Post your level of automation and why?

[spinkick]

Thinking about automating taxes because its boring. Do you guys design new ships every time you discover something, or wait for the suggestions to retrofit come in?

[marlin0]

Automated: Private sector ships and bases design, mainly because I like to think of it as being immune to my interference.
Troop recruitment, until I learn to micro it better.

Everything else I manually control, as it makes me learn the intricacies of the game through trial and error.

[spinkick]

Thats a great idea, I didnt know you could automate just the private sector.

[Max 86]

Pretty much what marlin said and I'll add that eventually I automate explorers and miners after reaching a certain size and have traded maps with others.

[t1it]

Nothing until I explore most of the map so the explorer ships can autopilot.

[Kilravock]

I have almost everything on manual. Right now the only things that I have automated is sending gifts, all military ships that are that are not in a fleet, explorers, constructor ships (I do queue up missions for them),fleets that I am not actively using (all fleets are setup for defense posture with a home base), and every new colony will build a star base and a garrison troop.

I only retrofit when I am doing a major redesign or if several techs with new components have been discover. The civilian ships and bases get retrofitted/redesigned a lot less than the military ships. Fleet ships get retrofitted the most.

[tjhkkr]

Most of my private sector is automated.
Taxes however, I do myself. It is a quick way to get a rebellion of the automation blows the ballgame.
Most military and colonization work is manual, though I do allow the system to prompt me that this or that might be a good idea.

[Gilmer]

I pretty much only automate explorers because I can't stand sending them around. I like doing the rest myself. I don't always redesign ships when I get one upgrade, but if it is something big like a jump drive upgrade or construction size upgrade, I go ahead and redesign.

I cannot stand it suggesting me to buy ships. It always wants me to buy a crapload of ships.

[Nanaki]

Explorers and construction. Exploration the AI does reasonably well with, but construction I am considering going manual because the AI tends to bulid far more mining stations then I actually need. Everything else I do not trust the AI with at all. I keep ship suggestions on as pirates because it actually tends to be spot on in terms of suggesting civilian ships, as despite building a ton of them the AI makes full use of every single one.

[DeadlyShoe]

i generally turn off colonization, fleet formation, and major diplomacy. i manually control construction ships for pirates. otherwise mostly automated.

on that note, does anyone know if any of the AI personality settings control colonization urge or if its just the same for everyone?

[feelotraveller]

I manual everything (although I usually have all settings on 'suggest' for a laugh, at least until it gets too irritating to repeatedly dismiss them).

I redesign all relevant ships (and bases at colonies) every time a get a tech upgrade. (It's not necessary, I just like playing with the ship designer.) [:)] I am judicious about state retrofitting but the private sector ships I want to update to the best possible if they every deign to retrofit... Bases not at colonies I generally redesign as well (just in case I hastily build one, I don't want another older design) but retrofit only when necessary or convenient.

As to why, I like to play the game rather than watching the AI play it for me. If I want that I will watch TV. [:D]

[Keston]

ORIGINAL: H Gilmer

I pretty much only automate explorers because I can't stand sending them around. I like doing the rest myself. I don't always redesign ships when I get one upgrade, but if it is something big like a jump drive upgrade or construction size upgrade, I go ahead and redesign.

I cannot stand it suggesting me to buy ships. It always wants me to buy a crapload of ships.

I need to turn that particular set of suggestions off. I found a whole generation of AI designed carriers popping up - I must have clicked badly when distracted to approve the boondoggle. Other than refitting, how best to get rid of it from a resource and funds point of view?

[TanC]

The only automation I do is to automate newly constructed ships. Everything else is controlled manually, helps me to optimize my empire in the direction I am aiming for.

[Airpower]

I'm 100% manual until end-game. Because I play large galaxies and 1000+ star games, when I declare war, it's usually too much for my 10 hotkeyed fleets to handle. So I make a gaggle of 10-ship fleets and put them on auto attack. It's a great harassment to back up the sledgehammer of the hotkey fleets.

[AstroCat]

I guess I'm a mix, this is how I have it currently:

Automate: Colony Tax Rates, Colony Population Policies, Ship Design (although I'm starting to slowly get into this)
Manual: Troop Recruitment, Fleet Formation, Research, Character Locations
Suggest: Everything else

I often automate ships in-game but keep the military, construction ones often on manual, and grab explorers as needed, etc...

[Darkspire]

Automate: Colony Tax Rates, Colony Population Policies, Ship Design (for retrofits only, all designs are custom)
Manual: Everything except the above and below
Suggest: Base Facilities

1 to 4 attack fleets, 1-4 invasion fleets and 5-10 Constructors on manual, all other ships are individual and on auto

No Carriers, Resupply Ships or Research Stations, a few large Starports with no research capabilities and 1-4 Starbases with full research capabilities.

Darkspire