Resupply Ships

[Warspite3]

I just need a clarification here. I read in the manual and a thread on here that resupply ships can get fuel for a fleet by mining it from a gas cloud or gas giant. I am assuming it has to have a resource present such as Caslon since I have deployed it on a gas cloud without resources and my exploration ship will not refuel at it? If not then is there some other reason why my explorer will not refuel at the resupply ship? If these things can get fuel from any gas cloud or gas giant relgardless of which resources or any or present that makes them very invaluable!

[Bison36]

Pretty sure the reasource has to be present. However I always thought they refilled at a gas mine, as opposed to refueling at any caslon/hygrogen source.

[J HG T]

Yes, there needs to be caslon or hydrogen on the location where the resupply ship is deployed, be it a gas giant or a gas cloud. Most efficient way to use the resupply ship is to find a gas giant or cloud with only the fuel your ships need. I personally use quantum reactors most of the time so caslon only sources are my sought after extraction locations.
Caslon and hydrogen clouds are the prime example, caslon or hydrogen only gas giants are more rare.


As a side note: I. Love. Resupply ships.
You can use them as capitals before you can even build capital size ships (600 and up for me). They make excellent command and support ships for your fleets in almost any point of a game when fitted with proper equipment and weapons.

[Bison36]

Hmm...I really need to learn how to use them. Perhaps it's time I breakdown and install adobe on my laptop so I can reread the manuals.

[Warspite3]

I had not tried them out too much yet until now, seems a good idea to also use them as an early capital or support since they are fairly large vessels. My current game is in a ring galaxy which it seems these resupply vessels are definitely necessary to get my explorers to the outer rim with sufficient fuel to continue exploring. Another option would be for me to design a super long range exploration ship capable of reaching the outer rim with a ton of fuel in reserve. The problem with this, it should have been done much earlier in the game since now by the time I build a new explorer or refit the old ones, it will take too long to get parts of that outer rim explored. So I prefer to use the explorers I got and refuel several at a midway resupply ship and continue on to the rim with full tanks. Since this is my first game in a ring galaxy, I have learned it is a whole different ball game but a really interesting one at that. [:)]

[Canute0]

For explorer you dont need resupply ships, they often can refuel at other empire refuel points.

About Defence for Resupply ships, they are a flying Base, some extra shield,armor and some fighter bays are enough defence for the Pirates. But against an Empire fleet you need to assign militaery ships to defend.
I add Long range scanner on it too, good way to check the surounded gas clouds are free of pirates.

Later you can research Energy to Refuel component, then you can deploy the Resuply ship anywhere and it generate fuel out of of nothing. But when you got this tech you mosttime not in need of resupply ships anymore.

[Warspite3]

Problem I am having in this particular game, the outer rim is basically empty, or at least I think so and I believe most if not all empires start at the center core in ring galaxies. So nowhere to get fuel, at least I have not found any yet and my explorers have to start heading back by the time they get to that outer rim to refuel. It is still fairly early in the game but I would not be surprised if an empire has already expanded somewhere on that outer rim. Time will tell or if I can get a galaxy map perhaps. I will have to definitely come up with a resupply capital and see how it does, those pirates aggravate the heck out of me in the early game and even later.