Expansion planner and resources: beginner needs help...

Matrix Games Forums

Join the Matrix Team at Historicon!

Recruiting Privates for Germany at War: Barbarossa 1941!

Ageod takes you back to the Civil War

Battle Academy iPad and PC 50 per cent off!

Close Combat Last Stand Arnhem v5.60.53 update

Allied Corps Walkthrough playlist and AAR

Conflict of Heroes: Ghost Divisions Released!

Pandora Beta Playthrough Videos

Germany at War: Barbarossa 1941 Announced!

Great Battles Medieval coming to your tablet with a 50 per cent off launch sale!

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

Expansion planner and resources: beginner needs help...

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds Series >> Expansion planner and resources: beginner needs help...

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

Expansion planner and resources: beginner needs help... - 1/26/2013 11:15:34 PM

apoll

Posts: 10
Joined: 6/20/2007
Status: offline

Hi. I have recently bought DW legends: am enjoying it but the detail is a little overwhelming. That is to be expected at the start when I'm trying to get a handle on finding my way around and dealing with all the things that need consideration. But that is one of the best things about the game: I really enjoy thinking strategically and working out what to do, and this game, unlike so many others, presents real choices, and those choices have implications. I have been watching and taking note of Das24680's 'Let's Play' series, and I have learnt a lot. Couple of things to ask, however, that I don't quite get:

1) One of the most difficult things to get my head around is spatial awareness, especially when it comes to working out where to put colonies, and where to mine in relation to the home world, and in relation to other dangers out there. I use the galaxy map, and this gives me an overview of sorts. I use it to check for resources and their location...but I loose that spatial awareness when I leave the map, and go into the expansion planner to allocate a mining station to be built. The problem is the galaxy map shows the macro location of the planet or moon to be mined, but where is it in relations to my home world, to the other threats, to other species, to other trade lanes? I can't quite put all that together yet, and I need to, if I am to make good decisions on where to mine and expand. How do people keep that overall situational awareness, without losing it the moment one goes into the expansion planner? Is there a recommended way of keeping the strategic picture firmly in mind: grateful views.

2) Re the expansion planner: I don't get this at all..rather, I have not worked out what it shows, and most of all, how the top viewing pane, which shows resources strategic or luxury, relates to the bottom pane where the actual allocation of mining stations and other things occurs. For example, in the top pane, I click on the 'sort by empire priority' button: nothing changes. Do I put my most desirable resource, strategic or luxury, at the top of the list? Is this what is referred to as my empire's priority? What does the 'Sort by...' button actually do? And then, there does not seem to be much relationship between that list in the top pane, and the bottom allocation list. For example, I put luxury fur at the top of my list in the top pane because that is what I have decided to mine, and I know there is a source of it somewhere within my influence because I've seen it in the galaxy map, and then in the bottom pane, I click on the 'sort by empire priority' drop down list, BUT it does not come up with locations that have luxury fur on them at the top, as I would expect, given I have put it at the top of my list in the top pane (and thus made it my highest priority). Rather, it gives me a list of mineable locations that seem to bear no relationship to the top pane: steel, gold of whatever. What's going on here? Then there is the 'sort by known resources in empire' drop down list in the bottom pane, which seems to do nothing: it comes up with a list, but I can not allocate any mines to it: the selection buttons for this have nothing in them. I have to select 'sort by galaxy or empire' lists to get that function back again. What the..?? Finally, say I want to allocate a mine to a particular moon, or place a colony...how do I check its location from the expansion planner, without leaving the planner, in relation to my homeworld, other threats, or a myriad of other spatial considerations? This is where I lose spatial awareness badly, resulting in an ad hoc and disjointed expansion policy. I just end up clicking on 'do it' and off they go...and I find later than they are too far away, or too near other races...or whatever.

Grateful for some advice on all this: if I can crack this, I can really start to be strategic, and control the expansion, rather than being a victim of it.

Regards,

apoll

Post #: 1

RE: Expansion planner and resources: beginner needs hel... - 1/27/2013 7:07:49 PM

Marvin Pontiac

Posts: 15
Joined: 1/22/2013
Status: offline

Hi,

I'm pretty new to this game myself but one thing I can say is that the sorting of the top list in the expansion planner on my system doesn't work properly. Try pressing on the name column to sort by name, that should work. But after that 'Sort by empire priority' doesn't do anything. What I think is that first when you open the expansion planner it is already sorted by empire priortiy. Secondly, if you have a sorting by some column selected (by clicking on it previously) clicking on 'Sort by empire priority' doesn't work. You can notice this most easily with the 'Name' column. There's a little arrow on it (if you clicked it for sorting) indicating ascending or descending sort. If you click 'Sort by empire priority' you'll notice it's still there (It is with me). You have to double click on the 'Name' column to get rid of the sorting by name altogether (you should see the little arrow disappear when you double-click the 'name' column).

Anyway that's my 2 cents. Otherwise I thought the screen was pretty straight forward. The top and botton part aren't really related, as in doing something at the top doesn't affect the bottom and vice-versa (as far as I know).

(in reply to apoll)

Post #: 2

RE: Expansion planner and resources: beginner needs hel... - 1/27/2013 9:18:54 PM

Bingeling

Posts: 2821
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

Positions and the expansion planner are a pain. Actually, I don't visit the planner much at all. But then again, I use automated constructors (with my interference).

What I would do (and what I do when I hunt for fuel at a location) is visit the galaxy map. Filter by resource type. Click the yellow dots and select your location. When found, press the "goto" or whatever it is called button in the galaxy map. Zoom in, select (I don't think you can select from the galaxy map). Below the selection panel, there is a range of yellow buttons to build various stuff. It automatically picks correct mine type or research station type. Pressing this works the same as "queuing closest" in the expansion planner.

Another hunt method that I don't Das used much in his play, is to click just outside systems in a fittingly zoomed galaxy map. This gives the system summary, which includes the resources in the system. Knowing the symbols helps, and maybe a replacement for the symbols helps with knowing. I use this when I want to book a fuel mine near a new colony, it quickly gives an overview of the systems nearby, and I zoom to system and random click the fitting gas giants until finding my selected one. This would not be so useful for space rock resources that can have lots of very poor locations in a crowded system.

For colony locations, use the left panel to select colony locations. Then just mouse over and they will highlight on the map. Find this very useful when choosing which one to colonize, as in the colonization phase I pay attention to location to grab "space".

If you want to manually order a specific constructor to do something, notice the "forward and backwards" buttons above the selection panel. Obtain a selection of your target location. Zoom out. Try to limit random presses and locate constructors. Select it. Then do "back" to your location, click to center, zoom in. Then forward to the constructor. I usually do this when deploying resupply ships.

(in reply to Marvin Pontiac)

Post #: 3

RE: Expansion planner and resources: beginner needs hel... - 1/28/2013 6:09:18 AM

apoll

Posts: 10
Joined: 6/20/2007
Status: offline

ok. Thanks everybody for the advice. So...if I get it right, the only real use of the expansion planner, then, it to check one's strategic resource levels against demand and sources? Right? I like the way Bingeling goes about the expansion of his empire, so I won't be a dingaling, and adopt Bingeling's method (

)One more question if I may: where and how does one check the progress of building ships getting built - especially, and most critically, what resources are being used to build them, and whether they have stopped because of a lack of some material? Where can I do that?

Thanks

Apoll

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 4

RE: Expansion planner and resources: beginner needs hel... - 1/28/2013 7:28:18 AM

Bingeling

Posts: 2821
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

You can go by ship list or by spaceport info to spot stopped construction. If you only got a few spaceports it is easy enough.

If you display spaceports in the left menu, they got a little symbol for the construction/build queue. This can give a quick hint of issues in a larger empire.

As for figuring out what is the problem, I write this with no game open, so I can be somewhat off.
Once you find a spaceport/colony you suspect has issues, look at its cargo. A build will reserve the materials needed. If you have a non-luxury resource with rsvd (reserved) higher than amt (amount), you got a shortage. The only trick is to recognize the luxuries that can be safely ignored if you sort on rsvd.

If you look at the ship under construction, you can view its components. You will be able to see which are not complete, and if you click on them you should find the component summary (possibly through a link). This gives a "short list" of possible culprits. If you view more unbuilt components the suspect list could shorten even more (the common ingredient).

In general, freighters should mange to shift resources around. If you got a healthy economy it should be enough to view the supplies in expansion planner, and make sure you got some supply of all (and quite a lot supply of some).

Apart from fuel, it should be enough to have sources in your "home" area, but keep in mind that it is a good idea to build large amounts of ships "at home" in this case. Your border provinces are not good construction sites, especially if "new" and "remote".

If you enjoy doing things "right", and got a larger empire, it could be an idea to have a secondary resource area for building. For instance i you have conquered some good colonies far away. If you poke around on the design screen, you will find a link to the component summary (and total resource list) of a design, and can get an idea of what kind of resources is needed in an area to supply ship building.

But from my experience, automated constructors manage resources just fine in most cases. If in a really rough spot, the priorities of the AI may be less than stellar, though.

(in reply to apoll)

Post #: 5