Re: A newbie writes:
 

Wow! What a fast and usefull response. I had been intending to ask questions a while ago but didn't think it would be worth it!

4. *Think* I get it. Had been thinking more in MOO2 terms, whete weapon mount was per individual weapon; you're saying whole ship.

6. Possible. But I think the planet shows up on list of colonizable/breathable/empty. Yet no "+" when look in system. Don't quite understand whether I don't know what's going on in system? Can see some systems without having anything there, some not?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jubala:
4. When designing ships there's a button labeled weapon mounts to the right. There you choose your mount based on the size of the ship your designing. I suggest using this because if you don't you'll get your head handed to you by those who do.

6. Not sure what you mean, but if you have no scan in a system with a oxygen/rock planet and that planet is colonized by someone else you will not see the little star.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Re: A newbie writes:
 

Always glad to please. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

4. I haven't played MOO2 so I don't know how it works there, but in SE4 the mounts go for all direct fire weapons, ie beams and torps. Missiles and point defense are not affected by mounts. You can have weapons of different mountsize on the same ship if you want to, just change the mount before you put them on. Useful sometimes when you can't get anymore of the biggest mounts to fit but a smaller one will.

6. That's probably because of the fact the colonizable/breathable/empty routine still thinks the planet is empty but because of a small oversight by the programmers (or a minor bug) the little star dissapear when the planet is occupied even though you technically don't know it's occupied. I hope that makes sense. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif As for seeing stuff in systems you don't have a presence, that's probably because someone you have a partnership with has a presence. You see all they see and vice versa.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

4) You can cycle on or off the weapons mounts for individual weapons if you like just select the appropriate mount before you add the weapon to the ship design. Normal mount is the same as not selecting a mount at the beginning. Larger weapons mounts are almost always desirable though because they normally do more damage per KT of space taken up with larger mounts. Bases are even better the weapons mounts increase range as well as the Damage per KT increase.

[This message has been edited by Tomgs (edited 27 January 2001).]

Re: A newbie writes:
 

I just responded in SE4C forums to this, but I guess I can post it here to if it's any help http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

1)It only increases Planet conditions, and thus raising the reproduction rate, and maybe happiness. I havn't been using them to much. You can scrap them when it's done. Infact, you'll get a message in you're log that you cannot improve planet conditions anymore.

2)Depends on what you want the mines to do. If you want them to stop ships from entering the system you just load up on a ship with minelayer components and move it to a warphole. If you want them to act as planetary defense, but 'em in orbit before combat, since PDC will easily take them out if you launch them in combat.

3)If you give the ship orders to move to "Resupply Planet I" in the "Test Sytem" and on the same turn, before it moves there, you can order it to go to the planet "The tester" in system "Elinga" the orders will stack in a queue and will b completed in the order they where given.

4)By increasing size, the direct fire weapons can also increase firepower. But you can't select certain mounts if the ship is too small.

5)Any unit (mines, fighters, satellites, troops) can't be retrofitted at all. Ships however can as long as they are in a sector with a spaceyard. Now, old destroyer class with shields lvl II. I wnat to upgrade the destroyer to have lvl III. I click upgrade and name it something like "Destroyer Mk II" (Mk, stand for Mark, meaning something like Version 2)Then I retrofit my destroyers to this new design.
Note: You cannot make the destroyers to be cruisers, you are only allowed to retrofit beetween designs, not hull sizes.

6)If you see a system that you have no ships in (For example if you start with the trait "Ancient Race") and an enemy already has colonized the planet, but you can't see his colony because you have no precense in there.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

4. Haven't played MOO2? You jest?! OK, I think I get this one: the next weapon I place is modified by the current/Last selected weapon mount? But I don't get much feedback to know what I Last selected, do I? The only clue is that after I have chosen the weapon it has an "L" for Large (and presumably "M" for Massive or whatever)?

6. Yes, that might be it. You mean: if I was there a while ago and it was empty it still shows up on my list of empties, but if someone has since colonized it the "+" gets removed? So even if the list says there's a colonziable planet for me it might not be empty by the time I get there? That could easily be what is going on.

7. A new question, since you're so helpful. I don't think I can get my mine sweepers to sweep? Am I right in saying that once I have entered a square where enemy mines were that square has a blue square round it with something like an "M" in it? But if I pick a sweeper and the "sweep mines" icon and send it to that square nothing seems to happen: no more mines maybe? If I put a mine sweeper in a fleet will it auto-sweep for me as the fleet enters a square? I'm losing too many valuable ships to mines!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jubala:
Always glad to please. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

4. I haven't played MOO2 so I don't know how it works there, but in SE4 the mounts go for all direct fire weapons, ie beams and torps. Missiles and point defense are not affected by mounts. You can have weapons of different mountsize on the same ship if you want to, just change the mount before you put them on. Useful sometimes when you can't get anymore of the biggest mounts to fit but a smaller one will.

6. That's probably because of the fact the colonizable/breathable/empty routine still thinks the planet is empty but because of a small oversight by the programmers (or a minor bug) the little star dissapear when the planet is occupied even though you technically don't know it's occupied. I hope that makes sense. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif As for seeing stuff in systems you don't have a presence, that's probably because someone you have a partnership with has a presence. You see all they see and vice versa.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Re: A newbie writes:
 

7) The mine sweeping button is misleading. It is used to sweep mines that may have been laid in your sector by enemy ships maybe during a combat while the minelayer was killed. You would rarely ever use it (I never have found a use for it since the Last patch that made mines laid in combat reload after battle) because it for some reason won't move ships into a known mine area with this command (this just seems wrong to me http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon9.gif ). Ships will sweep mines if you just send them into that sector no special command is needed. However if there are more mines than your sweepers can sweep then your ships will be damaged or destroyed until all the mines are gone.

[This message has been edited by Tomgs (edited 28 January 2001).]

A newbie writes:
 

Newbie, who has been playing one game of SEIV (Version 1.19) for a while, has a sundry selection of things he does not understand (in no particular order) and would be obliged for any clarifications. If I get any answers I may post some further questions here.

1. I don't really understand climate control. I presume it's just improving "Conditions" (e.g. does not alter atmosphere)? What effect does this have --- increased happiness/max. population/growth rate/build rate/facility spaces? What difference does happiness make, other than not rioting? And if I've built a climate control, can I destruct it after whatever has increased, or would that put me back to start? Does anything increase facility spaces, or is that just a function of planet size?

2. If a planet is storing mines, I know once it launches them, rather than transferring them to a mine layer, they cannot be recovered from space. If I do not want to put them on a ship, is there any point in not launching them as soon as they are built? If they are stored, could I wait and launch them in combat? But would that do anything, and wouldn't the enemy ships thereby have avoided being exploded when they first entered the planet's square?

3. I send a ship to a remote system, via several of my systems which have squares with yards. If I was moving it manually I would have it visit these planets to resupply on the way. I don't think the computer's movement does that for me? Do I really have to do it manually or plot waypoints if I need this?

4. I don't really understand weapon mounts --- haven't used them. How do you cause/know a weapon to have other than normal mount? Is this why some opponents' weapons have an "L" (for Large mount) written on them?

5. I have discovered some new technology. I have figured to create a new design using this (if I use "Upgrade" I have to change the design name to append a "2" or whatever, unless it's only a prototype, in which case I can "Edit" instead, right? A bit annoying, but I guess existing ships have a "pointer" to the original design?). Am I right in thinking all my existing ships *and* units (e.g. mines) stay in their old design whatever I do? I have just discovered ReCycle|RetroFit --- is this how I upgrade existing ships to the new design?

6. My race likes Rock + Oxygen. Colonizable planets which fit this have green "+" (or red if wrong atmosphere). But there are planets in some systems which show up as fitting this and are uninhabited but don't have any "+". Why not? Are they still colonizable?

That'll do for now.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

1. Planetary conditions affect population growth rate. Once it's up to optimal you can scrap the facility.

2. Mines are no use to you in combat. Launch them once they are built unless you want to launch them someplace else, like a warp point.

3. Yes, you have to manually tell it to visit the resuply depots.

4. When designing ships there's a button labeled weapon mounts to the right. There you choose your mount based on the size of the ship your designing. I suggest using this because if you don't you'll get your head handed to you by those who do.

5. Upgrading a design creates a new design on which all components that can be replaced with newer components are replaced with newer components. Already existing ships of the old design are not affected. To upgrade exisitng ships to the new design get them to a shipyard and retrofit them. Units can not be upgraded.

6. Not sure what you mean, but if you have no scan in a system with a oxygen/rock planet and that planet is colonized by someone else you will not see the little star.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

4. Just above the component window a text appears telling you what mount is currently selected.

6. Excatly.

7. Just fleshing out Tomgs Last sentence a little: If there are more mines then your sweepers can sweep then your ships will be damaged or destroyed until all the mines or all your ships are gone.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

OK, since you're being so helpful...

Conditions, Value, Population, Growth, Happiness, and structures which improve them --- what's the precise relationship? What do I get out of building my plebs a Climate Control or a Pacification Center? Is the maximum number of permitted facilities dependent on an unchangeable planet size?

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jon Brave:
OK, since you're being so helpful...

Conditions, Value, Population, Growth, Happiness, and structures which improve them --- what's the precise relationship? What do I get out of building my plebs a Climate Control or a Pacification Center? Is the maximum number of permitted facilities dependent on an unchangeable planet size?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

First, it is important to understand that you get production bonuses based on the population level. For example, I think it is 5% at 100 million on up to 40% (I think?) at 1000 million, etc. So, you want a large population so you can build ships faster.

With that in mind, the conditions on a planet seem to affect the population growth. I have never paid any attention except to note that with deadly conditions my growth is zero. I think some folks have said that deadly conditions can cause your population to drop.

If you research Planet Utilization, you get the Climate Improvement Facility which improves the climate conditions by 1, 2 or 3% per year. (A year is 10 turns) We don't know various percentages on the different descriptions of conditions so I don't know how you would know if the planet's conditions have improved much.

Your race's happiness is determined by the type of race you pick. The types equate to aggressive, neutral and passive. Aggressive races are more happy with wars, neutral are more happy with nothing (made unhappy by change?), and passive more happy with peace treaties. I don't really understand this as well as some of the smart folks who play this game. I largely ignore it. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

If your population is happy, you get a production bonus. If they go so unhappy that they riot, you don't get any production at all. Newly conquered planets are more likely to be unhappy with you and move towards rioting. You can fix this by building facilities such as an Urban Pacification Center I, II or III in the system. Or, you can station troops on the planet and/or?? put a fleet in orbit. Once again, in most of my games, this doesn't impact things much, and I don't worry about it.

The maximum number of facilities is based on planet size and the atmosphere type. If your race breathes oxygen, and you build a colony on a world with an oxygen atmosphere, you get the full number of facilities for the planet type. They are:
Tiny - 5
Small - 10
Medium - 15
Large - 20
Huge - 25
If you don't breathe the atmosphere, you are stuck in domes and lose the use of 80% of th e planet. Thus, you would only get: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 for tiny through huge planets respectively.

You can gain the full use of atmosphere types you don't breathe by either conquering a race that breathes that atmosphere. Transport, for example, hydrogen breathers to a hydrogen world and transport them to the planet. Now, transport your oxygen breathers to your transport ship. Voila! The dome is gone, and you get full use of the planet. This is far and away the quickest way to do this.

Alternatively, you can research WAY up the Planet Utilization tech tree to get Atmosphere Modification Plants I, II or III which convert the atmosphere to a breathable type over 3.0, 2.5 or 2.0 years. The facility takes about 5 turns to build, I think I recall.

In an earlier post, you saw planets that didn't have either a green plus or red plus next to them. I think maybe you were seeing oxygen atmosphered worlds that weren't rock worlds. There are three different types of worlds: rock, ice and gas giant. You start the game with only one of the three techs and have to research, trade or steal the other two. There are five atmosphere types:
Oxygen, Hydrogen, Methane, Carbon Dioxide and none.

If you are an oxygen breather and you only have rock colonization tech, you should see the following for these worlds:

Type - Atmosphere - Symbol
Gas - Oxygen - none
Rock - Oxygen - Green Plus
Rock - Methane - Red Plus
Rock - Hydrogen - Red Plus
Ice - Oxygen - none
Ice - Methane - none

Hope that helps. Ask as many questions as you like. Workin' on my Sergeant's stripes, ya know. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

P.S. Did you know that you can customize the way ships look? You can make them look like Star Wars, or Babylon Five, or Star Trek, etc... (Not on this thread, but can't fail to mention my favourite feature!)

Re: A newbie writes:
 

One other note it takes years for climate control facilities to have any effect. On good and mild planets I have seen them turn to Optimal after 6 to 10 years but unpleasatnt worlds in that time haven't even changed to mild. I am using a nature shrine in my current game (It has the same effects as the climate control and the Urban pacification center systemwide) I am 10 years into the game and none of my unpleasant worlds have gotten better at all.
Atmosphere modification facilities on the other hand work pretty fast 2-3 years. So conditions are probably on a 100 point scale since 30 points doesn't even change its state.
I believe conditions go Deadly, Harsh (only asteroids or planets damaged by events or war), Unpleasant (Why would a homeworld be unpleasant and other worlds in the galaxy have better conditions than your homeworld? Maybe pollution?), Mild, Good, and Optimal.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

I've never been on a planet that was less than unpleasant. How do they get to deadly? Anyway, you lose 3% growth from optimal to good, and 2% for each level below that, from what I've seen.

I wouldn't be surprised if planets only show unpleasant while having some lower value. If they were capped at unpleasant, you wouldn't see a change in the conditions until they actually made their way internally up to unpleasant, and then to mild. I don't know if this is the case, but it seems possible.

If you want to know the guts of what things do, look in the data directory at the settings. Most of the info is somewhere in there.

The bonus to construction and production is 5% at 100M, 10% at 500M, 20% at 1000M, and an additional 10% for each 1000M beyond that, up to 90% for 8000M. You'll also get +100% for 10B if you stick that many ppl on a ringworld or sphereworld.

-Drake

[This message has been edited by Drake (edited 30 January 2001).]

Re: A newbie writes:
 

There've been a couple Posts about tweaking the production modifiers for population levels (to give even higher bonuses for those ringworlds and sphereworlds). I'll see if I can bump them back to the top of the forum http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif

Also, happiness affects production too; I think there's a 20% bonus for Jubilant (usually spelled "Jubiliant" in the game, but I think they're fixing it in the next patch), and steadily decreasing bonuses for the other happiness levels. I think angry actually has a production penalty (-5% or -10%), but I'm not certain. I think you also get a reproduction increase for higher happiness levels.

Oh - and the only time I've seen Deadly conditions is as the result of an Intel operation (or one of those "Random Events").

Re: A newbie writes:
 

It's my experiance that game does'nt mark rocky (maybe ice world) worlds orbiting larger worlds.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by alasyr:
It's my experiance that game does'nt mark rocky (maybe ice world) worlds orbiting larger worlds.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

yep, as far as colonies go for the +'s and the flags, only the top item on a stack gets marked. this is a good way to hide things from humans if you colonize a moon that is orbiting a pile of asteroids (ie from a destroyed system or planet)

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Puke:
yep, as far as colonies go for the +'s and the flags, only the top item on a stack gets marked. this is a good way to hide things from humans if you colonize a moon that is orbiting a pile of asteroids (ie from a destroyed system or planet)
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You make a very good point.

When you are systematically annihilating an enemy system, don't forget to check every planet in the stack. I can't tell you how many times I've thought I destroyed an empire only to check the score and find they still have one or two planets left. Then begins the long search to see where you might have missed something...

Re: A newbie writes:
 

OK, again everybody has been very helpful.

To summarise:
* more population =&gt; more production
* better conditions =&gt; more population growth
* happiness =&gt; more production

Seems to me then that if a planet has reached max. pop. there's no longer any point in improving conditions as this only leads to more growth, not more production? (Unless of course you're intending to ship people off in future).

I have built climate improvers but not noticed any difference in conditions report. People point out this takes years, and I keep forgetting a year is 10 turns, not one. And you can't see the percentage it's reached. So I guess they're probably working, but slowly.

First part of Planet Util. delivers climate improvers (more growth), next part delivers atmosphere changers (more max. pop.) and Last part delivers resource value increments (more extraction) --- right?

Why should I bother with biological weapons or climate harmers? By the time I've managed to get my bombers close enough to a planet without getting shredded, I just bomb (napalm?) them out of existence. Am I missing a useful feature here?

It has been said that happiness depends on your initial race's "orientation". My colonies seem to vary from Indifferent to Jubiliant [sic]. I haven't done any conquering (just originally empty planets); no special events. So why the difference? And is there anything I can build that would improve this? For example, is an Urban Pac. Centre only for really miserable planets or planets you have conquered or have mixed pops? If I want all my plebs to be really happy with me what do I have to do?

My earlier question about lack of "+" symbols on Rock + Oxygen worlds (I'm a Rock + Oxygen) *appears* to be that I can't see the system at present, and since I Last saw it someone else has colonized it. My confusion came from the fact that the list of habitable/breathable/empty planets still shows these; presumably it's only updated at the time you see the world properly. That's fine, I just didn't understand it.

If I get helpful answers to these there's always more to come --- you guys are great!

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by raynor:
[B}When you are systematically annihilating an enemy system, don't forget to check every planet in the stack. I can't tell you how many times I've thought I destroyed an empire only to check the score and find they still have one or two planets left. Then begins the long search to see where you might have missed something...[/b]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


When I do that (genocide thing), I make sure the system I'm in does not have a triangle over it in the Galaxy view window. If you can't see anything in the system view and there is a little blue triangle (on the system you're in) in the galaxy window, there's still something there....

Re: A newbie writes:
 

Jon:

You're close: it's condition improvers, then resource improvers, then atmosphere converters.

As for happiness: it depends on your "happiness type". Oddly, for "neutral" races, just colonizing a new planet decreases happiness. They also don't like treaties, unusual events, building warships (I think), enemy colonies in "your" systems, basically anything that doesn't involve sitting around contemplating their navels. "Peaceful" types get happy about new colonies, new treaties, etc. and unhappy about wars, enemy ships, other races' (whether enemy or ally) colonies in one of "your" systems, etc. Finally, "Bloodthirsty" types get upset about treaties, new colonies, other races' (whether enemy or ally) colonies in "your" systems and they get happy about wars, destroying enemy ships and colonies, etc.

This is just a small sample of what goes into happiness; read the various "AI_Anger" files (in the AI directory; I think aggressive=bloodthirsty, defensive=peaceful and neutral=neutral) for more information.

And build an Urban Pac. Center in EVERY system (I'm pretty sure it's a system-wide effect, so you don't need one on every planet). If you use the Temporal technology trait, use the "Temporal Vacation Center" instead; if you use the Deeply Religious trait, I think you can use one of the shrines. They may not be better than the Urban Pac. Center, but since you'd be researching the racial technology anyway, it saves you from researching Psychology as well.

At least that's how I play, and my planets stay "Jubiliant" (they're fixing this typo in the next patch - although it's been around since SE3). I find that if I don't build a happiness facility, my populations eventually get less and less happy. Not to mention that conquered races STAY unhappy, and frequently end up rioting.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

rdouglass, raynor: yeah, I have that problem too. The Ukra-Tal are really sneaky about that - I've found them on LOTS of moons. I first figured it out the same way rdouglass did; I looked at the galaxy map and realized there was a triangle in the system, even though all I saw were MY ships. Then I found those sneaky Ukra-tal on a couple of moons... unfortunately for them... hehehehe

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:

And build an Urban Pac. Center in EVERY system (I'm pretty sure it's a system-wide effect, so you don't need one on every planet). If you use the Temporal technology trait, use the "Temporal Vacation Center" instead; if you use the Deeply Religious trait, I think you can use one of the shrines. They may not be better than the Urban Pac. Center, but since you'd be researching the racial technology anyway, it saves you from researching Psychology as well.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nice explination, but you forgot the Med Labs (in Organic Tech). Those are cool in the sense that they increase happines AND cure plagues system wide based on their level. IE ML I cures Level 1 plagues, MD II cures Level 2 plagues, etc.

And Yes, I too found out about the triangles the hard way - had to backtrack my "expansion" to eliminate a fleet that had "popped out of nowhere" from a base hidden on a moon and glassed a few of my newer colonies.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

Good catch, rdouglass. I never use organic, so I forget about their facilities. Although now that you mention it, I remember reading someplace that they don't have as much of an effect on happiness as an Urban Pac Center (probably to make up for the fact that they prevent plagues).

My condolences on the fleet that came from nowhere. I hate those moon colonies...

Re: A newbie writes:
 

I did a little more research:

Religious tech: Fate shrine I/II/III. Lowers bad event chance (-10%/-20%/-30%), lowers bad intel chance (-10%/-20%/-30%), increases happiness (+1/+2/+3).

Organic: Medical Lab I/II/III. Improves reproduction (+1%/+1%/+1%), prevents plagues (1/2/3), increases happiness (+1/+1/+1). Note that the reproduction and happiness benefits don't increase with the level of Medical Lab.

Standard tech: Urban Pacification Center I/II/III. Increases happiness (+1/+2/+3).

Temporal: Temporal Vacation Service I/II/III: Increases happiness (+2/+4/+6). Note the high happiness bonuses. No wonder I like using Temporal tech in my games...

Re: A newbie writes:
 

Are the increases from an Organic Med lab and the UPC cumulative?

Re: A newbie writes:
 

lwmweb: not certain. I don't even know if they're supposed to be cumulative. All the descriptions say "Only one facility per system is effective" but I don't know if that means only one "Temporal Vacation Service" facility will work per system or if it means only one facility that affects happiness (of any origin) will work per system. I'm fairly confident that a facility only affects the empire that built the facility; otherwise, the various combat-enhancing facilities would be useless...

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:
lwmweb: not certain. I don't even know if they're supposed to be cumulative. All the descriptions say "Only one facility per system is effective" but I don't know if that means only one "Temporal Vacation Service" facility will work per system or if it means only one facility that affects happiness (of any origin) will work per system. I'm fairly confident that a facility only affects the empire that built the facility; otherwise, the various combat-enhancing facilities would be useless...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It means only one system-wide ability per system is allowed. That means that UPC and Medical Facility are not cumulative.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

DirectorTsaarx

What's a "navel"? Anything to do with a navy? :-)

Re: A newbie writes:
 

For system modifying facilities, the game will use the bonus from the facility with the best modifier. If you have gestation vats II and build a med lab, you'll get the warning message, but that's only in relation to the growth increase. It'll count the growth increase from the vats, since that would be 2% in this case, and you'll get the 1% happiness bonus from the lab.

Actually, happiness bonuses from facilities aren't the same as a percentage increase like when creating your race, but you get the idea...

-Drake



[This message has been edited by Drake (edited 31 January 2001).]

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jon Brave:
DirectorTsaarx

What's a "navel"? Anything to do with a navy? :-)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

i thought it was the thing you had to unscrew to get your butt to come off http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif


maybe it has do do with a navey http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon12.gif


[This message has been edited by Puke (edited 31 January 2001).]

Re: A newbie writes:
 

Actually, I thought navel was a kind of orange. Which would mean the artisan races should spend lots of time contemplating their navels - and then creating still-life paintings of them... http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/ima...ons/icon10.gif

The thing you unscrew to make your butt fall off. What an ancient joke. Oh, and in case someone didn't get it, a navel is a bellybutton. Which, according to the ancient joke referenced previously, is there to keep your butt attached. (By the way, anyone see the Simpsons episode where Homer ate so much at a carnival that his bellybutton changed from an "innie" to an "outie"?)

All right, we now return you to your regularly scheduled topic. Sorry for the almost-funny interruption.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

Uuh, I'm getting to used to speak english, it took some time before I got what navel is. (I was about to write that Last in Swedish! I need a brake...)

Re: A newbie writes:
 

OK, back to topic.

What about these 3 points from a previous post I'd still like answered, please?

Seems to me then that if a planet has reached max. pop. there's no longer any point in improving conditions as this only leads to more growth, not more production? (Unless of course you're intending to ship people off in future).

Why should I bother with biological weapons or climate harmers? By the time I've managed to get my bombers close enough to a planet without getting shredded, I just bomb (napalm?) them out of existence. Am I missing a useful feature here?

It has been said that happiness depends on your initial race's "orientation". My colonies seem to vary from Indifferent to Jubiliant [sic]. I haven't done any conquering (just originally empty planets); no special events. So why the difference? And is there anything I can build that would improve this? For example, is an Urban Pac. Centre only for really miserable planets or planets you have conquered or have mixed pops? If I want all my plebs to be really happy with me what do I have to do?

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jon Brave:
OK, back to topic.

Why should I bother with biological weapons or climate harmers? By the time I've managed to get my bombers close enough to a planet without getting shredded, I just bomb (napalm?) them out of existence. Am I missing a useful feature here?
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yeah, if you kill the people off with biological weapons, you get to keep the facilities. aint war hell?

Re: A newbie writes:
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jon Brave:
What about these 3 points from a previous post I'd still like answered, please?

Seems to me then that if a planet has reached max. pop. there's no longer any point in improving conditions as this only leads to more growth, not more production? (Unless of course you're intending to ship people off in future).

Why should I bother with biological weapons or climate harmers? By the time I've managed to get my bombers close enough to a planet without getting shredded, I just bomb (napalm?) them out of existence. Am I missing a useful feature here?

It has been said that happiness depends on your initial race's "orientation". My colonies seem to vary from Indifferent to Jubiliant [sic]. I haven't done any conquering (just originally empty planets); no special events. So why the difference? And is there anything I can build that would improve this? For example, is an Urban Pac. Centre only for really miserable planets or planets you have conquered or have mixed pops? If I want all my plebs to be really happy with me what do I have to do?

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1) Moving population is one of the keys to production bonuses. Hopefully the patch will help the AI do this better. This is a very important micromanagement way to outproduce your enemies.

2) Try invading or even (horrors) asking them to surrender (if this doesn't make the game too easy for you). That way you get all the production and the population to micromanage as in step 1 above.

3) Many of the happiness adding and subtracting events are system or sector dependant so even if your population as a whole has the same happiness type the same events haven't happened to all of them. Urban pacification centers are great for all your systems. There is one racial facility that is better the temporal vacation center.
If you plan on capturing alien planets a facility that increases happiness is a must.

Re: A newbie writes:
 

I never use climate harmers. I'm either going to bomb the planet into the stone age or invade it. I don't see much sense in harming a planet you might invade or *just* harming the climate of a planet instead of destroying it.

When invading a planet, I find it much easier to use conventional weapons to destroy its WEP's only and then invade it. ...I move population around quite a bit.

I *guess* biological weapons are fast enough attacking tiny and small worlds. But they kill so few millions of colonists each combat round that I can't imagine using them to attack, for example, a huge colony with a full 2000 M colonists. I thought that my best bio bomber was only killing maybe 40 M each turn at the most?

Re: A newbie writes:
 

Another thing to note is that all new colonies start off as "Jubiliant". So an event that makes your old, established colony turn "Indifferent" may not be enough to make your brand-new colony leave the "Jubiliant" status.

IMO, it's still too easy for populations to get unhappy. I've taken to building a Temporal Vacation Service in every system. I find that if I don't, the populations become Indifferent over the course of a couple years (10-20 turns). Of course, part of the problem is that I have the "Peaceful" demeanor, but I'm at war with three races now. (And before someone suggests it, I LIKE making treaties, so choosing "Bloodthirsty" demeanor would cause similar problems when I'm NOT at war).