A complete newbie's questions...

[Erax]

Just to clarify a bit more : after you select the Large mount (for example) all direct fire weapons options will have an 'L' in the corner of their icon. Any weapons you install are now automatically Large. If you want to install a normal-sized weapon (maybe because you can't fit another Large one in) then you must select Mounts, then Normal Mount, which makes all direct fire weapons options normal-sized again.

[Atrocities]

Originally posted by deccan:
Hello,

Just to introduce myself a bit, I'm a complete newbie player, a MOO3 defector. Ordered SEIV Gold Online and received it a couple of weeks ago. This game just rocks by the way.

I've been playing with the Proportions mod (because I just like long, slow games) and I have some questions:

Greetings and welcome to SEIV.

1) Does anyone else think that PD is incredibly powerful? I keep wishing that I could make it my main weapon and hit ships with it.

Yes, I would have to tent to agree that Point Defense is a tad more effective in Proportions than in a standard game, but then again, I could be wrong.

2) Why does everyone seem to think that torpedoes suck? They seem alright to me, stat-wise. (Yes, I know about the reload rate.) Am I missing something else?

I have never really paid much attention to this debate, and feel that if people do not like the way something is set up, they can mod it. After all, the game is easily modable and one can tune the game or a mod to one desires.

3) How do I keep my fighters from running out of ammo in mid-battle? If I max them out on engines, they run far, far ahead of my main fleet. I can't add supply storage components to them. Use less weapons and more armor on them?

First off, I wouldn't help "your" fighters from running out of ammo in mid-battle as that would only help me. Seriously, you can either change your design and add the extra storage mod, or you can mod a fighter component to allow for more storage. I.E. the engines can carry more storage or use less supplies.

4) What the heck are meson bLasters for? They seem to suck to me.

Some weapons, like the Meson BLasters, do sometimes suck and I honestly never use them, but I am told, and have read that they do serve a purpose, what that is exactly I honestly have not GD idea. Perhaps one of the other Posts will shed some like on this, and I to will become "informed." (You see, there is no dumb question.)

5) I need some suggestions for ship designs. I notice that the AI doesn't tend to put supply components in combat vessels, but then they tend not to travel very far. Is it better to put supply components on every ship that needs to travel to attack the enemy (uses up precious space that could go towards weapons and armor) or is it better to build specialized supply tankers (game's "sharing of supplies evenly among all ships in a fleet" seems very inefficient)?

It is not nessassary to put more than one or two supply storages on a standard design. You can design ships that are STORAGE specific that are considered support ships and have nothing but supply storage.

Or you can build a forward base and on that base, normally a moon, build a resupply base.

6) What makes "Neutral" dispositioned races happy? I find that if I pick "Peaceful" races, I get keep them on "Happy" and "Jubilant" most of the time. However, if I pick "Neutral", they spend most of their time on "Indifferent".

It has been my experience that the AI diplomacy and politics system is broken therefore this is no way to effectively keep a "neutral" or other dispositioned race happy.

You can again modify the Anger and Politics.txt files, but that still really has only a small effect over all.

7) I find that once an AI declares war on me, I can't seem to end it, even if they are "Brotherly" to me and no one actually engages in combat for ages and ages.

A repeat answer:
It has been my experience that the AI diplomacy and politics system is broken therefore this is no way to effectively keep a "neutral" or other dispositioned race happy.

You can again modify the Anger and Politics.txt files, but that still really has only a small effect over all.

8) How do tech trades work? The AI keeps giving me tech that I have already.

The Ai can only give you technology that is considered and advancement if you do not already have it. I.E., if you have PPB II and the AI has PPB III, you would received a Technology increase if the AI agreed to exchange technology with you and your received PPB III in that trade. However, if you and the AI both had PPB II, and the AI traded PPB technology with you, the trade would not benifit you.

Sorry, if some of my questions seem silly. I haven't really played all that much yet and I'm nowhere near to completing a game.

Friend there are no silly questions here.

[ June 03, 2003, 14:53: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[rdouglass]

<$.02>

One thing that was not mentioned reguarding the AI forever being at war with you - if you're MEE (Mega Evil Empire) then the AI will always be at war with you (IIRC). That is something that can be turned off during game setup or values adjusted in the Settings.txt file (again IIRC)...

[Phoenix-D]

Atrocities: Meson BLasters have a very good damage to KT ratio- actually they're the third best weapon in the game based on that, edging out PPBs.

They're also a lot cheaper to research; with the way SE4's tech tree works, 6 levels at 10000 to start ends up being cheaper than 12 levels at 5000; I can have MB VIs about the same time my opponent has APB VIIIs..and the meson wins in that contest.

EDIT: And yes, PD is -insane- in the standard game. The best damage/KT in the game, actually tying the Anti Proton Beam for straight out damage, AND a 70% to-hit bonus.

[ June 03, 2003, 18:38: Message edited by: Phoenix-D ]

[Voidhawk]

Oh great, now we've got those "MOO3" people showing up.

Of course I'm kidding deccan, I really enjoyed your Posts over at that *ahem* other forum. Welcome home.

And Atrocities is right, there are no silly questions here. But I think you'll find that the sheer amount of silly people more than makes up for that.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

*narf's hand shoots up*
i think he means me. among others.
i always liked meson bLasters, but the other weapons where starting to look better. guess not.
and i always rp'd that it was standerd damage points, and the PD does 0.007 of a standard damage point.

[ June 03, 2003, 22:03: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[deccan]

Originally posted by Voidhawk:
Oh great, now we've got those "MOO3" people showing up.

Of course I'm kidding deccan, I really enjoyed your Posts over at that *ahem* other forum. Welcome home.

And Atrocities is right, there are no silly questions here. But I think you'll find that the sheer amount of silly people more than makes up for that.

Thanks for the welcome. People over here do seem to be less uptight than in that other forum.