Thanks, Uncle Lumpy. I did see the Custom Game button, but it was late, and it didn't occur to me that that's where the options were. Shoulda been obvious

Thanks again!
Sean

<t> Hey folks,<br/>
<br/>
I'm following the New Guy Newbie Guide, and there's a section about setting up the game, and a load of options:<br/>
<br/>
QUOTED SECTION HERE:<br/>
<br/>
Hit "Play as normal empire in Age of Shadows"<br/>
<br/>
Screen: Start a New Game: Galaxy<br/>
<br/>
Pick ...

Since I can't rely on the ship to auto-investigate the ruins, I've stopped queuing up systems to explore, and just do them one at a time. Then, when I get prompted to go and give the ship a new mission, if I see a ruin in the current system, I make sure it's investigated before moving on.

1 - Is there a way to see the game settings for my game, once it's in progress? Number of opponents, difficulty, etc? All the things you pick when starting the game.

2 - Do you need to/can you build a mining station at a colony? Is it necessary or useful?

Thanks

All excellent info, thanks Bingeling and Hattori!

Thanks, that's good info. So, I guess 60M was way too small, yet!

Yeah, it's really slow, not forever

It's a space station, not a colony ship, but I see your point. So, how big do you let your colonies grow to, before building a station?

Thanks for the quick reply

<t> I am now building a small space station at my first colony, and it's taking FOREVER. When I look at the construction yard info, the construction speed is 45, instead of the 300 I see at my homeworld, other space station, and construction ships. What can I do to get this colony's build speed up ...

I assume VS is virus scanner.

And if so, I'm kinda curious, what VS are you using, and what are your PC specs? Cause I haven't had to turn off a VS to improve performance in over 15 years. Something doesn't sound right.

OK, thanks for the help. In regards to Stuart's response, if that's the case, then why have the setting to tell it to investigate ruins and report? Is it just bugged?

<r> Not sure if auto-investigating is the right term, but I'm talking about when an exploration ship finds some ruins (the three dots in a triangle symbol on the map). I started the game following the New Guys Newbie Guide, which turns off ALL automation, except this one setting. However, I just ...

1 - Fuel, got it, thanks.

2 - relatively rare, got it.

<t> So, I have a question about one symbol, but also a general question. Is there a WIKI or other help site which explains the symbols which can appear near systems on the main map?<br/>
<br/>
In particular, I'm seeing this one symbol near three systems, and I have no idea what it is. There's no ...

Thanks for the replies.

My rig is 7 years old, but was very high end at the time, so I guess 2 minutes is about right.

The base did finally upgrade. No idea why it took the private freighters so long to deliver the steel, but it did happen

<t> 1 - Does the game take a long time for everyone to load, or is it just me? From click until I get the main game menu, it's almost two minutes.<br/>
<br/>
2 - I have a gas mining station that never upgraded by itself, so I told it to upgrade. Now it's stuck, saying it can't upgrade because of a ...

<t> I'm still in my first game, which I started per the New Guys Newbie Guide. I realize it was written years ago, and things may have changed, but the pace of the game seems really slow.<br/>
<br/>
Two examples: I'm 7 years into the game, and I still haven't finished researching the techs that he ...

Maybe you're thinking of GalCiv2? Control-N would re-generate the game with current settings.

<r> Thanks, Bingeling. Can't see your image (won't load), but I think I understand.<br/>
<br/>
PS - haha, after I posted my response, now I can see the image <E>:)</E><br/>
<br/>
PPS - Just to make sure I understand: The quality and the culture (which is boosted by the "development" bonus ...

I have two ruins in my starting system, both give a bonus to "Planet development". What does this mean? Do facilities built there cost less? build faster? Pop gtows faster? can grow bigger?

I can't colonize either planet, so I can't find out for myself what this does.

<t> So, in no particular order:<br/>
<br/>
- How do I improve repair times? I sent a construction ship out to repair the destroyer that's found in your starter system, and the repairs took about 1.5 years, game time. How do I speed this up?<br/>
<br/>
- How do I see how many hit points (for lack ...