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Newb questions. - 11/7/2011 2:21:46 PM

Fubar

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Hi all.

Just a few newbie questions, hope this is the right section for questions, i have looked in the Galactopedia and couldn't find the answers so thought i'd ask you Gents for a little help. I'm pretty sure i'll have other questions in the future too. lol

1. Where in the Empire info does it tell you what types of planet you can currently colonize? I've looked all over and cant seem to find it! I'm playing as human and start on continental planets. The Galactopedia says humans are on continental, desert and swamp planets but for some strange reason i still need to research continental, desert and swamp colonization?!?!

Am i doing something dumb?

2. What do the coloured bars behind the Empires names represent on the Dipolmacy screen?

Thnaks in advance for any help.

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< Message edited by Fubar -- 11/7/2011 2:25:18 PM >

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/7/2011 2:32:34 PM

Bingeling

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Hint: Shrink your images to fit a normal page. It is annoying to have to side scroll back and forth to read the questions

I think all races have one basic planet type. Colonization tech open up new possibilities. Humans have continental as the planet type. For some reason they can also research continental colonization without that making any sense other than possibly open other tech that has it as prerequisite. It does not make much sense.

If you look at statistics, the nice little pie chart symbol third from the left on the top bar (thanks for the image), it is probably the overall strength stat. A look at that statistics should reveal which one it is, but overall makes most sense.

The colors are of course empire colors, but you probably knew that part.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/7/2011 2:35:07 PM

Gelatinous Cube

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I'm positive some races start with more than one type they can colonize. Gizureans, for instance, can colonize volcanic and sandy desert unless I'm mistaken. As far as I know, though, the only way to tell what you can colonize is to zoom in on a planet and hold your cursor over it. Having some place where all that information is put together and observable would be nice.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/7/2011 3:03:28 PM

Data

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You can also check via the colonization tech you have or via the colonization ship desing, the colonization module will update it's info the include the new environments you can colonize. The best place is the expansion planner which will quickly tell you all this stuff.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/7/2011 3:18:47 PM

Gelatinous Cube

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Data

You can also check via the colonization tech you have or via the colonization ship desing, the colonization module will update it's info the include the new environments you can colonize. The best place is the expansion planner which will quickly tell you all this stuff.

Expansion planner won't show worlds of a type you can't colonize. Mildly irritating is all it is, but still.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/7/2011 4:23:37 PM

Data

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Correct, and by elimination you can see what you are able to colonize. iirc you can also use the map for even better results, you can select each environment type to see where all the goodies are. Come to think of it, the map in DW is the best map I've seen in any 4x game so far.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/7/2011 8:07:58 PM

Fubar

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Thanks for the answers, i was beginning to think i was missing something obvious that listed all the types of world you could colonize, now i know wheres best to check it out.

P.S. Sry about the large pic i will try to shrink them in the future.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/7/2011 10:20:17 PM

Gelatinous Cube

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Data

Correct, and by elimination you can see what you are able to colonize. iirc you can also use the map for even better results, you can select each environment type to see where all the goodies are. Come to think of it, the map in DW is the best map I've seen in any 4x game so far.

It certainly is pretty. The only other games that come even close to NEEDING this kind of attention to detail are Paradox's grand strategy games (also pausable Real-Time, but not 4x). They do just a slightly better job of having more charts, graphs, and tables available and they're every bit as complicated as DW.

On the flip side, it's very easy and indeed enjoyable to take in the screen when playing DW. As opposed to, say, Armada 2526 which is a ton of fun, but hurts my eyes to look at sometimes.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 12:12:00 AM

MadMcAl

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There is one (and only one) native planet for each race.
You can colonize any planet that you have either natives for, or the colonization-tech.

I prefer the natives, is a bit faster.

This native planet is defined (like so many other things) in the races.txt.

You can change it there if you really want to.
You also can learn the native planet of every race here.

Or you can look onto this excel-table I made...

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 1:00:09 AM

Fubar

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Thats great MadMcAI many thanks.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 8:28:57 AM

Data

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Good info there, man

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 9:26:52 AM

Gelatinous Cube

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 1:50:49 PM

Fubar

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You where spot on about the map being helpful Data, i cant imagine how i was playing the game without using it before!

One new question, i keep find wrecked space ships in debris fields but when i send a constructor ship there to repair them it just never seems to do much except sit there hoving over a ship with the repairs stuck at about 15%, what am i doing wrong?

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 1:55:14 PM

cookie monster

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The repairs take a long time and perhaps the constructor is lacking the right cargo in the cargo bay.

Check the amount and reserved items in the CS ships cargo bay.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 1:55:42 PM

Bingeling

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Probably having constructors that lack supplies.

Not sure, but you may try to cancel the order, then give the order again. It may get the idea to pick up materials at a space port first. That seems to work for some base construction, at least. Start to build, see it stuck, then cancel and give a repair order.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 2:04:53 PM

MadMcAl

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Your repair ships are, for all purposes only semi mobile yards.

I don't know if you tweaked the design, and threw out the "useless" fabrication modules, but my guess would be that the constructor run dry on a critical resource.

To find that out, find your constructor in the ship list. Go to the production page and open the production summary. There you find a list of what the constructor need to go on.
You now can control the cargo. Anything on the summary list that is not in the cargo simply stops the production.

You can either try to ramp up your civilian service there, or try to get your constructor to get the resources by it self.

The civs will come if you have a colony and build a space port, or even if they are in the nearby systems.

Or you can order the constructor to build a star base or monitor base nearby, and then watch it carefully.

As soon as it comes back from its trip to get the resources and slow down to the "base position" change its orders to repair again.
With a debris field that is of course a short term solution, while it actually pays to build a space yard directly by the side.

Even better, colonize the system.
The yard has the function to retire the ships you deem to small to be of service (I always retire frigates, escorts and troop carriers, but destroyers and caps only in the later game, when my own designs are more powerfull).

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 3:35:51 PM

Data

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Do you see freighetrs coming in to dock with the constructor ship? Normally, repairing anything less than a World Destroyer should not take much / long.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 4:12:12 PM

MadMcAl

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The Problem, I think is, that the repair-place is far away from any civilian service, like, for example, a restriction zone.

Without a very good reason no freighter will go there.

And the constructor-ai is flawed in that regard that it can't do anything but wait for resources.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 4:30:52 PM

Fubar

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Thanks for the info, i guess that i must be running out of supplies then, the debris field is a long way from my empire and theres no civvy freighters anywhere near them to help resupply it.
It could be a glitch i guess, i have seen constructors stuck on auto before trying to build on top of an already existing base!!!, but i doubt its that.

No i havent even touched the ship editing feature yet, i still have many features set on 'suggest/auto' at the moment while i learn one section of the game at a time (so much too learn

), but i am looking forwards to messing around with the ship editing tool.

For some reason my colonizing takes ages, i never seem to find decent planets or when i do someone else has already got there first, so my empire seems to grow very slowly. So far my largest empire has been 3 planets. lol
Think i need to work on my build order and research order! I've only just realized you can build research bases anywhere without the need of a special research planet..... DOH!

Still, every game i learn more and more.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 4:57:11 PM

Bingeling

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As for research bases. Many retrofit their start spaceport to have a bunch. If I am in a mood where I don't mess with designs, I just build some starting research bases around various barren objects in my starting system.

If you have default design, you don't need a lot of them anyways, as the space ports typically keeps up, and auto constructors will build at research sites. But patching up early lack of a research type with one extra with no bonus hardly hurts.

< Message edited by Bingeling -- 11/8/2011 5:12:12 PM >

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/8/2011 5:31:34 PM

MadMcAl

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In the beginning you have prioritize draconian. Your home planet is as a rule only one, actually able to build colony ships.

It can do either that, build/retrofit its space port, build constructors or build supply ships.

So if you want colonies, refrain from building constructors or upgrade your port.

Also, you need a big amount of explorers.

There are 6 types of "habitable" planets, and not every system has one of them.
But other than for your race's native type you have to research the rest.

Of course there is an important exception.

If you find an independent colony with a native population other than your own, you can colonize this planet regardless.

And, as added bonus, the natives of said planet can now colonize planets of their native type for you.

Also, the revenue, the ability of building colonizers and very important, the speed of planet-bound construction (colonizers, ports, constructors, supply-ships) depends massively on the number of inhabitants.

When you colonize an empty world, you get IIRC 30 million (or 30M) inhabitants.
A colony with 100M is able to build colonizers (again, IIRC).
A colony with 2000M has a building speed of roughly around 150.
Your home planet can on the other hand build at a speed of 600.

A newly colonized empty planet with the 30M has a building speed of 20 or so.

So of course finding and colonizing a already inhabited planet is an extreme boon.

A planet with a native population of 500M, 2 common resources, a quality of 60% and alone in its system is several orders of magnitude more valuable than a planet with 5 valuable resources, a quality of 100 with 3 other inhabitable planets and a few gas giants in the system. At least in the beginning.

When your first colony is the 500M one you have 1.5 times the speed of building colonies at once.
You now can, with luck, colonize continental worlds and swamps, or deserts, or oceans or what ever, instantly (roughly) doubling the available worlds for colonization.

A world with 4000M is invaluable.

Now, of course you have first to find the planets in question.

Well, there are two ways.
Saturating the galaxy with explorers (and you simply don't want the original explorer, it is IMO utter crap) and letting them seach.
With the one single explorer you have from the beginning you won't come far.
You need at least 4 or 5 in the beginning to begin to explore the immediate sectors.

The easier, cheaper and faster way is actually finding pirates and buy the position of independent planets for 5000 credits each.

For 20k you get the position of 4 planets that each bring your empire 20-50% of the capabilities, your home world does.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/9/2011 5:27:17 PM

Fubar

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I've just started to mess around with the ship edit tool and have a few questions?

I see that the physical size of the ship in the game world is determined by the 'size' factor of the design and not the graphic image you pick for your design (i had a tiny escort ship using the capital ship graphics image), does this have any benefit in game terms i.e. small size means harder to hit? Also what effect does the role you pick for your design have, is it how the AI uses them? I guess there's nothing stopping you from having a size 600 escort ship is there!!!

If so does that mean the AI uses ships according to their size factor or their role i.e. escort, frigate etc.?

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/9/2011 5:43:31 PM

Gelatinous Cube

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Good question. What are the benefits of an oversized Destroyer, or an Undersized Cruiser? If any?

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/9/2011 5:59:54 PM

ASHBERY76

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The ship class list does not mean anything in gameplay terms

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/9/2011 6:23:41 PM

cookie monster

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Gelatinous Cube

Good question. What are the benefits of an oversized Destroyer, or an Undersized Cruiser? If any?

You can mod your starting Destroyers to any size you like.

An undersized Cruiser may be made to take advantage of the max build limit for a ship.

You will then produce Cruisers early and then mod them as your build limit increases, until you decide to build Capital Ships.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/9/2011 6:26:05 PM

cookie monster

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ASHBERY76

The ship class list does not mean anything in gameplay terms

Pirates will copy your designs, so if your frigates are too powerful, the AI pirates will wipe the floor with the AI's frigates and escorts and destroy all of their mining bases leading to Caslon/Hydrogen shortages etc everywhere.

This leads to AI Empires being in debt and ruins the game.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/9/2011 6:28:40 PM

Bingeling

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Except Erik just said escorts are never automatically added to fleets. So if you build ships but leave control of them to the AI, it could be beneficial to have a powerful escort if you want them to roam around independently.

Also, I believe pirates may copy your escort designs rather frequently, which may make a player want to avoid creating too powerful escorts.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/9/2011 6:32:44 PM

ASHBERY76

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

Except Erik just said escorts are never automatically added to fleets. So if you build ships but leave control of them to the AI, it could be beneficial to have a powerful escort if you want them to roam around independently.

Also, I believe pirates may copy your escort designs rather frequently, which may make a player want to avoid creating too powerful escorts.

No what needs to change is the Pirate A.I copying your designs.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/9/2011 6:57:17 PM

Nedrear

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The image size will vary on the ship size. A 600 frigate is definetly much bigger than a 300 frigate using the same pic. That beeing said, the laser always aims accurately. If the size is a point in this, than I rather take double hits with double shields instead of having half weapons. The main factor though is the maintenace cost.

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RE: Newb questions. - 11/10/2011 7:16:37 AM

Data

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

Except Erik just said escorts are never automatically added to fleets. So if you build ships but leave control of them to the AI, it could be beneficial to have a powerful escort if you want them to roam around independently.

Also, I believe pirates may copy your escort designs rather frequently, which may make a player want to avoid creating too powerful escorts.

I usually use battleship hull classes even for frigates when I want to avoid this. Since it's not considered a frigate by the game the pirate can steal it....from me