Automatic fueling as constructed?

[octagon999]

If your solution is to RN from a fully fueled fleet, how does that improve from a situation where you LC the fuel either manually or as an order in a convoy route?

 

To me, its break-even either way. Might as well just spend the order doing an LC.

[Drasn]

If your solution is to RN from a fully fueled fleet, how does that improve from a situation where you LC the fuel either manually or as an order in a convoy route?

 

To me, its break-even either way.  Might as well just spend the order doing an LC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The advantage to the Ur-Lord's approach has little to do with fueling, and more to do with economies of scale.

 

If you build ships directly into their fleets then you need to issue 1 NEWF, 1 SHIP per ship design per fleet, and 1 LC for fuel; 3 orders minimum. If you build 5 fleets all with the same ship designs, thats 15 orders minimum.

 

Using Ur-Lord Tedric's idea, you would build the same 5 fleets for the cost of 5 NEWF, 1 SHIP, and 5 RNs for a total of 11 orders.

 

Can a convoy route be used to gain even better economy?

[octagon999]

Actually, you don't. If you simply select a fleet that is not in existence, it will be created for you and the ship placed in it. The only cost is the inability to name the fleet.

 

In this case, your cost is ten orders.

 

Wrap the LC order into a convoy route and you are down to five orders. The cost of SHIP for each fleet.

[hobknob]

I find that having a larger taker fleet solves many problems. Try 1,000,000 or more in tankage and you will find your problems tend to go away. I use an XLC order instead of a convoy route to keep my tanker filled up. In addition, I find it much more practical to just skim over the HW unless you happen to have an oxygen atmosphere with water. If you must transport fuel to the HW then just make sure that your transporting fleet is always full upon arrival. That should be a rather simple matter of adjusting your fleet composition.

 

[Drasn]

Actually, you don't.  If you simply select a fleet that is not in existence, it will be created for you and the ship placed in it.  The only cost is the inability to name the fleet.

 

In this case, your cost is ten orders.

 

Wrap the LC order into a convoy route and you are down to five orders.  The cost of SHIP for each fleet.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok, I think I'm beginning to understand, but I still don't quite get it.

 

So you can eliminate the NEWF orders, I get that. That leaves you with 5 SHIP orders to build ships into 5 fleets. Don't you still have to issue 5 CONV orders to add the new fleets to the convoy?

 

I don't think I understand how to use the RN order in a convoy route very clearly. Are you using that to assign the new fleets to the convoy?

[Drasn]

I find that having a larger taker fleet solves many problems.  Try 1,000,000 or more in tankage and you will find your problems tend to go away.  I use an XLC order instead of a convoy route to keep my tanker filled up.  In addition, I find it much more practical to just skim over the HW unless you happen to have an oxygen atmosphere with water.  If you must transport fuel to the HW then just make sure that your transporting fleet is always full upon arrival.  That should be a rather simple matter of adjusting your fleet composition.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ha! That makes sense. Of course it's still early enough in the game for me that I haven't produced 1,000,000 tankage or fuel yet. That will change soon enough, and when it does I can see that solving a lot of problems.

[ali-t-akua]

Here is my solution.

 

I have Orbital tankers that have enough fuel shuttles to fill up the entire ship in one skim. I use three standing orders to run this operation.

 

XSKIM

XOC to planet

XSKIM

 

I also issued a SUPP order when I set up the fleet and put my first ship into it. After a time I found the fleet tankers and the XOC were depleting my orbital tanker and I added a second one and a second XOC. In this way I have fuel for my ships and a stockpile on the planet.

 

I hope this helps.

[octagon999]

I don't use CONV orders to add ships to a convoy. Yes, it takes five orders to give each of the five fleets a convoy route, which might be simply to move to the "front". While you are still using a total of ten orders (assuming that LC FUEL is part of the convoy route), these are at worst helping you break even.

 

If you were RNing your ships, with NEWF, LC FUEL, and CONV all thrown in, I think you can see how its saving your half the orders it might otherwise cost.

 

And it appears to me that orders tend to be the biggest bottleneck in the game. There is always more to do than I can afford to have done.

 

Regards,

Rathe Federation

[Drasn]

And it appears to me that orders tend to be the biggest bottleneck in the game.  There is always more to do than I can afford to have done.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Man, ain't that the truth!

 

Thanks to everyone for your insights. We noobs really appreaciate it!