a free space colonisation game.

[Blake]

Active players tend to spend resources as they get them. Inactive players are a better target for finding big stacks of resources.

You can also resource save by tying up the resources in research or construction, which can optionally be cancelled after the threat passes.

[Skanky Burns]

With the exception of shipping or defence.

[germanos]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
From reading the forums, the best defence seems to be keeping your total resources under 100k and being active. People raid others who aren't active, but shy away from attacking active players. I've yet to figure out a solid reason why - perhaps because the person being attacked can send their resources elsewhere when the attack happens.

Very true. They call it fleet saving:
Before you go offline, you send your fleet(s) (preferably with all your metal etc. as cargo) to another planet of yours (or an ally's) and set the speed(travel-time) so, that the fleet will be back when you return online.
While traveling in space your fleet cannot be attacked apparently.

[germanos]

disclaimer: economics is not my strongpoint

Originally posted by Blake
I'm trying to figure out the point where Solar Sats are better than power plants.

Notes:
1) I'm using a weighting of metal=1 crystal=1.25 duet=1.5

Why did you choose this ratio?

I'm also trying to find out what the relative cost is:

building one metal and one crystal mine, who together need one solar plant to operate, I come to the conclusion that to get a return on my investment:
- for the metal it takes 333 minutes
- for the crystals it takes 188 minutes
ergo: Metal is 1.77 times more expensive then crystal (at level1)

for the higher levels the ratio stays (more or less) the same

Am I adding apples and oranges?

Any help would be greatly appriciated

[Blake]

Just a rough guestimate. But basically metal is a lot cheaper, the metal mine is cheaper and produces more metal. The weightings are based on the cost to get that level of production not nessecarly the relative scarcity/value of each resource. The value for Duet might be too high and crystal might be too low, I seem to be always having crystal crunches. The duet is piling up but I expect I'll need it once I get ships.

[Skanky Burns]

I built mines to the exclusion of all else (except lvl 1 crystal much too early) and have had crystal crunches. Since getting crystal up to level 7, mines at 8 and deut to 4 I have way too much crystal and not enough metal or deut. Of course, when I actually start that research...

[Blake]

Yah it's the research that munches up the Crystal. Impulse engine2 requires 8000 crystal and impulse 3 is required for colony ships!

[germanos]

So far my experience is that the more I build, the slower the progress I make. The first day I have build several levels of buildings, now I may be lucky if I can get a few done

I had hoped researching Energy might boost my output, but it didn't. (still need it to build ships though )

I'm running a parralel planet in Universe 9. I'll build core industry first before attempting to get anything space related. I just hope nobody will raid my deut though

[Skanky Burns]

You should be fine provided you don't stockpile a large amount of it. More than it would cost someone to send a ship to and from your system to theirs.

The problem though is how to see how much fuel it takes others when you have no ships yourself.

[germanos]

It's clear to me though that raiding others is the only way to get some stuff going at a reasonable pace. It's going to take ages with just building things

[C0ckney]

i just carried out my first successful raid, on an inactive planet nearby, only carried off 2k metal and 1k crystal, but better than nothing i suppose.

[germanos]

Originally posted by C0ckney
i just carried out my first successful raid, on an inactive planet nearby, only carried off 2k metal and 1k crystal, but better than nothing i suppose.

[duke o' york]

So does anyone know how we can make the alliance work to the best effect? I know that you can transport resources to other planets/players, but can you gift techs too?
If we were to start again from fresh, perhaps in another universe, then I think it would be advantageous for each alliance member to concentrate on different areas - so that one gets loads of techs and shares them, others build bombers to blast other players away, etc.
Doubt this is possible though.

[Snotty]

I have to start over for a 3rd time and this is after I spent the last two days i had off work micromanaging my new account to get the quickest start

[Snotty]

so I started over....

so fatchris and fatmartin are both defensless, utopus has 3 missile launcher defense. I dont know if it is against the rules somehow to attack them but I hope not! help yourself guys, it will be a while before I can take advantage

at least I got a nice hot planet this time