Matrix Games Forums

So I've been playing the game for about 3 days now. My first game I was quickly overrun by Insectoid races,space creatures, and pirates. I got more used to the game and now I'm Now one of the Uni's super powers. Only contested by 2 other races with some other ones kinda just fighting the stronger ones at a stale mate. I love the game so far cept for a few gripes but they are either just some of my newness of the game or due to me just not being smart about certain decisions. I have a few questions though so maybe you guys could answer them.

1. The reason why spaceports take a bit long to built is because of the fact that freighters have to drop specific supplies off at that particular stations right? If not how does 1 make them build faster. The reason I ask this is whenever I colonize a new planet I instantly put a port on it so that it increases trader,colony growth, and general defense. Often times i set them to build but forget to check up on it due to me being occupied with other stuff.

2. Is there a way to prevent constructors from building in another empires territory? It gets really annoying when people are mad at me cause of some mining station that is being disputed.

3.Is there a way to que up missions. If not there should be some way of setting up a mission for the ai to handle. For example. Maybe you want to rush troops on an enemy colony planet but is occupied with other things. Maybe make a new tab that allows you to create a mission. Then you can set the mission start point and the start point stations and/or colony to produce "X" amount of troop ships and troops to be sent on this mission.

4. What planets are the best to be colonized. I know ones with rare resources are major ones but what if the quality is low? Do I instead make a mining station? Or is a colony still better?

These are the immediate ones I could think of....More questions later on as I play more.

1. When a colony is building stuff there's not much you can do even if they will build it pretty fast; a couple of ideas spring to mind

1.1 start with a small one with only the necessities and upgrade it later

1.2 reasearch higher levels of construction yards to get higher speed

2. Yes, there is an option in the options screen to prevent them to build in another empires. Don't think it works the other way around though, I think they will still be able to do it but as long as you don't mind it should be ok

3. A more refined system for this is requested already. Atm the only option for this is to right click on the ship and use the queue option to queue up a limited set of orders

4. On low quality ones you'll have a higher maintenance penalty for a colony as compared to a base but in the end the particular context will decide. If there are resources that I can't find anywhere else I would still prefer a colony....the best are obviously the larger, more high quality ones and the ones with the resources you need.

To give some ideas to your questions.

1.Yes they require resources, these depend on how your spaceport is designed as different components require different resources. So if you had designed a super large spaceport with tons of weapons and construction yards plus research then it will take a long time. If your wanting to build something instantly then just try a small port that only fulfills the requirements in the design screen. It should give you a basic port that functions well until you have a steady supply line there.

2.Sounds like you have them set on auto, sadly it's a black and white area. Either have them on auto in which case it's all down to the AI and where it chooses to go, or keep them fully under your control so you know where they will build. Personally I keep all mine manual as I can guide them quickly and easily using the expansion planner.

3.Not that i'm aware of.

4.Again this comes down to preference, do you concerntrate on only ones nearby setting up a nice turtle strategy, or go for the new discovery deep in your opponents territory for strikes. All comes down to how you play the game, if you keep a well stoked supply of luxuries then all will develop fully so quality can become less important, unless you make some errors and endup needing the extra tax cash.

I have not noticed the AI building in enemy territory (as in their systems), but it can happen. How:

1: The AI checks what to build next. It queues or orders a constructor to build a base of some time in system Y. The constructor will use some time to get there.

2: Another empire is building or has already sent a colony ship to colonize something in system Y. It will arrive before the constructor.

3: The now present status of "owned by another empire" does not affect AI missions already set. The constructor will build there.

Another way for it to happen is that the AI colonize a planet in a system where you already got bases. It will still gripe about it and it will help make war happen (they get more grumpy, grumpiness leads to war).

If you have a colonizable planet in a system with a lot of nice resources, really, consider colonizing it even if the planet is crap. It will tag the system as yours. This is extremely true in a system that has an ultra rare...

Two empires sharing a system (both with colony) is either due to war and conquest, or that they ended up this way by "simultaneous" colonization. A nice way it can happen is for someone to place a mine in a system with an independent, and another empire assaulting the independent... I have done this to the AI when a planet with koribbean spice in system rebelled and went independent. I slapped a colony on the koribbean. They were insulted at me once they recaptured the lost colony (if I paid more attention to what happened, I would do that first...).

And this is the way I understand things.

And it would still happen if you order constructors yourself by the expansion planner...