Regarding Economy Starbases with Trade Modules built the Manual says that "To maximize trade, build a series of star-bases that follows the path of your freighters." Does that mean I should have these Starbases follow my freighter/s in a straight line with their area of effect spheres overlapping each other while encompassing the route? Or should I keep the starbases spread out along the route? Or is it better to try to encompass 2 or more trade routes within the areas of one or more trade starbases? Still kind of confused about how the area of effect works on the trade module, I understand how it works with the Production boosting, influence, and military modules and that the bonuses can sometimes stack when multiple starbases aoes overlap each others, but I just don't know if it applies to the trade modules.
Your trade route only needs to pass through the area of effect. However, I wouldn't get too crazy with building econ star bases just to bump trade.
Firstly, trade routes can, and do change frequently during the course of a game for various reasons. Your trading partner can become your enemy, the planet your route goes to is captured by another civ, or simply more profitable routes turn up. I rarely am trading with the same planets that my first trade routes went to at the beginning of the game.
Second, have you calculated the number of mouse-clicks required to build a fully upgraded starbase? For sure, and for certain, your starbases will become targets during times when you are at war, so you will need to put hefty defenses on them. It takes roughly 10 mouse clicks for each module...from selecting the planet to build a constructor, to opening the build list to confirming your selection, then closing the dialogue, then selecting the planet again when it's done, launching it, then selecting the starbase to be upgraded, to confirming which module you want to install.....
Now considering that a fully upgraded starbase can have something like 61 modules (someone correct me if that number is wrong), that's 600 or more mouse clicks for EACH starbase. It leads one to think someone at Stardock held interest in Logitech
I never understood why they didn't simply handle constructors like a planetary upgrade; you select the spot where you wish to build a starbase, you then select what modules you wish to install, you pay for them (which you do anyway in the current system) and are given a time to completion. Simple and user friendly. For galactic resources, you need only the initial constructor to stake your claim on a resource. After that, the above system would apply.
In my own games, I might have as many as 20 or 30 starbases of all kinds, so that's literally thousands of mouse-clicks. My arm and wrist go numb, to say nothing of the wear-and-tear on my mouse. Building constructor after constructor is THE most annoying feature in the game, for me. It's the reason I stopped building the military version and go only with econ bases. Econs will benefit me every turn regardless of expansion, while military bases are used only in times of war, and usually become left in rear areas as my empire expands, and hence useless. Not worth the effort, IMHO.
Yeah...I really don't care much for the way this feature was designed
That being said, the best place for your econ starbases with trade modules would be your home planet as all your trade routes will pass through that sector (regardless of whether you change your trade routes later on in the game) and the risk of them being destroyed by other races or pirates are much smaller.
I would imagine they force you to upgrade starbases using constructors to ensure that it also takes quite some time rather than just money to build fully upgraded starbases.
In using my system, you do have a time factor involved, not just money. Each module has not only a cost, but a time-to-build figure associated with it. If you order up multiple modules they get placed in a queue just like planetary improvements. Modules do not become functional until their build time is completed. This prevents getting a fully functional star base with all the add-ons all at once.
I would say that I spend 1/3 to 1/2 of my game time building and moving constructors. It's time wasted, IMHO, and it certainly detracts from a very fine game, for me.
hmmm.. late game when im culturebombing the universe i deal with alot of constructors.. but most of the time is them just running where they are supposed to go.. i dont control any of the 150-200 i can have built and scurrying about like ants. set up waypoints.. (i feel bad invading another civs planets for some reason, but ill happily steal them) tell a planet what waypoint you want that planets constructors to go to.. and ignore it.. once it gets to the place that the constructor is to build its outpost.. build it then doubleclick the outpost and theres an option to automate which option a constructor choses to build on. times of peice i have it build the purpose of the outpost first then defences.. times of war while its still weak ill guard it with a warship and tell it to build weapons and defences first. once i have the waypoint and initial base construstructed only time i have to deal with the base is when it popups that its got something it wants to construct that costs money or that the base has no upgrades left.
Although, do they have the option of autobuilding starbases?
You don't need defenses on an econ starbase that is meant to boost trade income. They are a waste.
It only takes 4 constructors to build and upgrade the base, if you only install the trading modules.
So, it only takes 4 to replace it.
But if you go hog wild and put all 30-something modules on it, it will be more expensive by far in both time and resources. And by mid-game, a fully outfitted starbase is no match for a decent fleet.
Everyone to their own style, I guess. Have to disagree about a fully upgraded starbase being easy pickings. I've had one destroy outright, a pirate fleet complete with battleships that would've been a serious load to handle for even my best fleets, at the time (and we're talking better than halfway down the weapons tech-tree). And certainly any galactic resource mines you have will become immediate targets during wartime, and will have to be defended. With a fully upgraded base, I don't bother with a covering fleet...they can take care of themselves, for the most part.
And please correct me if I'm wrong, but if you wish to get full benefit from an econ starbase, you need 10 constructors minimum, yes? Initial, then 10/20/30 boost to trade, and six for the mil/soc/res boosts (and of course I'm referring to bases within your own territories). With my style of play, I might have 30 or more econ + resource bases. Even with the minimal number of constructors, that's still hundreds of mouse-clicks when you add in the ones required for opening the purchase screen, choosing which unit (I always have several speeds depending on how far they have to go), closing the screen, etc. All unnecessary, IMHO.
Regardless, I still see the UI, as I've described it, being far more user-friendly than even way-points, and such. How could it be any simpler? Point, click, pick from a list, pay....and forget about it until more modules become available.
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