what's the use for a monitoring station?

[Data]

if i can equip a ship with long ranger scanner and collectors and have it sit in a nearby system will it not make for a better option? as it is also mobile

i suppose you can make the argument that for a monitoring station you can add other components to make it multi purpose but the same thing you could do while excluding the LRS and using for that the above ship

[lordxorn]

It can double as a refueling station. Just station one of these thing bristling with weapons, sensors, and a large cargo hold, and many docking bays. I will build one of these next to an anticipated enemy to monitor their fleet movements in real time.

[Data]

did you had instances where an anticipated enemy was far away from your own colonies? I'm trying to gauge if they are properly supplied with fuel to be effective supply points

[Bateman1982]

I'm not that experienced with the game, and I have a few monitoring stations placed at border locations to try and catch any surprise invasions. However, having now got some deep cover operatives in various empires I'm not sure of the value of my monitoring stations any more, as I already seem to know everything that happens.

[Data]

ya, and highly experienced ones (capped at 400) can infiltrate without many problmes actually

[lordxorn]

But they can't refuel your offensive fleets.

Data if you build it, your civilian freighters will come. If I am not mistaken your fuel costs are going to the civilian sector.

[Data]

thanks lordxorn, that was what i was looking for....to laisy to test this [:)]
the costs i don't mind even if they were on me, i just wanted to know that the base will be properly supplied

[lordxorn]

I am sorry I should have explained more about the cost, is that if you build it they will come. So in short if you have a station in timbuktu with storage bays to be filled, the spacytime transport fleet will eventually make it out there.

[Data]

now that sparks another question, since the station is in timbuktu and freighters will loose time getting there will the private sector create additional freighters for the established trade routes? come to think of it, even during intense activity, i've never seen all the freighters being used but i think if they all become used the private sector will spawn new ones

that could be a great way to make the AI spawn new (more advanced with newer designs) freighters and we can even build the station in a dangerous area to force the destruction of our older freighters - a way of replacing them

in an older thread i read that someone estimated the number of s/m/l freighter to be in some sort of proportion to each colony but this could be an indirect observation
wondering if there is a cap on the no of freigters is another topic tough

[Bateman1982]

I will post this update as it is relevant to the usage of monitoring stations. I dismantled one of my key border monitoring stations as I had a deep cover operative in the main threatening empire. We ended up going to war, and they discovered my deep cover spy and terminated him.

Consequently I had no early warning system for the impending slaughter of my empire by the Erutkah refugees. They just annihilated my entire homeworld defense, comprising of a large spaceport, 4 defence platforms, a giant ion cannon, planetary shields, a fleet of about 2200 firepower. These were outfitted with Titan beams, talassos shields etc.

Arg. Lesson learned there about removing monitoring stations.

[Data]

lol that is actually the best way to learn a leasson....i'm glad now I have an early warning, shame on me for asking this; still, my perverse mind comes up with alternatives: more than one spy undecover for such an immediate threat, more explorers with LRS to cover more of the map

in the end, the best strategy is a combination of all these elements

[lordxorn]

Exactly, victory favors the prepared.

Data your point about the civilian economy, is true if you are not taxing them to death. So keep that in mind.

[Data]

will do, lordxorn, thanks
btw, the only colony i ever tax is my first one....the others are at 0 even when they are developed; by that time, i can put even my first one on almost 0 taxes
i like to provide for my subjects, a trait i got from caesar 4
but i rant again [:)]

[Noble713]

I like sticking them in the outer regions of the galaxy where all the gas clouds are. Put a single cruiser on standby somewhere and you have a near-instantaneous response for pirate bases spawning.

[Data]

it's a good idea...btw, how many cruisers like this do you have?
and more importantly, did you catch the momment of a pirate base suddenly appearing? that would be cool

[Noble713]

In an area of 2x2 or 3x3 sectors I might have 1-2 cruisers sitting idle at the main trade hubs, and rarely have more than 3 areas of space that need this sort of attention. I haven't caught the exact second the pirates appear but I've had numerous "Hey, those grey icons weren't there a minute ago..." moments, followed by me scrambling to get a ship en route before the pirate vessels break up to attack my mining operations. I've found the outer gas clouds need to be purged VERY frequently too.

[Data]

nicee, i think i'll combine this with my mobile monitoring exploration ships for proper housekeeping
good one, Noble one