Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

To further this tip, if you click on the planets column it orders the planets from smallest to largest, then click on the mins, orgs, rads colomn and you will have the planets sorted by value AND size. This way you can scroll down to the Huge planets with high resources.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

There is one sensor that can "see" through Red Nebulas. A Mine can. Placing one or two mines from a ship with a single minelayer can be used for tracking and warning for when ships are going through nebula sectors. Even if they are swept, you still know the sector and possibly timing and direction of the enemy ships. Imagine a system with one mine in every sector. The entering ship or fleet will show the path taken and stop point. This may let you predict his timing and exit points.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

Hush Parasite! You are giving away one of my little tricks. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif More specifically, you should lay as many mines as possible on the wormholes, to take down sneaky vessels without enough minesweeping support (I will usually send a minesweeper if I am attempting to sneak in a hostile nebulae).

Of course, it will only work if you lack any treaty with the crafty Empire, and is of no use when one of your allies is busy planting a fleet in that annoying nebulae right in the middle of your Empire.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

Here's another one I use. Say I am in dire of need more minerals, and who isn't? I just colonized a planet and the resource percentages are 107%M, 123%O, 160%R and my empire has a Resource Converter III (30% loss on conVersion). I'll make Rad Extractor II's on that planet until it's full then upgrade to level III's. (I believe that monoliths take too long to pay back, so let's leave that discussion for another time.) I can get more minerals after converting Rads, even accounting for the conVersion loss than I can get with Mineral Miners. 160 * 0.7 = 112% which is higher than 107%.

Slick.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

But if your Mining aptitude is greatly tweaked (up to 120% or higher, which is standard for pbw) you get 107% * 1,2 = 128% minerals from such planet, and this number is higher than 112%.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

very true. There were two points to make there and I didn't factor in all the various variables on purpose. That was assuming all other variables being equal. First, the quickest way to fill up a planet is to fill it with level II facilities (for min, org, rad, research, intel) assuming unmodified construction rates and no spaceyard, then upgrade to level III after the planet is full. This is because a level II is the most productive facility that can be built in 1 turn. Secondly, that you can pre-calculate your resource income after accounting for resource conVersion. There are several things that I calculate during the game and I normally have the Windohs calculator open during the game for a quick number crunch.

Slick.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

I am just nitpicking, but that might be helpful to someone else, so. Your construction characteristic does not alter your planetary construction rate if you do not have a spaceyard on this planet. No matter how low your construction characteristic is, a planet without a spaceyard will have a standard construction rate.

So if you happen to have a lower than 100% construction aptitude, building a Spaceyard I will actually decrease your construction rate, even for facilities/units, which do not require a spaceyard. Population modifiers should work fine without a spaceyard though; the should is here because of an odd bug, but that's another story.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

Just for clarification, when I said "unmodified construction rates" I meant that the base construction rates are unmodified from the default values in the data file "settings.txt". Those default values are to be able to construct with no spaceyard up to 2000 Min, 2000 Org, 2000 Rad per turn.

Slick.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

To build upon this technique also use Freighters as your early combat ships. The Satellite launchers have a high probability of absorbing missile hits.

Consider building warships on Freighter hulls the first turn or two. You should with good constructon be able to build such ships in one turn at a homeworld. Then you can switch to Emergency building SY Bases and/or Freighter with Colonly modules.

On your initial Freighter warships, stick a few population on them. This population will be immediately replaced, but this population can be used to exchange breathers with another race as you explore.

Re: Gameplay tips & tricks
 

Carriers that fight in combat should be classfied as Offensive Ships or Troop Carriers so they will not get the Don't Get Hurt order by default from the Carrier class. This avoids the pitfall of forgetting to change their orders, especially when you upgrade designs.