Freighter Network

[Will]

The problem, as was noted by douglas and originally overlooked by me, is that if you have a facility that has SY abilities of 0/2000/0, it will construct anything (including warships) with zero cost for minerals and radioactives. Having a Mineral Launch Pad (0/2000/1 construction rate) will ensure that it can only effectively build Mineral Freighters. Same for Radioactive Launch Pad (1/2000/0) building only Radioactive Freighters.

[Magnum357]

Ok, I think I understand what you mean. You have to give each "Lauch Pad" shipyard at least 1 point of either Mineral or Radioactive Construction capability otherwise it will construct at no cost. But why do you need BOTH a Mineral Lauch Pad (constuction cost 0/2000/1) and a Radioactive Constuction Pad (Constuction cost 1/2000/0)? Can't you just get by with a Lauch Pad that has a Constuction capability of 1/2000/1?

[douglas]

The Launch Pad needs to build at least one resource at no cost or there's no point to its existence. The whole reason to build freighters is that they will yield lots of non-organics when scrapped, and they have to cost a correspondingly large amount to build to make that work.

[Magnum357]

Yes, I understand that. The Organics are basically used to built the Freighters and are metephorically your workforce you might say. But what I want to know is why do you need two types of Lauch pads? Can't you just make one launch pad build with 1/2000/1 capability?

[Will]

You're still missing the point. Having a spaceyard with one or two of the resources at 0, means the spaceyard can construct UNLIMITED amounts of that resource. You get money from scrapping a "Mineral Cargo Hold" component that costs, say, 10k minerals. If the Launch Pads constructed at 1/2000/1, then it would take 10,000 turns to build a Mineral Freighter. If the Launch Pads constructed at 0/2000/1, then it would take one turn to build a Mineral Freighter.

[douglas]

A freighter must yield a large amount of (non-organic) resources when scrapped. This requires either an insanely high scrap return at the spaceport (not desirable) or a high (non-organic) construction cost, so freighters cost a lot to build. Freighters are also supposed to be built quickly at a Launch Pad, so the Launch Pad must either have a high (non-organic) construction rate or build at no cost in the appropriate resource. A construction rate of 1/2000/1 satisfies neither of those two requirements.

[Magnum357]

Ah, ok. I think I get what you mean. So you need that "0" value in order for the Freighters to get produced fast. Now can someone tell me how to get the Scraping of ships to that 110% value in the game? I don't know where in the Data files too look.

[douglas]

Yes, the 0 rate is needed to allow fast (and free) construction of freighters. The 1 in the other resource is required to prevent fast construction of anything else.

The ability for high-return scrapping is Resource Reclamation, and it's used in stock by the Ultra - Recycler facility.

[Magnum357]

Got another question. Is it good to keep the Scrap percent cost at 110%? I was thinking of going higher, but not sure if that is wise for this to work. Also, I decreased the resource storage values considerably because I want to make the Frieghter network to be more valuable, at least that is my theory. I might be wrong with that.

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

If you want to make the freighter network work, set the scrap percent to something like 150% or so. If you keep it at 110%, the revenue is just simply too small and you're going to struggle economically, and the few battles that will be fought will be fought with small, cheap, outdated ships.