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Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 2:22 pm
by apd1004
I find that I am constantly micro-managing exploration ships on full automation because they will stay out exploring beyond their fuel range. Eventually refuel will fire but by the time it does fire they are beyond fuel range and end up limping home under emergency power. It doesn't happen every time but right now I only have 8 exploration ships and 2 of them are out beyond their fuel range and still exploring. Even if I put them on manual when beyond refuel range, order them to stop in place, then put them back on full automation they still want to continue exploring.
Re: Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 2:51 pm
by MaximKI
Hey, do you have a save you could upload that demonstrates the issue?
Re: Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2023 5:14 pm
by apd1004
Save file attached.
Very early game and there are only a few fuel points.
4 of my 10 exploration ships are out of fuel, although one of the four that is out of fuel is parked at my home colony (my only colony actually) waiting in the queue for refit. A couple more are out exploring and approaching the point where their fuel range will reduce to less than the closest fuel point and I'm betting they will also continue to explore beyond the "point of no return". It almost seems like it happens to every ship.
I recently posted another thread, not sure if it is related to this or not:
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 6&t=392746
The thread was reference construction ships and advisor messages to build stations which are outside their fuel range. The advisor would recommend building a mining station somewhere and I would click to authorize the build and later find out the construction ship went there and built the station but was outside refueling range and limping back home with no fuel. On the flip side of that issue, the advisor would recommend a build somewhere that actually was within refuel range, but the Shift-F7 screen (New Mining Locations) would still have a blacked out button that said it was outside fuel range.
In the save attached to this thread, if you go to the Shift-F7 tab and scroll down to planet Dimuphun 2, the button to send a construction ship to build a mining station there is blacked out (DISABLED - outside construction ship fuel range), but I think you'll find that it is well within refuel range.
Re: Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2023 1:34 pm
by apd1004
Here's another example of an automated exploration ship completely ignoring fuel range. There is an abandoned colony ship at the destination, the location of which was revealed upon purchasing information from some pirates.
No matter what I do here, one of my automated exploration ships is going to go check this thing out. I can reassign this one to go do something else but then another ship will pick up the mission. With my current technologies, I can't even send a fuel tanker to refuel the exploration ship at the destination because the fuel tanker can't reach it either.
I wouldn't mind the one way trip if I could just scuttle the ship at the destination and build another one.

- Screenshot 2023-02-16 082431.png (2.75 MiB) Viewed 419 times
Re: Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2023 5:34 pm
by MaximKI
Hey, thanks for the context!
A new public beta has been released. Could you let us know if you can reproduce the issue with 1.1.0.7?
Re: Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 1:48 pm
by apd1004
I'm a few hours into a new game under 1.1.0.7 and I'm pleased to report that so far my exploration ships are returning to refuel and/or refit while still within jump fuel range. I looked at all my freighters too and they are so far all keeping themselves refueled and making runs within fuel range. I can't report on military ships yet because it is early game and I keep the few military ships I have close to spaceports/colonies and don't have them out running around yet.
I am however still getting advisor recommendations to build mining stations that are beyond round trip fuel range of my construction ships. The locations I looked at so far are within the max fuel range circle but they are far enough out that the ships would run out of fuel on the return trip. When I look at the same location under the Shift-F7 tab, the button to manually assign a construction ship to build there is blacked out and says "DISABLED - beyond maximum construction ship fuel range", which is in direct conflict with the advisor recommendation to build there.
One method I used to use with DWU and earlier (as well as here in DW2) was to manually send a construction ship to build a mining station at a Caslon planet way out at the edge of fuel range then hold it there to eventually refuel from the station it just built, at which point it could refuel and have enough to get it back home.
Re: Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 2:48 pm
by MaximKI
Great to hear that the exploration ship issue was resolved!
Could you provide as save for the advisors suggesting missions for construction ships at max fuel range?
Re: Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 7:20 pm
by apd1004
Save file attached.
When the save opens, there is an Advisor Suggestion popup to build a mining station at planet Trouwasema which is in the Callestas system. This one is one of the better examples of this I've seen because it's way out there. There are no construction ships that can go there and back on one tank of gas, and there is nowhere near there to refuel. If you then look at the Shift-F7 "New Mining Locations" tab, the same planet is the 2nd one down from the top and the button correctly reflects the fact that it is out of range. There is another planet, Endo San 2 on the same Shift-F7 screen (10th down from the top) which is actually well within fuel range of my construction ships, yet its button is also blacked out for being outside fuel range.
Unfortunately though, getting back to my OP - I was initially hopeful but in the attached save you can see the exploration ships are still going outside fuel range. If you look at my exploration ships, Nova of Mailstrum is on its way to explore Betilosi and it is currently outside fuel range of the nearest fuel point. Also, the Grimy Burden is on its way to explore an unknown star and if you let the game play out a bit, when it gets there it will not have enough fuel to make it to the nearest refueling point.
Re: Automated exploration ships go beyond fuel range
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 7:27 pm
by MaximKI
Many thanks!