Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

I've colonized a few out-system tiny (red plus) planets when they've had ancient artifacts on them.

What facility would you build there?
Would you abandon that planet once you have the tech or does it pay to stick around in the event a colonizable ability reveals another ruin planet in that system?

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Resupply Depots
System Wide Facilites
Drop off points for units, (to be picked up by other ships)
Unit Production
Ship or Fleet Training Facilites, (though it is best to have both of these on the same planet)
Bunch of other uses

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Extremely High Tech

- Build an Atmosphear Converter, wait 3-2 years, and build the stuff you want when it becomes breathable

High Tech

- Build one of those System-wide Facilities you want for your system to save that valuable facil space for your other planets

Medium Tech

- Resupply or a Space Yard Planet for a Moon or something.

Low Tech

- Get all you can out of it.

High in Minerals - Mineral Facil
High in Organics - Farm
High in Radioactives - Refining Facil
Nothing - Research Facil

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Why would anyone waste a perfectly good planet like that? Second time I've seen people considering abandoning a planet just because it only has one slot..

Phoenix-D

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Research and build troops. Go invade someone who breathes the atmosphere of the tiny planet. Transport conquered population to the outpost. Work their alien butts off.

Another option: build a space yard. Build a base space yard. Scrap the planetary space yard and build something in its place. Now you can build ships at that planet (albeit more slowly) with something else in the planet's facility slot.

Usually I just put a space yard on tiny unbreathables, just so the planet can build ships in time of need. (Hey, if you've got the resources to support all those space yards, might as well put then to good use!)

Quikngruvn

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeesh... while they might not be the same priority level as larger worlds, tiny worlds are still WORLDS. Once you build something there, even a lone mineral extraction facility, you get the output at no maintenance cost forever more. What could be wrong with that? And yes, once you have the tech you can build an atmosphere converter and get more space. Or you can enslave some aliens that breathe the atmosphere and move them there. This is both much cheaper and quicker. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

The only reason I can see to abandon a tiny world is if you want to use remote mining. You can get much more output from a tiny world using a large base full of remote extraction components than you can even with atmosphere conVersion or a native-breather race. With a starbase you can get something like 20 times as much! But that's going to reduce the value of the world if you haven't changed the setting that controls remote mining.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">you can change that? how?

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">you can change that? how?</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">In SETTINGS.TXT like most things:

Remote Mining Decreases Asteroid Value := FALSE

This affects planets, too.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

hmm, i looked through that file a couple of times, must've missed it...

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

First a caveat: I'm an utter newbie at SE4, really just been fooling around with things for a bit so far. But I've noted at least one eventual use for single-facility-space worlds, if they are moons of a larger world. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

For those tiny, one-space (airless?) moons of an otherwise-potentially-useful world, consider Fleet or Ship training facilities. As far as I have been able to tell, while only one (say) Ship Training facility per world is useful, in the event a sector has multiple worlds ... the effects do stack (one per world, not one per sector, see?). Got a planet with two moons? One ship trainer per moon, and a ship trainer on the planet itself ... and *poof* instant +3%, +6%, or even +9% net training per turn (depending on the level of the facilities you can/do build, of course).

Once you have level III facilities, put one of each on the planet and a fleet centre on one moon, a ship centre on the other (totalling two facilities of each type, in that sector). +6% fleet / +6% ship training per turn. With Psychic technology, and each level III psychic training facility available somewhere in that system, that becomes 9% apiece, per turn; two turns to near-maximum training (sans combat experience, ofc) ... all with two single-space moons, and a two-space planet. More than that, is IMO pure gravy.

With Atmosphere ConVersion technology, you can eventually manage 9% (12% with Psychic technology) per-turn training in each of Fleets and Ships anywhere you have two small moons around one larger planet (~5 spaces apiece is all it takes) -- and three shipyards on top of each other.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Well, my 2d is more or less repeating what's been said already, but oh well. In brief: 1 &gt; 0.

I prefer to use my domed tinies as SYs; with some BSYs and orbital cargo bases, these planets can pack quite a punch. If you've got decent storage, you can also mothball ships as they come off the line and save them for a rainy day.

About the only exception to the SY rule is if the planet happens to be on a path between WPs. Then, I build a resupply depot, which saves some of the micromanagement. Not that I mind micromanagement; I just like to choose what to spend my time on. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

If I run across a tiny with &gt;130% in one resource, I usually put the appropriate extraction fac on it.

The training fac idea with two moons is a nice one; I'll have to put it into use in some PBW games here pretty quick. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

pax: wow. hats off to you for thinking of that one! i would never have thought of stacking training facilities.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Trade to AI(or player!)
Destroy,rebuild
population housing.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Two words:
Colonize everything!

Any planet is useful. Never leave a world uncolonized.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

The 3X ship/fleet training is quite a useful trick to use with dual-moon worlds. I normally play vaccuum breathers, and when I find one of those, I build a PSY, Ship Training, and Fleet Training on all three. Main planet also has Resupply depot, and is filled out with whatever else is useful. Moons are filled out with Cargo Facilities. I'll have somewhere between 5-25 BSYs in orbit and the planets have shield-heavy WPs (ie, 1xComputer;1xPDC;1xCSM;13xShield).

It's really nice when I find one where all three are Atmosphere: None. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

As for all the others, I'll at least colonize them just for a single research facility. Or, if it's between warps or fairly close, a resupply depot.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

1 can become 6 if you set the game up right and did the proper research.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

High Griffin: your answer to my query begs another:

I have seen reference to Fleet Training using empty orbiting ships. In MOO2 - there are special facilities that can be built for such purposes. I haven't seen these (yet) in the Research queue.

Question 2: name a 'system-wide' facility. A Research facility perhaps?

Question 3: which now brings up another question. Does a Research Facility on a 'Ruin Planet' get extra points?

[ July 06, 2002, 14:27: Message edited by: Elowan ]

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Question 1: Study Military Theory, and then Advanced Military Theory. You will become able to build Ship Training and Fleet Trainign facilities (in levels I, II, and III each). One each per world only, they add their level each turn to any an all of the proper unit type's "Experience" rating, to a maximum of 20% (more must come only from combat). You CAN have one of each on a world, in which case the fleet AND EACH SHIP INSIDE IT would gain the proper bonus.

Question 2: for example, "System Robotoid Factory" -- functions similar to a Robotoid Factory of similar level (I, II, or III) for every planet in that system, and ... it stacks with the single-planet-only Robotoid factory. Only one system-wide of each facility will work (though you CAN build more, to guard against losing the bonus if you only one catches an enemy fleet, for example). With both Robotoid Factory III and System Robotoid Factory III, that's a net +60% to each of Minerals, Organics, and Radioactives production. Since the System Robotoid Factory would affect worlds it is NOT built on, that is a very good use of one-facility-only worlds: boost the MANY-facility worlds in the same system.

Question 3: No. Ruins "pop" when the world is first colonised, giving you an instant, not to mention free, level of one technology field or another -- often a field you could not research directly. Then the ruins are gone.

One trick is, if you know of a Ruins planet in an area you cannot hold onto for long -- send a small (1M population) colony mission there. colonise the world, "pop" the ruins ... and then abandon the planet. You get the Ruins' tech, noone else does, and you leave no target behind to be shot at.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Abandon the world and leave no target behind to be shot at? Why not keep it and get something out of it - and have an extra target to absorb attacks that might normally be directed at more useful worlds!

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Pax: if I have the neural net on my ships, will the training/experience translate to all ships from the ships trained at the training facility?

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

It's really nice when I find one where all three are Atmosphere: None. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Try my Quadrant Mod, and you can get planets with 4 moons. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Much more effecient than a paltry 2 moons. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Pax: if I have the neural net on my ships, will the training/experience translate to all ships from the ships trained at the training facility?

All of the ships need Neural Combat Nets. You can have one ship with 40 exp, and 500 ships with 0 exp. If they all have combat nets, then they all act as if they had 40 exp. They do not get 40 exp, but they get the increased defense and offense bonuses. I think they have to be in a fleet to share the exp, but I am not positive. If only half of the inexperienced ships have Nets, then only they will get the bonus. The other ships will not. If the unexperienced ships have Nets, but the experienced ones do not, then they will not get the exp bonus.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

"One trick is, if you know of a Ruins planet in an area you cannot hold onto for long -- send a small (1M population) colony mission there. colonise the world, "pop" the ruins ... and then abandon the planet. You get the Ruins' tech, noone else does, and you leave no target behind to be shot at."

Wouldn't it be more entertaining to build a bunch of fighters or mines or a WP? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Roadblock..at least for a little while.

Or just let them glass it; no huge deal. It's only if the planet gets captured that the problems can pop up (your population can be quite useful to other races)

Phoenix-D

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I'm pretty sure that System and Planet bonus facilities do not stack anymore. At least they're not in my current v1.49 game...

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

You don't see the system-wide bonus on the planet's description.

You will see it in your budget, though.
Add up your production, and compare it to the reported amount in your empire window.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was thinking of sending in cloaked colonisers a bit far from your own lines (IOW too far out to provide realistic support after the fact). Drop, grab the world, get the tech, abandon it -- MAYBE before anyone notices you were really there. IF you're lucky. 8)

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

A lot of people felt this 'easter egg hunt' mentaliy was spoiling the game. That's why the frequency of ruins was cut back, and why the option to disable ruins was added.

I would much prefer that there be no visible clue from space that a planet contains ruins. Then you'd get a pleasant surprise once in a while without this 'race for the prize' effect. I wonder if MM could be presuaded to add a 'hidden ruins' option along with the 'disable ruins' option already available? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">With themselves or with each other? They do still stack with each other. I can see the effect when I build a system robotoid factory or computer complex. But they haven't stacked with themselves since a very early patch. MM decided it was too unrealistic to be able to build a handful of mines and then stuff the planet with robotoid factories for 10,000 percent modifiers.. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ July 07, 2002, 06:09: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">OOOOO, now there's an idea!

Or better yet, rather than discovering the ruins upon colonising the world, maybe make the discovery of alien ruins a RANDOM EVENT. The more worlds you are present on, the higher your chance of benefitting from such an event (more worlds to have that slim chance ON, etc, etc).

Also IMO, finding the ruins should allow you to RESEARCH the tech yourself, not give it to you whole. That way, if a given set of ruins offers, oh ... "Massive Shield Depleters" ... you still have to have your scientists figure the artifacts OUT before you can actually *build* them. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Also IMO, finding the ruins should allow you to RESEARCH the tech yourself, not give it to you whole. That way, if a given set of ruins offers, oh ... "Massive Shield Depleters" ... you still have to have your scientists figure the artifacts OUT before you can actually *build* them.

You can mod that. Have it give you level 1 in the field, and allow other tech to be researched from it. The researchable tech might have to be "normal" with the unique tech as a prerequisite. I don't know if finding a unique ruin allows you to research into that field if there are multiple levels.

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I LIKE this idea!!!

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

Well, for every person willing to speak up there are probably ten more who agree. If you people would send email to MM he could probably introduce a simple change like this for the next patch. All he has to do is not change the planet description or show the little 'stone henge' icon when a planet has ruins.

[ July 07, 2002, 15:23: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: Are single facility planets useful for anything other than \'bookmarks\' (waypoints?)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is what I am doing in my mod. I have removed the "Massive" components and set up more powerful Versions of regular components, then set the ancient ruins to give you the ability to research the better components and facilities. It would be a nice addition to be able to "hide" the ruins though.