Do S/M/L freighters serve different purposes?

[Sredni]

I've gotten far enough into the game now to find out that the only difference between a 300 size frigate and a 300 size destroyer (or any other 300 size warship) is how the AI designs and uses them.

But for player control a size 1000 frigate is going to be exactly the same as a size 1000 capital ship.

Which leads to a question about freighters. Do small, medium and large freighters each serve a different purpose for the AI? Or can I delete 2 of the designs and just go with a single freighter design without gimping my game in some way?

[Bingeling]

The AI probably uses them differently, although watching a large freighter with 7 cargo used may hint otherwise...

I would pay attention to freighter numbers if you have only one design. Having no small and medium designs would not necessarily mean that you get more large freighters.

You can safely make all the designs the same, like Icemania does in his AI mod.

[Siddham]

I considered this issue too and decided to create my own designs for each type of freighter
on the basis that whether or not there is any real difference between them, they may be used differently by the AI controlling the private sector

[aaatoysandmore]

Understand the economy is based on the number of ships the civil population builds not as much the amount of resources it gathers.

So if you want to continue to grow allow as many things for the AI civil population to build as they can. Just make sure your space ports are in the right locations for you to best use those resources they gather. The more ships it builds of any type the more money I make. [:)]

Building bottomless pit mining stations helps to increase ship building also. So put lots of drilling equipment and storage units on your mining stations. As much as you can afford to keep increasing civil growth.

I found that I could have few planets and still an ever increasing economy using this method of madness. The ai will build as long as there is something to gather. One basically enhances the other here. If you have more civil ships you have more resources to use and SELL. So mine deep my friend and keep building storage containers as your miners get full.

[twinkypillow]

I'm also having issues with the way resources are shuffled.. I can't stand how the AI forces you to essentially have to put spaceports only in locations it wants you to..

for example if you put a constructor on auto, it flies off to try to build a space port somewhere and i already have my spaceports that I want.. meanwhile the freighters are trying to go get resources from other locations (like independant colonies etc.) and not taking them from my previous ports that are loaded with resources already..