This is both a base design thread and a discussion thread, treat it as you wish.
I feel like there is a huge emphasis on splash defences in this game. I don't disagree that it is the most important factor in defending loot against low level attackers, however, once your defences become more advanced, splash becomes more and more redundant.
For fairly maxed TH9s and 10s only: look over your defence log. How many attackers managed to break into even a single storage. If the answer is none, then you are probably beyond the point at which wizard towers and mortars will be most beneficial in protecting resources. Every one in fifty attacks will be from someone who is either a) annoyed at you for stealing their DE, or b) has trained a high level army overnight and found your base to test it on. These are the kinds of attacks to which you lose one or more storages. These are the attacks you should be aiming to defend against.
Think about it in terms of numbers. If you have level seven splash then it is unlikely that many attackers are getting your loot. Lets say one in fifty manages it with high level troops. That's about 100k gold lost. Now think of what would have happened if you had your highest level DPS buildings surrounding the loot. Perhaps those high level troops would have failed and you would have got away with yet another successful defence. In that scenario you would have <100k lost. It is less probable that an attacker will win with a high level army.
Even with slightly off-centred splash, you are still protected from barbarian archer / giant goblin attacks by those awesomely powerful level 7 mortars and wizard towers. They do not need to be your most protected defence.
Here comes my case for the high DPS buildings:
In most high level defences e.g. champions league layouts, high DPS defences are favoured over splash simply because splash fails to defend well against a small number of high hitpoint troops which are most common at >3200 trophies. These high DPS buildings would most commonly be Infernos, Teslas, Xbows and even Archer towers. TH9s don't have Infernos, however, they do have level 7 Teslas which certainly pack a punch.
I tried to incorporate a TH9's highest hitpoint defences - the Xbows and the Teslas - right at the centre of the layout.
http://i42.tinypic.com/ta57ig.jpg
If your DE storage is empty you can swap a mortar into the core:
http://i44.tinypic.com/scqedi.jpg
Wizards and mortars no longer steal the show, it's time for those long awaited Teslas to shine. Of course, splash cannot be negated and still has to remain semi-centralised as to prevent failed defences against farming armies, however, it no longer occupies all that space in the centre.
The layout also retains all those features a good layout should have:
-100% Staggered Junctions
-95% Unlurable CC
-Mazing funnels (they can be avoided by clever troop placement, however, will be the second target after other defences are destroyed)
-Evenly spaced point defences
-Triangular mortar placement (DE can be swapped out with one mortar if needed)
-Non-exposed AD
-Centralised Gold and DE (Elixir should be useless up at near max level TH9 and 10)
After 4 weeks of testing, no army managed to steal a gold storage or touch the DE. I didn't, however, get the widest range of attacks. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who uses this layout posts their findings.
I hope my point was conveyed adequately and I urge you all to share your opinions on this.
Thanks for reading,
Richard
