Basic Questions - -HELP???

shampine · #1 November 14th, 2000, 08:59 PM

Could someone please explain the difference between bases, satellites and space stations? How do you use each of them?

Also, how do you do mining?

What is the best way to defend your systems?

Any advice / answers would be greatly appreciated.

Comar · #2 November 14th, 2000, 09:36 PM

Weapon platforms are planet based and used for planetary protection. Satellites can be placed anywhere, but ususally seen around planets or jump points. Bases are used to protect planets or as orbital shipyards.

The best protection for a planet is a powerful and active fleet ( hear that, NASA???? ). You can also heavily mine jump points which will add a lot of protection.
Last is the close in defenses ( weapon platforms, orbital bases and satellites ).

rdouglass · #3 November 14th, 2000, 10:27 PM

IMO the basic difference between SS, Bases and Sat's are that StarBases and space stations are big and Sattelites are small and the only one (of the 3) you can recover and move somewhere else to a different sector. Also, if my memory still works, sat's don't have maintenance costs so you can't upgrade them, just scrap 'em. I may be wrong about this Last one though. I seem to remember a thread somewhere about "deployed" objects being upgradeable although I can't remeber it exactly.

Help anyone???

shampine · #4 November 14th, 2000, 10:30 PM

How does upgrading work?

greghacke · #5 November 14th, 2000, 10:47 PM

Better yet, go to a warp point with a ship-based space yard (medium or large transport.) Build a rocking space station (with it's own spaceyard and figer bays.) Deploy some mines and wait for someone to wander in...

Possum · #6 November 14th, 2000, 11:03 PM

Upgrading is COOL! Here's how I do it.

Hit F3 to see the ship designs screen. Select the ship design you want to upgrade. Hit the "Upgrade" button, and it will create a newer Version with the newest tech you have researched. Give it a new name and save the design by clicking the "Create" button.

Now, move a ship of the old design to a shipyard, select it, and press the "G" key. Now you have to select the ship again (dunno why) and click the "Retrofit" button on the right. You will then be presented with a list of the designs that the old ship can be retrofitted to. Choose the one you want.

Now, when you look at your ship, it will be all damaged, and you will say "Possum, you arsebite!"

Hehe, that's how it works. Just leave the ship sit there, and the space yard will repair the damaged components. After the repairs are complete, you will have your newly upgraded ship, but it will still have any experience it might have accumulated.

Not only will you keep your experienced ships this way, but it is usually faster than building new ships, not to mention cheaper. To speed up the process, I will usually research Repair tech, and build a repair ship to hang out at each of my busy space yards.

I am a big user of specialty support vessels. I will build repair ships, supply ships, satellite tenders, minelayers, and various other odd ducks, but the repair ships are always a priority for me.

Oh yes, and if you're building Weapons Platforms, don't forget that even the small ones can use a large weapon mount for their direct fire weapons. Click the "Weapon Mount" button on the right of the design screen to select

gods, but I love this game

Shadow99 · #7 November 15th, 2000, 12:21 AM

A tactic that helped me a few times with enemies starting in the same system (especially when they were larger) was to mine around my planet (aka on top of it). I still lost a few planets, but I was able to build up resources in other locations while keeping most of my planets safe this way. It's ineffiecent when the enemy isn't in your system though.

Stations/bases on warp points is also a fav of mine. Nothing like a couple simple space yards & a massive defense base (loaded to the hilt with guns & shields) to keep any enemy vessels from making it through mined warp points...

James Sterrett · #8 November 15th, 2000, 12:28 AM

How do I upgrade or scrap weapon platforms? I seem to be stuck with my old ones. 8( I'd prefer to upgrade, naturally, but even scrapping wold be nice, to get them out of the cargo space! 8)

Possum · #9 November 15th, 2000, 12:41 AM

James, you can't

All you can do is "Jettison Cargo"

Psitticine · #10 November 15th, 2000, 06:06 AM

One other difference with satellites, and a telling one at that, is that they can't be targetted by all weaponry.

Even though seekers are currently listed as being able to target them, they cannot. Apparently, they are too small to lock onto or some such. You can, however, use PD cannon to shoot at them - which is the only case I know of where PD cannon fire can be directly controlled. Oh, and other direct fire weapons can also target them just fine.

This all may also be true of mines as well but I haven't seen mines being used tactically in the full Version yet.

At first, I thought it was a bug but after playing with it, I kinda like it this way. It gives satellites an advantage they didn't have before. I feel they are much more useful now.

Unfortunately, there's also the bug where all satellites in a group go when the first one goes down, unless they have shields. I'm crossing my fingers that'll be fixed in the upcoming patch!!!