Matrix Games Forums

Here we go...

1. Whats the difference between telling the scout ship to "explore system" vs "move to system"? Does the first actually mean that when it moves to that new star system that it will explore the entire thing automatically even checking up on resources present on planets etc ...does this include asteroid belt also?

2. Seems there is some sort of giant graveyard out there. It is a long way for me to go at this point to salvage ships. I would need to design something special just to get out there, then I am not sure how it gets back..so more figuring out. My question is...is this graveyard a real gold mine for tech and ships? Is it worth the effort?

3. There is an independant colony out there. Am I right that to capture it I build a state owned ship. Put troop compartments on it. Build troops on my home planet and then load them onto this ship. Then move it to that colony and invade? Is this basically the process?

4. The colonization part of the tech tree seems a bit unclear to me. I researched the first one "colony" but now I am looking around and I cant say I see any planets to colonize. Does this allow me to colonize something or is it just the door to the specific ones after that, that I need to research?

5. Refueling ships and expansion - I am struggling a bit to expand. I have warp, have the first tech for it done and ships built, but I am surprised at how limited I am with my ability to expand out. I feel like its almost a must for me to get refueling ships to make the expansion really happen. Could be just this particular game and its set up but maybe not. Question is..how big of a priority is it for you guys to reach that refueling tech? I didnt make it a priority and now feel stuck. Now I am researching it but basically sitting here waiting for it.

6. I set up a gas mining station in another system. I have been watching and I dont see private ships going back and forth to it. Havent watched super closely, but have kept my eye on it. I have designed private ships with warp. Does it just take time before they start going out there?

[&o]Thanks for thoughts on this.

First off, I'm going to assume you're playing Shadows Pre-Warp age [;)]

1. Move to, the ship will just move to the Star and sit there, the only resources uncovered will be whatever is within Sensor range.
Explore System will have the Explorer investigate the whole system for resources.

2. These ships can have many uses from higher Tech, higher firepower, to just plain resources (retiring).
Some people have issues recovering these, it's more a personal preference.

3. If it is listed as Hostile or Unlikely, you'll need to drop Troops on it to capture it, otherwise you should be able to get it with a Colony ship.

4. The first level of Colonization just gives you the ability to colonize planets of your Race's native type.
You'll need the advanced Colonization Techs to colonize other types of planets.

5. I usually don't worry about Refueling (Resupply) ships until later in the game.
Generally I'll just build a Gas Mines as I expand outward and use them for refueling points.

6. Initial ranges on ships is pretty short, they may not have the fuel range to make it to the Gas Mine and back, so they won't go.

2. You need to send your Construktion ships there to repair the ships. After its full repaired its belong to your empire.
You can either keep it to use the firepower, or let it disasemble to gain a research boost. Tip, retire the small ones, keep a few big ones.

3. Check if the Independent colony are friendly or hostile to your race.

5. Warp engine is the key part for expansion your empire. With the first Warp engine "Warp bubble" you can't reach much even when you add alot of fuel cells. You need the next better one to expand at the galaxy.
Get one Construktion ship on a hotkey, and build with it Gas mining stations on Caslon sources at the area you expand to, as refuel stations.

how big of a priority is it for you guys to reach that refueling tech?

Did you mean the Tech at the end of Energy-collectors and Mining engines ? My priority is very low to research that.
Or did you mean the Resupply Ship ? Thats a very useful ship, like a flying Gas Mining Station. You can deploy it at a forward area as refueling point, until you build a gas mining station thre.
As Pirate you can use these resupply ship as very strong attack ship too.

6. Even when you designed the private ships with Warp, the private sector need first to retrofit the existing ship to the new design or build new ones. So it takes time at these phase of the game until the station get visit from them.
And when you got a Gas mining station with the similar resources at your own system, there is no need for your freighter to take the long trip to the other system.

On colonisation, you can actually colonise hostile and unlikely planets, it's just a gamble. Unlikely seems to be about 50/50 to me and hostile rarely works but I have seen it happen (an accident on my part sending a colony ship there, but I was happily surprised when it was successful). It's possible the size of the population factors into it as well. I wouldn't recommend risking wasting colony ships like this unless you've already colonised everything else nearby and really don't want that reputation hit for invading.

For expansion, I build gas mines for general expansion and use resupply ships to reach those more urgent locations (such as a lost colony or a ship graveyard) and to initiate attacks against targets just out of range (usually pirate bases). Also try and build mines at those gas giants with both fuel types as you'll want the hydrogen later on (WHY ISN'T HYDROGEN EVERYWHERE DAMN IT!).

^ hydrogen should be almost everywhere... agree. Probably for game balance and tactical challenge the designers have boot created a fantasy gas called caselon, AND nerfed Hw in the galaxy.

ORIGINAL: Spacecadet
4. The first level of Colonization just gives you the ability to colonize planets of your Race's native type.
You'll need the advanced Colonization Techs to colonize other types of planets.

One question to that: in my first two games of Shadows (the second still going) my native planet type is "continental". But still I have to research Continental Colonization to move on to the colonization techs that have that as prerequisite. Is that a bug?

ORIGINAL: Yarasala

ORIGINAL: Spacecadet
4. The first level of Colonization just gives you the ability to colonize planets of your Race's native type.
You'll need the advanced Colonization Techs to colonize other types of planets.

One question to that: in my first two games of Shadows (the second still going) my native planet type is "continental". But still I have to research Continental Colonization to move on to the colonization techs that have that as prerequisite. Is that a bug?

No, unfortunately. Kinda interesting design decision that you don't start off with the colonization tech for your own native planet type researched. But there are some possible reasons for it: it would give volcanic/ice/etc. native races a huge amount of free research, plus access to terraforming and the best colonization module from the start, which would be a massive advantage.

It would be cool if you got, say, a 50% research credit for your native planet type, though. That wouldn't be game-breaking in any way, even for the later techs, as you wouldn't be able to complete them until all the prereqs are done.

Yes, the technology tree for colonization techs is kinda wacky. I would love to see it changed so that its based on what the species starts with. Volcanic species to get tech to settle desert planets should be analogous to continental learning to settle ocean planets. Its how far the type of planet is from the 'natural type that should matter... not the artificial tech sequence based on natives of Continental planets.