches will turn up operating system platform results, I figured someone would appreciate having a guide that spells this out.)
Finding the Platform Construction Option
- Open the construction menu (by clicking anywhere where there is open terrain)
- Select the Ground category (While the category becomes available between acquiring access to wall structures and access to the orbital base– the Platform option is hidden until you reach 25 honor. It unlocks with the Ice Citadel zone unlock.)
- Select the Platform
- Place the platform on the ground in Ice Citadel’s ground. (It seems to only fit in the lowest ground area near the lake.)
NOTE: While it does seem to be possible to select the platform and then change to any of your first three cities, the platform cannot be placed on the ground in that area. (It appears it may be possible to place it on your city, but I do not have any area large enough or clear enough to let me try… so I am not attempting that.)
Purpose of the Ground Platform
After building the platform (10 frames, 16 beams, 70 cases) you will now have the option to build sidewall structures on the platform in Ice Citadel.
Conclusion
I estimate that you can place 5 platforms in Ice Citadel. Placing the platforms in contact with each other may or may not allow construction across their edges (I’m still in progress on my second platform) and placing them next to each other does prevent the contact space from being used for wall platforms. (So someone with more will to math than I will undoubtedly figure out if it is more efficient to build 3-4 platforms and use the extra sidewall space or compress 5 platforms… you get the ground space for building regardless.)
I do plan to update my guide with the final bit of information about whether or not you can build across the edge of two platforms touching. It’ll be a few days because of their construction speed.
PS – Frames cost 7 matter, Cases cost 10 matter, and Beams cost 14 matter. Doing the math, that works out to be 1064 matter to complete a platform.
Written by Mazian
Im a bit confused…do you HAVE to put down some platforms? Seems not, I can build houses, matter drills and so on…but somehow NOBODY is getting send down from the damn station!?
You need to make sure you have positive eco. Settlers won’t come until happiness is positive. Also, you don’t need to build platforms, but it gives you more potential space to grow.
I don’t know if it was the case when you wrote this, as I am quite new to Cliff Empire, but I have discovered you can stack platforms on top of each other, which means you have a lot of available space. I am only in the process of putting the third layer on at the moment, so I am not sure how high you can go.
Update: I am currently building the twelfth level of platform (could probably have sandboxed to find out more quickly, I guess).