Those Ministers...
 

Greetings,

I think I read most of the things about the ministers and I experimented a little bit with them. There are a lot of things that are unclear and even contradictory. The few (and pretty good) tutorials (Dubious and the one in this msg board) did not really answered my questions. There are some things I still don't understand.

1 - If I don't turn on the repair minister, ships in the same place than a space yard or repair component (in a ship) will get repaired. Is it right?
2 - If I turn the repair minister and I have a ship damaged in a place where there is no space yard or repair component, The ship would leave the position and go to the nearest repair place. Is it right?
3 - I turned on the colony minister and nothing is happening with my colony ships. What must I do to make something happen automatically?
4 - The resupply minister. Anyone can tell me what it does and how to make it work? Frankly, I build a few ships with stellar harnessing components to gather supplies and join them to my fleets.
5 - Can you tell me when (stragetically), how (how to make them work) and why (The reason) you use any of the ministers?

Thank you

Re: Those Ministers...
 

I don't use ministers, frankly I don't trust the AI at all and prefer to do it all myself.

However I believe that you need to turn ministers on for individual ships before they'll do anything, even if the global minister is on.

Re: Those Ministers...
 

1. Yes

2. Likely, it may need to have individual minister for the ship on.

3. Definitely needs the individual minister for the ship on, also the minister is controled by AI state, so it may not give colonization a high priority, this is rare, but possible. It should go to a high priority empty planet, soon.

4. If this minister is on, it always works. Even if the individual minister for the ship is turned off. At precisely the half supply mark, the ship turns around to the nearest resupply depot. The resupply minister doesn't do what you expect, combining supply ships with fleets for example.

5. Here's something fun, I've mentioned it before. Turn on all ministers, except one. Now you control one aspect of the game, and have to deal with beaurocratic incompetance in every other aspect.

You can be the Visionary scientist(Research) and hope people use your new inventions to the best effect, Mad Engineer (Ship Design) but you use the tech that they give you, or use complete AI on and you just take over one fleet, and try to serve your empire, as the AI declares war around you, researches Drones and loads them onto carriers, and recalls your fleet constantly for refuel/refit.

Re: Those Ministers...
 

Arkcon, your suggestion for 5 is probably my favorite way to play SE4 against the computer. I also like taking control of just one fleet.

PvK

Re: Those Ministers...
 

My suggestion to you regarding ministers is to line them up against a wall and execute them all.

Re: Those Ministers...
 

Regarding 3: there is a setting in Empire Options (under [F11] Empire Status) which automatically puts all newly built ships under minister control.

[edit] It might be on the Ministers screen, actually. I haven't looked at it in a long time.

Re: Those Ministers...
 

I agree! I never use ministers except for occasionally the transport minister but even that, I usually end up turning him off because he's not doing a good job. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Those Ministers...
 

Hey, i never tought about this, i´m trying it now and it´s fun!
I Emergency built an Base Yard in the first turn and turned all the ministers ON, and only controlled this Base Yard and the ships that i built in it and it´s fun to try helping your empire...
To add more a challenge i limited myself to build hulls one size less than the most advanced of my empire, i also create my own designs (but i do not influence the research in any way, and the Ministers build with their own designs), and every time the ministers discover a new hull size i get control of all AI ships with 2 hull sizes below of the newly discoverd hull size...

It is fun, specially if you pick a warmongering race that declares war against everyone...

Re: Those Ministers...
 

found a strange thing: the AI (both my empire and the Ai empires) are designing and using ships with more than 6 engines..... what gives?

Re: Those Ministers...
 

You must have AI files designed for a QNP mod of some sort.