Next Dumb Question. :)

[Starkiller (OP)]

I know how to create and work with a single empire, thanks to the
tutorials. Now, how would I do a multiplayer hotseat game? I'd like
to get a few other interstellar Powers up an running so the Imperium
has someone to run into, but I'd like them to be player races and not
NPRs. So far as I have been able to see, You can only do races in areas
you've already found. Is there a way to start, say, four Imperiums right
at the start, in different areas, so they don't know of each other's
presence?

Eric

[Erik L]

I know how to create and work with a single empire, thanks to the
tutorials. Now, how would I do a multiplayer hotseat game? I'd like
to get a few other interstellar Powers up an running so the Imperium
has someone to run into, but I'd like them to be player races and not
NPRs. So far as I have been able to see, You can only do races in areas
you've already found. Is there a way to start, say, four Imperiums right
at the start, in different areas, so they don't know of each other's
presence?

Eric

Yes.

For each, you'll need to set the default race to "SM Race", then generate a system until you have a habitable planet. Then click the planet and "Create Empire". With a default of 1000 systems, chances are pretty slim that any of the initial systems will be congruent.

Of course, since Aurora is Paused Real Time, instead of Turn based, you'll have to agree between each player what an acceptable time increment is.

[Starkiller (OP)]

How would you do that? When I go to the game menu to select 'SM
Default Race', the Imperium is the only one there. Is this something
that needed to be set right at the game setup?

Eric

[Starkiller (OP)]

I got it! You need to generate a system with a suitable planet first, then
create Empire, and then select the new race as Default. Sure takes a lot
of tries to get a habitable planet though. Another curiosity, is that unless
you remember to delete unsuitable generated systems, they will
appear on top of each other on the galactic map.

Eric

[Steve Walmsley]

I got it! You need to generate a system with a suitable planet first, then create Empire, and then select the new race as Default. Sure takes a lot of tries to get a habitable planet though.

Bear in mind that as the environmental tolerances of a race are based on the planet on which you create it, any world with an oxygen atmosphere is going to be ideal. For example, if the temperature is -60, the gravity 2.5G and the atmosphere has only 0.05 atm of oxygen then those will be the ideal conditions for the race you create and every other planet will be judged according to those criteria when you view the universe through the eyes of that race. Different races can find completely different planets ideal and may not even be able to create colonies on worlds that are ideal to other races.

However, if you need a planet with a particular atmosphere then there is a shortcut, although its not exactly intuitive . Add a colony to a planet with suitable gravity then enter SM mode and go into the Environment tab of the economics window for that colony. The SM Set Atm button allows you to set up the atmosphere for the planet.

Another curiosity, is that unless you remember to delete unsuitable generated systems, they will appear on top of each other on the galactic map.

New systems always appear just below and to the right of the system to which they connect, or the system you were viewing when you manually generated a system. You can drag and drop them on the galactic map though to lay out the map howevere you like. Hold shift and drag the mouse for the basic drag-drop and also check out the help sidebar which explains how to multi-select and drag.

Steve

[Starkiller (OP)]

OK, I have the second player set up, but a problem has shown up.
The second player cannot see the first player's systems, but the first
player can see the second player's system, even with SM mode off.

Now, I created the second race the same way you would do an NPR.
Is there a way to keep new player races from being seen by the first
player? I've obviously done something incorrectly.

Eric

PS: Thanks for the info, Steve, that should simplify things.

[Steve Walmsley]

OK, I have the second player set up, but a problem has shown up.
The second player cannot see the first player's systems, but the first
player can see the second player's system, even with SM mode off.

Now, I created the second race the same way you would do an NPR.
Is there a way to keep new player races from being seen by the first
player? I've obviously done something incorrectly.

If you create a second race in a system generated by the first race then that first race is going to be able to see that system. The ideal way to create multiple starting players that start in different systems is to let the game create an SM race at the start and use that race to create all the starting systems and races. If you are already in a game without an SM race and you want to create systems that can't be seen by existing players, the best way is to create a temporary race, use it to generate the systems of all the additional players and then delete the temporary race.

Steve

[Starkiller (OP)]

Ok, that worked well. Thanks, Steve.

Eric

[simon]

How stop my GDP from spin-diving ? Just learning the strings but before i can expand beyond the home world GDP heads for the floor despite increasing racial wealth, and a planetwide fall in unemployment. This seems to somehow coupled to political stability. P.S my goverment is a kind and benevolent   military dictatorship(':evil:') should i change my ways or can GU be used to stabalize the situation.

[SteveAlt]

How stop my GDP from spin-diving ? Just learning the strings but before i can expand beyond the home world GDP heads for the floor despite increasing racial wealth, and a planetwide fall in unemployment. This seems to somehow coupled to political stability. P.S my goverment is a kind and benevolent   military dictatorship(':evil:') should i change my ways or can GU be used to stabalize the situation.

There can be several reasons but its often a lack of military units in the system. If you look at the bottom left of the summary panel for the population there will be a requested protection level and an actual protection level. If actual is less than requested, the population won't feel they are adequately protected. Unrest will increase and political stability will fall.

The level of protection provided by a ship or PDC is measured by its PPV (Planetary Protection Value) rating, which is found at the end of the second line of the class summary.

Steve

[Erik L]

How stop my GDP from spin-diving ? Just learning the strings but before i can expand beyond the home world GDP heads for the floor despite increasing racial wealth, and a planetwide fall in unemployment. This seems to somehow coupled to political stability. P.S my goverment is a kind and benevolent   military dictatorship(':evil:') should i change my ways or can GU be used to stabalize the situation.

Do you have enough protection? The civs want to feel safe, so they ask for military protection. I believe this kicks in around 10m pop and increases as the pop does. Ships in system, PDCs and ground units provide the needed protection.

On the summary screen, bottom of the first column will be two entries, Protection Requested, and Protection Provided (something like that). If Requested is higher than Provided, unrest grows and grows fast.

[simon]

Is it possible to move all needed files into a portable drive (Stick drive/ipod) so you plug-in to a computer and continue the struggle
':?' . PS storage space is aplenty

[Erik L]

Is it possible to move all needed files into a portable drive (Stick drive/ipod) so you plug-in to a computer and continue the struggle
':?' . PS storage space is aplenty

All you truly need is the stevefire.mdb. Of course you need Aurora installed on the other computer(s). Installing to a flash drive is doable, but there are registry settings that the install performs that without, Aurora may not function correctly, if at all.

[Randy]

Eric wrote:

All you truly need is the stevefire.mdb. Of course you need Aurora installed on the other computer(s). Installing to a flash drive is doable, but there are registry settings that the install performs that without, Aurora may not function correctly, if at all.

And even these things could be cleaned up if Aurora was done in .Net  

[Erik L]

Eric wrote:

All you truly need is the stevefire.mdb. Of course you need Aurora installed on the other computer(s). Installing to a flash drive is doable, but there are registry settings that the install performs that without, Aurora may not function correctly, if at all.

And even these things could be cleaned up if Aurora was done in .Net  

I asked Steve about that once, and he replied that he knows VB6, and would rather keep putting out versions than learning a new IDE and such.