Building ships automated or manual

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

Building ships automated or manual

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Building ships automated or manual

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

Building ships automated or manual - 12/27/2010 9:57:11 PM

Igard

Posts: 2282
Joined: 3/29/2010
From: Scotland
Status: offline

One thing I still haven't got the hang of with RotS is building ships in automated or manual mode.

Before the expansion, I used to build all my fleet ships by right clicking the spaceport and selecting the ship from the build queue. This would line up a nice bunch of ships in manual mode waiting for assignment to their fleet.

If I wanted to build ships in automated mode, I opened up the construction screen for the spaceport and rattled off a bunch of escorts and frigates, then I didn't need to think about them again. They just got built and flew off on their own to save some mining stations.

So now I have to access 2 menus, click the 'newly built ships are automated' check box, then exit the 2 menus each time I want to build a patrol fleet. Sometimes I don't even know what mode I'm in!

Am I missing some new UI feature that makes this easier? It seems as though there should be a toggle somewhere on the game screen. Just a quick switch and I can build either some patrol ships or some fleet ships.

_____________________________

The Picard Era for Distant Worlds

Igard's Romulan Stormbird

Post #: 1

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/27/2010 10:21:13 PM

ehsumrell1

Posts: 2529
Joined: 8/17/2010
From: The Briar Patch Nebula
Status: offline

Igard, what are your settings on the Policy menu set to?

_____________________________

Shields are useless in "The Briar Patch"...

(in reply to Igard)

Post #: 2

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/27/2010 11:04:15 PM

Igard

Posts: 2282
Joined: 3/29/2010
From: Scotland
Status: offline

Total manual control. And it's staying like that.

_____________________________

The Picard Era for Distant Worlds

Igard's Romulan Stormbird

(in reply to ehsumrell1)

Post #: 3

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/28/2010 3:48:25 AM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

Hmm, you can build all the ships you need in the new "Build Orders" screen (F9), or you can do it by clicking on the spaceport and using the bottons that show up below the info pane.

The way I deal with automation is that I go into the "ships and Bases" screen and manually assign the ships to fleets, and at the same time I turn off their automation. Hope this helps

(in reply to ehsumrell1)

Post #: 4

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/28/2010 3:52:25 AM

forsaken1111

Posts: 281
Joined: 3/30/2010
Status: offline

I really don't understand what the OP is asking. Do you not like toggling the automation of ships from the ships and bases screen?

(in reply to the1sean)

Post #: 5

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/28/2010 4:23:23 AM

Igard

Posts: 2282
Joined: 3/29/2010
From: Scotland
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: forsaken1111

I really don't understand what the OP is asking. Do you not like toggling the automation of ships from the ships and bases screen?

Correct, I don't. I like to have my ships waiting at the spaceport for me to assign to a fleet. I've obviously got an unusual way of doing it.

The way I see it, ships are either built to be part of a fleet, or to go on pirate patrol. Ships destined to be part of a fleet should wait at the spaceport without burning any fuel.

I like the 'build order' screen for building my patrol ships. That's great, but for my fleet ships, I'd rather have them sitting idle waiting for me. Remember Cruisers and Capital ships burn more fuel. I'd like to be in control of them.

Maybe I need to change the way I play. Assiging ships on patrol to join fleets, but I don't like having cruisers and capital ships on automated. I'm strange like that.

Basically I'm wondering why an important option was buried inside 2 menus, when it could tuck away nicely in a corner of the screen somewhere.

_____________________________

The Picard Era for Distant Worlds

Igard's Romulan Stormbird

(in reply to forsaken1111)

Post #: 6

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/28/2010 4:28:05 AM

forsaken1111

Posts: 281
Joined: 3/30/2010
Status: offline

To avoid toggling the empire-wide automation on and off you could just build ALL ships with automation off and manually toggle the few which are destined for escort duty. I agree that the option is a bit buried tho.

(in reply to Igard)

Post #: 7

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/28/2010 4:45:10 AM

Igard

Posts: 2282
Joined: 3/29/2010
From: Scotland
Status: offline

Yeah, I've already tried that. It's not possible if I'm using the build order screen, because those ships could be built anywhere in my empire. And it's not possible to select a group of ships being constructed at a space port, so I'd have to select each of them manually. In any case I prefer using the build order for patrol ships.

I'll put this on the wishlist thread. I thought maybe there was some option I was missing, but it's just my weird playing style again causing me problems.

Thanks for the help all.

_____________________________

The Picard Era for Distant Worlds

Igard's Romulan Stormbird

(in reply to forsaken1111)

Post #: 8

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/28/2010 4:49:05 AM

forsaken1111

Posts: 281
Joined: 3/30/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Igard

Yeah, I've already tried that. It's not possible if I'm using the build order screen, because those ships could be built anywhere in my empire. And it's not possible to select a group of ships being constructed at a space port, so I'd have to select each of them manually. In any case I prefer using the build order for patrol ships.

I'll put this on the wishlist thread. I thought maybe there was some option I was missing, but it's just my weird playing style again causing me problems.

Thanks for the help all.

See I just have everything automated by default and then I use the ships and bases window to pick whichever ships I want in fleets. Once they're in a fleet I can easily turn off and on their automation.

(in reply to Igard)

Post #: 9

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/28/2010 4:53:32 AM

Igard

Posts: 2282
Joined: 3/29/2010
From: Scotland
Status: offline

I find that when I've got more than 100 ships, it gets a bit busy in the ships and bases screen. It opens a little bit slower and it's not so easy to find the ships that are just off the line.

_____________________________

The Picard Era for Distant Worlds

Igard's Romulan Stormbird

(in reply to forsaken1111)

Post #: 10

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/29/2010 4:31:28 PM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Igard

I find that when I've got more than 100 ships, it gets a bit busy in the ships and bases screen. It opens a little bit slower and it's not so easy to find the ships that are just off the line.

Yeah, I leave "build automated" on all the time. Then I sort the ships and bases screen for military and then sort by class. Usually I only use escorts and frigates for escort duty, and destroyers on up for fleets. (late game I sometimes start using destroyers for escorts, too, and then only use cruisers and capitals for fleets)

I find that this makes it extremely easy to organize the list and setup which ones go in fleets. Just my way of organizing the chaos

(in reply to Igard)

Post #: 11

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/29/2010 5:13:44 PM

Igard

Posts: 2282
Joined: 3/29/2010
From: Scotland
Status: offline

We all have our own ways of playing. That's something that I find very endearing about DW.

I like to have some frigates in amongst my fleet also as some extra fire power. I just find it makes the fleet more dynamic and stronger with smaller more manoeuvrable ships to bolset it. I won't go into all the class variants I use such as missile frigates etc.

_____________________________

The Picard Era for Distant Worlds

Igard's Romulan Stormbird

(in reply to the1sean)

Post #: 12

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/29/2010 5:24:32 PM

BigWolfChris

Posts: 634
Joined: 3/31/2010
Status: offline

I have mine set to manual
Don't want to risk the AI building too much lol

_____________________________

AMD Ryzen 7 2700X 8 Core @3.7GHz
2x16 GB Vengeance LPX 2666MHz RAM
MSI RTX 2070 Armor 8G
SSD Drive

(in reply to Igard)

Post #: 13

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/29/2010 5:29:36 PM

Igard

Posts: 2282
Joined: 3/29/2010
From: Scotland
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: BigWolf

I have mine set to manual
Don't want to risk the AI building too much lol

I don't mean that, BigWolf. I mean the option for newly constructed ships to be manual or automated. So when I build one of those giant, fuel guzzling Capital ships, I don't want it going flying off on it's own.

However, when I build a fleet of escorts and frigates, I do want them to immediately get on with business without my instructions.

A toggle on the main screen would be ideal. I'm trying to play the way the1sean and Forsaken1111 have instructed me, but I can't get used to it.

_____________________________

The Picard Era for Distant Worlds

Igard's Romulan Stormbird

(in reply to BigWolfChris)

Post #: 14

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 12/29/2010 5:36:13 PM

BigWolfChris

Posts: 634
Joined: 3/31/2010
Status: offline

Oh sorry :oops: lol
Yeah, I have them automatically to AI control, but I will pick a couple of fleets for personal missions lol

But once you hit multiple cap ships fuel should be plentiful, I don't mind them wasting it tbh

_____________________________

AMD Ryzen 7 2700X 8 Core @3.7GHz
2x16 GB Vengeance LPX 2666MHz RAM
MSI RTX 2070 Armor 8G
SSD Drive

(in reply to Igard)

Post #: 15

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 1/2/2011 7:27:15 AM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Igard

...when I build one of those giant, fuel guzzling Capital ships, I don't want it going flying off on it's own.

However, when I build a fleet of escorts and frigates, I do want them to immediately get on with business without my instructions.

A toggle on the main screen would be ideal. I'm trying to play the way the1sean and Forsaken1111 have instructed me, but I can't get used to it.

Yeah I used to use the different order methods depending on whether I wanted the ship automated or not, so my suggestions are just the way I adapted to the current game build

(in reply to Igard)

Post #: 16

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 1/3/2011 12:31:45 PM

moonraker65

Posts: 556
Joined: 7/14/2004
From: Swindon,Wilts. UK
Status: offline

Slightly Noob Question - What are the advantages (Apart from the obvious) of putting ship and base design on Manual ? I've left everything on Auto more or less at the moment whilst learning to play the game. Is it better to leave things on Auto for a while or jump in to designing your own ships and bases after a while ?

_____________________________

(in reply to the1sean)

Post #: 17

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 1/4/2011 1:58:37 PM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: moonraker

Slightly Noob Question - What are the advantages (Apart from the obvious) of putting ship and base design on Manual ? I've left everything on Auto more or less at the moment whilst learning to play the game. Is it better to leave things on Auto for a while or jump in to designing your own ships and bases after a while ?

Hey moonraker, it's all about customization. I usually leave things on auto until things get more interesting in the late game. It's all just a matter of preference.

(in reply to moonraker65)

Post #: 18

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 1/4/2011 10:27:44 PM

Data

Posts: 3909
Joined: 1/3/2011
Status: offline

I for one don't like the fact that even from the get go all my ships are underpowered by desing and don't get the maximum hyperspeed. So I modify them to add another reactor, collectors to save fuel while the civ ships are idle (which they tend to do a lot), more engines to make them faster and more maneuvrable and so on....

I didn't test this properly but these two simple changes do impact greatly at the start of the game....i started one game with auto designs and caslon depletion tanked me quickly; I started the same game with these changes and I was more than ok

Note that even in this case you can still leave the designs on auto and the AI will consider your changes as well. Just one of the many great things about this fenomenal game.

_____________________________

...Igniting stellar cores....Recharging reactors...Recalibrating hyperdrives....

(in reply to moonraker65)

Post #: 19

RE: Building ships automated or manual - 1/6/2011 8:40:51 AM

forsaken1111

Posts: 281
Joined: 3/30/2010
Status: offline

I just think its cool that we have a game where two people can successfully play in completely different ways, even down to what they control and how their ships behave.

Post #: 20