high ap's

[The Republic]

From someone not quite yet up to the billion level for things (but getting close) its good to know it won't be easy for others who have achieved such large scales of industry to reach us

 

I like the fact that the game gets more challenging as time goes on, I like the logistics and planning side of it but it is definitely something that gets more complicated as you get bigger

 

thanks guys

[El Capitan]

You are welcome. I just want to be sure that when I post info that it is accurate and not misleading. I know we got side tracked a bit, but do be aware that there IS a 2 billion limit on the transfer of items (2 billion per entry field), 2 billion per BI order (you can enter larger numbers but only 2 billion will build), 2 billion fuel per FLEET, 2 billion cargo per FLEET, and each pop group can only construct 2 billion tons of shipping per turn. There may be others, but these are the ones I am certain of.

[The Republic]

Added it to my useful notes, its stuff like this you only pick up as time goes on so very much appreciated.

 

I found the super nova wiki really useful this definitely should be added to it (hint hint to those with the know

 

 

It was really cool to get different perspectives on the whole AP and Fuel Cap issues, are there other defining game characteristics that shape long term strategy? Are there limits to planetary development for example? do conflicts inevitably become all or nothing wins or loses? etc.

 

As an empire just breaking out of its younger years it is very interesting to know what lays ahead

[Jemanari Public Relations]

Is it 2 billion tons of shipping constructed each turn per pop group , or per empire?

[Highwayman]

i think all of these limits and such need to be known.. not to just a select few but to all the players. no telling how many other items there are that are not known...... pete?

[El Capitan]

I would love to have a comprehensive list of in-game caps/limits imposed by either the rules or computing limitations. Knowing some of these ahead of time could have saved a lot of headaches and wasted production.

 

To answer Jemanari's question, it's 2 billion tons of ships per turn per pop group (not 2 billion tons per turn per empire). At least that is what I have experienced in the game.

 

I guess I should add that I understand that there are some limits/caps that I think Pete intended for us to find out in game. I can't think of an example at the moment but I know there are things he intended for us not to know ahead of time. That's ok. But it would be nice to know the things that affect game mechanics like fuel per fleet. Especially when it's completely artificial and imposed by the limits of the programming. The fuel issue is a great example. You can have 10 ships in separate fleets each carrying 300 million fuel and everything is fine. Combine these exact same ships into one fleet and poof, 1 billion fuel magically disappears.

 

I don't care how creative you get with technology and logistics ---- arbitrarily loosing a billion fuel or cargo in the blink of an eye, without knowing it ahead of time, is a big deal. To argue otherwise only reveals your lack of knowledge of the issue and the game.

 

These are the kind of issues we need to know about ahead of time.

 

(Fine Print: The use of the term "big deal" is solely meant to imply that something has a big impact)

(Fine Fine Print: The term "big impact" is solely meant to imply that it affects many aspects)

(Fine Fine Fine Print: The term "affects many aspects" is solely meant to imply that any particular player will need to take all of these aforementioned effects into consideration to be able to adjust strategies and logistics to be able to apply them to the game in a manner that will allow them to continue to prosper and succeed in the game)

Edited November 1, 2011 by El Capitan

[General Miles Avatar]

the 2 billion limit also affects the max firepower of 1 individual weapon system. ie the Type D Spinal Starbore has a firepower of 2 billion due to this limit. It should have had more due to its generation and tonnage but alas it wasn't to be. still 2 billion firepower from a single weapon is a big deal.

[Breoghan]

"the 2 billion limit also affects the max firepower of 1 individual weapon system. ie the Type D Spinal Starbore has a firepower of 2 billion due to this limit. It should have had more due to its generation and tonnage but alas it wasn't to be. still 2 billion firepower from a single weapon is a big deal. "

 

That raises an interesting question.... does that mean that no matter how many Type D Starbore weapons you have in a given fleet, be it bastion or mobile, that the 2 billion is the max that will be 'counted'? I kinda had the impression that more was better, regarding weapons.

[Desmodus]

"the 2 billion limit also affects the max firepower of 1 individual weapon system. ie the Type D Spinal Starbore has a firepower of 2 billion due to this limit. It should have had more due to its generation and tonnage but alas it wasn't to be. still 2 billion firepower from a single weapon is a big deal. "

 

That raises an interesting question.... does that mean that no matter how many Type D Starbore weapons you have in a given fleet, be it bastion or mobile, that the 2 billion is the max that will be 'counted'? I kinda had the impression that more was better, regarding weapons.

There may be a cap on weapon damage / shields / armor - but I've not seen it. I've seen all three in the Trillions.

[General Miles Avatar]

no no you can have many many starbore for many trillions worth of damage. but the cap for an INDIVIDUAL weapon system whatever it may be is 2 billion. In this case the starbore should have a firepower over 3 billion but is capped at 2. no other weapon system even comes close as of yet.

[The Republic]

hopefully not diverting this thread too much, I was wondering what older empires end up looking like? i.e. do older empires tend to end up with one super world where all population and industry is located or due to the large distances to travel do empires end up maintaining bases in different regions as hubs etc?

 

I can se pros and cons to both scenarios, diversification spreads the risk but centralising allows you to focus your defences and efforts?

 

How did the change in how gates function (introducing attrition for distance effect empires?

[El Capitan]

I hate to give a vague answer, but it really does depend on each empires specific situation and might depend on a multitude of factors like the location and situation of allies and enemies. Are your allies readily mobile and can they help with your defense? Are you outnumbered and outgunned by your enemies? If you are a loner without any support from allies, it might be best to consolidate to one or two bases of operation. If you've just taken a world from an enemy, what is his ability to counterstrike? If you think you will have troulbe holding a world after you take it, it might be best to relocate the pop to a more defensible position. There are lots of things to consider and there is no one answer to fit all empires. I've seen players employ both strategies.

 

Same answer with the gates. Because of the attrition, some players might be more willing to keep multiple distant HWs. But for the same reason, others don't want to risk loosing the pop to attrition if they have to gate the pop out in a hurry due to an attack.

[Lord Deependra]

 

I found the super nova wiki really useful this definitely should be added to it (hint hint to those with the know

 

 

 

Hint taken.

http://supernovarote.wikispaces.com/Maximums

[The Republic]

Thanks El Capitan, I guess it was kinda a broad question, but still very interesting to get your insight

 

Thanks Scott for updating the Wiki, good addition

[hobknob]

I suppose it is time to chime in here.

 

1) I have never heard of any cap on weapon damage and have seen weapon damages listed in the larger than 2B category ie..Energy Disruptor: 159,360,000,000, on my last report

2) 2B tonnage per pop group, not planet

3) I also never heard of the 999 AP cap. I fly numerous designs that are running 1750 AP and when I initially built them I did determine that they were running the 1750 skims with the resultant skimming results.

4) 2B limit on any single item in a fleet, including a single component per ship, fuel, type of drone etc..

 

It is my understanding that the 2B limit is a function of how the game is coded, language used etc and not a limit decided by RTG. That is why some fields have the limit and some don't. If you recall, ships were limited to 2B tons at one point...

 

In my opinion, many of the suggested issues in this thread are complete game changers, but only once your empire gets to a large enough size and advanced enough. For the newer crowd this means years of work. For the veterans and those in the core that have been playing for years, it could be a game ender. It just isn't tolerable to spend years developing a strategy and plans and then have the rules changed behind the scenes without any sort of warning, explanation, or comment that a change is a foot.

 

I have ships rolling off the lines every turn that are greater than 999 AP. They are required to keep Billion ton fleets moving. If those efforts are wasted, then I would like to know about it from the powers that be.

 

 

On the question of old empires and what they look like...

 

Many positions wind up being in sterile space having absorbed the few surrounding empires. Others are completely strung out as they continue to expand supporting allies, chasing down bad guys etc. I have seen plenty that consolidate everything but have also seen plenty that keep it spread out. It all depends on what you want to do, however it is becoming a mute point.

 

One thing is for sure, it is exponentially harder to expand your empire as you get bigger. This usually forces one to limit growth to a few "interesting" areas.

 

In my experience positions start to get a bit hard to handle once you have gotten everything within 8-10 from you HW explored.