What do you use transport ships for?

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
Not if you want the planet to also develop quickly. Making the new colony build both its facilities and its own defenses can be a fatal mistake against a real (human) opponent. I'd put forward deployment of Weapon Platforms near the top of the list for transport uses.

You're right, I'm a little soft on that, playing against the AI and all. However bear with me on some observations of mine...

Say you've colonized new planet in a new solar system. It's a medium non-breatheable world. It can hold, IIRC, 600 kt of cargo, and three facilities. With 34 million people in domed cities, again IIRC, it takes 1 turn to build a small missile platform. Two (or 3) turns to build a spaceport or resupply depot or 5 turns to build a spaceyard.

Now given that, Baron, you'd make sure you dropped 3 weapon platforms to shave 3 turns off of the year and a quarter. Would most people max it out with population to get, what, everything built in 7 turns instead of one year.

And will those 3 platforms really defend a planet againt a human player? I started my first PBW, so I guess I'll learn the hard way. But if I wanted to keep that planet, I'd leave a ship in orbit until it's shipyard could buid it's first ship. And put some fighters or mines or sats on each warp point.

[ September 29, 2002, 02:49: Message edited by: Arkcon ]