Paying build cost and minerals

[smoelf (OP)]

I tried searching, but couldn't find an answer to this, but at what point do you actually pay the cost for building anything? When you place the production/build order, when the order finishes, or is the cost spread out over the time it takes to complete the order? I'm particularly thinking about the implications for cancelling an order, and whether it is "free", has full cost, or only partial cost.

[Steve Walmsley]

I tried searching, but couldn't find an answer to this, but at what point do you actually pay the cost for building anything? When you place the production/build order, when the order finishes, or is the cost spread out over the time it takes to complete the order? I'm particularly thinking about the implications for cancelling an order, and whether it is "free", has full cost, or only partial cost.

The cost in wealth and minerals is taken over the entire period, so if you abandon at 50% complete you will already have spent 50% of the wealth and minerals for the project.

[ryuga81]

Components in shipbuilding are used as soon as you start production (it doesn't even take an increment, it's instant AFAIK), so they go *poof* if you queue something by mistake.