Supply storage + quantum generators, what is it good for?

[dogscoff]

what is the purpose of quantum reactors (and also solar collectors) on satellites?

Absolutely nuthin'. adding supply storage to sats serves no purpose at all, unless you have some reason to waste resources or you want a really inneficient way of bulking out your sat's damage points.

[rdouglass]

What about running out of supplies DURING combat (or am I wrong then in my assumption that supplies are shared at the end of the game turn and not the combat)?

...or am I lost from a few patches ago....

IOW when exactly are supplies distributed to other ships in the fleet????

[Fyron]

A ship with a functional Quantum Reactor can NEVER run out of supplies. So, having a supply storage component on it is useless. This is the question that was asked. Now for your question. You should always have at least one supply storage _OR_ a QR on all warships, to help against Ionic Dispersers. QRs share supplies sometime between game turns, so they do not help other ships in the fleet in combat. But having a QR on each ship means it will never be able to run out of supplies. So if all ships have a QR, you don't need to worry about it. But if you have one ship in the fleet with a QR, then there is no chance of your ships running out of supplies in any combat unless their engines and all supply storage components are destroyed, in which case a QR can't ever help them. All the ships start each turn fresh with full supplies, and no amount of combat and movement possible in a single turn can possibly deplete every Last supply from a ship that starts off full (combat movement uses no supplies).

[rdouglass]

I apologize for my ignorance, but when you say:

"All the ships start each turn fresh with full supplies..."

do you mean combat turn? If so, it doesn't seem very fair...

[Fyron]

No, game turn. QR does two things: prevent the ship it is on from ever running out of supplies, and fill up every single ship in the fleet with supplies at the beginning of each game turn (not combat round).

[rdouglass]

So, in theory at least, you can deplete a ship without a QR by sending waves of ships at it reguardless of if there is a QR in the fleet or not?

Sorry, don't want to beat this Q up; just trying to be clear in my own mind....

[Suicide Junkie]

In combat, the only thing that uses up supplies is firing the guns...
So if you send enough suicide ships in a single month for the enemy to run out of ammo, then yes, you can deplete their supplies...

Given 6 engines x500 supplies = 3000 supplies...
Assuming 10 supplies per shot, and 40 damage per shot, that gives you 12k damage you must dodge or absorb per month per enemy ship.

Next month, they'll be given more from the QR ship, and you'll have to start over.

[Fyron]

Yes it is possible, but unlikely that you will have enough spare ships to do it with.

[rdouglass]

Originally posted by Suicide Junkie:
...Next month, they'll be given more from the QR ship, and you'll have to start over.

Isn't that the fun part? A few well placed engine-damaging rounds will reduce that a bit further methinks...

Well, what we need now is a supply-reducing weapon... I know, I know, my thinking may be a little warped, but I like to work on possible strategies that are way 'outside the box'. Been playing this game since SEII and I'm just now getting ready for a PBW game...

[Wardad]

Missles require a lot of supplies to fire.
Your early game missle ships can't go far and fight much.