Newb questions.

[MadMcAl]

In the beginning you have prioritize draconian. Your home planet is as a rule only one, actually able to build colony ships.

It can do either that, build/retrofit its space port, build constructors or build supply ships.

So if you want colonies, refrain from building constructors or upgrade your port.

Also, you need a big amount of explorers.

There are 6 types of "habitable" planets, and not every system has one of them.
But other than for your race's native type you have to research the rest.

Of course there is an important exception.

If you find an independent colony with a native population other than your own, you can colonize this planet regardless.

And, as added bonus, the natives of said planet can now colonize planets of their native type for you.

Also, the revenue, the ability of building colonizers and very important, the speed of planet-bound construction (colonizers, ports, constructors, supply-ships) depends massively on the number of inhabitants.

When you colonize an empty world, you get IIRC 30 million (or 30M) inhabitants.
A colony with 100M is able to build colonizers (again, IIRC).
A colony with 2000M has a building speed of roughly around 150.
Your home planet can on the other hand build at a speed of 600.

A newly colonized empty planet with the 30M has a building speed of 20 or so.

So of course finding and colonizing a already inhabited planet is an extreme boon.

A planet with a native population of 500M, 2 common resources, a quality of 60% and alone in its system is several orders of magnitude more valuable than a planet with 5 valuable resources, a quality of 100 with 3 other inhabitable planets and a few gas giants in the system. At least in the beginning.

When your first colony is the 500M one you have 1.5 times the speed of building colonies at once.
You now can, with luck, colonize continental worlds and swamps, or deserts, or oceans or what ever, instantly (roughly) doubling the available worlds for colonization.

A world with 4000M is invaluable.

Now, of course you have first to find the planets in question.

Well, there are two ways.
Saturating the galaxy with explorers (and you simply don't want the original explorer, it is IMO utter crap) and letting them seach.
With the one single explorer you have from the beginning you won't come far.
You need at least 4 or 5 in the beginning to begin to explore the immediate sectors.

The easier, cheaper and faster way is actually finding pirates and buy the position of independent planets for 5000 credits each.

For 20k you get the position of 4 planets that each bring your empire 20-50% of the capabilities, your home world does.

[Fubar]

I've just started to mess around with the ship edit tool and have a few questions?

I see that the physical size of the ship in the game world is determined by the 'size' factor of the design and not the graphic image you pick for your design (i had a tiny escort ship using the capital ship graphics image), does this have any benefit in game terms i.e. small size means harder to hit? Also what effect does the role you pick for your design have, is it how the AI uses them? I guess there's nothing stopping you from having a size 600 escort ship is there!!! [X(] If so does that mean the AI uses ships according to their size factor or their role  i.e. escort, frigate etc.?

[Gelatinous Cube]

Good question. What are the benefits of an oversized Destroyer, or an Undersized Cruiser? If any?

[ASHBERY76]

The ship class list does not mean anything in gameplay terms

[cookie monster]

ORIGINAL: Gelatinous Cube

Good question. What are the benefits of an oversized Destroyer, or an Undersized Cruiser? If any?

You can mod your starting Destroyers to any size you like.

An undersized Cruiser may be made to take advantage of the max build limit for a ship.

You will then produce Cruisers early and then mod them as your build limit increases, until you decide to build Capital Ships.

[cookie monster]

ORIGINAL: ASHBERY76

The ship class list does not mean anything in gameplay terms

Pirates will copy your designs, so if your frigates are too powerful, the AI pirates will wipe the floor with the AI's frigates and escorts and destroy all of their mining bases leading to Caslon/Hydrogen shortages etc everywhere.

This leads to AI Empires being in debt and ruins the game.

[Bingeling]

Except Erik just said escorts are never automatically added to fleets. So if you build ships but leave control of them to the AI, it could be beneficial to have a powerful escort if you want them to roam around independently.

Also, I believe pirates may copy your escort designs rather frequently, which may make a player want to avoid creating too powerful escorts.

[ASHBERY76]

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

Except Erik just said escorts are never automatically added to fleets. So if you build ships but leave control of them to the AI, it could be beneficial to have a powerful escort if you want them to roam around independently.

Also, I believe pirates may copy your escort designs rather frequently, which may make a player want to avoid creating too powerful escorts.

No what needs to change is the Pirate A.I copying your designs.

[Nedrear]

The image size will vary on the ship size. A 600 frigate is definetly much bigger than a 300 frigate using the same pic. That beeing said, the laser always aims accurately. If the size is a point in this, than I rather take double hits with double shields instead of having half weapons. The main factor though is the maintenace cost.

[Data]

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

Except Erik just said escorts are never automatically added to fleets. So if you build ships but leave control of them to the AI, it could be beneficial to have a powerful escort if you want them to roam around independently.

Also, I believe pirates may copy your escort designs rather frequently, which may make a player want to avoid creating too powerful escorts.

I usually use battleship hull classes even for frigates when I want to avoid this. Since it's not considered a frigate by the game the pirate can steal it....from me [;)]

[Fubar]

Is there any way to upgrade your space port to the next size up rather than just scraping it and building a new one?

[Data]

Right click on the spaceport and check the upgrade options, it should have this one as well as long as you have the design available. iirc you can do the same from ship & bases screen but the behavior may differ.

EDIT: just checked again to be sure, right clicking is still the most reliable option for this as in the ship & bases screen you don't get all the options

[Fubar]

KK thx, i saw the options to retro-fit my space port but not an option to upgrade from a medium to large space port.....guess i dont have access yet but i think i've maxed all my research, also i can build a large space port from scratch if i want to!?!

Guess i've missed somethig daft

[Data]

Yes, you can...the game will signal all mandatory components for each design (in red) and all recomended ones (in yellow).

[Fubar]

OK i see the option now......i blame this stupid Stormtrooper helmet for blocking my view of the screen. [;)]

Thx

[Fubar]

Not sure if this is something i do wrong or if its the Fleet AI but many times when i give a fleet orders to attack a base or system, re-fuel or retrofit they fly to the relevant system then one or two ships carry out the order while the rest of the fleet get together for a group hug and and do nothing!!! Worst so far was when i lost a fleet of 7 cruisers to 3 frigates because they just sat there and did nowt. [X(]

Is this a fleet setting i have wrong, a game bug or a problem with the AI following orders correctly? [&:]

[Bingeling]

They are mostly out of fuel, they could have a refueling override.

Also there are some engagement stances hidden in the options, that influence how many ships should gang up on each enemy. I don't think that explains a situation like the one in the screenshot, though. Btw, the screenshot is not friendly to those running their browser at some rather wide resolutions...

I guess there is a gas mine or resupply ship hidden inside that bunch on the right? Seems strange with the enemy base present, though.

[Data]

Yap, lack of fuel to ressuply is the usual suspect. Do you use ressuply ships? Great for avoiding such issues.

[Bingeling]

Hm, there is of course no gas mine in there, the cloud is not caslon/hydrogen.

I do wonder what that group hug is about. Ships in fleet that discover they have no order gathers at the leaders. But I have never noticed them gather to that degree.

[Fubar]

They do the same thing when i give them a re-fuel order, they fly to the correct area then one or two go and refuel while the rest do a group hug???

Only way i can get them to re-fuel correctly is to turn on the fleets AI then it works fine......its just manual orders that seem to confuse the game!?!

Maybe i'm doing something wrong?