Quick Questions / Quick Answers

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towerbooks3192
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Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by towerbooks3192 »

I saw this kind of topic from different boards and wanted to try it here as I also have some questions from time to time where I feel there is no need for a whole thread. Basically if you have one or a few questions that does not require a whole thread just ask them here and wait for answers.

I will start with a question of mine:

How is research potential calculated and should I adjust the output to go with it?
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Gregorovitch55
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by Gregorovitch55 »

When assessing energy requirements for a combat ship design (no of reactors) what figure needs to exceed the weapons firing energy total at the bottom of the screen: total energy output for vessel or the green excess energy?
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nedcorleone1
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by nedcorleone1 »

What exactly makes you feel this way...?
where I feel there is no need for a whole thread

Its a thread. It takes up maybe an inch of height in a list and it is simply a bunch of digital pixels that equate to less than a MB of memory.
Raap
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by Raap »

ORIGINAL: towerbooks3192

How is research potential calculated and should I adjust the output to go with it?
I'm not entirely sure how it is calculated. Population is the biggest factor, but there does seem to be other factors as well, as I've noticed it fluctuating wildly while my population remained steady. Maybe someone else has a better answer.

Yes, when you add the capacity from all three categories, it should at least equal the potential.
ORIGINAL: Gregorovitch55

When assessing energy requirements for a combat ship design (no of reactors) what figure needs to exceed the weapons firing energy total at the bottom of the screen: total energy output for vessel or the green excess energy?
The green excess energy. Combat vessels are mobile, and as such the energy output of the energy collector is rarely active(only works when sitting still). So your excess energy should(preferably) be equal to your total weapon energy requirement + the energy requirement for movement, either Cruise speed or Sprint speed. That way, your ship can use its engines and all its weapons fully.
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towerbooks3192
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by towerbooks3192 »

ORIGINAL: mr_flappypants

What exactly makes you feel this way...?
where I feel there is no need for a whole thread

Its a thread. It takes up maybe an inch of height in a list and it is simply a bunch of digital pixels that equate to less than a MB of memory.

The purpose is for quick questions and quick answers like "what is the purpose of x or y" or "where is x or where is why" compared to threads like "discuss the pros and cons of the shield choices after corvidian" etc. Its just for convenience.
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nedcorleone1
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by nedcorleone1 »

ORIGINAL: towerbooks3192
The purpose is for quick questions and quick answers like "what is the purpose of x or y" or "where is x or where is why" compared to threads like "discuss the pros and cons of the shield choices after corvidian" etc. Its just for convenience.

Gotcha.

Question: Do ships immediately decelerate when the engines 'switch off'?
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Osito
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by Osito »

ORIGINAL: mr_flappypants
Question: Do ships immediately decelerate when the engines 'switch off'?

Have to say I'm not sure whether that's a serious question, Mr. Newton, but I'll bite ...

In DW, I think they do because ships that come to a stop, e.g., because their engines have been disabled, are stationary on the map. I guess they have to do it that way, otherwise dead ships would migrate to the edges of the map then hang there.

On a related subject, I was fascinated by watching a ship I'd modded to have a sub-light speed of about 400, with no hyperdrive. Moving across a system from one planet to another it slowly accelerated up to 400, then about two thirds of the way to its destination it began decelerating, so that it could reach match the speed of the destination planet. That was cool.

Then in another test, I gave a ship about 900 speed and a hyperdrive and sent it off to another planet. It got up to a speed of maybe 200-300 before the hyperdrive jump, then when it arrived it was still at 200-300 and heading in the opposite direction to the planet. It then looped around the planet slowly circling in as it bled off speed and finally reached the destination. Again, cool.

[Sorry, not intending to derail the purpose of the OP]

Osito
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nedcorleone1
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by nedcorleone1 »

ORIGINAL: Osito
ORIGINAL: mr_flappypants
Question: Do ships immediately decelerate when the engines 'switch off'?

Have to say I'm not sure whether that's a serious question, Mr. Newton, but I'll bite ...

It could be entirely possible that engines are used to slow the ship to a stop. My question is indeed serious and I'll give you a very clear example why it could potentially matter.

In another thread, users were suggesting that 'excess energy' should ideally be equal to the power requirements of your weapons. In this way your ships can use both their engines and fire their weapons without having to 'switch'. I immediately wondered if the AI 'pulsed' their engines as to optimize maintaining momentum and weapon operation.

Of course this 'pulsing' only makes sense if ships decelerate on their own. If engine power is needed to decelerate a ship floating through space, then it would mean that the AI should in fact not have to divert power to the engines at all in combat assuming the proper momentum is already obtained.

I hope this clearly outlines the intent behind my question. Feel free to lower your guard now.
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Osito
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by Osito »

Don't worry, there was no guard. This is only the Internet after all ;-)

Interesting question, but I've never observed anything to lead me believe that they behave like that. Strictly speaking, of course, they should need no energy to operate the engines while they're moving at a constant velocity, but the engines do still use energy when the ships are moving in a straight line at a constant speed.

Also, in practice, if you don't fully power your ship engine energy requirement and your ship weapons requirement, then the weapons will be unable to maintain their fire rate.

Incidentally, I was serious with my point about damaged engines. If a ship's engine is destroyed suddenly, the ship would have no way of bringing itself to a halt, although, in practice (in DW) the ship will come to a halt.
Osito
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towerbooks3192
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by towerbooks3192 »

Are hyperdrives one off or the more the merrier? Been putting only one hyperdrives per ship.


Also, what is an ideal ship speed with engines and turning speed and number of thrust vectors to place in a ship?
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Erik Rutins
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RE: Quick Questions / Quick Answers

Post by Erik Rutins »

The only advantage to having more than one hyperdrive is that it makes your ship more resilient in combat. You basically have a backup so that you are less likely to lose the ability to do a hyperspace jump.

I'm not sure there is an ideal ship speed in terms of combination of engines and thrusters. It depends on the ship role. The main thing is that the ship's weapons and other components support its role as well, so have a plan when designing a ship as far as what it's going to do and you'll end up with a more effective design. I've build very slow, heavily shielded and armored system monitor ships that are basically mobile defense bases and also very, very fast escorts with stand-off weapons and medium speed/maneuverability ships all to good effect.

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- Erik
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