Automating Sorium Harvesters?

[Xelanthol (OP)]

Hey guys, I got two sorium harvesters in a task force right. I have them set on cycle-Move to Neptune, and then in the special orders I have the conditional (If fuel tanks full, return to nearest colony and empty 90%)

However-This doesn't seem to work. They just head back and forth without doing anything with their fuel.

So how does on properly automate Sorium Harvestor?

(The ship itself has everything it needs if I followed the guide correctly, (Fuel tanks, sorium harvesters), and yes the planet does have sorium on it)

[Din182]

Try emptying their fuel at Earth first. It might be a glitch. But I'm not sure.

[blue emu]

Are they set as Tankers in the class design screen?

[Xelanthol (OP)]

Crap I didn't know I had to do that :3 I changed it now, but do my ships need to be re-built or anything weird like that?

*Edit-So I can see they are harvesting fuel, but the cycling I put on move to saturn (So they return to saturn after they drop off their fuel?) causes them to interrupt my turn-ending. How do you do this properly? O:

[blue emu]

No, just set the "Tanker" flag in the class design screen, and you should be fine. If not, try entering SM-mode, and then turning it off-and-back-on.

Not sure if this will fix your problem or not... let us know.

Make sure your Harvesters have no contingency "Refuel" orders (eg: when fuel < 30%, refuel at a colony within 4 jumps). Turn that stuff OFF.

*Edit-So I can see they are harvesting fuel, but the cycling I put on move to saturn (So they return to saturn after they drop off their fuel?) causes them to interrupt my turn-ending. How do you do this properly? O:

Don't use order-cycling. Put it in their contingency orders : "When Fuel Tanks are full = unload 90% fuel at nearest colony". That should be Earth anyway.

I don't do it quite like this... I build huge ships with no engines (Space Stations) and just tow them to Saturn with a tug. When they're full, a tanker will go get the fuel and transfer it to Earth.

[Xelanthol (OP)]

But after they have gone back to earth and dropped off their load-Is there anyway to get them to go back to saturn short of asking them myself? Thanks fo helpin'

[blue emu]

Isn't one of the conditional combos:

If fuel tanks are full, unload fuel at colony and move to Sorium source?

[Xelanthol (OP)]

Blargh-Using that they are unloading fuel at mercury-Which isn't really a colony so much as a place here i'm training my Geosurvey team. Thats upsetting

[Girlinhat]

A small highly efficient ship could be told to fetch fuel...  But yeah, that's quite the bother...

[Xelanthol (OP)]

It's saying in the event log (Fuelers have been given conditional orders to unload 90% of fuel at Not Found and move to a gas giant with Sorium), it says they've completed orders, but they haven't done anything.

What do I do? All I have is the conditional If tanks full unload at nearrest colony and go to gas giant with sorium.

[blue emu]

As I said, I find it easier to use a stack of immobile fuel harvesters (no engines) and just send a tanker once a year to siphon it all off.

Not sure how best to automate it... in my own case, it isn't really worth automating.

[Xelanthol (OP)]

Blargh, that's kind of a rash. How does one drain the tanks by the way? Only place I see is in the conditional orders...*Found the release the fuel. It's a shame I can't get the automated Sorium harvesting to work. I appreciate the help anyways guys.

[blue emu]

My way? Send a Tanker with orders to "Refuel from Target Fleet" and "Unload 90% fuel on Earth", repeat.

[Xelanthol (OP)]

Hmkay, thanks a bunch blue emu. Guess I will have more of a giant sorium starbase sort of deal Now to learn how to design a tug then!

[blue emu]

I combine Tug, Jump Tender and Tanker all in one ship.

A Jump Tender needs as much mass as your largest civilian non-Jump ship (around 40,000+ tons for five-hold Freighters), and the 40K Civilian Jump Drive only uses up part of that mass... so I load it down with a million or so liters of fuel storage and enough engines to bring it up to the required mass.

That gives me a powerful tug, which can also sit on a Jump Point and assist civilian vessels through, and can also refuel anyone who comes along while its on-station.