Is there a point in having multiple research stations in a black hole?

[Interesting]

Is there a point in having multiple research stations in a black hole?

[Wade1000]

Yes. Their points will stack and all will contribute.

[lordxorn]

Just custom design a starbase with all fields of research, and build a couple at a blackhole.

[PDiFolco]

Anyway with research cap you don't need more than a couple bases to max research for most of the game, big letdown...

[Interesting]

Can you reach the research cap by just building as many more research modules as you need, in your starting StarPort (given that it doesnt have size limitations) and that there is no available Blackholes near by (or to hard to protect/maintain) ?

[ASHBERY76]

ORIGINAL: PDiFolco

Anyway with research cap you don't need more than a couple bases to max research for most of the game, big letdown...

Not in my games.I have several and am still not hitting the cap.What we do not want is GC2 base spamming in the game.

[VarekRaith]

What research speed do you play at? What race, government?

[Interesting]

What
"Total Empire Potential"
"Maximum Potential"
"Actual Output"
means?

Each Research Station affects "actual output", but what affects "Maximum Potential" and "Total Empire Potential"?

It seems that Total Empire Potential is somewhat based on number of colonies we have... Dont know, either way, its always higher than the "Maximum Potential".

So I wonder what the "Maximum Potential" actually means.


Also, is there any way to "upgrade" a research station with better laboratories?

What do you guys do when those research stations get outdated? You destroy it and make a new one? Can it be retrofitted like ships?

Also, if I make multiple research stations on blackholes, even if I reach the cap in the beggining, as I expand, increasing the "total empire potential", will those stations be "uncapped"?

[PDiFolco]

Seems to me that max researsh is calculated with population, maybe dev level of colonies, plus race/govt bonuses.
With no race/gov bonus the cap is for me ca 250K/10B pop. 250K is what produces a big Research base at a 600% Hole...

[frugaldude]

ORIGINAL: Interesting

What
"Total Empire Potential"
"Maximum Potential"
"Actual Output"
means?

Each Research Station affects "actual output", but what affects "Maximum Potential" and "Total Empire Potential"?

It seems that Total Empire Potential is somewhat based on number of colonies we have... Dont know, either way, its always higher than the "Maximum Potential".

So I wonder what the "Maximum Potential" actually means.


Also, is there any way to "upgrade" a research station with better laboratories?

What do you guys do when those research stations get outdated? You destroy it and make a new one? Can it be retrofitted like ships?

Also, if I make multiple research stations on blackholes, even if I reach the cap in the beggining, as I expand, increasing the "total empire potential", will those stations be "uncapped"?

Here is how I think of it.

Total Empire Potential is the total number of scientists in my empire.

Maximum Potential (E + HT + I + W) is the total number of lab spaces in in my empire. One scientist occupies one lab space

Actual Output (E + HT + I + W) is the total number of scientists that have a lab space. (employed scientists)

If I see a difference between Maximum Potential and Actual Output then I have more than enough lab spaces for all of my scientists(Total Empire Potential). The difference would be the excess number of lab spaces. That is a good thing. Actual Output (total employed) will equal Total Empire Potential (Total Employable).

If the Maximum Potential and the Actual Output are equal would mean I have less lab spaces than the number of scientists I could employ. Actual Output would be less than Total Empire Potential. I would add some research stations to gain some additional lab spaces for my unemployed scientists.

I am not aware that research stations can be retrofitted. I have only seen the 'Retire' option. I sometimes retire and replace with a newer models to increase capacity and efficiency. This is a very occasional thing though. I usually have enough excess capacity to last several years.

You can always have multiple research stations of the same type should you need them.

I have found the AI does a reasonable job handling research but a human can always do better.

[badken]

If you are actually building research stations *in* a black hole, then no, there is no point to that.
No information can escape the event horizon of a black hole.
Therefore, any research you do there won't be of much benefit.

[impact]

I think the maximum research potential only happens to be higher than your actual output when using research stations with old components. I could be wrong though, but I though I saw something like this happen in one of my recent games.

[frugaldude]

ORIGINAL: impact

I think the maximum research potential only happens to be higher than your actual output when using research stations with old components. I could be wrong though, but I though I saw something like this happen in one of my recent games.

You are right. I have only seen this early in the game before the AI has had a chance to build all of its research stations and later as your empire output grows. The AI seems pretty reliable and puts research facilities on a fairly high priority and places them well. I have no problem letting the AI handle this.

Sometimes I will scrap my bases when their tech gets old. The AI will very efficiently replace them on its own with the latest computer generated designs at locations better than the original placements when possible. I don't know how well it handles player designs though.

[ductape]

well, i right-clicked a black hole to have a ship build a base there. When the consrtuction ship got there, it was sucked into the black hole....gone.

how do you build a base there?

[Gertjan]

Build one a little bit further away

[Fishman]

ORIGINAL: frugaldude
You are right. I have only seen this early in the game before the AI has had a chance to build all of its research stations and later as your empire output grows. The AI seems pretty reliable and puts research facilities on a fairly high priority and places them well. I have no problem letting the AI handle this.

Actually, the AI is terrible about this. Despite access to numerous black holes, which offer +600%, it will go and build them at some lesser site. Additionally, it keeps trying to build Energy Research Stations, even though I don't even HAVE an energy research station design because I do not build such things, I only build a megaplex, which are far cheaper to maintain because you only have to pay for starbase infrastructure once, and can strip it of all unnecessary things you don't need to make a 100-all megaplex research station cheaper than a standard station which only does one field, and less of it.