Autolaunch satellites?

LeTharg · #1 October 5th, 2001, 04:41 PM

I agree--mines too.

When I asked this question many moons ago, someone pointed out that you could have a satellite launching ship with repeat orders that picked up the sats and launched them.

Yep, that will work but it is way to much cost and trouble. Much better would be an autolaunch capability.

Unless it is already there somehow?

Suicide Junkie · #2 October 5th, 2001, 05:23 PM

Either autolaunch, or treat empty space like a cargo base in orbit:
IE, Any units that can't be held by the planet or cargo vehicles in orbit, gets launched automatically.

geoschmo · #3 October 5th, 2001, 05:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by suicide_junkie:
Either autolaunch, or treat empty space like a cargo base in orbit:
IE, Any units that can't be held by the planet or cargo vehicles in orbit, gets launched automatically.

Unless they are troops! DOH!

Aub · #4 October 5th, 2001, 07:31 PM

I know that bothered me too for a while - I was always forgetting to launch satellites. Then, I discovered that the Satellite/Mine minister does a great job here!

Simply turn the Sat/Mine minister on, and then put all new planets under minister control. The satellites will be launched for you. Since other miniters are not on, the AI will not interfere with other things like facilities and construction.

(So far I have not found any problems with turning the minister control on for planets. There ARE however bugs associated with doing that for fleets. E.g. the "attack" order stops working in sim. games if you turn any ministers on for a fleet.)

Aub

Tarm · #5 October 5th, 2001, 07:58 PM

It cant be that simple!!
Youre pulling my leg.
Right?

Cant believe I didnt even LOOK at the minister.
Probably because I've hated to use ministers in all the other games with them that I've tried.

Sigh........

Shyrka · #6 October 5th, 2001, 10:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Aub:
I know that bothered me too for a while - I was always forgetting to launch satellites. Then, I discovered that the Satellite/Mine minister does a great job here!

Simply turn the Sat/Mine minister on, and then put all new planets under minister control. The satellites will be launched for you. Since other miniters are not on, the AI will not interfere with other things like facilities and construction.

(So far I have not found any problems with turning the minister control on for planets. There ARE however bugs associated with doing that for fleets. E.g. the "attack" order stops working in sim. games if you turn any ministers on for a fleet.)

Aub

Hello

This idea is good, but i think it has a problem. Turning minister on for the planets makes all active ministers "work" in the planet. This can include ministers that you do not want to be active in that planet, such as the "Facility construction" minister.
You only want to launch the units automatically, just as the "Launch units remotely" order for the ships.

I had this problem too. I constructed a space station with a space yard component and several sat launch bays. I put it to build sats in repeat build mode. When the log noticed me that the station couldnt finish the sats because there was no cargo space available, then i "went" to the station and launched the sats manually. I tried activating the launch minister, but it doesnt work. The sats werent launched.

I think that its necessary some kind of order for auto launch sats/fghtrs/mines when present. It would be very useful, and a quite elegant solution for this problem

Aub · #7 October 5th, 2001, 10:48 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Shyrka:
Hello

This idea is good, but i think it has a problem. Turning minister on for the planets makes all active ministers "work" in the planet. This can include ministers that you do not want to be active in that planet, such as the "Facility construction" minister.

If you don't what the "Facility construction" minister, then why activate it at all? I never do. I agree that the ministers lack granularity though, you cannot select the active menisters for each planet separately.

quote:
...
I had this problem too. I constructed a space station with a space yard component and several sat launch bays. I put it to build sats in repeat build mode. When the log noticed me that the station couldnt finish the sats because there was no cargo space available, then i "went" to the station and launched the sats manually. I tried activating the launch minister, but it doesnt work. The sats werent launched. [/b]

You have to turn the minister on AND put the planet/station under minister control. There is a setting that allows you to have ALL new planets to be put under minister control automatically. But I usually turn the minister on the moment I start building satellites. Saves me from launching them every turn. So far, it worked every time

Aub