Whats a good tip of refueling?

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game which models a "living galaxy" with incredible options for replayability and customizability. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game. Now greatly enhanced with the new Universe release, which includes all four previous releases as well as the new Universe expansion!

Moderators: elliotg, Icemania

HsojVvad
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:21 pm

Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by HsojVvad »

Well I am in a predicament, and thinking of starting a new game since I am not having much fun at the moment. Maybe I have to change my strategy though.

I am in a 100 star map so the distances between stars can be huge. I have the unfortune that none of the stars close to me have any rescources in them, so I can't send my refueling ship to them and deploy at a star or planet. No gas gaints either, but one frozen planet though. The pirates are out of my range. I made a defensive base thinking I can refuel there. Nope, can't do that. So is there any bases we can make to have as gas stations, so ships can refuel there? What else can I do beside refitting all my ships with more fuel tanks? Maybe this is the only way of doing it, but I want to make shure.

Any tips and help would be appreciated. What am I missing?
Wicky
Posts: 102
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2010 2:18 am
Location: Linz, Austria

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Wicky »

You should restart the game. With only 1 system (I assume) and no fuel sources nearby you are going to have a very tough game.
The only thing what you can do, is to find the next nearest gas planet with casion/hydrogen and build a mining station there but you already knew that.
HsojVvad
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:21 pm

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by HsojVvad »

Yeah, so I am screwed eh? Well I think I will restart the game. I just love my home world. It's a moon on a gas giant. Thing is the other gas giant is right beside it, so it looks like I am circling 2 gas giants. Well I will have to consider this a chalange and figure a way around this. I guess I will have to have less armour and weaponry on my destroyers, so more fuel tanks can go inside and see how this fairs for me.

The only thing I can see is thing being a glitch. Will the AI actually build ships with more fuel tanks so they can attack my capital then if it's far out of reach then? If I can't get them, they can't get me then.
User avatar
lordxorn
Posts: 768
Joined: Sun Dec 06, 2009 6:18 am

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by lordxorn »

Try this, custom design a starbase with a few energy collectors, alot of docking bays, and tons of fuel and cargo space. Here is why, even though your starbase I not mining fuel, your civilian freighters will fill up the huge fuel tank of your starbase. Now it is acting like a tender, that is pre-positioned. The USMC does this all over the world. I don't know if a chain of these bases would work.

Also your situation is not that limiting, you just have to design around it. Custom design your ships with lots of fuel storage so they have the range to expand, also make sure your explorers are equiped the same, maybe you missed some systems.
OrigamiZoo
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 2:16 am

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by OrigamiZoo »

This reminded me of a question... If you throw a gas miner on a ship (explorer for example), can/will it use it to refuel?

Well, after a quick trial... survey says: Nope.
Oh well.
User avatar
Wade1000
Posts: 771
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:21 pm
Location: California, USA

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Wade1000 »

Are their any Gas Clouds for your resupply ships?
 
Wish list:population centers beyond planetary(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture):Ships,Ring Orbitals,Sphere Orbitals,Ringworlds,Sphereworlds;ability to create & destroy planets,population centers,stars;AI competently using all advances & features.
HsojVvad
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:21 pm

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by HsojVvad »

There is a few gas clouds. Why you ask?
Resan
Posts: 98
Joined: Thu Apr 01, 2010 3:05 pm

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Resan »

You can build gas mining station in gas clouds.

As for refueling station. I think if you build a station with lots of cargo space it can work as a depot, but it need to be a "Space Port" type before freighters bothers to fill it up. Still you would get all kind of stuff there, not just fuel.
"Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced." - Gehm's Corollary
Conflictx
Posts: 42
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:53 am
Location: Belgium

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Conflictx »

ORIGINAL: OrigamiZoo

This reminded me of a question... If you throw a gas miner on a ship (explorer for example), can/will it use it to refuel?

Well, after a quick trial... survey says: Nope.
Oh well.

It does work, i put a gas miner and docking bays and another 6-8 cargo bays on a capital ship and made it mine Hydrogen, it doesnt use this automatically. But when i selected refuel at nearest station it refueled itself and, other ships can refuel there to.
I also added in a Commerce center, but no idea if it has any use on the capital ship.
User avatar
Malevolence
Posts: 1789
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:12 am

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Malevolence »

If you like to build fleets, make sure you set a standard "Fuel Capacity" for all your ships. I also suggest a standard speed. In other words, all your ships hold 280 caslon or whatever you like.

The standard designs at the beginning of the game are useless IMHO. As detailed by others on the forum here, every ship needs energy collectors. Your "Energy Collection" value (in the top right of the "Edit Design" window) should exceed or equal "Static Energy Output". I also recommend adding more fuel cells than provided by the AI in the beginning.

Last tip, for fleets and ships you control -- conserve energy. Do not have them patrol, etc. Make them sit, ready and fueled up for when you need them. I create very small, cheap monitoring stations (star bases) in deep space all around my empire and near enemy holdings.  They basically exist to hold a Long Range Scanner (which is a large component when placed on a ship). Don't put them in a system. They attract attention in systems. When I see enemy fleets moving somewhere, I then put my fueled, quick reaction forces into action. Otherwise they sit in a system using their energy collectors instead of fuel.

There are some more details, but you get the idea.

p.s. as soon as combat in concluded, your fleet needs to go and fuel up (and repair) as the next immediate step... then back to sitting still. Make sure your guys are fueled and ready at a moments notice.

p.p.s. check the cargo hold of your resupply ship--is there plenty of fuel in there? Remember, your resupply ship does NOT/NOT need to be deployed at a Gas Giant to act as a fuel base. It can be placed anywhere. You only need the Gas Giant and deployment to fill up the cargo hold with fuel.


 
Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen!

*Please remember all posts are made by a malevolent, autocratic despot whose rule is marked by unjust severity and arbitrary behavior. Your experiences may vary.
murteas
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:59 pm

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by murteas »

Don't the sensor bases need fuel/energy? If so, how do they get it if they are not in a system?
User avatar
Malevolence
Posts: 1789
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:12 am

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Malevolence »

ORIGINAL: murteas

Don't the sensor bases need fuel/energy? If so, how do they get it if they are not in a system?

Not a bit for the sensor to work. [:D]
Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen!

*Please remember all posts are made by a malevolent, autocratic despot whose rule is marked by unjust severity and arbitrary behavior. Your experiences may vary.
HsojVvad
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:21 pm

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by HsojVvad »

Yes all my military ships have solar panels on them and never move. First thing I do is order the stop order for them. I didn't know about supply ships not being needed to be deployed in order to refuel other ships. Are you saying that once the supply ship is made, I tell it to go to a gas giant or star in my system and deploy, it will fill up with gas, then I can order the supply ship to go with my fleet and then when the fleet needs to refuel, it will go the supply ship with them, even if it's not deployed? This sounds good.
User avatar
thiosk
Posts: 150
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:36 am

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by thiosk »

New game priority 1: Deploy gas mining stations at a caslon/hydrogen containing world. Stars are far away, and ya need gas to get there.

Priorities 2 and 3 are COLONIES and LUXURIES, respectively.
HsojVvad
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:21 pm

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by HsojVvad »

ORIGINAL: thiosk

New game priority 1: Deploy gas mining stations at a caslon/hydrogen containing world. Stars are far away, and ya need gas to get there.

Priorities 2 and 3 are COLONIES and LUXURIES, respectively.
Can a resuply ship deploy even if a gas mining station is already there?
User avatar
Malevolence
Posts: 1789
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:12 am

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Malevolence »

ORIGINAL: Davor

Yes all my military ships have solar panels on them and never move. First thing I do is order the stop order for them. I didn't know about supply ships not being needed to be deployed in order to refuel other ships. Are you saying that once the supply ship is made, I tell it to go to a gas giant or star in my system and deploy, it will fill up with gas, then I can order the supply ship to go with my fleet and then when the fleet needs to refuel, it will go the supply ship with them, even if it's not deployed? This sounds good.

Yes, like many things in DW, discovered quite by accident. I note this is based on tests after 1.0.3 patch.

Also keep in mind the cargo will run out, so make sure to fill it back up. I use three with expeditionary fleets and rotate them into the theater.
Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen!

*Please remember all posts are made by a malevolent, autocratic despot whose rule is marked by unjust severity and arbitrary behavior. Your experiences may vary.
User avatar
Malevolence
Posts: 1789
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 11:12 am

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Malevolence »

ORIGINAL: Davor

ORIGINAL: thiosk

New game priority 1: Deploy gas mining stations at a caslon/hydrogen containing world. Stars are far away, and ya need gas to get there.

Priorities 2 and 3 are COLONIES and LUXURIES, respectively.
Can a resuply ship deploy even if a gas mining station is already there?

Yes.
Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen!

*Please remember all posts are made by a malevolent, autocratic despot whose rule is marked by unjust severity and arbitrary behavior. Your experiences may vary.
Gertjan
Posts: 698
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:05 pm

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Gertjan »

Cool, thanks (again)!
HsojVvad
Posts: 1036
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:21 pm

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by HsojVvad »

Thank you Malevolence.
User avatar
Wade1000
Posts: 771
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:21 pm
Location: California, USA

RE: Whats a good tip of refueling?

Post by Wade1000 »

Wow! Thanks, Conflictx and Malevolence.
So, apparently you can have 'resupply ships' and 'resupply fitted capital ships' act as in/at fleet 'resupply tanker/tender ships'.
Can such ships be automated to go refill fuel and return to refuel the fleet?

I have such ships in my wishlist:
13.
-A very large fuel tanker/tender ship that has certain components allowing it to fuel/repair far deployed ships would be good. It could act like a freighter by carrying fuel from based resupply ships and bases to far deployed ships and repair them via components such as those in resupply ships and construction ships.

update: Apparently you can have 'resupply ships' and 'resupply fitted capital ships' act as in/at fleet 'resupply tanker/tender ships'. Can such ships be automated to go refill fuel and return to refuel the fleet?
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2432568 (Whats a good tip of refueling?)
http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=2418281&mpage=1&key=? (Master Wishlist Thread)
Wish list:population centers beyond planetary(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture):Ships,Ring Orbitals,Sphere Orbitals,Ringworlds,Sphereworlds;ability to create & destroy planets,population centers,stars;AI competently using all advances & features.
Post Reply

Return to “Distant Worlds 1 Series”