ship fuel use

[bamjo]

Is there any way to station my ships somewhere where they won't consume fuel? I know automated ships will refuel themselves, but I like to keep a few fleets on ready alert in strategic systems to respond to emergencies. The problem is that they keep running out of fuel, I either have to constantly flip through my fleets to manually refuel them or waste precious time refueling them when they are needed.

Or alternatively is there a way to give a fleet a patrol mission and have it automatically refuel? The times I've used the patrol mission manually my ships patrol until they run out of fuel, then just sit there stranded.

[lordxorn]

This is a very good question, because I have tried using the return to home command and my fleet will go but stand still as the planet's orbits away. I think there is a docking option which will prevent the constant fuel consumption. I am going to look further into this.

The whole fuel thing though makes the game interesting when you have to plan where to station your refuelers.

One thing though Erik and Elliot, is that I stationed a Resupply ship on a forward Gas Planet and it was working fine. Then all of a sudden I noticed it un-deployed and just sat there, Maybe it was a bug? Or maybe a hostile came into range and it's behavior failsafe kicked in? Then maybe Resupply ships should be set to die in place?

[Yam]

I'm also seeing a similar thing - a resupply ship I have stationed at a gas giant can be ordered to deploy and occassionally it will do so. However, most of the time the resupply ship simply reverts to looking for its own fuel at a distant supply base and then runs out of fuel trying to get there.... any idea if there is some other requirement for deploying?

[lordxorn]

Yam I know that once deployed my resupply ship refuels itself.

When I first tried deploying my resupply ship on a gas giant, it would go to the planet and then do exactly what you said.

Then I noticed it was a Frozen Gas Giant, which is not a planet you can deploy for fueling operations. So make sure it is a Gas Giant only.

Hope that helps.

[elliotg]

ORIGINAL: bamjo
Is there any way to station my ships somewhere where they won't consume fuel? I know automated ships will refuel themselves, but I like to keep a few fleets on ready alert in strategic systems to respond to emergencies. The problem is that they keep running out of fuel, I either have to constantly flip through my fleets to manually refuel them or waste precious time refueling them when they are needed.

Or alternatively is there a way to give a fleet a patrol mission and have it automatically refuel? The times I've used the patrol mission manually my ships patrol until they run out of fuel, then just sit there stranded.

If you set the home colony of the fleet (Fleets screen - F8), then automate the fleet, they will hang around that colony and periodically refuel themselves.

[Yam]

Thanks for the idea lordxorn but unfortunately that does not seem to be the issue. I just retested deploying the resupply unit on the same gas giant multiple times from a game save with hit and miss results. More miss than hit [:)]

Anyone else have any suggestions?, I'll investigate further tomorrow but this looks like a bug to me.

[Huwie]

I have witnessed this resupply bug too, exactly as described; my resupply ship gets all the way to the gas giant, then decides it needs to go somewhere else to refuel. Telling it to deploy again results in the ship once again turning around after about two seconds. Very frustrating. I'll capture it in a save if it happens again.

[Erik Rutins]

We'd definitely like to see a save of that resupply ship issue you are seeing if you can duplicate it. When I did a quick check they were working fine for me but there may be something different going on in your games.

[Yam]

Hi Erik,

I've posted a thread in the tech support forum and upload a save file to the ftp server where this issue is repeatable for me.

link

Yam

[Gertjan]

I also asked this question in a differen thread. But can someone please explain what the best way is to use resupply ships in combination with fleets? Do you have to manually operate them or do you join them in the fleet or can you automate them. I dont find them very useful at the moment in combination with fleets.

[Huwie]

Gertjan, supply ships are deployable. Think of them as mobile bases rather than ships. You have to deploy them at a suitable location (gas giant or gas cloud that has the required fuel supplies). It takes 30 seconds for them to deploy and there they remain until you order them to undeploy. Once deployed your ships will take note of them as the nearest refuel point.

[Gertjan]

Ok thanks a lot Huwie! But how do I recognise a gas cloud?

[Jim D Burns]

Little + signs are clouds. Not always, but usually anyway.

Jim

[Gertjan]

What do you mean by little + signs?

[Huwie]

When zoomed out to at least (I think) sector view, you'll see + signs on the map.  Those are gas clouds.

[Webbco]

The are places to extract gases in the nebula. They seem to run out pretty quick too! (Turn into a grey +)

[Tycow]

ORIGINAL: Gertjan

What do you mean by little + signs?

Exactly as he said, look for the little + clouds.

I've highlighted them in this picture.

[Wade1000]

ORIGINAL: Webbco

The are places to extract gases in the nebula. They seem to run out pretty quick too! (Turn into a grey +)

Kind of like chopping forests in Civilization 4. So what about when all the clouds are empty? Do they replenish...somehow? So, just gas giant planets after that? What future technologies compensate the loss of clouds?

[malkuth74]

I have not figured out how to use these either yet. But since you say the gas giants run out. LOL. Seems a little impossible to me but oh well.

Also I can't figure out how to set up a Vacation station or whatever you call it.

[Gertjan]

Thanks (ip for the screenshot!). Didnt know this. Is this explained in the galactopedia or manual?