Newbie - How to Build Exploration Ships

[taq]

I'm a newbie playing on normal for the first time. The game keeps advising I build exploration ships and asks for money. I purchase and nothing happens. A minute later the same thing happens. This repeats. I have construction ships idle and a medium space port. The resource sensor tech is researched. What am I doing wrong?

[Mansen]

Is your Medium Space Port actually finished? (Click it and see if it is still adding components) The Exploration ships needs to be built in space - Your construction ship does not.

An easy trap for new players.

[Lucian]

Yeah you need a completed space port to build an exploration ship. Strange though, the game shouldn't be suggesting that you build explorers before you have a spaceport. My experience has been that it waits until the spaceport has been finished before it starts spamming shipbuilding advice.

Construction ships are different though, they can only be built on a planet and therefore could be started before you build a spaceport.

[moonraker65]

Another good tip for explorers is to give them enough fuel cells to do the job. I always double the fuel on explorers so that they can find goodies quickly like abandoned ships and bases. A good early investment I usually find.

[Mansen]

ORIGINAL: Lucian

Yeah you need a completed space port to build an exploration ship. Strange though, the game shouldn't be suggesting that you build explorers before you have a spaceport. My experience has been that it waits until the spaceport has been finished before it starts spamming shipbuilding advice.

It always bugs me about explorers before the spaceport is finished for me.

[CyclopsSlayer]

Just a quick aside; a Base or Ships content is built in the order it displays on the design screen, subject to resource availability. So, if you were to re-order the Medium Space Port's design placing the yards first you may well be able to start construction well before the base is finished. While shields won't charge and energy using weapons won't fire until the Build is completed, things like Fighter Bays will build and launch their Fighters LONG before the base is completed should it come under attack.