Frequently Asked Questions for Newbies

[tbontob]

Originally posted by Slick:
I think these questions are addressed in the "Dubious Stragetegy Guide", but basically the "attack" command is pretty much identical to to "move" in sequential games and is only really used in simultaneous games. In simultaneous games, all ships move at once, so the "attack" order is used to have your ship or fleet SEEK the enemy ship or fleet, not just move to a location.

"Sweep Mines" is of lesser use, but can be used if you are in a sector and just had a battle with the enemy and he dropped mines during combat. Using this command would sweep the mines in the sector without having you move to another sector then move back.

Hope this helps.

Slick

To put it another way (in simultaneous combat):

"Move" means your ship is to move to a particular location. If an enemy ship happens to be at that location, you have combat.
"Attack" means your ship is to "close" with the enemy for a battle. So, when the enemy moves, your ship adjusts its course to close the distance between the two ships and have combat.

[Slick]

2.6.2 You can put an Emergency Propulsion Pod on a base since it can be put on "ships/bases". You can later "Use" it, but there is no way to actually get the base to move using an EPP, so don't bother.

8.2.3 Fighters cannot be used to "fire on" other ships, even if the fighters have weapons.

8.2.4 Fighters cannot be used to blockade a planet.

Based on another thread, 1.5.1 is wrong (typo). Victory conditions are "or" not "and", except for the option to have them take effect after a given number of turns - that is an "and".

[Stone Mill]

1.2.1 Empire Setup - Hapiness Types.
1.2.1.1 Peaceful - Hapiness is increased by constructing ships (especially in system), peace treaties, winning battles (especially in system), troops, colonizing. Decreased by losing ships (especially in system) enemy presence in system, losing planets, population killed, wars, amount of time at war. (Peaceful is regarded as the best type to play).
1.2.1.2 Bloodthirsty - Similar to peaceful, but happiness is increased by wars, and decreased by establishing peace treaties.
1.2.1.3 Neutral - Dislike treaties of any kind; except non-intercourse (regarded as the absolute worst type to play).

1.6. Game Setup Options

1.6.1.3 Technology Cost. The technology progression formula used varies for each of the three levels (Low, Medium, and High). Where (LC = Level Cost) and (L = Level);

Low tech cost - LC*L
Mid tech cost - LC*(L²/2)
High tech cost - LC*(L²)

(Andres Lescano)

1.6.1.3.1 The Technology Progression Formula is useful when trying to calculate the value of tech trades in multi-player games.

1.6.1.4 Player Settings, Racial Points. In the Game Setup --> Player Settings screen, the Racial Points for New Players setting must match (or exceed) the amount of racial points used to create a player empire file. For example, if you created a empire race using 5000 racial points, you can only use them in a game which has 5000 point setting enabled.

1.6.1.5 Players. Use the "Add Existing" option to select existing AI or player races for your game. Remember to select Edit and select "Controlled by Computer" for AI races, and "Controlled by Player" for player races!

[Slick]

Based on another thread giving the expected fixes in the next patch:

8.2.3 Fighters cannot be used to "fire on" other ships, even if the fighters have weapons. This is expected to be fixed in the next patch.

2.3.4.5 If a Master Computer is destroyed (and it does not have normal bridge, etc.), the ship CAN then be subverted. This is expected to be fixed in the next patch.

6.1.10 Organic armor will regenerate only in battle, not in strategic mode. If got 1 left, engage immobile target and just sit there to regenerate. This is expected to be fixed in the next patch.

[Suicide Junkie]

1.1 Racial Traits
1.1.1 Organic
1.1.1.1 Organic Components
1.1.1.1.1 Organic Armor:
Self Repairing armor. Once one of the armor components is destroyed, all surviving Armor components will add their regeneration ability each turn until the total collected points are higher than the damaged component's hitpoints. At that point the damaged armor will be repaired, and the process will repeat itself for any other armor damaged in the meantime.
Note: in Versions earlier than 1.80, the ability points begin collecting before the ship takes damage, with no upper limit.
1.1.1.1.2 Organic Facilities:
Organic technology research will give you facilities that prevent plagues, increase production system-wide, and even add a fixed number of people to all planets in the system, regardless of population size and conditions
1.1.2 Crystal
1.1.2.1 Crystalline Armor
1.1.2.1.1: General
Crystalline armor requires an operational shield generator on the ship in order to work. Every hit that does non-armor-skipping damage to the hull will cause the shields to be recharged! Only hull damage counts towards this recharge, up to a maximum of the total crystalline armor ability points on your ship.
The end result is a damaged ship, with extra shields to protect against the next attack.
1.1.2.1.2: Effect vs damage amount.
If the total CA ability amount is roughly equal to or greater than HALF the damage of a single weapon hit, then the Crystalline Effect will reduce damage by 50%.
If the total CA ability amount is less than half the damage from a single weapon impact, then it will act very similar to Emissive Armor, and reduce damage by its ability amount.
If the CA ability is greater than the weapon damage, AND the weapon damage is less than half the hitpoints of a CA component, the damage will be completely negated.

1.1.4 Psychic
1.1.4.1 Allegiance Subverter
This weapon causes a ship to be automatically captured without further damage, and is immediately combat ready.
1.1.4.1.1
The damage amount is the percentage chance that a hit will cause the crew of your target to be subverted. 20 damage = 20% chance. Values above 100%, typically seen when using mounts, are rounded down to 100%.
If the shot misses, there is zero chance of subVersion.
Self Destruct Devices, boarding parties and security stations have no effect.
Ship experience only affects the chance of the shot missing its target.
1.1.4.1.2
Ships with a master computer can NOT be captured.
In Versions earlier than 1.80, ships with a destroyed master computer CAN be captured.
A computer virus is the most effective method of destroying the computer and allowing a capture.
1.1.5 Temporal
1.1.5.1 Time Distortion Burst
This weapon is moderately weak against armor and internals, doing roughly half the damage of an AntiProton Beam. However, it also does Quadruple damage to shields.
Since most ships are heavily shielded, this weapon is very effective.

[Skulky]

1.1 Racial Traits
1.1.3 Deeply Religious
1.1.1.1.2 Deeply Religious Facilities:
Religious technology research will give you facilities that give system wide combat bonuses, system wide damage bonuses, increase resource production system-wide, increase value and conditions system wide, and system wide reduce bad events, sabotage activites and increase happiness. Each of these 5 facilites has 3 levels.

[ October 14, 2002, 03:42: Message edited by: Skulky ]

[Quikngruvn]

Picking up where SJ left off...

1.1.3.2 While researching the talisman, the religious race will discover five different shrines with all sorts of nifty systemwide abilities, including to-hit bonuses, damage bonuses, production bonuses, planetary improvements, decreased chance of bad events, and increased population happiness.

[edit] Skulky beat me to it! [/edit]

1.1.4.2 Psychic Ship and Fleet Training Facilities provide training to all ships/fleets in the system, at the same rate and maximum experience as normal training facilities. Thus, you do not have to park your fleet over a particular planet to get training (but could, for example, be trained while defending a warp point).

1.1.5.2 Temporal Space Yards produce much more quickly than normal spaceyards. But, you cannot upgrade a normal Space Yard to a Temporal Space Yard-- you have to scrap your Space Yard first.
1.1.5.3 The Temporal Vacation Service makes the population in its system happier, and is twice as effective as the Urban Pacification Center.

5.9.8 Cloaked ships cannot perform stellar manipulation.

I would suggest that 6.7 Capturing Planets be moved under 7.0 Ground Combat, since they are practically the same thing.

15.2 PBW -- seiv.pbw.cc [This is a link, so be sure to include the UBB code for the link.]

I must say to all who are maintaining this FAQ: Excellent job! A daunting task that I for one would not be up to....

Quikngruvn

[ October 14, 2002, 04:02: Message edited by: Quikngruvn ]