Homeworld characteristics?

[mjmills]

Hi,

 

I've just started a position, and am struggling with my first turn report... Lots of questions, but I'm sure I'll work most things out from the rules and the forums. There is one item I'm puzzled by though, if anybody could clear it up for me.

 

When searching for suitable planets to colonise, one needs to take into account how similar the candidates are to the homeworld in terms of atmosphere, gravity, etc. But as far as I can see none of this information is actually given on my report. Do I not start with knowledge of the characteristics of my own planet/system? Do I need to carry out the full panoply of Planet Map, Orbital Recon, Geological Survey and Colonial Survey? If so, I guess this would also clear up the puzzling lack of any resource yields for my homeworld.

 

Thanks very much,

 

Martin

[ali-t-akua]

Hi,

 

I've just started a position, and am struggling with my first turn report...  Lots of questions, but I'm sure I'll work most things out from the rules and the forums.  There is one item I'm puzzled by though, if anybody could clear it up for me.

 

When searching for suitable planets to colonise, one needs to take into account how similar the candidates are to the homeworld in terms of atmosphere, gravity, etc.  But as far as I can see none of this information is actually given on my report.  Do I not start with knowledge of the characteristics of my own planet/system?  Do I need to carry out the full panoply of Planet Map, Orbital Recon, Geological Survey and Colonial Survey?  If so, I guess this would also clear up the puzzling lack of any resource yields for my homeworld.

 

Thanks very much,

 

Martin

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Martin, one of your fleets should have performed a PMAP (Planetary Map) of your HW on your first turn. This will give you the planetary characteristics that your race will favor. When you go to each planet you are surveying as a colonization candidate, you will eb able to also PMAP them and perform a CSV (Colony Survey) which will tell you how your race will fare in colonizing that planet and what the attrition factors are. You can modfiy attrition effects with different technologies so knowing what effects attrition will help you to identify the applicable techs (assuming you have them). I should point out that some people thoroughly scan every planet they come across and some just PMAP them and then CSV the likely candidates. Any that are low to zero attrition, they GEO (Geological Survey).

 

Hope this helps.

[Drasn]

RTG issued a stock set of orders on my behalf for the setup turn.

 

The stock orders were:

1. SS of home system

2. PMAP of home world

3. ORB of home world

4. GEO of home world

5. ANZ of Iron

6. DD for a PathFinder

7. DD for a Bastion

8. RTD

9. INST of Imperial Palace

 

After that my starting Fission Power Plants, Fuel Refineries, and Stripmines all ran.

 

My production queue was stocked with some basic tooled orders.

100 Gaseous Elements

75000 Iron

25000 Steel

6000 Radioactive Elements

2000 Processed RadioActives

 

My shipyards produced a PathFinder.

 

Everything after that was the standard turn result reports of the state of my empire.

 

I don't know for sure that mine was a standard setup, but I would guess it was. I certainly had all the info I needed to start the game. Did your setup differ significantly from this?

[mjmills]

Thanks guys. My setup turn doesn't seem to include all of the items you mention, Drasn. I'm assuming that the first section, Imperial Activity Report, shows the results of orders processed: all I have there is a list of resources produced, a couple of new characters recruited, shipyard production and pop growth, Navy and Army summary report, and newly researchable items.

 

So I guess I'll need to do the surveying work myself in my first set of orders; which seems a little strange (somehow we achieved spaceship tech before finding out what atmosphere we live in...), but is no big deal.

[Laserwolf]

Thanks guys.  My setup turn doesn't seem to include all of the items you mention, Drasn.  I'm assuming that the first section, Imperial Activity Report, shows the results of orders processed: all I have there is a list of resources produced, a couple of new characters recruited, shipyard production and pop growth, Navy and Army summary report, and newly researchable items.

 

So I guess I'll need to do the surveying work myself in my first set of orders; which seems a little strange (somehow we achieved spaceship tech before finding out what atmosphere we live in...), but is no big deal.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Look at the turn before that. Your set-up turn.

 

When looking for colony potential, look first to those within your temperature range. The rest of the variables can be mouch more easily dealt with.

[Drasn]

I don't have anything other than my own setup turn to go from, but I would guess it reflects the standard.

 

Ask Pete about it. He's made a lot of modifications to the game since my setup a year ago. Maybe this was something he's done on purpose, but I doubt it. If it wasn't intentional, you'll be doing every new player in the future a favor by asking now. Pete can fix this for you too.

 

An email might work, but he often acts on email without responding. Things are simply fixed on the next turn. It's close enough to turn time though, it might be worth calling him.

 

Others can probably correct me on this, but your turn should be structured roughly as follows:

Imperial Activity Report
 results of issued orders
 new standing orders run
 old standing orders run
 convoy routes run
 Imperial Advisor Report: Event Summary
   power plants run
   mines extract resources (character bonuses to mining applied)
   industrial complexes run
   promotions occur
   new characters are recruited
   shipyards run
   other character bonuses applied (science, religeous, etc)
   research centers run 
   population grows (or shrinks)
   excess power reported
 Imperial Navy Report: Fleet Summary
 Imperial Cargomaster Report: Global Exclusions
 Imperial Astronomical Report: Unsurveyed Warp Points
Fleet Report
Fleet Cargo Report
Army Report
Colony Report
Industrial Production
Imperial Stockpiles
Warp Points Surveyed
Diplomacy Report
Character Report
Ship Design Report
Force Battle Plan Report
Installations Report
Research Report
Researchable Items [Report]
Standing Orders [Report]
Convoy Route Report

 

Note that some of the reports don't show up till there is something to report.

I've also tried to show sub-reports by using indentation. For example, the Imperial Advisor Report is a sub-report of the Imperial Activity Report.

 

Good Luck and Good Gaming!

[Drasn]

When looking for colony potential, look first to those within  your temperature range. The rest of the variables can be mouch more easily dealt with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

How do we calculate our temp range?

 

I know we start with our Home World Temp. I think we then add/subtract 50K to get a base range? Is that right?

 

Then we apply racial characteristics like high or low temp resistance, etc. Does anyone know how much high or low temp resistance modifies the range?

[hobknob]

Your first turn, meaning your set up turn, should have most of the common orders accomplished for you including System Scan, PMAP, GEO, ORB, DD of the Pathfinder as well as the Bastion, RTD which gives you the description of all your starting tech. Then you shold get the aprt about mining production, industry production, character promotion and new gys found followed by a pop growth and fleet info.

 

If this is your first turn and you did not get the planet info for your HW you should contact Pete and get it ASAP. That should all come with the setup. There is no need for you to do it again. You might have to call them to get it in time for your turn.

 

I have seen a couple of recent setups that seem to have been missing one thing or another so it would not surprise me if you are missing something.

 

Good Luck.

 

[hobknob]

Temp ranges are +30 and -60 of whatever you HW starts at. So if you started at 100 you would be comfortable from 40 to 130. Once you get outside of that range on either end then attrition starts. Having a lifeform mod for temperature will reduce yor attrition for stuff that is just outside the range, but how far has not been determined. You will just have to try it and see.

 

You also have the option of building installations to offset attrition and then your range get stretched even further.

[Drasn]

Temp ranges are +30 and -60 of whatever you HW starts at.  So if you started at 100 you would be comfortable from 40 to 130.  Once you get outside of that range on either end then attrition starts.  Having a lifeform mod for temperature will reduce yor attrition for stuff that is just outside the range, but how far has not been determined.  You will just have to try it and see. 

 

You also have the option of building installations to offset attrition and then your range get stretched even further.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Excellent. Thank you.

[ShadowKitsune]

Remember that the +30 to -60 range assumes that you did not take a Temperature Sensitivity, either. Furthermore, most of the early attrition reducing technology that deals with Temperature can only adjust the temperature 50 degrees in either direction (+/-). So a planet or moon that is more than 100 degrees hotter or colder than your homeworld will give you colonization problems for a long time.

 

------------------------------------

 

As a non-colonizing Empire, the Greater Republic of Quetzacoatl, uses the following Rules for Exploration and Colonization.

 

1. Review the System Scan [sS] Order Results for planets or moons with identical atmospheres as our homeworld.

 

2. Review the System Scan [sS] Order Results for planets with a similar structure as our homeworld (i.e. If the Homeworld is a Hot Rockball, look for Hot Rockball, Hot Terrestrial and Terrestrial planets).

 

3. Conduct a Planetary Map [PMAP] Order of any Planets that have both (1) and (2), and Moons that meet (1) and are in orbits near Planets that meet (2).

 

4. Review PMAP results for the following:

 

4a. Same Ocean as Homeworld.

4b. Temperature within 75 degrees of Homeworld. (If Homeworld is 100K, must be between 25K and 175K)

4c. Gravity within 0.5G of Homeworld. (If Homeworld is 1.5G, must be between 1.0G and 2.0G)

4d. Axial Tilt within 15 degrees of Homeworld. (If Homeworld is 60, must be between 45 and 75 degrees Tilt.)

4e. Radiation, Pollution or Microbial levels are all Normal or Insignificant.

 

5. Review PMAP results for any Colonies belonging to other Empires. If there is a colony (or colony beacon) present that belongs to a Major Empire, make appropriate diplomatic contact before going on the Step 6. [The Q Republic cares little for the opinions of Primitive or Advanced Neutrals, if the planetary body is a worthy colony site. ]

 

6. Conduct a Colony Survey [CSV] Order of all Moons and Planets that meet at least three (3) of the optimal conditions listed in Step 4.

 

7. Review CSV Results, if results are Low, Extremely Low, Nearly Ideal or Ideal, conduct a Geological Survey [GEO] Order.

 

8. Review GEO Results, if any Strategic Resource is above 200, or Exotic Resource [e.g. Ghuran Demonblood, Caldaran Crystals, Jinn Stones, etc.] is above 100, place a Colony Beacon [COLB] on that planetary body.

 

9. Regardless of GEO Results, if CSV Result is Ideal, place a Colony Beacon [COLB] on that planetary body.

 

------------------------------------

 

Mind you, the above "Rules" are for a non-colonizing race. The Coatl of the Q Republic do not have any special adaptations for colonizing such as Temperature Tolerances, Gravity Tolerances, Atmosphere Exchanger, etc., nor do they have any particular colonization inhibitors like Temperature or Gravity Sensitivities. If your race does, obviously adjust the "Rules" accordingly to fit your races particulars.

 

 

FWIW,

-SK

[ali-t-akua]

Thanks for the algorithm SK. It is very detailed.

 

The alternative approach to what SK proposes is to CSV, GEO and PMAP everything. This is the approach the Skyron's have taken. We do not know what the future holds for technology development so we are building a database so we can go back and colonize anything that falls within our range in the future. Also, we have tended to ignore atmospheric effects since we can build Domed Cities which for us at least eliminates all atmospheric attrition.

[hobknob]

For those less fortunate, Domed cities reduce most of the attrition from atmosphere, but not all. If you are a marginal colonizer you may still suffer attrition even after the domed cities.

 

You gotta love that Natural Chemical Exchanger lifeform mod. It is expensive, but it really works.

 

[ShadowKitsune]

Thanks for the algorithm SK. It is very detailed.

 

The alternative approach to what SK proposes is to CSV, GEO and PMAP everything. This is the approach the Skyron's have taken. We do not know what the future holds for technology development so we are building a database so we can go back and colonize anything that falls within our range in the future. Also, we have tended to ignore atmospheric effects since we can build Domed Cities which for us at least eliminates all atmospheric attrition.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

That approach is also useful if you're a more established Empire that has found other friendly Empires with whom you can trade planetary information. While each CSV result is unique to Empire (based on lifeform and homeworld characteristics), all PMAP and GEO results are 'generic' to the planet or moon.

 

The Q Republic are a bunch of misers when it comes to Orders. We don't issue the Order unless we feel it is necessary.

 

-SK