Obscure, unintuitive and unforgiving

[Ragnarok]

bbq said:
In my most recent game I wanted to explore what it would be like to create new planets from scratch. So I researched all the Stellar Manipulation technologies. Now, I'm sure most of you know that there is very little information in the manual as well as the help file itself. It took me a LONG time to figure out that I need to build 41 starbases, load them with the materials and components before I make it.

bbq, one other thing to note is that you do not need to build 41 bases to make a sphere world. You only need 21. One for the sphereworld generator itself, then 10 for the cables and 10 for the plates. That is 20,000KT of cable components and 20,000KT of plate components.

Then for a ringworld you only need 11 bases. Or just 10,000KT of each component.

But as everyone else as mentioned it is a good idea to read through the FAQ. It is far more detailed then anything in the game.

[Arkcon]

Ragnarok said:

bbq, one other thing to note is that you do not need to build 41 bases to make a sphere world. You only need 21.

And another 20 space station shipyards to build each stellar manipulation starbase.

At least that's how I do it, maybe people send in a dozen or so mobile space yard ships that were building stuff else where previously ... or they have a few stations build several several starbases. but ... for me, 41 bases + one mobile shipyard ... yeah ... seems about right at the end of the day just before the construct button is pressed.

[Ragnarok]

Arkcon said:


And another 20 space station shipyards to build each stellar manipulation starbase.

Ohhh...ok. I got it now. I guess I didn't think about doing it that way. I always just use space yard ships and build my bases from them.

[rdouglass]

That would be 42 - 21 SY's building 21 stations for SW components.

However, echoing what others have said about the complexity of the game, I just have 2 comments:

1. To me, half the fun of a game like this is figuring out how everything works *without* delving in the manual except for the basics.

2. There is not a team of developers, just 1 developer (singular). As Atrocities mentioned, a strategy guide for this game is an incredible indertaking. For me, I'll take repeat playability over a slightly lower-quality manual / guide anyday.

SEIV is still by far the best game for my money I've ever purchased. Period.

</$.02>

[Ed Kolis]

Arkcon said:
And another 20 space station shipyards to build each stellar manipulation starbase.

Really? What I like to do is put the spaceyard components on the plate and cable bases themselves - you can find room if you use Master Computers, which I've inevitably researched by that point in the game. Then I only need one spaceyard ship to get the thing started, and construction proceeds exponentially! (Just remember to build the gravity field generator Last, because it's the most expensive, so you don't want to be paying maintenance on it the whole time! )

edit: I wonder... when it says you need 20,000 kT of the plates and cables in the sector, do that have to be installed on a ship, or can they be installed on units which are launched in the sector? Something I ought to try in a mod is create a 2000 kT fighter size called "Stellar Construction Barge" and/or a 2000 kT satellite size called "Stellar Construction Satellite"; they would have a 99% requirement for cargo bays and no command/control requirement, and I'd give the stellar construction materials a dummy cargo bay ability. Then you could actually carry your building materials with you to the star on a large transport... yeah, I know I could just change the plates and cables to 100kT or something... anyone have any practical reason to do it this way? I think I did but I forgot...

[boran_blok]

I have two strategies to build sphereworlds:
1: when I have plenty of resources I make 8 spaceyard ships
and have em construct like this:
1->3: 3xcables
4:1xCables + 1xplating
5->7: 3xplating
8: generator

the generator always takes 3 times as long as the cables and plating, so this always works out.

when I havent got much resources I place 21 spaceyard ships and have 10 build plating and 10 cables and one generator, but I stop every plating and cables construction at 0.1yr from completion. (or use a slower spaceyard than the max for those so that it comes about equal in timing with the generator)

[Suicide Junkie]

Ed Kolis said:

Really? What I like to do is put the spaceyard components on the plate and cable bases themselves - you can find room if you use Master Computers, which I've inevitably researched by that point in the game. Then I only need one spaceyard ship to get the thing started, and construction proceeds exponentially! (Just remember to build the gravity field generator Last, because it's the most expensive, so you don't want to be paying maintenance on it the whole time! )

Why not mothball the stuff until you've done all the retrofits and repaired all the new components? You'd need some serious resource storage in your empire, but then you wouldn't pay for any maintenance during the build operation.

[bbq]

By the way, thanks for everyone's input.

One thing that I still don't quite understand is *why* anyone would spend the time and resources to build a sphere world. If you have that much surplus, I'd assume you are either winning the game or are almost done. New planets are easily captured or created from asteriods, so why bother create it?

[spoon]

bbq said:
So what's the problem? Well, I really dislike part of the mechanics of the game, its lack of documentation and the unforgiving nature of the interface itself.

Preach it, my brother. SEIV, despite its many splendors, can cause just as many headaches. I've been playing for years, and I still mess up on interface issues. Just wait til you lose a 100 ship fleet because you forgot to click Break Formation in some menu buried in the bowels of the Strategies tab...

I feel like an enabler in a co-dependant relationship. SEIV beats the crap out of me, but I still love her. Always will.