Matrix Games Forums

If I set it to manual, do I also have to design the private ships (I'm really not interested in that)?

You have to, but it is sort of easy:

All it takes is a press of the 'Update' button while a design is selected. That will take care of replacing all the components that have 'better' versions, and then the old design will be obsoleted. So long as no instances of a new design have been built, you are free to tweak it through 'Edit'. Note, that sometimes the 'better' is in the eye of the beholder, if that, so that tweaking should be periodically performed. It isn't so important for merchant ship designs, so not really an issue, as you have turned off automation to tweak your warships, anyway.

The 'Update' function is also a useful to provide a starting point for new versions of your warships, bases or utility ships. Some random notes on what to take care of in tweaking:

• Update only ever uses the very latest of a Beam/Torpedo or Area weapon. It my be so that Torpedo weapons are further sub-divided between Bombs and std. Torpedo weapons. Then it is a sort of bug that after I researched the first tier of planetary bombardment weapons, these replaced all my Epsilon Torpedoes (which I like to use in greater number than is standard) whenever I used 'Update'. Also, these weapons often have certain range/performance trade-offs.
• It is escpecially with thrusters advisable to compare their different performance profiles. These offer sometimes different trade-offs between energy consumption, speed and size. The 'Update' function will only use the very lates here either, which isn't always optimal.
• As far as I can tell, 'Update' will not insert new kinds of installations that become available, stuff like 'Damage Control' units, ECM and such. I always needed to add these by hand.
• Then there's the question (once you are far enough) of whether you prefer a fission or fusion engine. It can make sense to habe both kinds in your empire, but may be less desireable in your warfleets.
• Update may also fail to remove excess habitation and life support modules. I hope it adds those, should more be needed over the course of an update.

This is all I can think of right now, but there is certainly more.

Thanks a lot! I still hope that the AI automation designing (which is quit ok to be honest) will be improved further so I can leave the boring ships designing to the AI and focus on more strategic/macro issues.