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[Imp]

Wondering if any of you can help this new problem I'm having - I've not made an account on the Aurora forums yet, so it's easier to ask here.

I've played a game across several days now.  The seconds per update setting's at 86400 - an update each game day (in case that has anything to do with the problem) and I've decided I enjoy playing with the f3 window and the events screen up as autoturns tick 1 day away at a time.  Then I multitask with another window.  This works for me, I can see buttons and windows and all's good.

Occasionally the events window would hide itself for no apparent reason.  Clicking it's minimized tab would usually reveal it again; clicking again on the f3 screen's symbol for the events window would usually reveal it; very rarely neither of those tricks would work and I'd close the game, then reopen it and all the windows would work normally again.  A little unpredictable and seeming a bit buggy, but very playable through 16 game years.

But now the window's gone and hidden itself but good.  Clicking on the f3 screen's event window button appears to open it, but it never shows itself.  Clicking on its window's tab shows it exists, but doesn't maximize it.  The tab itself does not show the normal window in tiny form, but shows an empty window's box.  A right click on the tab allows me to try and move it, which takes my mouse to the upper left corner of the screen and shows a change to the mouse icon, as if I were dragging something, but no matter where I click nothing appears.

I searched the Aurora forum for 'window' and found a suggestion to use miscellaneous to reset my original windows position.  I did so - the invisible events window still does not appear.  I not only restarted the game, but the computer as well.  I can play the game, and everything else seems to work normally, but I cannot actually view the events window.

Any suggestions?

[Mini]

Not a particularly adequate solution, but one that would probably do until someone finds an actual solution, is to turn on the option to show events at the bottom of the map window. (Display tab -> Show Events)

[Imp]

Not a particularly adequate solution, but one that would probably do until someone finds an actual solution, is to turn on the option to show events at the bottom of the map window. (Display tab -> Show Events)

Thank you, I do have that on.

[Metalax]

Make sure you only have the main toolbar open. miscellanaoue -> Reset Window Positions.

edit: ah skipped over you already doing that. Not entirely sure what is going on there then.

Which version of windows are you running? That may make a difference.

edit2: If this doen't work there is definetely something strange going on. If you open up a different game, such as the example game initially in the database, does it still show the same problem?

Open the event window.
Put your mouse in the middle of the screen.
Press Alt-SpaceBar
Press m
Press one of your arrow keys (up/down/left/right) any of them will do
Now move your mouse on screen and the window should be attached to the mouse.

[Osmosis Jones]

Have you tried a fresh install?

[Imp]

Thanks for the suggestions!  Before I tried reinstalling the game or loading a different one (hadn't realized there was a way to go back to a previous game), I finally tried to play without my events window, let a few days pass, then checked it again and saw that hovering over the event tab showed a miniature screen like it should.  That screen wouldn't actually open when I clicked on the tab, but it was no longer a plain white field in the miniature view.

I clicked a few more times on f3's event window button and the miniature window's tab, and after another 20 seconds or so delay it suddenly opened.  The day that the event window maybe got stuck on appeared to be a totally normal event-free day, so I don't think there was an unusual event that caused it to not appear and I have no idea what the problem was, but progressing time past that point seems to have allowed it to fix itself.

I hadn't actually realized I could have tried opening a different game universe, I'd not noticed a way to open previous games! 

[RedKing]

Too lazy to check the Aurora forums...anybody else having problems designing drones/buoys with 6.x?

There's no explicit difference anymore, but you can't manually modify reactor size. If I put any kind of sensor package onboard, it adds a reactor, but only a very tiny one. Duration is stuck at 0. So no long-term geobuoys. :-(

[Karlito]

Missiles (since there isn't a clear distinction between a missile, drone or buoy), that don't have a warhead but do have sensors will last forever, unless they have a geological sensor, in which case they'll last until they complete a geologic survey of a planet.

[RedKing]

Hmm...I'll have to test that because it's indicating an infinitesimally small number of geosurvey points generated.

Infinite duration sensor buoys??!!! Oh, my. Time to construct a GIUK-style sensor net so I can detect hostiles weeks out from reaching my colonies...

[Metalax]

Yeah it was one of the changes made with the jump to 6.0. We covered it in this thread a week or so ago IIRC.

edit: Here's the mechanics post where Steve describes the changes.

The relevant parts

There is no longer a separate 'buoy' category but you can create the same effect by designing a missile with sensors and no engine. The necessary reactor space will be added automatically. Missile reactors have unlimited endurance so there will no longer be a need to replace buoys every few years. While unlimited endurance is unrealistic, modern naval reactors have a service life measured in decades so this is a compromise between realism and a desire to reduce micromanagement. I may add some form of failure during very long term deployment - a failing IFF system on a mine could be entertaining - but I haven't decided yet.

Missiles that have sensors will now remain on the map forever, with two exceptions:

a) If a missile has geo sensors and no other type of sensor, it will self-destruct when the geosurvey of its target planet is completed.
b) If a missile has a warhead, it will self-destruct when its fuel runs out.

Hmm...I'll have to test that because it's indicating an infinitesimally small number of geosurvey points generated.

Yeah, the probes will have small geo sensor strength so you need to use big probes, like this one I use for firing from the missile bases when coming out of a conventional start.

Code: [Select]

Size 16.6 Geosurvey Probe Mk I
Missile Size: 16.6 MSP  (0.83 HS)     Warhead: 0    Armour: 0     Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 100 km/s    Engine Endurance: 14,000.0 hours   Range: 5,040.0m km
Geo Sensor Strength: 0.1    Maximum points: 1400
Cost Per Missile: 2.5725
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 1%   3k km/s 0%   5k km/s 0.2%   10k km/s 0.1%
Materials Required:    0.06x Boronide   2.5x Uridium   0.0125x Gallicite   Fuel x3500

Development Cost for Project: 257RP

Infinite duration sensor buoys??!!! Oh, my. Time to construct a GIUK-style sensor net so I can detect hostiles weeks out from reaching my colonies...

Or indeed a VDA(very dangerous array) of sensor equipped mines, that spit out their payload if an enemy contact approaches too close.

[Karlito]

Hmm...I'll have to test that because it's indicating an infinitesimally small number of geosurvey points generated.

I've found them to be useful for a first-wave scout ship. Put four or five down on the bodies most likely to have minerals and get your results in a few months.

[revo]

I have found star swarm! My first alien contact. Anyways so now that I've advanced a few engine tech levels how is this for an anti swarm ship?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Sovereign class Cruiser    8,500 tons     1003 Crew     2017 BP      TCS 170  TH 1800  EM 0
10588 km/s     Armour 1-37     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 17     PPV 32
Maint Life 7.7 Years     MSP 2038    AFR 82%    IFR 1.1%    1YR 61    5YR 910    Max Repair 360 MSP

Internal Confinement Fusion Drive E6 (18)    Power 100    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 100    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres    Range 105.9 billion km   (115 days at full power)

25cm C4 Far Ultraviolet Laser (4)    Range 320,000km     TS: 10588 km/s     Power 16-4     RM 5    ROF 20        16 16 16 16 16 13 11 10 8 8
Fire Control S12 160-15000 (1)    Max Range: 320,000 km   TS: 15000 km/s     97 94 91 88 84 81 78 75 72 69
Tokamak Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (2)     Total Power Output 16    Armour 0    Exp 5%

Active Search Sensor MR22-R16 (1)     GPS 1792     Range 22.4m km    Resolution 16

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

my main concerns are being able to out range them and take them out in a few hits as their is a group of 30 or so of them just 2 jumps from sol.


here is my general defense ship used on the chance that I find a momma star swarm(any good for this?) or some other alien race.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Enterprise MKII class Destroyer    10,050 tons     1178 Crew     2163 BP      TCS 201  TH 1300  EM 0
6467 km/s     Armour 9-41     Shields 0-0     Sensors 1/1/0/0     Damage Control Rating 19     PPV 64
Maint Life 6.34 Years     MSP 1211    AFR 89%    IFR 1.2%    1YR 52    5YR 777    Max Repair 144 MSP

Internal Confinement Fusion Drive E6 (13)    Power 100    Fuel Use 60%    Signature 100    Armour 0    Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres    Range 89.5 billion km   (160 days at full power)

25cm C4 Far Ultraviolet Laser (    Range 320,000km     TS: 6467 km/s     Power 16-4     RM 5    ROF 20        16 16 16 16 16 13 11 10 8 8
Fire Control S06 160-6000 (1)    Max Range: 320,000 km   TS: 6000 km/s     58 56 54 52 50 48 46 45 43 41
Tokamak Fusion Reactor Technology PB-1 (4)     Total Power Output 32    Armour 0    Exp 5%

This design is classed as a Military Vessel for maintenance purposes

[Flying Dice]

Y'know, I'm honestly considering reverting to pre-6.x. The drive changes (and morale, to a lesser degree) have made expansion far more of a pain in the ass. I've always been in it for the tactical-level combat, not the logistics micromanagement. 

[Imp]

What does the tax money get put towards?  I understand mineral costs for things, and I can tell that things have a build cost that's effectively the time it takes for whatever facility to do that work, upgrade to improve...

But none of these things seem to have a money cost.  I can tell I'm collecting taxes and what the tax rate is at the moment, but how do I see how much I've collected, and what am I able to spend it on?

[Girlinhat]

Big thing is research, labs consume tons of cash.  Also any construction will cost cash, be it industry or shipyard.  Generally speaking it only matters for large empires, where your homeworld doesn't provide enough cashmoney to fun constant research.  Many players terraform Mars to 0.0 purely for the extra population and the trade lanes.  This is more incentive to claim alien colonies as well, if you can hold them for long enough they become a true colony of yours and not just an occupied area, and then they start funding you and you can use that species to colonize otherwise too-severe planets.