Frequently Asked Questions for Newbies

[Slick]

Ruatha: let me know if you need/want help formatting and placing the Q&A entries below.

[Ruatha]

Originally posted by Slick:
Ruatha: let me know if you need/want help formatting and placing the Q&A entries below.

Ok, will try to put them in later tonight,m will send you a PM later so taht you can "rearrange" it to a better way, you do have an organisatory skill!

[Ruatha]

Updated

[ March 03, 2003, 22:12: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

[Ruatha]

SLICK> Can you organize this?
I think you'll do a far better job than I would!

Originally posted by capnq:

quote:

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How can I get new empires onto an old Version of SEIV?

There's a section of the Mod Archives for "Classic mods (pre-Gold)" {link}. It has the Last pre-Gold Version of TDM (v2.00), plus the pre-Gold Version of my HypermazeLite mod. You should also check out the Old Scenario Archives {link} while they're still there.

You can also "reverse-engineer" Gold shipsets by using the conVersion instructions in my sig, but cutting the listed lines instead of copy & pasting them. You may also need to cut any entries for Drones in the AI's research & construction files; I've never tried converting backwards.

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Originally posted by Atrocities:
QUESTION

Is there a way to Save a Que and then Load it for another Planet?

ANSWER

1. Open either the Planet Que (Recommended) or the Construction Que.
2. If you opened the Construction Que, then select the desired Planet.
3. Fill the Planets Que with whatever you desire.
4. Then Click on the FILL QUE button fourth up from the bottom of the menu to the right.
5. Click ADD
6. Name your new Que and save it. (Good idea to include Facility number, ie 18 Storage, Or 20 Blattle Ship, etc)
7. Click Cancle to exit.
8. Next time you open the Planet Que of a new planet, Click on FILL QUE and choose the Que (you named them) that you desire.
9. Presto Your Planet Que is full.

Originally posted by capnq:

quote:

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Is there a way to Save a Que and then Load it for another Planet?

This is already in the FAQ, under Construction (section 4.4.6). It's spelled queue.

Is the list saved globally to be able to be used in any/all games or is it just for the current game?

Current game only. [Edit] Correction: Geo reports that (F2) Game Menu/Save Empire saves the queues as well.

Is the list static or dynamic regarding upgrades? i.e. Do I have to make another list when I research another facility upgrade or is the queue updated automatically?

Static, at least for ships and units; I'm not sure about facilities. Upgraded ships/units need a new saved queue.

Can I add ships or is it limited to facilities?

If you can build it, it can go in a saved queue.

If possible, what happens if an obsolete ship is called?

If the ship or unit is still shown on (F3) Designs when you turn off "Hide Obsolete", it will be inserted normally; if the obsolete design has already been purged, you get an error message: "We don't have the design for &ltitemName&gt."

Is there error checking if I try to build too many facilities?

Yes.

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Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
I don't know if this is in the FAQ already, but it should be:

When a facility has "only one per system/planet effective", it refers to the ability of the facility, not to that specific facility. Eg: A System Robotoid Factory III and a System Mineral Scanner III do not stack, because they use the same ability (to affect minerals production).

Originally posted by Atrocities:
Question
How do I build Space / Repair yard ships?

I have the medium transport chassis available but it seems when I choose the "Space Yard ship" vechicle type it demands I use 50% of my tonnage in cargo holds.

This leaves no component slots or available tonnage for a repair bay or a space yard component.

What am I missing?

Answer

1. You would need to use a cruiser or larger hull size. the combat vehicles do not require the cargo minimum that transport ships have.

1 a. You cannot use the transport ships for anything but hauling cargo or colonization. i would use the transport to make a multi habitat type colony ship instead.

2. In the default rules, space yard and repair bay components don't have the "Cargo Storage" ability. To fit them onto a transport hull like that you'll have to go into the components.txt and add the "Cargo Storage" ability (recommend using 0 for the amount) to each space yard and repair bay component. Otherwise, you'll have to use a standard hull big enough to hold them.

3. ...keyword in hull type being 'transport'. In the stock hull type, anything with 'transport' (small, med, large) has the 50% cargo requirement. The easy way 'round it is what Sinapus recommends: add the cargo ability to the component.

The stock game wants you to use 'em as transports and not support vessels 'cause of the tonnage available at the lower tech levels (vs. standard hulls).

Originally posted by Atrocities:
FOLLOW UP

Great info. I keep telling myself that I need to start doing this. A Few follow ups:

Question 1 - Is the list saved globally to be able to be used in any/all games or is it just for the current game?

Answer
For the game you use it in unless you save the empire your playing.

Question 2 - Is the list static or dynamic regarding upgrades? i.e. Do I have to make another list when I research another facility upgrade or is the queue updated automatically?

Answwer
I am not sure, but I think you have to manual update it. Good question. I will have to check.

Question 3 - Can I add ships or is it limited to facilities? If possible, what happens if an obsolete ship is called?

Answer
Yes you can add ships. As far as obsolete ships go, I believe it will add them any ways.

Question 4 - Is there error checking if I try to build too many facilities?

Answer
Yes, you will be given an error that your que has exceeded the amount of availible space. You just have to click OK a bunch of times to remove items.

Originally posted by Atrocities:

quote:

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Can I generate a game where I generate who the computer players are? And if so how?

Yes.

After starting SEIV,
1. Select NEW GAME
2. Click on the PLAYER SETTINGS tab.
3. At the bottom of this page choose the Racial Points for New Players. (2000, 3000, or 5000)
*I like to play with 5000 Racial Points.*
4. Click on the PLAYERS tab
(In this section you can either choose ADD EXSISTING or ADD NEW. The Exsisting Players are AI opponents that have already been set up and saved for use with new games. Add Player will allow you to set up a race the way you want.)

NOTE: Most new Ship sets come with Emp.Files that you can copy from the race directory to the Empires Folder. This will give you access to that race without having to manually set it up.

5. Click on the ADD NEW tab
Under GENERAL DETAILS tab you can choose the race you want. Additionally, you can give it an empire name, empire type, Emperor title, Emperor Name, choose a design name file, (For use with ship design names)

NOTE: If your new player is going to be computer controlled, then you will want to select both the Computer Controlled, and Use Race Minister Style option at the bottom of the General Details page.

6. Under the ENVIRONMENT tab you can select the atomsphere for the race, and the home planet type.

7. Under the CULTURE tab you can select the culture for the race.
(At the bottom of the page is a button for COMPARE CULTURE MODIFIERS. Click that to compare the advantages and disadvantages for each culture.)

8. Under the CHARACTERISTICS tab you can either increase or decrease values for the player.

9. Under the ADVANCED TRAITS tab you can select advanced traits for the player. (I often choose my advanced traits first then do the Characteristic. Remeber, for each of these you use, you will use up Racial Points. You can gain more racial points by decreaseing the Characterstics below a 100%, but not a good idea for playing the AI. Good idea for PBW games if its your race.)

10. Under the DESCRIPTION tab you can fill in the information about your race, and select Demeour, and Happyness Type.

11. After you have set up the race, click the CREATE EMPIRE button at the bottom of the page.

12. Select the empire you just created from the Players in Game window, and then click Save to File.

13. Click no for save with designs

14. Click NEW EMPIRE, name it, and then click OK.

You will have just saved that empire to the Empire Folder and it can now be accessed whenever you want to use it for a game.

After you have added your new races, start playing the game.

Befor you do though, make sure all of your game settings are to your liking. Have fun, and I hope this has helped.

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Originally posted by Atrocities:
QUESTION
Now for my next question. I'm confused about weapons platforms. Are they a facility for the planets? Can you transport them like to a wormhole and drop them off there?

How and where do I deploy them?

ANSWER

1. Weapon Platforms are defensive units for your planets.
You can add them to a transport, but they have no effect, until you drop them off at another Planet.

2. Weapons platforms are not a planet facility, but are listed in the cargo for the planet. So, particularly on small planets or ones with a different atmosphere than the race colonizing it, be careful of how many you put there.

In addition, weapons platform are listed by the number of a particular type. This can be a problem if you wish to replace older platforms or just make some space. You would have to dump all of one type. So if you want to keep some on the planet (of one weapons platform design), have a cargo ship or space station in orbit which can hold them!

NOTE: You can now just jettison a single WP even if you have multiples of that type on the planet. I think this was a Version 1.78 fix.

QUESTION

My next question:When you gut first start a game do you expand like mad or concentrate on your own system and then expand?

ANSWER

1. Expand like mad. Try to move population from your home system to other breathable planets to speed up the rate of expansion. Remember, the faster you expand, the less space for your enemies, and less space for your enemies, the faster you can exterminate them.

Originally posted by Atrocities:
QUESTION

nt to know what all the weapons and componets are in this game, their range, and type. Is there any way to find this out?

ANSWER

Weapons Report

Components Report

Weapon Families

Component Familes

[Quikngruvn]

Addendum to 6.8.3: A graphical representation of this table can be found here in this thread.

Ruatha, you may also want to add an empty line before the table headings, just so the table there is clearer.

(BTW, continued awesome work, guys!)

Quikngruvn

[Slick]

Originally posted by Ruatha:
SLICK> Can you organize this? ...

Working on it.

[Ruatha]

Originally posted by Slick:

quote:

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Originally posted by Ruatha:
SLICK> Can you organize this? ...

Working on it.

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Good!

[Slick]

General question: For links, should the FAQ stand alone with the information imported so that the whole thing can be saved off as a simple text file (and thus be much larger)

OR,

Should the FAQ have hypertext links that make the file html and subject to broken links in the future?

I tend to favor importing the data so that the entire file is in simple, self containted text format and easily viewable and editable. Opinions?

Slick.

[Fyron]

Make 2 Versions of it.

[Ruatha]

That depends. All informational text should be in the faq, but if it is a link to some extensive source as a strategy faq or another site, it should ofcourse be linked.
For example the movement info, I think it's a good balance to have it as text in the faq with a hyperlink to the graphic presentation.

To self (or Slick): remeber to incorporate: firing order.

[ January 10, 2003, 20:07: Message edited by: Ruatha ]