How do I compare engines?

[WCG (OP)]

I played Aurora a little bit five years ago, and I just installed the latest version this week to try again. It seems to be just as intriguing and just as maddening as it was back then. 

Right now, I've researched Fuel Efficiency .80, which is two levels better than with the first engines I built. So I'm wondering if I should research and build new engines for the new ship I need.

In Create Research Project, I designed a (commercial) engine which shows a Fuel Use Per Hour of 7.42 liters and a Fuel Consumption per Engine Power Hour of 0.099 liters. So I look at my existing engine, to compare the two, but I can't find anything at all like that.

At best, in Tech Report, my existing engine shows a Fuel Efficiency of 0.114. And if I look at an existing ship with that engine, if shows a Fuel Use of 11.14%. OK. But neither location shows a Fuel Use Per Hour or a Fuel Consumption Per Engine Power Hour. And the Create Research Project screen says nothing at all about Fuel Efficiency as a percentage, as far as I can tell.

So how in the heck am I supposed to tell if a new engine will be significantly better than my existing engine? Do I have to research it first - and waste the Research Points if it turns out I shouldn't bother building the engine?

Am I missing something here? Well, I'm sure I am missing something - a lot of somethings, no doubt - but how do I compare existing components with new components I'm trying to design, when they use entirely different terminology?

Help, please?

[Paul M]

Fuel Efficiency in the Technology Report = Fuel Consumption per Engine Power Hour

The fact of the matter is that you will see what looks like a small improvement in efficiency (negligably small in most cases) but when you install the engine in a ship you will see a remarkable (or better) improvement in the ships range.   So yes you often have to develop the system and then build a ship with it to see what it really means in the "real world."  But two steps in fuel efficiency will produce a noticable improvement in the range of the ship for a given amount of fuel.

And for your information:  Percent is "out of a hundred" so 11.14% = 11.14/100 = 0.1114

[WCG (OP)]

Fuel Efficiency in the Technology Report = Fuel Consumption per Engine Power Hour

OK, thanks for the info. I might have assumed that, except that one is a percentage and one is liters. 

And for your information:  Percent is "out of a hundred" so 11.14% = 11.14/100 = 0.1114

Yes, that part I understood.

Thanks again for the help!

[WCG (OP)]

OK, this is a different question entirely, but I'm just going to add it to my earlier post.

I built a fuel-harvester and gave it an extra-large fuel tank to store the fuel it collects. Since the tank was full at the start, I gave it an order to drop off 90% of its fuel on Earth, then go to Uranus. (I couldn't actually order it to harvest fuel there. I didn't have that option. So I assume that happens automatically when it's in orbit around a gas giant that has Sorium?)

Well, it says that it unloaded 90% of its fuel on Earth, but the tank is still full as it's heading to the gas giant. So either it didn't actually do that (the ship's history says that it did) or it automatically refueled again. So, how do I do this? Obviously, I want room in the tank for the fuel it harvests, right?

Thanks.

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Flag it as a tanker, that should solve the problem(s).

[Ostia]

OK, this is a different question entirely, but I'm just going to add it to my earlier post.

I built a fuel-harvester and gave it an extra-large fuel tank to store the fuel it collects. Since the tank was full at the start, I gave it an order to drop off 90% of its fuel on Earth, then go to Uranus. (I couldn't actually order it to harvest fuel there. I didn't have that option. So I assume that happens automatically when it's in orbit around a gas giant that has Sorium?)

Well, it says that it unloaded 90% of its fuel on Earth, but the tank is still full as it's heading to the gas giant. So either it didn't actually do that (the ship's history says that it did) or it automatically refueled again. So, how do I do this? Obviously, I want room in the tank for the fuel it harvests, right?

Thanks.

A the top right of the Class design screen are several check-boxes. Activate the Tanker box. That means the ship is classed as a tanker and comes out with only 10% fuel loaded and can be used for simple refueling by TF orders.

Fuel harvesting happens automatically when in orbit of a gas giant with Sorium, just give it the move to order. Fuel is harvested until the tanks are full.

AS for your last problem: Dunno. Never had hat happen might be a bug, might be some weird behavior as intended. Try again with the Tanker option on.

[WCG (OP)]

Got it. Thanks for the help, guys.

[WCG (OP)]

Hmm,... I've still got questions, I guess:

1) Is there any reason to colonize Mars or the Moon if they don't have minerals? I'm guessing no...

2) How can I tell how my economy is doing? There's a screen for taxes and expenses, but only for the short-term. I can't tell if I've got a surplus or a deficit, or anything at all about long-term trends. Does it even matter?

3) I tried to get civilians to haul automatic mines, but nothing is happening. (And it's been years now.) Per the wiki, I set a supply contract on Earth for 10 automines and a demand contract on Io, which is a mining colony, of the same. But as far as I can tell, the civilian company has done nothing at all since I started the game. I've thought about subsidizing the company, but since I've got absolutely no idea how much money I have, I've been hesitating.

4) Can I put fighters and/or missiles (ICBM's, maybe?) on a planet for defense? So far, I have no ships with weapons at all, so Earth is completely defenseless, as far as I can tell. When it comes to guns vs butter, I've concentrated entirely on butter, so I'm starting to worry about encountering a hot knife. 


I'll thank you now, ahead of time, for any replies.

[Erik L]

Hmm,... I've still got questions, I guess:

1) Is there any reason to colonize Mars or the Moon if they don't have minerals? I'm guessing no...

2) How can I tell how my economy is doing? There's a screen for taxes and expenses, but only for the short-term. I can't tell if I've got a surplus or a deficit, or anything at all about long-term trends. Does it even matter?

3) I tried to get civilians to haul automatic mines, but nothing is happening. (And it's been years now.) Per the wiki, I set a supply contract on Earth for 10 automines and a demand contract on Io, which is a mining colony, of the same. But as far as I can tell, the civilian company has done nothing at all since I started the game. I've thought about subsidizing the company, but since I've got absolutely no idea how much money I have, I've been hesitating.

4) Can I put fighters and/or missiles (ICBM's, maybe?) on a planet for defense? So far, I have no ships with weapons at all, so Earth is completely defenseless, as far as I can tell. When it comes to guns vs butter, I've concentrated entirely on butter, so I'm starting to worry about encountering a hot knife. 


I'll thank you now, ahead of time, for any replies.

1 - Not really. Unless for RP purposes.
2 - If you look on your mineral/mines screen, you should see your rate of expenditure on the minerals. This is probably the best indicator.
3 - Do the civvies have a cargo ship? If not, they won't haul anything. Try subsidizing them.
4 - Build a PDC. Just like a ship, except you mark it as a PDC on the top. It can house fighters and/or missiles.

[Steve Walmsley]

1) Is there any reason to colonize Mars or the Moon if they don't have minerals? I'm guessing no...

Yes, there are a few reasons.

1) They will generate trade goods, which allows your shipping lines to move those goods between populations and generate tax revenue.
2) The population growth rate on small colonies is a lot higher than on large ones. If you spread your population between different colonies, it will grow faster overall
3) Smaller populations have a higher percentage of workers available for manufacturing so a population spread across several smaller colonies will have a larger available workforce
4) You can specialise your administrators. So if you have one with high production and one with high shipbuilding, move your factories to a different colony and use both administrators
5) Unless you have at least one colony (in addition to your home world), the shipping lines won't build any ships

2) How can I tell how my economy is doing? There's a screen for taxes and expenses, but only for the short-term. I can't tell if I've got a surplus or a deficit, or anything at all about long-term trends. Does it even matter?

There is an option look at wealth for a year rather than a month. The wealth amount in the title bar of the production window shows if you are growing or shrinking. Yes it matters as without money you can't research or build anything.

[Ostia]

Yes it matters as without money you can't research or build anything.

Objection. I am deep into debt and can still build/research perfectly fine. The only downside is that i take a hit to efficiency, so everything happens slower.

[Steve Walmsley]

Objection. I am deep into debt and can still build/research perfectly fine. The only downside is that i take a hit to efficiency, so everything happens slower.

As you get further into debt, your efficiency is reduced accordingly. Eventually, when debts equal annual income, your efficiency is reduced to 1%, which means it takes one hundred times longer to build or research anything.

[MarcAFK]

As you get further into debt, your efficiency is reduced accordingly. Eventually, when debts equal annual income, your efficiency is reduced to 1%, which means it takes one hundred times longer to build or research anything.

This gives me an idea for a scenario, several neutral nations with trade pacts and limited military inhabiting one system, but one is thoroughly bankrupt and you must pull it out of the slump, there could potentially be a military option. 
I call it "Greek economic crisis : 2215 "

[linkxsc]

As far as colonizing the moon or mars usefulness... I do believe that there is a fair degree of usefulness in the moon atleast.

Shipping there takes virtually no time. And if you start it early, theyll suck up civilian infrastructure production (which is mineral free) which can be stocked up until a colony on a different better maybe mineral rich world becomes available.

Toss a few teraformers on the moon and in a number of years itll be just another planet generating wealth and trade. (I never fully terraform though, so itll keep using generated infrastructure)

[WCG (OP)]

I do believe that there is a fair degree of usefulness in the moon atleast.

Shipping there takes virtually no time. And if you start it early, theyll suck up civilian infrastructure production (which is mineral free) which can be stocked up until a colony on a different better maybe mineral rich world becomes available.

Good points, although I wouldn't be able to ship infrastructure from the Moon unless I terraformed it. I mean, that's why I'd have to send infrastructure there in the first place, right?

(BTW, will civilians migrate to the Moon, or other colonies, on their own? Or do I have to ship everyone?)

Another advantage, the Moon would also be protected by anything I put in Earth's orbit (assuming I ever build defenses), so I wouldn't have to duplicate anything there.

Of course, in the next system, there's a good candidate for colonization (slightly less hospitable than the Moon, with few resources, but there are good mining prospects in that system). So I wasn't thinking of wasting time with the Moon. Still, I'd like to get the civilian economy doing something as soon as possible, and it's going to be awhile before I get jump gates built.

(Actually, there's a better planet for colonization in a different system right next to ours. But it's got an alien population. And they seem to have military ships. They didn't shoot at my ship when I discovered them, and I've got my diplomats working on improving relations, but maybe I should start to think about defenses, huh? LOL)

Thanks again for the info, everybody.