The fuel is taken from the cargo bay of the space port.

It helps if you drop their area of operation down to just the solar system. That stops them roaming too far.
Also, they need refueling and repair facilities at home so they never have to leave.

<r> Try setting them to "defensive posture" then set their home base location to be wherever you want them to patrol.<br/> <br/> It's explained pretty clearly in my video #17. Here's the link:<br/> <URL url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs9H2DLd5V8&list=PLK2bfr2o2ZkW3OcP3kd-ypVVfLtaT9Y81&...

It would appear not. [;)]
Sorry I can't help you. I've never played them - never really wanted to. I spend most of my time fighting them off.

<t> That seems pretty sophisticated (criminal overlords, hell on earth, ...) for a new colony. Do you mean "conquered colony"?<br/> Either way the plan is the same:<br/> - zero tax for a while (low tax = happy people = frisky, fertile people)<br/> Keep tax at zero for either ten turns (conquered pla...

<r> AFAIK there is no difference between a large and medium space port except for the name. You make them different by your design.<br/> You can upgrade by right-clicking on the space port then selecting "Retrofit" from the context menu.<br/> <br/> I did a video explaining space ports. You can find ...

<r> The amount of energy you get from your Energy Collectors is shown on the base details screen.<br/> Top-right corner, under "Energy", it's the first item "Energy Collection".<br/> Is this what you're looking for?<br/> <br/> <br/> <IMG src="https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/upfiles/51511/8FBECACF...

<t> That's what I love about this game - sop many different ways to do things.<br/> I specialize my ships & combine fleets of each type to compliment each other.<br/> <br/> My destroyers & cruisers are always maximum size.<br/> The destroyers get maximum speed at the cost of fewer weapons, s...

When this happens to me it usually means I've designed private sector ships that are larger than my allowed build limit. Look at the designs you have for freighters/miners/etc. and make sure they are smaller than your maximum allowed ship size.

If you remove the troops from a planet you've just invaded, there's a good chance the planet will revolt. You need to leave a garrison there for a while until they become accustomed to your benevolent rule.

I made some guide videos for new players a while ago.
The link is below.

<t> Fuel is important throughout the game - did you build enough (any?) gas mining stations?<br/> If you have reached warp drives you may have also improved your reactors. Be aware that the original (red) reactor design uses hydrogen, but the first improved design switches to caslon, so make sure yo...

<t> I agree.<br/> While the interface could do with a little "prettying up", I think DW is one of the best 4X games out there with a good deal of depth and freedom of movement.<br/> The tutorial does let it down, though.<br/> <br/> We can only hope the developers take all this on board before they r...

These messages often come long before you have the ability to travel to these places. Just identify where they are on the global map (it's a purple circle) and explore them later when you have ships that can travel that far.

If the moon is a long way from your home, your Constructor might be running low on fuel soon after it arrives & is going home to refuel. Add more fuel tanks?

<r> Here's a video I did about automating fleets.<br/> <URL url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs9H2DLd5V8&list=PLK2bfr2o2ZkW3OcP3kd-ypVVfLtaT9Y81&index=21"><LINK_TEXT text="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs9H2DL ... 1&index=21">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs9H2DLd5V8&list=PLK...

And once you've selected them on the "Ships and Bases" screen you can use the same screen to tell them to repair.

Refuelling ships get their fuel from your star port's cargo bay, not its fuel tank.
Since you don't mention cargo bays I suspect you haven't added any. The ships don't see your star port as a source of fuel.

As far as I can tell, it's all based on demand and how many freighters your private sector can afford to construct.

<t> Every colony does not need a spaceport. Spaceports are built to perform specific functions such as build ships, monitor the area, and collect revenue from trade. Sometimes I colonize a planet simply for the strategic value and those colonies rarely get a space port. Like you, I often build star ...