Need some help....

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Dart00_Tech
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Need some help....

#1 Post by Dart00_Tech »

This game has really has improved by leaps and bounds since I last played it...I tried .4 R3, however I still suck at it :( I wana play this with my friend but if I dont fully understand it, ill have issues explaining it to her.

Im researching a good amount of stuff...I read the descriptions and some of them don't make much sence...Like I research something...and when its done...nothing changes? I read the description and it just gives a extremely technical idea of what it is...but not "what it does" or "Whats it there for"....However, some of the techs say "Unlocks" Ahhh...Those i get cause i see what impact they have on gameplay. Could we have a "Bottom Line:" section for all the tech descriptions? Like "Bottom Line: Increases such and such stat for all systems" or "Bottom Line: Prerequisite Tech". That would at least let me know not to expect anything big when it got done. I was at Turn ~400 and still stuck at 5RP and 15PP....Also at one point my minerals were at a negative value...and im not even sure what I did to get it there. I read the .4 quick-start guide (which looks to be out of date) and that didn't clear much up. Im also confused on how to extend the star-lanes...when ever I got off exploring i always leave the star-lane and run out of fuel... Also when i finish researching something i get the Siterep message which is helpful but then I have to re-read the description to see what it unlocked or even if it did anything at all which for some of them can be time consuming and doesn't tell me a thing about what it "really" does for gameplay. Maybe if we have a SiteRep that says "Such and such complete on such and such" and then a sub bullet "Such and such now available for construction". That would be a very nice touch. Also on the next turn when there is no SiteRep message...could the SiteRep box automatically close? or have a checkbox on it that says "Auto Close" or something?

Anyways....

I like the monsters and the AI seems to fight back....very nice...even having no clue what to do, least that makes things more fun. Also big congrades for a Siterep message for announcing famines.

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eleazar
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Re: Need some help....

#2 Post by eleazar »

Dart00_Tech wrote:This game has really has improved by leaps and bounds since I last played it...I tried .4 R3, however I still suck at it :( I wana play this with my friend but if I dont fully understand it, ill have issues explaining it to her.

Im researching a good amount of stuff...I read the descriptions and some of them don't make much sence...Like I research something...and when its done...nothing changes? I read the description and it just gives a extremely technical idea of what it is...but not "what it does" or "Whats it there for"....However, some of the techs say "Unlocks" Ahhh...Those i get cause i see what impact they have on gameplay. Could we have a "Bottom Line:" section for all the tech descriptions?
Um, what i tried to do is one better-- i put the effect of the tech at the top of the description. Though it is possible i missed some, if so please let me know which ones specifically.

I think what's tripping you up are the "Theories". Theories are a category of tech that doesn't do anything but unlock other techs. The box is a different shape on the research screen, and you filter them.
Dart00_Tech wrote:Im also confused on how to extend the star-lanes
Research techs that increase your "construction meter".
Dart00_Tech wrote:I was at Turn ~400 and still stuck at 5RP and 15PP
Have you founded any other colonies, or if so, set any of them to a focus besides food?

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Bigjoe5
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Re: Need some help....

#3 Post by Bigjoe5 »

I think most of the techs have something like that, for instance, after the description (or at the start) it will say something like "Increases resource supply by 1", or "Increases population on Tiny, Small, Medium, Large and Huge planets by 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively."

Looking briefly though the tech descriptions, the only ones I find that might not be adequately clear (if I'm being extremely critical) are Domesticated Mega-Fauna, Fleet Logistics, Fleet Field Repair, Antimatter Torpedo and Plasma Torpedo (Don't actually unlock any torpedos), Advanced Asteroid Mines, Greater Industrial Center, Supreme Industrial Center, Self Defense and all other techs in that stream (Planetary Garrisons is not as clear as actually saying the name of the meter), any techs that say "Increases resource supply range of all planets by 1" (should say "max").

Other than that, I suspect what you're having issues with is Theory techs. Theses are the techs that appear bigger on the research screen, and say "Theoretical Prerequisite" for their short description. These deliberately don't do anything - they are, as described, theoretical prerequisites so you can unlock the techs that come after.

Also, in the options menu, you can turn on "auto-generated effects descriptions" or some such. These probably won't be very helpful, as sometimes they can be a little hard to read, but if there's really a non-theory tech that doesn't say anything about what it's supposed to do, you should get a pretty good idea from the auto-generated text.
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Bigjoe5
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Re: Need some help....

#4 Post by Bigjoe5 »

Here's a patch that clarifies some tech descriptions, comments out Plasma Torpedo and Antimatter Torpedo, and adds a stacking group to Enclave of the Void building, if anyone wants to commit it.

Also, eleazar, could you keep the text files a little more tidy? It really is a lot easier to edit when all techs/descriptions of techs are organized by category, and in the case of descriptions, under the right header (Theory/Application/Refinement).
Attachments

[The extension patch has been deactivated and can no longer be displayed.]

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Dart00_Tech
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Re: Need some help....

#5 Post by Dart00_Tech »

Ohhhh...alright. Im starting to get it now!

But....I setup some outposts in a few systems and im looking at the focus, and it only lets me choose "Food" or "Reserach"...only 1 outpost lets me select between all 4?

Dart00_Tech
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Re: Need some help....

#6 Post by Dart00_Tech »

Also I found something very troubling...Im not sure if its a bug or if its just me.

I make a mega super strong design (Notice the 138 Total Attack):

Image

And then I go to build it. (Same design):

Image

Now im already to test out my lil fighter....Wha? .13 Total Attack!!!?

Image

Please tell me theirs something wrong here....

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Geoff the Medio
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Re: Need some help....

#7 Post by Geoff the Medio »

Dart00_Tech wrote:Also I found something very troubling...Im not sure if its a bug or if its just me.
The number 138 is being displayed as 0.13 k or 0.138 k, but the k is overflowing the available space and is hidden under the next statistic icon. The icon layout obviously wasn't planned around 3 digit numbers.

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Bigjoe5
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Re: Need some help....

#8 Post by Bigjoe5 »

Geoff the Medio wrote:
Dart00_Tech wrote:Also I found something very troubling...Im not sure if its a bug or if its just me.
The number 138 is being displayed as 0.13 k or 0.138 k, but the k is overflowing the available space and is hidden under the next statistic icon. The icon layout obviously wasn't planned around 3 digit numbers.
I'm not really sure what the motivation is for expressing 3-digit numbers that way to begin with, to be honest, as 138 takes up much less space than 0.13k, and provides a more detailed number.
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Dart00_Tech
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Re: Need some help....

#9 Post by Dart00_Tech »

Oh...you can see the tip of the K...ahhh.

What about a few posts up with my lack of a mineral and industry option?

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eleazar
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Re: Need some help....

#10 Post by eleazar »

Dart00_Tech wrote:What about a few posts up with my lack of a mineral and industry option?
What species on what type of planet gives you the problem?

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Bigjoe5
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Re: Need some help....

#11 Post by Bigjoe5 »

Dart00_Tech wrote:Oh...you can see the tip of the K...ahhh.

What about a few posts up with my lack of a mineral and industry option?
Outposts by default only have the research and farming option. For outposts on planets, you need to research Orbital Mining to unlock the mining focus. For outposts on asteroid belts, you need to research Asteroid Mines to unlock the mining focus. Industry can't be done on outposts.

If you had an "outpost" with all four main foci, then you probably used an outpost ship on an inhabitable planet, so it was treated as a colony. Right now, outposts are just regular colonies, except with a target population of 0.1. This target population is used to determine all the limitations that should be placed on the "colony".
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Dart00_Tech
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Re: Need some help....

#12 Post by Dart00_Tech »

Bigjoe5 wrote:
Dart00_Tech wrote:Oh...you can see the tip of the K...ahhh.

What about a few posts up with my lack of a mineral and industry option?
Outposts by default only have the research and farming option. For outposts on planets, you need to research Orbital Mining to unlock the mining focus. For outposts on asteroid belts, you need to research Asteroid Mines to unlock the mining focus. Industry can't be done on outposts.

If you had an "outpost" with all four main foci, then you probably used an outpost ship on an inhabitable planet, so it was treated as a colony. Right now, outposts are just regular colonies, except with a target population of 0.1. This target population is used to determine all the limitations that should be placed on the "colony".
Oh ok...so thats what the .1 / .1 means for colonize when im using a outpost? Are there any disadvantages of colonizing with a colony ship vs. a outpost?

What do i need to research to colonize on any planet?

EDIT: Also I noticed when i build "Gaia Transformation" it shows it building on the panel and in Production but when its done, it disappears, just like it never existed...Im not if its having a effect or not (I didn't look before i built it). Iv built like 4 of them and they all disappear right after production.

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Bigjoe5
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Re: Need some help....

#13 Post by Bigjoe5 »

Dart00_Tech wrote:Are there any disadvantages of colonizing with a colony ship vs. a outpost?
Colony ships are more expensive than outpost ships.
Dart00_Tech wrote:What do i need to research to colonize on any planet?
Look around in the Growth category. The techs descriptions are very clear.
Dart00_Tech wrote:EDIT: Also I noticed when i build "Gaia Transformation" it shows it building on the panel and in Production but when its done, it disappears, just like it never existed...Im not if its having a effect or not (I didn't look before i built it). Iv built like 4 of them and they all disappear right after production.
The building adds the Gaia special to the planet.
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Dart00_Tech
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Re: Need some help....

#14 Post by Dart00_Tech »

If the Gaia building disappears from the planets built buildings list, how do I know if i have already applied the Gaia special?

If i do it multiple times does it increase the special?

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Adrian
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Re: Need some help....

#15 Post by Adrian »

Dart00_Tech wrote:If the Gaia building disappears from the planets built buildings list, how do I know if i have already applied the Gaia special?

If i do it multiple times does it increase the special?
Above the planet, where the "specials" are listed, there's a small icon for Gaia Transformation if that has been applied.

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