Mass Drivers

[Echo35 (OP)]

Hey guys! Just started playing Aurora a few days ago (Been stumbling through, but I got a pretty good handle on the basics now) and I had a question about Mass Drivers.  I have been using them to fling mined resources back to Earth (Only one system so far) but I had some questions on their other applications.  Is it possible to send other things with them (Like say, flinging ammunition and maintenance supplies to my forward outposts)? Also, I know it's possible to cause kinetic impact with them, is it possible to set a target location that doesn't have a Mass Driver to receive the packets (For example, if I were to park some factories and Mass Drivers in the asteroid belt to shell an enemy planet over a long period of time)?

[Vynadan]

Hey there =)

Is it possible to send other things with them (Like say, flinging ammunition and maintenance supplies to my forward outposts)?

Not as far as I know - MDs fling only minerals around.

Also, I know it's possible to cause kinetic impact with them, is it possible to set a target location that doesn't have a Mass Driver to receive the packets (For example, if I were to park some factories and Mass Drivers in the asteroid belt to shell an enemy planet over a long period of time)?

Yes, definetly. Depending on your tech level / weapons research it might turn out to be more costly than regular bombardement or an invasion (an invasion leaves all the spoils for your use).

[Klapaucius87]

Maybe u could use it to hit an enemy planet, but u would need to make a colony on it (even with no population), move in a mass driver, make the packet fly and move away the mass driver.  This is only theory anyway: never tryed something like that.  And apply it would require control of the space in the area, making a classic bombardment better.

If your objective is attacking from far without involving your fleet than i don't think this is an option.

[Vynadan]

Do you need an MD on the target colony? I never paid attention / tried to bombard anything, but I can't recall any such prerequisit.
At least as far the AI is concerned I don't know whether they'll aim at incoming MD packets - or look into where they come from, for that matter. If the receiving planet has an MD on his own though, you'd just end up sending him ressources.

[Echo35 (OP)]

I was thinking of it as more of a support role, ie.  invade with my fleet and shell him from a distance for back up.  On their own, I can't imagine they'd do more damage than simply glassing the planet from orbit, but it would be a nice attrition ability at the very least.

[Erik L]

I do believe you can only send to your own colonies.

[Echo35 (OP)]

I do believe you can only send to your own colonies.

I thought so too since that's all I could select from the drop down, but I was just curious.

[ollobrains]

what is the range of mass drivers ( just in solar system or as far as u want them)

[Erik L]

what is the range of mass drivers ( just in solar system or as far as u want them)

In system only.

[ollobrains]

so the method for moving minerals system to system is not a MD but via the civilian shipping lines ( or a future intrasolar mass driver of sorts)

[Jacob/Lee]

so the method for moving minerals system to system is not a MD but via the civilian shipping lines ( or a future intrasolar mass driver of sorts)

No, it's the empire's freighters. Civilians do jack about minerals lying on government-owned mining colonies.

[ollobrains]

hmmm so its a case of manually moving minerals around - is there an automated order or any ideas for improving this part of the UI to automate it in some way.  So the player has less micromanagement as his empire grows

[Vynadan]

I don't think an 'automatically and perfectly move all ressources around as I need them without me telling you what I actually plan on doing anywhere' is a feasable implementation into the UI. Let alone the code.

[Thiosk]

Thats very true- we know though that steve is interested in implementing orders for civ industry to move minerals-- one he piped up at was a suggestion to have a "set minimum" box, which the civ industry would then try to fill.  That way, the civilians could keep maitenence worlds topped up on just enough minerals to keep running at all times, for instance.

[Zed 6]

The way I like to move minerals around is:

In a system set up for mining, send by mass driver all minerals to one central location usually close as possible to the jump point for each system. Set up a freighter or a task group of my freighters and make a slow tour of those selected systems and load all minerals. When it returns to the system I want to unload at, it does so and I have selected the Cycle Moves checkbox on the task group window. Setting a slower than max speed or using an older design freighter simulates being a tramp freighter and also allows the minerals to build up at each site. I usually have designated 1 freighter group to haul 1 mass driver and the rest automated mines to get them to their target body as quick as possible to get as many bodies mining resonably quick.

This also works well for my gas giant mining in remote systems using a tanker instead, as I have towed remote orbital stations to the gas giants.