Warning Newbie Question. Space Ports and Queues

[brianeyci]

I am getting several strange Messages in several games. I run out of resources for construction, while I clearly have sufficient minerals in my treasury. I have the following questions.

1. Do you need a space port to access resources for a space yard facility (ship/base construction)?
2. Do you need a space port to access resources for facility construction?
3. Do you need a space port to access resources for unit construction?
4. Do you need a space port to access stored resources in a storage facility?
5. Is there an Intel project that denies your empire the use of resources?
6. Is there any other reason I would be getting a lot of "lack of resources" Messages? (I clearly have enough resources in my treasury to build the items I need).

Thanks,
Brian

[Ragnarok]

brianeyci said:
I am getting several strange Messages in several games. I run out of resources for construction, while I clearly have sufficient minerals in my treasury. I have the following questions.

1. Do you need a space port to access resources for a space yard facility (ship/base construction)?
2. Do you need a space port to access resources for facility construction?
3. Do you need a space port to access resources for unit construction?
4. Do you need a space port to access stored resources in a storage facility?

You need one space port per system unless you have natural merchants trait. If you do not have said trait and no space port then the minerals produced in any particular system will not make it to your empire total. But you do not need one on each planet.

5. Is there an Intel project that denies your empire the use of resources?

I am not aware of any.

6. Is there any other reason I would be getting a lot of "lack of resources" Messages? (I clearly have enough resources in my treasury to build the items I need).

Are you sure you have enough resources? Are you converting any resources? In the message it should define which planet(s) are not completing their project due to lack of resources...

Thanks,
Brian

[/quote]

[brianeyci]

I know that if I have no space ports, no resources get contributed to my empire pool. Maybe if I clarify my questions...

1. I have a system with a lot of small planets. I decide to use the entire system for storage purposes. Do I have to build a space port.

2. I have a lot of "lack of resource" Messages, even from systems that have a space port. My empire pool clearly has enough resources (about 100k mins), enough for construction.

Brian

[brianeyci]

Hrm I figured out my problem. I got so caught up in the mins that I didn't check my radioactives... lol, ran out of radios.

Brian

[Alneyan]

Spaceports do not affect your construction abilities. You can build anything in a system without a spaceport, as long as other systems produce resources. Only resource facilities do not work when there is no spaceport. Resource storage facilities work fine as well.

Two intelligence projects destroy/steal a part of your resources, but you should get a message if it does happen. They are level III projects, whose names I have forgotten.

Resources are used in the following order during a turn:
- Gifts and trades and scrapping. These should happen before the rest, but I am not too sure.
- Converting resources
- Retrofitting
- Income (either positive or negative), as shown in the Empire status window. Be warned there may be Last-minute changes in this field; for example, if you lose planets, treaties, and so on.
- Maintenance is paid for. If not enough resources are available in storage, a few ships will be destroyed during the turn.
- Construction queues are paid for. Since this happens at the end, you may have less resources than when you ended your turn. Common problems are retrofits, resource conVersion (beware of Repeat Orders on planets with resource converters) and treaty severance.

Edit: I should borrow Jack Simth's signature for this post. "Of course, by the time I finish this post, it will already be obsolete. C'est la vie."

[gregebowman]

Check your maintenace costs also. Sometimes I get so involved in building up fleets of ships, I forget that all of those ships costs so much a turn to maintain them. So if I see I'm going into a negative balance, I research the next level of extraction for mineral, organics or "radios", and then start colonizing planets with the needed m, o or r's that I need to stay ahead of my costs. Eventually, as you expand and colonize more planets, you'll get more than you need, and then you'll need more storage facilities.

[Ragnarok]

brianeyci said:
Hrm I figured out my problem. I got so caught up in the mins that I didn't check my radioactives... lol, ran out of radios.

Brian

Doh! We have all done that I do believe, so don't feel bad! Happy gaming.