Credit AKA Money

[Chris21wen]

I've started seven or eight times now in an attempt to keep the number in the top right from going into the red. Can't do it.

I've looked in the manual and it says that ..

..the upper right of the screen is the current cash on hand and current cash flow.

What is the relationship between these two and how do I keep the top one from going red. I'm assuming its curent cash?

[Tophat1815]

For this to be meaningful some questions:

1) What game version are you running? Patched to 1.0.5.6?

2) Are you saying you startout in the red loosing $ every game?

3) What exactly are you doing? Purchasing a number of ships? Building bases? What? Or are you saying with you doing nothing your economy is just going into the red?

4) Is there pirate activity? Are you loosing ships to piracy?

So help us to help you and be more descriptive than: No matter what I do the economy is in the red and this just doesn't work!

[Chris21wen]

It does not start off in the red.
 
I'm trying to expand at a reasonable speed and I do not buld many ships.  There is pirates and I have an agreemen with them that isn't very much.  I've checked the main fianance screen and overall it appears I'm getting more in than is going ut yet I'm still in the red at the top.
 
I would like this info if you have it
 
..the upper right of the screen is the current cash on hand and current cash flow.

What is the relationship between these two and how do I keep the top one from going red. I'm assuming its curent cash?   And I might add which is which on the screen.
 
 

[Yarasala]

ORIGINAL: Chris H

It does not start off in the red.

I'm trying to expand at a reasonable speed and I do not buld many ships.  There is pirates and I have an agreemen with them that isn't very much.  I've checked the main fianance screen and overall it appears I'm getting more in than is going ut yet I'm still in the red at the top.

I would like this info if you have it

..the upper right of the screen is the current cash on hand and current cash flow.

What is the relationship between these two and how do I keep the top one from going red. I'm assuming its curent cash?   And I might add which is which on the screen.

The upper number is your current available cash. If it's negative you cannot build anything, if this state persists the private sector may begin scrapping ships and bases (or so I have heard).
The lower number is the difference of all your income (tax revenue, spaceport income, resort base income, ship purchases by private sector, ...) and all your expenses (troop and ship maintenance, fuel costs, resource purchases, ship and base purchases, ...) in a certain time range that nobody could tell me until now.

[wolf14455]

I got this problem in one of my games. Before I know what problem I got I used the editor and give me money. Later I read in this forum I migh got too much upkeep kost. So I scraped some builders. Helped a bit.

[Erik Rutins]

Hi Chris,

What version of Distant Worlds are you playing and what race/government combo? There were a lot of economic changes along the way, so that would be very useful information.

Regards,

- Erik

[Starfry]

Check your options in the game menu, especially after you download any updates. I would suggest leaving spy and troop recruitment unchecked and leave everything on the right side of the game menu as "Suggest only" until you get a handle on the economy. The AI is good at handling the economy but sometimes interfere with your plans as you prepare to war with the bugs yet the AI is giving them your money. [:D]

[Chris21wen]

It was 1.0.4.9. I've just patch the beta.

[/quote]
The upper number is your current available cash. If it's negative you cannot build anything, if this state persists the private sector may begin scrapping ships and bases (or so I have heard).

The lower number is the difference of all your income (tax revenue, spaceport income, resort base income, ship purchases by private sector, ...) and all your expenses (troop and ship maintenance, fuel costs, resource purchases, ship and base purchases, ...) in a certain time range that nobody could tell me until now.
[/quote]


OK! Now I know what's what with credit. My next questions are;
Why the second number?
What good is it in terms of the game?

[taltamir]

try this: tm.asp?m=2477630

[Starfry]

The 2nd number is the income you have for this month but the reason that the number is not going out of red is the AI is using the income rate to purchase spies, troops or any various services that you have automate. These AI purchase are not factored in that number so you may see +30000 but if the AI is purchasing heavily then you do not get much oncome to your treasury.

[taltamir]

i recommend you play the 1.0.5.6 beta, it significantly improves the game.

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: taltamir

i recommend you play the 1.0.5.6 beta, it significantly improves the game.

Agreed

[Chris21wen]

I'm really struggling to understand money in this game. Both figures in the top right hand corner are well in the red. I have a -54K state cash and know what I'm doing wrong here, private is 490K but I do not understand how private money works, especially what it has to do with the figures in the top corner.

[Spacecadet]

ORIGINAL: Chris H

I'm really struggling to understand money in this game. Both figures in the top right hand corner are well in the red. I have a -54K state cash and know what I'm doing wrong here, private is 490K but I do not understand how private money works, especially what it has to do with the figures in the top corner.

I've been playing this game for a few months, and I still don't really know what that second number is supposed to be in the upper right.

My best guess is it could be your current annual income rate before corruption is taken into account.

I just use that number as a general guide as to how well the Economy is doing.

The top number is your current cash on hand. It'll bounce around a little as the AI makes purchases and pays Maintenance costs.

If you're totally red in both numbers, then most likely you have too many Ships/Stations and the maintenance costs are killing you.
You also need to make sure you have at least 10 different Luxury resources for your Colonies to really start to develop.

Something else to look at is your Strategic resources.
Make sure you have enough of all of these so that the cost per unit is 1, otherwise this will snowball in the cost of both purchasing ships and in their maintenance.

Without really seeing what you have going on, these are the best suggestions I can give you to look at.

[Gommer]

Chris H: You simply have to give us information to work with. "I don't have any money, why?" (and repeating this later) tells us nothing. Give us a general idea of how you play. Do you build a Spaceport at every colony you start? Do you like to have lots of Cruisers in a fleet ready to rush to a colony's aid? Something to go on here.

One thing to watch for, having a lot of Spaceports, especially if they're the stock design that you get at game start. Those things are VERY expensive, and I only use a minimalistic one at each planet. The design idea was from reading the various posts in the Strategy & Tactics area. Another big money waster is too many Constructors.

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: Gommer

Chris H: You simply have to give us information to work with. "I don't have any money, why?" (and repeating this later) tells us nothing. Give us a general idea of how you play. Do you build a Spaceport at every colony you start? Do you like to have lots of Cruisers in a fleet ready to rush to a colony's aid? Something to go on here.

One thing to watch for, having a lot of Spaceports, especially if they're the stock design that you get at game start. Those things are VERY expensive, and I only use a minimalistic one at each planet. The design idea was from reading the various posts in the Strategy & Tactics area. Another big money waster is too many Constructors.

I've worked out what I was doing wrong in regard to the state. I have no problem with that know.

I know how private money is produced and have no problem with that either.

I do have a big problem relating both to the figures in the top right hand corner.

[DasTactic]

You don't really need to worry too much about the money as long as you are doing the basics right. In most games I'm usually dipping in and out of the red - and often for extended periods.

For example, check your planets and see which ones provide the income. Usually it is just a single planet that is producing most of the income in the early game. The other planets may provide a small income stream but by the time you build a troop to protect it etc, it will most likely be a drain on resources. That's OK because it will come good in the long run when the population increases.

Now look at the top ten planets in the score display. These are the most important planets in the game. If you are at war with one of these planets owners then that planet should be number one priority for conquest. Capturing another high performance planets will really give your economy a boost. Don't worry too much about the easy planets as they basically don't produce much income.

I find that lack of money is really only a problem if I need a particular ship or base - which is rare because I usually have a powerful fleet from the various debris fields around the place. And acquiring the powerful ship from the debris field is usually the reason I'm in the red in the first place because of the maintenance cost. Basically I keep the capital ships, cruisers and troop transports from the debris fields but scrap the frigates and destroyers for the research and to help keep maintenance down.

So if you have the fleet you need then just ignore the money but use the fleet to capture the strategic planets that will correct your economy.