Help with deep space bases needed

[feygan]

Ok so I have a game with clusters setup, since the trip between currently exhausts most ships fuel tanks I wanted to build a refuelling stop. There are no gas clouds nearby so i'm left with only deep space.

I built a starbase (wouldn't let me choose starport as there was no planet) which has lots of docking bays, fuel tanks,cargo bays. The constructor builds it fine and it gets fuel from the transports so its up and running fine. However no ships ever dock at the thing, instead bypassing it and running out of fuel each trip.

Do these bases get ignored or something? And is there any real way to setup such a refuel base in deep space?

[Data]

Try with a spaceport instead. I'm not sure about this but I think the games has an affinity mechanism with the military sticking to the star bases and the civ ships with the spaceports.

[feygan]

ORIGINAL: Data

Try with a spaceport instead. I'm not sure about this but I think the games has an affinity mechanism with the military sticking to the star bases and the civ ships with the spaceports.

When you right click to build with a contructor it doesn't allow spaceports, the only time it shows them is at a colony planet.

[Data]

I think you should play with the editor and place a spaceport through it, at least we should have confirmation that the civ ships use it if available. I did read the initial post more carefully now and see you could not build it, forgot they could not be built anywhere else.

This is indeed a problem, can you also try with a monitroing station or resort base? The design will be almost the same but at least the role of the base will be different (a civ role as opposed to the military one of the starbase), maybe we get something this way.

[feygan]

Might have to try with a monitoring station or such. The editor also doesn't allow you to place spaceports in open space, so you have to first spawn a star, then a planet, after that it lets you put a spaceport on the planet with or without colony. Sadly all of that though defeats the object of the refuel port idea.

[Data]

yes, some improvments needed in this area
if in the end the editor is the only help left it would be best to just place a gas cloud and build a mining station there. But until that poin my money is on the monitoring station as well; it would be even stranger to put a resort in the middle of nowhere just to have a gas pump.

[Kianykin]

I've found the only use i have for deep space starbase with construction yards is for repair since they never seem to get supplied with material to build ships

[Data]

Hi there Kianykin, welcome to the community. Indeed, this is a point in debate; I also observed this, that's why I tend not to use them.
But I think there are some of us who found a way to make it work....not sure if placing orders for ships will improve the freighters delivering goods to the station.
In the end, I guess it all depends on how far "deep space" is for each of our respective games.

[ehsumrell1]

Just a curious question, does your deep 'starbase' design contain
a 'commerce' component? I've built deep spacebases not on gas clouds
that get supplied by both my private sector and independent freighters.

[feygan]

ORIGINAL: ehsumrell1

Just a curious question, does your deep 'starbase' design contain
a 'commerce' component? I've built deep spacebases not on gas clouds
that get supplied by both my private sector and independent freighters.

That could well be the case, I never put those components on them as they weren't to be used on colony planets.

[ehsumrell1]

It's my belief that a station/base needs that component to 'notify' the
private sector of its needs, whether at a colony, planet, gas cloud or
otherwise. Try it out and see if you start getting supplied.

Also, just FYI, remember that the station/base must also be within the
fuel range of the private sector freighters from their supplying spaceports. [:)]

[Kianykin]

Tried the commerce component on a deep starbase and it is getting supplied when I order it to build ships. Still can't use the base to refuel, because fuel still isn't getting stocked. Private sector only supplies starports with fuel

[Data]

two comments here

1) really like to commend ehsumrell1; indeed, the commerce component is more important in a broader sense
than we might think

2) it would be good if a ressuply ship could supply the fuel to this station. Atm it is only a passive ressuplier not an active one. Just as a test, if you build a ressuply ship and fill it's cargo holds and then order it to dock will it dump it's fuel into the stations cargo bays? Even so not really sure how can it be transfered to the fuel pods but we'll be one step closer.

We could simulate this behavior by using the editor but this would be tedious and not actual gameplay.

[Bingeling]

I have seen ships dock at defensive bases to fill up. Is this merely "the space port is empty, the gas mine is empty, lets steal what is left on the defensive base", or are the defensive bases actually supplied with fuel?

Could you use one as a refueling stop?

[Bingeling]

And could you put a commerce center on a resupply ship and have the private sector start to use it? But if you have a fuel source you can just build a gas mine, the privates will refuel at that one.

[Data]

correct and also good questions, especially the one about commerce center on a resupply ship...don't know, we should test it and find out

[Bingeling]

I could have fun with the editor I guess. No opponents, no pirates, no distractions, nothing auto building, lots of possible colonies, limited range...

What is the desired scenario?

I guess:

2 colonies out of civilian fuel range of each other. What can you build in the middle to make traffic flow. Correct? Of course, resources only on one side.

[Data]

yap, sounds sound enough [:)]

[Bingeling]

As far as I can see... As long as there is material on a space port, ships will pick them up and move to demand. But noone will deliver material at a space port. A planet far away receives caslon from freighters, and refuels them as far as it can.

Freighters do deliver out of their fuel reach.

I doubt there is a way to move fuel to a location without making that location a colony. And a planet far away is not very well stocked with fuel, especially if transports get out of fuel by transporting fuel there...

Star bases look utterly useless, and I don't even bother to try defensive bases. So basically. Build refuel ships, move them around, possibly fill them before going to have something in store, and use the military forces it supplies to catch colonies where you build space ports. In the early game hope for a source with only caslon, where you fill up your resupply ship...

[Data]

there was something in the latest patches changelogs that should have addressed this, ie the fact that a ressuply ship should collect only fuel and not other gases