Can someone explain the point of speedrunning in this game to me?

You know, fun and brutal aren't mutually exclusive in this game. It's all subjective, for starters, but I don't think building for anti-speed running HAS to ruin the fun. For example, my final base was built with lots of ramps, tight corridors, clusters of guards, and so forth that made it impossible to just rush through. You HAVE to pause at various choke points and deal with things to make it to the objective.

Before the beta ended (MY HEART IS BROKEN) I watched a guy spend 49 minutes and 26 deaths working his way through the base. He had a blast running it and it was so awesome watching him come up with solutions to the problems I presented.

For example, I had a long hall with a ramp incline that was only one block tall and wide. Above it were corrosive cubes and there was a hook trap at the top the ramp on an angled block, pointing down toward the player. A myriad of guards existed in a small room at the top as well as some other traps, including hooks. Finally, a few spike traps existed on the walls of the incline. It's all quite simple but each trap had to be dealt with in a specific sequence all while fending off the guards. It was fun for me to test and fun for this guy to fail at over and over until he had it down to a science.

My point? I don't think the speedrunner versus fun issue will remain for long in the game. We will all improve the quality of our builds as time goes and learn how to create fun, interesting bases that are more than just cheese. When we improve, the game as a whole become healthier. :)

I don't have a big problem with speedrunning in the game. There is a natural balance against it because the genmat rewards come from the traps and guards. If you bypass them all, then you don't get genmat.

Like others have said, I rush outposts that are just annoying and feel impossible -- big rooms with sentinel eyes and guards everywhere.

I wish there were more systems to incentivize the fun in the outpost design.

indeed, you get the best reward actually by leveling up, which was around 475 genmat and around 275 of the other that I remember(at least so far of the lv around 50-60 I was), about the other materials, actually I didn't had any need, you get them by default for playing, as reward of completing the raids maps, and for you to imagine, I had almost 7k of drop parts, that I did chose to waste for wasting, and I ended with 300+ granades, 150+ of shield barriers and 150+ phoenix pod (Since you get also those materials from building no real need)

synthite I didn't had that much but still more than genmat so no real need to focus on that and I did stop to get them from time to time, or to kill enemies for fun, but at the end, if you enjoy doing them fast, there's no real need to stop so far more than required, so the only thing I can really tell you is as suggested, to allow another vote type as said previously, and add in the future some traps, that really stop using grabbing hook and go throw most of traps, such as a flasgbang almost impossible to avoid but harmless just make you blind for a bit, enough to confuse you and die for other traps, doors, something that makes you go slower so speed run will not make you go throw spikes, maybe allowing a mod for certain traps such as the arrows that pierce the barrier(not the hardware one)

considering you play only brutal you get around 3/4 of the bar, so in general you will be making a champion outpost out of 7 maps, 3 are champion , you get 3750 exp of 1 with brutal map and then 1125*5 which is 5625 which we could assume is 1 bar in proportion lets say, you need to get 3 to reach the next level of chimera(I don't know if this would change in higher levels since in the first was only 2), so far is the fastest way to get the red thing, I don't think the problem is the amount you get, since most players don't do the maps running throughtout it I just think should be a better incentive to play it slower as said, some traps that punish if you try to ignore others, or ones that go through the barrier to prevent the use shield for everything, I don't think the barrier is bad as some said, and more even for new players, imagine starting and getting grabbed by 3 hooks at same time, in small place while running through it would not even get you.

sadly I got notified about this great game the 10th so I couldn't play all the time I'd have like(hope they make pre-purchase and open it some days before I've to try ok?) but still I got that lv, I could be getting 2 lv per hour at the end of the game time when I did got how it works and all and taking my time to check my outpost and more, at the end it was around 1-3mins to accomplish one depending of many things, and actually if giving up on the maps made to prevent speedrunning, even more, but I don't like not doing any map, another change that should be made, is reconsider the "difficult" of some maps as well, some are not "brutal" but the calification they have just for having traps close to the genmat... or many maps that literally are empty in most of map, and at the end its like 100 traps that you can ignore walking back while they have the activation time and its a bad strategy, just works if you stay on the middle and no way to survive, no time to destroy all that aims to you here at same time(well it's a lie you could use a barrier shield hardware or destroy some of one wall and the one that aim and slowly... but pointless)

I only made sadly 7 or 8 maps I don't really remember if I finished one and activate it, and only 1 made with bad intention, and as I said, I do almost always put some kind of secret in my maps, because I like rewarding to make it slowly and carefully or just exploring the outside, like the exit in one was literally on the genmant with all only 2 wave, you could make this map without any need of use any weapon, maybe I am not that good building I must say, but I do enjoy it, and overall watching the replays to see what people do.

Also an important thing to say is, that I do wanted to get lot of upgrades, and overall, lot of traps, I do wanted to make a base with a main thing, lets say hornet, so I needed to get them, maybe next I wanted to use the enforcers with armor, so I did needed to get more genmat.

In any case if whenever the game is release, I'd gladly watch maps with you and try to speedrun them if you want to see what can be done to prevent this without the need of piston+incinerator+corridor.

it's not a bad strategy I've faced it several times, although at the end, with the sound, you can know if its arrows, spikes, and if you only put arrows in front and spikes behind they can still run and deflect and if you put arrows in both you can destroy the back one while running through the corner and then deflect the one in front, yes I've faced this sometimes, and if not yep, shield to cover both sides if the mistake, the shield needs no nerf, but counter, the tool is great, you can only carry 2, so must be usefull , if not its pointless... but should not work through everything or having something to make it harder.

Honestly making ragequit for me it's something to be proud, if I make those people ragequit I don't mind no accolade, but I do still enjoy it, and you may dislike it, but when people make speedrun through yours, you know there's still something to improve, when its by shield , just there's lack of something to counter it.

I must say I didn't get the point of accolades or the rank in the game yet(and still I don't tbh what are they worth for), so it took me a bit to be given them more consistently to whoever deserves them because even if for me are not I did notice some people want them.

the speed will not fix things, they would use the item to run, and if you increase the speed that much to catch even those it would require so advanced reflex that most players don't have, making it frustrating , since you must predict all traps, because once you activate you would be dead , or the grabbling hook.

I am gonna be honest I am gonna try to make the outpost speedrunning, no matter what, so if you make it with something more than a corridor full of pistons I would like to play it, and if its challenging even more, I don't like leaving outpost undone, just I'd not make the idea of "plate" keep it as the barrier or as sensor, so it has a range of several blocks, making no noise , so in this way you can place it like on top without any "noise" to activate it, and activating the corresponding trap as normal activation with its sounds and all, but being far away enough would be silent.