Beginner problem: Design or bug?

[Avarion]

Hi,

I've installed Distant Worlds yesterday and have done the tutorials. Now I try to get things running.

I've set everything to manual so I don't get confused by to many things happening at once. Then I've made a new game since the first game started with everything on automatic.

In the new game the options are still on manual but a couple of ships startet to build colonies nonetheless. How can I stop them from doing this?

[tjhkkr]

Did it ask you a question: So-n-so system would make for a good colony. Should we send shipXYZ to colonize it?

[Igard]

Hi Avarion. Welcome to the forums.

There are 3 settings. Automatic, suggested and manual.

If you have Colonisation set to manual. It should never build colony ships. You can select a potential colony world and right click, colonise this world. Then the nearest colony will begin building a colony ship.

If you have suggested, it will ask you if you want to colonise, as per tjhkkr's post. Answer yes or no, and your 'advisors' take care of the rest.

If it's automatic, then it will build colony ships and send them off all by itself. Just sit back and watch your empire grow.

So, if you have colonisation set to manual. And it's building colony ships without your telling it to colonise anywhere. Then this is a very unusual bug. You should create a tech support thread and upload your save game.

NOTE: There is a setting for selecting Automated/suggested/manual ship building, which is only related to military ships. The AI will ALWAYS build private sector ships automatically. These are passenger ships, mining ships and freighters.

[Avarion]

Oh. the game didn't build ships. My start planet had a couple of em already in orbit when the game starts. About half of this ships warped to other planets and started colonization.

[flap]

They probably were civil ships. If they are, then they are not colonising but mining minerals and moving stuff and people around (in the base that you already own, or to the other nations bases)

The player can't control the civil sector. So that's normal, and you can't do much about it.

[Spacecadet]

I believe Avarion is referring to ship automation - that's a separate thing from Advisor automation.

I think there is a setting in the Options as to whether new ships start out automated or not.
I can't remember for sure if this is correct or not, but it would take care of any new ships built.

As for existing ships, you'l have to go through the Ship menu and manually turn off each ships automation.
There shouldn't be too many at the start of the game.

Frankly, you should probably leave Ship automation on or they won't do anything unless threatened or directly ordered.

The only ships I turn off automation for at the beginning of the game are Military ships with Troop pods (not Troop Carriers).
The reason I do this is because I only want Troops on my Troop Carriers, not Military ships - so I redesign all my Military ships by removing Troop pods.

More of an advanced way to play, and it depends on your style, but just an FYI as to why or why not to adjust automation.


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