Sollar Collector vs Quantum Reactor

There are only 6 levels of Solar Collector in the Balance Mod. It gives 50-100 supplies/star at a size of 20kT each.

The Quantum Reactor is 20kT with 11 levels and ranges from 100-200 supplies and is not star dependent.

The costs are a little bit out of line though - QRs should probably be 1.5x greater in cost over SCs rather than 3x.

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Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

Also your supply/cost column is not correct. You need to add the two resource costs together and then divide by supply. Alternatively you can represent is as cost/supply which might be a friendlier stat.

Another thing to consider is that the QR (at least in BM) is pulling down 2x the supply in the same space, so you'd expect to be paying more for sophisticated tech. More importantly is that the cost/supply is decreasing with tech level within each component.

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Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

They are of most use in ancient galaxies when you have to travel through blackhole after blackhole after nebula to reach your next star system; Solar Collectors don't help much there.

I would think an easy way to make QR worth the effort would be if they could also generate ordanance as well as supplies.... The inability for anyone other than Organics to regen ord is a pain.

Another factor to consider is that the Resupply research provides more than just the Quantum Reactor in the Balance Mod. It also goes towards Resupply Depots, plus Supply and Ordnance Storage components. So you're researching it anyway.

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Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

That doesn't help those of us who like the stock game Kwok. I just wish that bit of technology consolidation would could be moved into the stock game.

Just to clarify since it seems like today is going to be a gang up on Kwok day is that a) I didn't start this thread; b) I only responded to a direct question about the mod; and c) I didn't say let's focus on the balance mod only...

So my answers were directed at iseng and his comments about research costs.

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Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

I ain't having a dig at you Kwok. I personally wish some of your things from the balance mod where incorperated into stock, as i have said before and will carry on saying untill the stock is changed I really like how you have consolidated some of the techs as they make far more sense.

Just for what it's worth, I was reluctant to try the balance mod, partially because I liked the longer tech trees of stock, and partially because I figured stock had been tested to perfection...

Anyway, I've given the mod a try, and like it so far -- my first multiplayer looks like it will be using balance, so I've been trying to get used to the differences from stock.

In general, I like the fact that balance deemphasizes the insignificant choices in the tech tree in favor of the more significant ones. This is good -- choice is good, as some other posters have noted, but red herring choices are not.

I fell of my chair laughing at that statement.

Or you can do what I do...

Save the space from using Supply Storage... Your ship will have 40-60k supplies and you don't need to worry.. more than enough for a while

The reason I use quantum reactors more often than I do solar collectors is that I need the space. A maxed out QR gives you 1.5x more supply for 20kt than does the solar collectors at 20kt. That effect can be changed in a system with multiple stars, but statistically you have as many of those as you have star-less systems. So in the long run, assuming your resources are in good shape, you can use the extra room on board to place more weapons, or some armour you didn't put on yet.

"Light travels faster than sound, that's why people seem bright until you hear them."

The SEV QR is crap. You get 100-290 supplies per turn at the cost of 20kt space. Your engines chew down between 32 and 48 supply a move, so you're going to eat down 520-720 supply a turn, for 8-12 engines. If you're like me, you're flying 12 engines on a cruiser (anything else is TOO SLOW). So 1 max QR will reduce your supply usage from 720 to 430. QE10s hold 2000 supply apiece, so a QR would give you an operational life of 55 turns. Assuming no weapons fire or cloaking. This is not a very useful voyage, but eh.

In contrast, a 10kt ERS pod will give 47 turns of operational life (+10K supply @ 720/t) just on its own, and give you indefinite deep space operation if your force has repair capability, which you'd want to have if you were planning to do any fighting anyway. Assuming your fleet has repair capability, you can pack both unlimited ammo AND unlimited supply, and you will probably spend LESS than 1 ERS + ERO pod per ship, as a whole pod is not necessary to refill the tankage of one ship, and the pod will be rebuilt every turn.

Hmmm never thougt about that appeoach Fishman, using the emergenct supply pods and repair... rather cheesy but if it works it works

Well, it wasn't necessary back when QRs in SEIV actually fulfilled their promise of providing freedom from resupply. Now they don't actually keep you supplied, so they're pretty useless. Maybe if they didn't cap out at such a low level, but 290 supply a turn doesn't really make a difference. If they also *STORED* a lot of supplies, that might work, but they do neither, so you're better off putting ERS pods on a few ships and doling out the supplies from them, while using the obligatory repair craft you need in your force anyway.

I never understood why they were "emergency" pods anyway, it's never an actual emergency. Or maybe it's always an emergency. For that matter, I've never understood emergency exits, either. Why only use an exit for emergencies, if it's a perfectly good exit in non-emergencies, too?

I prefered SE4 QR's personally, took a lot longer to get, but actually proved to be insanely useful. Oh, how I wish for an Endless Supply ability to be added into SE5.

Because those exits aren't good outside of emergencies. The function of an emergency exit is to empty the commercial building as quickly as possible. The function of a normal exit is to let people leave in a CONTROLLED manner that makes them happy and takes them past your concession stands so they can buy soda and popcorn. And stop them exploring backstage, which you probably are not insured for. You really do not want some customer's kid stumbling into the generator room and blowing the place up. And it costs extra money to use those emergency exits, too. More doors means more security, more corridors to paint (yea, service and emergency access corridors dont have to be decorated or pleasantly lighted) and for example on a plane, more boarding ramps.

How does your SE-V run long enough to get that far into the game without crashing? Sure you can save each turn, but if the game freezes everytime on processing orders for one turn, you pretty much can't continue.

I really liked them as well and miss them, that said I know what they are trying to do by changing them. Its just a shame that they have completely nurfed them in the meantime. I like the idea that they don't give endless supplies, I just feel that give far less than they should and they don't supply ordanance. (Nothing does unless you take Organic tech as far as I can see) then to add insult to injury they are on a lame tech that really isn't worth developing until you are bored, by which time they are pointless anyway.

Change the tech to make QRs come in earlier but at less efficency then ramp them upto where they are supplying at least 1000 per turn. Also add something like a "Matter Scoop" that allows you to generate ordinance on the ship(has no storage facility thou), maybe ramping up to 250 ord per turn (not as good as organic but still nice enough). This would make the whole resuply tech worth exploring.

IMO, a single quantum reactor should not displace the ship's supply usage for its maximum movement in a turn. It should cover about 50% around max tech level. This works ok because you can pause for a turn or two and restore full supplies rather than always having full supplies, which was a concern with the QR from SE:IV - removing all strategy from supplies in the later game.

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Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

IIRC, ERS pods tricks have been around since SEIII, so I doubt it's a bug. Of course, you need repair ships anyway, if you're going to do any of the other fun tricks for staying supplied, like piracy. I've done that before, too, when I forgot to include the ERS pod, or because I was burning more supplies a turn than even my ERS pod was capable of supplying at that tech level, I just jack enemy ships, loot them for their supplies and ordnances, and then destroy them.

Of course, you need the repair capability to repair your boarding component, anyway. But it's fun to stay operational purely off piracy and slavery.

Sounds like FUN will have to give it a try Gave up on the idea of ship snatching when I found out that Analyze was broken, but this sounds intresting....

Maybe there could be a hull type modded in with an atribute that has it collect some supplies per turn? That would be most fitting for a new racial trait, similar to the crystalline and organic hulls.

Sorry to reanimate this dead thread btw
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See my PBW game stories on http://users.pandora.be/banzaiboy/sevpbw/.

Collect or generate? Either would be good I guess. *adds to Wanderer list*

I was thinking about how the cosmic radiation hitting a ship hull might conceivably be transformed into storable energy/supplies. It would be rather moderate, but the bigger the hull, the greater the benefit.

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See my PBW game stories on http://users.pandora.be/banzaiboy/sevpbw/.

Cosmic radiation from what?

Stars? If so, it'd be like having built in solar panels.
Random cosmic bodies? might as well just make it always generate.

Although you could mix the two.