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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Tech Support >> Automatic Design

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Automatic Design - 11/28/2011 11:44:56 PM

geosch

Posts: 67
Joined: 10/20/2011
Status: offline

1. Nothing happened when I pressed the "Show Long Range Scanner" button on top of the mini-map. despite the fact I have Monitoring Stations all over the place.
I then checked the Monitoriing Station design and found that there was no Long Range Scanner in the design, but it did have a nice bright red warning on top of the page stating that a Long Ranch Scanner was needed!
And YES - the game has been on Auto Design since the beginning and NO - I did not make a unique monitor station design. And LRS with 750000 range is available.

2. I researched construction yards to the point that I could build 800 size ships. So I went to see what nasty capital ship the game had designed for me, only to see that I could not build one. The game designed ship was size 808 - TOO BIG. Of coursr, the removal of one rail gun solved the problem, but one would hope that the game would have a usable design at these trigger points (for example, when the player researchs Mega Scale Construction, captial ships are then allowed and a usable size 800 design is automatically genrated).
I realize it is an easily solved problem, but as I try to avoid micro managing as much as possible I would prefer that the computer did it right the first time!

cheers

Post #: 1

RE: Automatic Design - 11/29/2011 3:57:09 AM

Ennber

Posts: 10
Joined: 8/30/2011
Status: offline

Yes, this micromanagement sometimes drives me crazy too. As well as the fact that you can ahve only one latest design for each type of ship. I wish computer could make like 5-6 different designs for jsut a destroyer (one: pure lasers, one: anti-fighter, one: missle, one: torpedo and so on) but now you have to make them all yourself. and if you accedently send you ships to retrofit they will retrofit to the latest one :(

(in reply to geosch)

Post #: 2

RE: Automatic Design - 11/29/2011 6:35:51 AM

elliotg

Posts: 3597
Joined: 9/10/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: geosch
1. Nothing happened when I pressed the "Show Long Range Scanner" button on top of the mini-map. despite the fact I have Monitoring Stations all over the place.
I then checked the Monitoriing Station design and found that there was no Long Range Scanner in the design, but it did have a nice bright red warning on top of the page stating that a Long Ranch Scanner was needed!
And YES - the game has been on Auto Design since the beginning and NO - I did not make a unique monitor station design. And LRS with 750000 range is available.

This is fixed in the next update, 1.7.0.2

quote:

2. I researched construction yards to the point that I could build 800 size ships. So I went to see what nasty capital ship the game had designed for me, only to see that I could not build one. The game designed ship was size 808 - TOO BIG. Of coursr, the removal of one rail gun solved the problem, but one would hope that the game would have a usable design at these trigger points (for example, when the player researchs Mega Scale Construction, captial ships are then allowed and a usable size 800 design is automatically genrated).
I realize it is an easily solved problem, but as I try to avoid micro managing as much as possible I would prefer that the computer did it right the first time!

This is fixed in the next update - the AI will attempt to squeeze new designs into current construction size limits (if design size is reasonably close to limit)

(in reply to geosch)

Post #: 3

RE: Automatic Design - 11/29/2011 6:37:47 AM

elliotg

Posts: 3597
Joined: 9/10/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sperlhawk
and if you accedently send you ships to retrofit they will retrofit to the latest one :(

You can right-click on any ship and it will show you a list of all non-obsolete designs for that ship type (Retrofit > To DESIGNNAME at nearest ship yard). You can then select which one of these designs to retrofit to.

(in reply to Ennber)

Post #: 4

RE: Automatic Design - 11/29/2011 8:54:59 AM

Ennber

Posts: 10
Joined: 8/30/2011
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: elliotg

You can right-click on any ship and it will show you a list of all non-obsolete designs for that ship type (Retrofit > To DESIGNNAME at nearest ship yard). You can then select which one of these designs to retrofit to.

Yes, but then it means to send every single ship in your fleet separately. When it is possible at the beginning, but what to do with automative ships that I jsut send to patrol different stations and in the middle-late game when you ahve like a hundred or more of ships? Quite hard to choose each fo them individually, and quite time consuming. game is already quite time consuming, and it oculd help a lot.

(in reply to elliotg)

Post #: 5

RE: Automatic Design - 11/29/2011 1:20:16 PM

geosch

Posts: 67
Joined: 10/20/2011
Status: offline

Good news!, but this raises another question - I see references to release 1.7.0.1 around. Is that released yet to all?

And btw, if you click the "check for updates" on the game's Main Menu it takes you to "The latest version of Distant Worlds - Return of the Shakturi is 1.5.0.8", and no mention of Legends.

{quote}

This is fixed in the next update, 1.7.0.2

quote:

(in reply to elliotg)

Post #: 6

RE: Automatic Design - 11/29/2011 6:26:06 PM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: elliotg

quote:

2. I researched construction yards to the point that I could build 800 size ships. So I went to see what nasty capital ship the game had designed for me, only to see that I could not build one. The game designed ship was size 808 - TOO BIG. Of coursr, the removal of one rail gun solved the problem, but one would hope that the game would have a usable design at these trigger points (for example, when the player researchs Mega Scale Construction, captial ships are then allowed and a usable size 800 design is automatically genrated).
I realize it is an easily solved problem, but as I try to avoid micro managing as much as possible I would prefer that the computer did it right the first time!

This is fixed in the next update - the AI will attempt to squeeze new designs into current construction size limits (if design size is reasonably close to limit)

Lovely! It is very common to have a design that is a little bit too large. The cruiser design often hover just above 400, and having the ai shrink fit the design should make the AI empires a bit more challenging in war.

Unless you want to roleplay what they remove, the obvious candidates are troop compartments, a few pieces of armor, and if you need a big boost - the fighter bay it loves to add. The fighter bay is useful but a space hog.

I think every cruiser design should squeeze in under 400 size if that is the maximum, even if they are somewhat larger for larger designs. The same for some given limit on capitals (not sure if 650 should be enough).

(in reply to elliotg)

Post #: 7

RE: Automatic Design - 11/29/2011 9:37:34 PM

elliotg

Posts: 3597
Joined: 9/10/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Sperlhawk

quote:

ORIGINAL: elliotg
You can right-click on any ship and it will show you a list of all non-obsolete designs for that ship type (Retrofit > To DESIGNNAME at nearest ship yard). You can then select which one of these designs to retrofit to.

Yes, but then it means to send every single ship in your fleet separately. When it is possible at the beginning, but what to do with automative ships that I jsut send to patrol different stations and in the middle-late game when you ahve like a hundred or more of ships? Quite hard to choose each fo them individually, and quite time consuming. game is already quite time consuming, and it oculd help a lot.

In the Ships and Bases screen you can multi-select ships and then click the Retrofit button under the list. If all of the selected ships are of the same type (e.g. all Escorts) then you can also select the specific design to retrofit to in the screen that appears when you click the Retrofit button.

(in reply to Ennber)

Post #: 8

RE: Automatic Design - 11/30/2011 4:40:49 AM

balto

Posts: 1123
Joined: 3/4/2006
From: Maryland
Status: offline

For auto-design (which I do not use because it does not work good at all, which is fine with me) it would help if the Empire Policy Screen had details for each type of Military ship, like it sort of has for research. For example, have like 5 variables that you can place in descending order of preference for each type, like (Firepower, Defense, Speed, Range, Recon). So for Escort, it would be like Range, Defense, Speed, Firepower, Recon and Destroyer would be like Firepower, Defense, Recon, Range, Speed. You know what I mean? You could have more variables. I just throw this out because to leave the auto-design the way it is now.., well, you know...,

BTW, everything else (Space Ports, Constructors, Gas Mining Stations, etc.., ) I think you should design yourself, and leave the rest on auto. Give or take a few. And no one should leave Research on auto.

< Message edited by balto -- 11/30/2011 4:42:30 AM >

(in reply to elliotg)

Post #: 9

RE: Automatic Design - 11/30/2011 11:58:24 AM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

If no one should leave research on auto, who should research for the poor AI empires? My AI is stupid in research/design in that it researches items it will not use in designs, but the AI of the other empires are not better. It gives an equal playing field.

The main problem of the AI is like... It researches bombard weapons long before it will give any of them to a ship. It researches each single shield line even if the first thing it did was to research the top racial shield. It researches the first step of every single hyperdrive, rather than picking one and sticking to it.

(in reply to balto)

Post #: 10