In reply to China (msg # 50):
OK, I install 8 shipyards so that I can build the 39 modules a 10000 tonnes (quite small) Freude ship needs in a single turn. I only need (aside from paying for them) to uplift 160 RMUs (so 3200000 tonnes) per turn...
As they are now, civilian shipyards are only useful as prerequisites for military ones (so that you can build armored or armed ships) and to build ships larger tan 10000 tonnes, but they cannot build their modules at any speed, so you need to build the modules by planetary industries. Off course, that means that you need to uplift them, and, if you cannot do so with catapults, you need quite a developed interface facilities, that need quite a lot of OTs by themselves...
Frankly, IMHO most of last changes in space rules have worsened the game (the last change in interface being the main exception, once the problem with rockets requiring OTs is solved). As rules stand now:
- Shipyards do not build ships, only build a small part of them (the heavier parts, is assumed) and assemble them.
- Even so, shipyards need 20 RMU (400000 x G toones) uplift to be operative, os catapults are needed (even shipyards being half a TL lower than catapults).
- Ship modules cannot be uplifted by catapult to shipyards, so requiring large interface facilities to be uplift the ground industry built ones
- Interface requires OTs, so many of them are needed to have this same interface infrastructure
- Passenger modules need larger ships than can be built in surface, so you cannot move population until cataputls are developed (at least farther tan Moon)
This is said to be a galactic 4X game, but we're Earthbound (at most able to colonize Moon, as rockets may reach it with population) for a while. As rules stand, until at least TL 9.5 (so about another 8 turns mÃnimum, if someone can ressearch all the needed fields each turn, more likely quite more).
This message was last edited by the player at 23:41, Thu 15 Oct 2015.