Ion Engine Vs. Contra Engine

I am sure this is not how it is intended and will soon be changed. But it is a useful trick, for now.

These hopes will be in vain :/

Engine Tech evolves in a way quite similar to starship hulls. Each new level gives some improvement in terms of efficiency, but when a new ship class/engine type is first introduced, it's somewhat experimental and less efficient then what you already have. Because of that it's tempting to stick with the old stuff, but that's always sort of a dead-end road in the long run.
In the end it's up to you to make the decision which you prefer, but admittedly that's often a hard choice.

(btw., this is probably the most realistic modeling of technological advance i have ever seen in a game, and i think it's brilliant. It's often a pain in the big A as well, but it's brilliant anyway

The solution is simply stop researching each engine type at level 5 and to use the bonus exploit to maximize supplies/movement... But when the exploit is fixed, then you'll still just research to level 5 since you don't want to waste research points in a dead end when you can receive duplicate benefits (ie more supplies) in the next type of engine.

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Space Empires Depot | Space Food Empires!

I am sure this is not how it is intended and will soon be changed. But it is a useful trick, for now.

I like the idea of researching engines that are more energy efficient, or use less supplies. Of course we wouldnt want to take that to far though.
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Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum
Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe.

You could go two ways with that, either more effecient engines or engines that stored larger amounts of supplies.

Engines could just be one linear tech. For example, at level 1 - 5 you get Ion engines, at level 6 - 10 you get Contra, etc. This way you keep getting an incremental supply bonus and the occasional movement bonus.

Can't resist those eyes!

I guess the norm here is you can use anything posted freely as long as you credit the source.

It would be nice for each increase in engine tech (ion-Contra-jacked-quantum) provided a bonus to shields (+0%, +2%, +5%, +9%).

" All I do is replace one of my Ion lvl 5 engines with a Contra to get the bonus movement point."

This shouldn't work according to the manual. It says: "Some engines will also give you bonuses to the number of movement points you receive. For example, the Contra - Terrene Engine I gives a ship +1 movement points per turn. This bonus only applies, however, if all of the engines on the ship are at the same level. Having one engine on the ship that is lower than a Contra - Terrene Engine I would lose you the bonus. The bonus applies after total movement is calculated. So if you have a destroyer with 6 Contra - Terrene Engine I's, you will receive 7 movement points per turn."

Is this a bug or speculation on your part that you could do this?

Brian

Cpt Kwok, I can't understand how BM calculate the movement of the ship... Can you help me with it?

I'm not Kwok, but I know how it works.

In the game code, each hull size is defined with a data field for the number of movement points required to make it move 1 hex.

In Stock, these are all set to 1.

BM changed that so that bigger hulls need more movement points than small hulls to move one hex.

Thus the total movement generated by engines is divided by the number of points needed to move 1 hex. that gives you the ship's actual movement.

thanks

i just heard something like that but forgot completely

I am interested in the mixing of engines. Does that work? Or is it speculation? I just believed the manual, silly me!

~Slimbo

Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design...

It's fairly easy to check for yourself, just by trying different combinations in the Design screen.

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"Good morning, Pooh Bear," said Eeyore gloomily. "If it /is/ a good morning," he said. "Which I doubt," said he.

The Balance Mod allows you to mix engine types and achieve different speeds or lower costs etc.

Space Empires Depot | SE:V Balance Mod

In Balance Mod I put 4 of the best engines and 2 of the cheapest engines on my colony ships. I loose 1 movement point and save about 1500 minerals, which allows me to build them in 1 turn.