Need a bit of advice. :)

[SteveAlt]

In this pic, you see the WP/JP to Tau Ceti has a red square around it. Anyone know why?

The red square indicates a jump gate that you didn't build. Your own jump gates will be shown as orange squares. This could be an abandoned ancient jump gate or it could be one built more recently by an active alien race. You can send any ship through a jump gate, even if it doesn't have a jump engine. However, you will need a jump gate on the other side to get back if your probe ship lacks a jump engine.

Steve

[Starkiller (OP)]

A Jump Gate?! Please tell me that the game starts with a few jump gated WPs. This system has no planets, but if all WPs start without gates, then
someone has been around, and that kinda freaks me out a bit.

Eric

[Starkiller (OP)]

Crosspost! Thanks, Steve. I think my paranoia just shot up to tech level 7.

Greywolf

[Starkiller (OP)]

Another question. Terra's Sector Command is at lvl 1 radius 1. How do you change that to increase the lvl and radius. Do you build another one?

Eric

[Sotak246]

For the command radius, research improved command and control, then you can build more command centers expanding your radius.  Then use the sector tab at the top of the system view to add systems to your new sector.

Mark

[Starkiller (OP)]

Hmmm. It's not on the research list, so there must be a requirement I haven't yet met.

Eric

[Starkiller (OP)]

Scratch that last. I just looked on the completed list, and it was there. So, more centers should expand the radius. What is the general rule
for the number of systems in a sector before starting another sector?

Eric

[Starkiller (OP)]

Ah! The Mass Drivers on the planets of Proxima A are sending a nice steady stream of mineral packets to the colony on the moon of planet 4 of
Proxima C. Steve, I don't know how you did it, but I tip my hat to your programming skills. Just need more automated mines on the 3 planets
of Proxima A, and setup mines on the others, to increase the mineral flow. Strangely, Proxima C is the only one of the three stars in this trinary
system that has developed habitable, or terraformable, worlds. ^_-



Eric

[Erik L]

Scratch that last. I just looked on the completed list, and it was there. So, more centers should expand the radius. What is the general rule
for the number of systems in a sector before starting another sector?

Eric

Each level adds one to the radius. I try to stay with 3-4 jumps, and then build another sector for further expansion. Usually in some nodal system with lots of jp or habitable planets.

[Starkiller (OP)]

That makes sense. I don't need to worry about another sector for a while then. I'm currently three jumps out, with Tau Ceti (one transit from Sol) and
Sigma Draconis (2 transits out from Sol) being major warp nexii, with six and five JPs respectively. My surveyors will be busy for a time.

Eric

[sloanjh]

Scratch that last. I just looked on the completed list, and it was there. So, more centers should expand the radius. What is the general rule
for the number of systems in a sector before starting another sector?

Eric

Each level adds one to the radius. I try to stay with 3-4 jumps, and then build another sector for further expansion. Usually in some nodal system with lots of jp or habitable planets.

I thought it went roughly like the square root of the number of levels, i.e. 1 level = radius 1, 4 = radius 2, 9 = radius 3, but I also think I remember something a little weird with the counting - I think that you just need to get to level 2 to get radius 2.

John

[Starkiller (OP)]

Is there anywhere in the game, or elsewhere, that tells you what some of the planetary installations do?
I see things like spaceport, financial institution, and Commercial Freight, but have no idea what these
things do.

Eric

[Brian Neumann]

For those that haven't been explained.

Financial Centres generate extra wealth

Maintenance Facilities generate the mainenance to put on ships, and if there are enough they keep ships in orbit from running up time on the clock.  (200 tons times the number of facilities for the largest size ship maintained.)

Commercial Freight Facilities let you put in the order que for freighters, colonizers etc the order of freighter maintenance check.  This automatically resets the freighters clock to zero and refills the maintenance on the freighter.  It basically allows you to not have to wory about your freighters falling apart if you can swing them by one of these every couple of years.

Spaceports are being phased out in 4.1, currently if you have a spaceport on two planets not in the same system and the systems are linked by jump gates you can create a trade route.   This is another way to gain wealth.

If you have any other questions I would be happy to help

Brian

[Starkiller (OP)]

Thanks for the info. That could definitely be useful. One thing I'd like to see is a combat simulator associated with the ship design section.
It would be nice if you could test your designs against a computer generated opponent of a selected teck level. This way, you could find weaknesses
in your design before actual combat shows them to you, in a lethal fashion. "QUICK! To the escape pods, Crew!" "Um...WHAT escape pods?" "Oh-oh.."


Eric

[waresky]

In first "years" of various Campaigns,ive lost some ships in stupid battles.."Warship" without Guns:)..or without power..or without MAGAZINES..