Basic Questions

[TheDarkside]

This game is excellent!

I just have a few questions on basic gameplay I hope someone can answer:

Climate Control Facility: says it increases the conditions by x % each turn. What exactly does this mean? And what type of planets would this be effective on? Can I use it on a Hydrogen atmosphere, for example, if my race likes Oxygen, and eventually it will turn the atmosphere to Oxygen after 100%? Is this how it works?

Solar panels: Do they rejuvinate supplies every turn no matter what? It seems to me they only work if my fleet is idle...

Can bases only be placed over colonies? I was hoping to place bases on warp points but it didnt seem to work... maybe i did something wrong

EDIT: Oh two more things:

If climate control facility dosent remove Domes, then what does? And can you remove the facility ones it makes the atmosphere ok or would that ruin the whole planet again?

And, what ways are there to increase POP growth? Besides having mroe people!

Thanks!

[ 20 March 2002: Message edited by: TheDarkside ]

[Suicide Junkie]

Climate control improves the conditions from "Deadly" (0%), up through unpleasant, mild, good, and Optimal (100%)
I believe the effect may be per year, not per turn.

In order to terraform a world and change the atmosphere, you need level 7 or higher in planet utilization (same tech area as Climate control)

The atmosphere converters will instantly change the atmosphere to whatever the majority of colonists breathe after 3 years have passed.

Note that you cannot remove the atmosphere from a gas giant. Vaccuum breathers can never undome a gas giant, and will have to use captured population from other races instead...


Solar panels:
Each panel adds 50 to 150 supplies to your tanks for each star in the system.
While on the move, your engines will likely burn 60 supplies per sector.
The net effect is a smaller loss of fuel.

Beware storms and black holes, since there are no stars in those systems, and your panels are useless.
Trinary systems on the other hand, can rapidly fill your tanks.


Organic Manipulation (Racial tech) provides some facilities to directly boost population growth.
For everybody else, try Urban Pacification centers, since happy people are productive people (in more ways than one ).
Troops on the planet will get you a happiness bonus as well.
Also, keep shifting populatino from your homeworlds and maxxed out colonies, so you don't waste any reproductive opportunities.

A third way to improve your numbers is through military means.
Capture:
- cargo transports
- colony ships
- enemy planets (with ground troops)
You can get billions of people in one go, so bring lots of transports for those planetary raids.

[ 20 March 2002: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

[Phoenix-D]

"I was hoping to place bases on warp points but it didnt seem to work... maybe i did something wrong"

You need at least Cruiser class (500kt) ships. The put a Space Yard on the cruiser and send it out to the warp point in question. Note that these mobile spaceyard ships can build anything a planet can except facilities, and they are the ONLY way to build a ringworld or sphereworld (by building bases that hold the components)

Phoenix-D

[Suicide Junkie]

If by "bases" you meant "Weapon Platforms", then yes, they can only be used from planetary surfaces.

[Instar]

Capturing another population is the easiest way to remove the domes from a planet. Atmosphere conVersion works, but it takes a long while. Thus you should strive to capture enemy population, and then move them to what their native atmosphere types would be, while removing your own population that doesn't breathe the atmosphere on the planet. Very effective, as you get 25 max facilities for a huge planet, instead of like 5.

[Gryphin]

"Note that these mobile spaceyard ships can build anything a planet can except facilities, "

Would this include Troops and other units? If so, would you need Cargo Holds to keep them?

EDIT: I can just imagine "building the troops" and then "spacing" them. Seems a little crule.

[ 21 March 2002: Message edited by: Gryphin ]

[Atraikius]

if you have the space yard in the same location as a planet or a ship/base with cargo storage the units will be placed on that.

[TheDarkside]

cool, thanks for the information Suicide Junkie.

are there any disadvantages to having planets with an enemy empire's race? Is their happiness affected or anything?

Also, any ways to increase the output of space yard facilities besides racial traits? I am up to SY tech III and 3000/turn is a tight restriction with my standard warships being 25-50k.

[Suicide Junkie]

For planets, add some troops or UPCs; jubilant population gets a SY production bonus.
Use a multi-spaceyard allowing mod.

A second option is to multitask a ton of orbital factories.
By building 20 or 30 ships simultaneously, you can get your big fleet out faster.

And, thirdly, you can use retroseries.
Have your space yards build a stripped down Version of the warship hull in two or three turns. Then retrofit to a design that costs 45% more. Repeat until you have a vehicle that can be retrofitted to your desired warship design.
Note: you will spend more money on all those retrofits than you would have building them straight up, and will have to pay maintenance while the retrofits are installed. A pile of dedicated repair bases may be appropriate.

[Phoenix-D]

"Would this include Troops and other units? If so, would you need Cargo Holds to keep them?"

Yes, and yes. You can build weapons platforms too, they just won't DO anything until you haul them to a planet.

Phoenix-D