Commercial Fuel Harvester

[SpikeTheHobbitMage (OP)]

I have finally survived long enough for my shipping company to build a gas harvester (about 19 years), but in that time I have already deployed enough of my own FH's to fuel my meagre fleet.  It also doesn't hold enough fuel to fill my tanker, so any run would always be a partial load.

[Cocyte]

Well, i'm in the opposite case. My fleet of 30 harvesters pales in face of the 200+ civilian ones happily reducing Saturn to a soriumless husk.

My own production is usually far enough for basic operation, but the extra fuel from the civies is welcome in some cases. The extra income even more so.

[Saibot]

I just wish they could be automated to feed my colonies, the way civilian mines are.

[joeclark77]

I have finally survived long enough for my shipping company to build a gas harvester (about 19 years), but in that time I have already deployed enough of my own FH's to fuel my meagre fleet.  It also doesn't hold enough fuel to fill my tanker, so any run would always be a partial load.

So, give your tanker these orders:
Refuel from civ FH ship
Refuel from navy FH fleet
Unload 90% of fuel Earth
(repeat)

[MarcAFK]

I'm not sure what you mean, you can set up a task group to collect fuel from the civilian tanker then unload somewhere else, just put it on a loop and whatever the harvester manages to produce will be picked up.
Which is basically what i do with my own harvesters to, theres not much point putting engines on your harvesters and having them travel back to earth when full, instead make them 100% sorium collectors and tow them with a tug.  It's a little more micromanagement though I'll admit.

[joeclark77]

I'm not sure what you mean, you can set up a task group to collect fuel from the civilian tanker then unload somewhere else, just put it on a loop and whatever the harvester manages to produce will be picked up.
Which is basically what i do with my own harvesters to, theres not much point putting engines on your harvesters and having them travel back to earth when full, instead make them 100% sorium collectors and tow them with a tug.  It's a little more micromanagement though I'll admit.

What I often find myself doing is putting a few engines on my harvesters, giving them a top speed of maybe 500km/s, and have them dump their fuel at a moon of the gas giant, so they'll be away from work for no more than a few minutes, and I don't have to deal with tugs to put them into place initially.

[Starmantle]

What I often find myself doing is putting a few engines on my harvesters, giving them a top speed of maybe 500km/s, and have them dump their fuel at a moon of the gas giant, so they'll be away from work for no more than a few minutes, and I don't have to deal with tugs to put them into place initially.

Hrm.  I've never done that with a moon before.  It still means I have to take the time to go get the fuel from the moon, but it does have a good feel to it.

As for me, I usually make a fleet of huge harvesters and huger tanks with just one engine each (to be able to move just in case).

Once every 6 months or so, I have my main battle fleet (including tankers) dump 90% of fuel on Earth, refuel at the harvesters, then come back home.

As for civilian controlled fuel harvesters, I honestly didn't know that happened.  Interesting. 

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Hrm.  I've never done that with a moon before.  It still means I have to take the time to go get the fuel from the moon, but it does have a good feel to it.

You can also turn the moon into a naval base for protecting the harvesters