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[JimiD]

I think the research, like the construction, updates every five days, as opposed to every day.

[Snoopicus]

I enjoyed the complexity of the game in much the same way I enjoy figuring out economics, but I found I was not having a lot of fun with this game. Too much of the planet building is contained in spreadsheets with nothing VISIBLE to let me know "You dun good" like I get in DF, which is the only other borderline OCD game I play. The turn system really bothered me, I wish it would let me queue up research projects and shipyard orders and then just click "one year".

I played until I figured out most of the stuff besides combat and then uninstalled it and haven't looked back. Interesting game, but no DF!

[Sean Mirrsen]

Micro, a conventional empire shouldn't even know something like a Jump Cruiser is even theoretically possible before trans-newtonian tech is researched. You can't just think really hard and create a new warship class without first creating the prerequisite technologies like the jump drive, the advanced power systems and structural elements for a cruiser-class, the improved life support and command systems to manage the crew of such a ship, and quite possibly some mor things. You can skip some things that you can concievably replace, like the engines and power systems, but unless you get at least the jump capability and a better understanding of structural designs, you can't hope to crank out a transwarp battleship the size of a small moon.

Dammit, now I want to make a better 4X.

[umiman]

This game really needs an interface overhaul. As in, really. It's not even that the menus are all very obscure, I can understand the need to pack a lot of information like that. But, for example, when I looked at the research tree options, all options were there. Even though I started a conventional empire and had nothing researched yet, I had the jump-cruisers and meson cannons all mentioned in the research options. This is very wrong. I've yet to see how ship construction is handled, but the science screens in this game need a lot of improving.

The lore behind Trans-Newtonian materials is that the discovery of these rare elements which each have individual, physics-bending properties. Thus, each one can do something completely different from another.

You're not exactly unlocking specific ships and weapons by researching them. You're unlocking components which you have to manually assemble into a proper weapon, ship, engine, etc. For example, if you unlocked the meson cannon but not targeting and scanning technology and power plants and the ability to build it, you can't use it. If you're talking about the AI designed ship designs, just don't select that option when you create the game as that's supposed to make life easier for people who don't like designing ships.

And sure you can think of the possibilities of stuff before you finish researching something. For example, I can think of a pretty sweet future from carbon nanotubes even though we haven't theoretically completed the research yet.

[Metalax]

Sean, are you sure your starting a conventional empire? In a conventional start most of the tech is hidden until you research Trans-Newtonian Technology.



Or are you talking about the all projects option at the bottom? In which case, that is a deliberate design decision for it to be there.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Yes, I'm talking about the project options. You can also just reveal all hidden tech. Personally, I think it kills all of the fun you could get out of research.

I think the proper research system for a 4X game is that of Remember Tomorrow - where you just set science area priorities and then distribute resources between applied branches until you fulfill the requirements for the different stuff in the tech tree. You can only see items of the tech tree that you have fulfilled a certain percentage of requirements for.

[Metalax]

Meson are suppose to ignore armor, so the internal armor shouldn't have been hampering the meson. I think whats it doing, is stopping secondary explosions.

From what I can tell mesons are not supposed to ignore internal armour, just the shields and main armour belt of a ship.

On an unrelated note, has anyone actually used the OpenOffice missile design spreadsheet I posted? I'm just curious. I've been finding it extremely useful every time I upgrade my missile tech and design new missiles, and I was surprised nobody had posted anything at all about it.

Yep tried it out. It does seem quite useful.

How do i scrap a PDC? I want it gone

From the system map click on the ships button. Select the pdc you want to get rid of on the left. At the bottom are buttons to delete the ship, or destroy it leaving a wreck that can be salvaged. I'm not entirely sure if pdc wrecks can be salvaged.

[umiman]

CIWS is the bomb!

I can never get regular PD to work regularly enough (I can't figure out whether I have to manually select the missiles or what range I should put etc.) but CIWS. Haha! Awesome! And I can put it on civilian ships too!

[Paul]

Yea, CIWS can be handy on important ships. I still like to have Meson PD set to area defense on escorts, though - they'll protect the whole fleet, while CIWS only protects the ship its on.

[Micro102]

I think the research, like the construction, updates every five days, as opposed to every day.

If i were to start a research project that takes 30 days, and constantly did 1 day turns, the completion date would stay the same until 5 days before completion, then it would increase the last few days.

Micro, a conventional empire shouldn't even know something like a Jump Cruiser is even theoretically possible before trans-newtonian tech is researched. You can't just think really hard and create a new warship class without first creating the prerequisite technologies like the jump drive, the advanced power systems and structural elements for a cruiser-class, the improved life support and command systems to manage the crew of such a ship, and quite possibly some mor things. You can skip some things that you can concievably replace, like the engines and power systems, but unless you get at least the jump capability and a better understanding of structural designs, you can't hope to crank out a transwarp battleship the size of a small moon.

Dammit, now I want to make a better 4X.

You mentioned meson cannons and jump drives, why can't one be researched before the other? Is the jump drive made up of meson cannons? No. If you want to ignore a meson cannon and work on  jump gate then nothing will limit you because you don't know about meson cannons.

[Virex]

This game really needs an interface overhaul. As in, really. It's not even that the menus are all very obscure, I can understand the need to pack a lot of information like that. But, for example, when I looked at the research tree options, all options were there. Even though I started a conventional empire and had nothing researched yet, I had the jump-cruisers and meson cannons all mentioned in the research options. This is very wrong. I've yet to see how ship construction is handled, but the science screens in this game need a lot of improving.

Erm, there's an option to hide all tech you can't research yet, it should be on the tech screen just below the techs you can research

[Micro102]

Ok, i fail hard at making carriers....

Portland class Carrier    47050 tons     4628 Crew     5023.8 BP      TCS 941  TH 850  EM 0
903 km/s     Armour 1-116     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 91     PPV 44
Annual Failure Rate: 218%    IFR: 3%    Maint Capacity 5405 MSP    Max Repair 45 MSP    Est Time: 9.99 Years
Hangar Deck Capacity 24000 tons     

Nuclear Thermal Engine E10 (34)    Power 25    Fuel Use 100%    Signature 25    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres    Range 11.5 billion km   (147 days at full power)

15cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser (2)    Range 180,000km     TS: 3000 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 3    ROF 10        6 6 6 4 3 3 2 2 2 1
Twin 10cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser Turret (4x2)    Range 90,000km     TS: 15000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 3    ROF 5        3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 0
Fire Control S04 96-3000 (1)    Max Range: 192,000 km   TS: 3000 km/s     95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Fire Control S04 24-12000 (1)    Max Range: 48,000 km   TS: 12000 km/s     79 58 38 17 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pebble Bed Reactor Technology PB-1 AR-0 (10)     Total Power Output 30    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor S20-R100 (1)     GPS 2000     Range 20.0m km    Resolution 100
Active Search Sensor S10-R1 (1)     GPS 10     Range 100k km    Resolution 1

This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposes

[umiman]

Yea, CIWS can be handy on important ships. I still like to have Meson PD set to area defense on escorts, though - they'll protect the whole fleet, while CIWS only protects the ship its on.

Yeah, definitely. I have no clue how to properly use true PD though.

[Greiger]

Select your PD fire control, link it to yer PD ordinance (or any weapon really, just low reload low accuracy weapons probably won't accomplish much) and then with the fire control selected in the combat summary screen use the dropdown to select the kind of Point defense you like, and hit the set button next to it.  Don't worry if the dropdown doesn't show what you set it anymore it isn't what tells you what mode yer in. Then check the big summary text.  The Fire control should now say something along the lines of PD mode after it.  That means it is in Point defense mode.  Make sure you tell it to open fire too, or else they won't fire at any missiles.

I prefer final defensive fire since that makes them act like CIWS, Area Defense sounds good, but in my experience area defense won't fire unless a missile ends a tick in range, which against fast missiles, probably won't happen.

[MrWiggles]

Ok, i fail hard at making carriers....

Code: [Select]

Portland class Carrier    47050 tons     4628 Crew     5023.8 BP      TCS 941  TH 850  EM 0
903 km/s     Armour 1-116     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 91     PPV 44
Annual Failure Rate: 218%    IFR: 3%    Maint Capacity 5405 MSP    Max Repair 45 MSP    Est Time: 9.99 Years
Hangar Deck Capacity 24000 tons     

Nuclear Thermal Engine E10 (34)    Power 25    Fuel Use 100%    Signature 25    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres    Range 11.5 billion km   (147 days at full power)

15cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser (2)    Range 180,000km     TS: 3000 km/s     Power 6-3     RM 3    ROF 10        6 6 6 4 3 3 2 2 2 1
Twin 10cm C3 Near Ultraviolet Laser Turret (4x2)    Range 90,000km     TS: 15000 km/s     Power 6-6     RM 3    ROF 5        3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 0
Fire Control S04 96-3000 (1)    Max Range: 192,000 km   TS: 3000 km/s     95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Fire Control S04 24-12000 (1)    Max Range: 48,000 km   TS: 12000 km/s     79 58 38 17 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pebble Bed Reactor Technology PB-1 AR-0 (10)     Total Power Output 30    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor S20-R100 (1)     GPS 2000     Range 20.0m km    Resolution 100
Active Search Sensor S10-R1 (1)     GPS 10     Range 100k km    Resolution 1

This design is classed as a military vessel for maintenance purposes

It looks like your designing ships outside of your technical means.