Floating Platforms !!

Foosirus

Very simple to add and would have tremendous impact on base versatility. Just add a tie down of some kind and you could chain the platform to a piece of rock, even if it was 200 meters down. Anything floating could have weight limits instead of structural integrity, as you build more above sea level you would have to gradually add more floatation.

frazmi

Great idea! I wanted to build a base in a deep zone, but also wanted to use solar power. So I got out my trusty terraformer, strip-mined an adjacent mountain for raw material, and built a 200-meter tall tower, right up to 15 meters from the surface. I built the base on top of the tower. In the process I think I discovered that the terraformer might be only about 80% efficient, in that if you ingest 100 units of material you have only 80 units for constructing rocks.

{Edit - added text] About the idea itself, to get the needed flexibility in the tether, I would suggest using creep vines and titanium (sort of like fiberglass). Cost should be proportional to the tether length (50-meter segments?) plus the cost (in titanium + lithium) for the bottom anchor. The basic tech is already in the game in the form of the dive reel.

etherealyandere

God yes, no matter what, every single game I make an above-ocean section to my main base, but it's such a chore building it, using so many vertical corridors and having to get into awkward positions to place things. A floating foundation/platform would be perfect. Maybe instead of the chain, a gravity anchor could be used? But it'd have to be easily made otherwise the cost would outweigh the usage.

Chris01

Also by adding copper, sliver, gold it adds power conductivity to the cable that allow you to transmit power from the surface to you base. Could also add "floaters" to support the weight of the cable so it won't be a drag on you surface float. Could also add some other materials to create super conductivity to prevent power lost.