A minor suggestion regarding late-game constructor management.

from Stardock Forums
Ok, I think anyone who's played a game on a reasonably large map has ended up having to manage tons of constructors floating around upgrading starbases. It'd be nice if we could cut down on the # of these guys.

Would it be possible/helpful to add super- and ultra-constructors in the late game that cost 2 or 3 times as much to build but add 2 or 3 modules at once? It'd cut down on the amount of clicking necessary to build a well-stocked starbase here or there. I don't think there'd be any balance issues since it will be practically equivalent to building 3 normal constructors and fleeting them.

Just a thought.
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
good idea. I never made it far enough in a game to get to the late game but it sounds like it would cut down on alot of micromanagement in the late game. Especially on the bigger maps
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Excellent idea to me. I tend to be moving around about 25% constructors vs. other ships by the late game. I suppose I could just cut down on my own but... :notsure:

~SDC~
Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Oh oh oh I'd bet we could MOD this in on our own- wonder if the AI would use them.

~SDC~
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
You could just build 3 Constructors and then move them around as a little fleet. Is sort of the same...
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Actually, if the production cost was exactly the same as 2 or 3 constructors(and the buy cost at least that of 2 or 3) it would be better if the AI didn't use them. They'd make an effective human crutch though. The AI would be better off with the flexibility offered by 3 constructors, it doesn't suffer from the mad clicking to make them go. Also, the first constructor gets there, they first bonus kicks in, the second gets there, the second bonus kicks in, etc.. another advantage of sending them one at a time - unless you could just out and out buy the ultra constructor - which is why it should cost slightly more to buy outright than 3 standard constructors.

I like the idea though.. the AI in this game is TOUGH (I'm not complaining, I'm happy about it). Anything that eases the late game 'drudgery' (can't think of a better word, almost all 4x games suffer from it, this one less than most actually) and allow me to spend my time strategizing and trying to figure out how to kick my butt out of the fire is most welcome.

~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
One small improvement that would help a lot in some circumstances would be the ability to put constructors into guard mode. As far as i can tell it's not possible at the moment, because there's no guard button, and hitting 'g' causes it to ask you if you want to build a starbase here instead of putting it in guard mode.

I've had stacks of 20 constructors waiting in sentry mode till i was ready to build a Terror Star, then some random alien ship wanders by and all 20 pop out of sentry mode and i have to put them all back in again next turn.
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
Romec: You're right, but it takes more mouse-clicking that way. If only 1/3 as many constructors actually pop out of my planets, it'd free up a lot of my time.

Daetrinn: What version are you using? I've got 1.02 and I can put constructors into guard mode with 'g' just fine (I just went and verified this. Pushed 'g', and it sat there with the word 'guard' under it).

Also, you can put all 20 into a fleet. Then you just have to re-guard or re-sentry the fleet as one big unit. Constructor fleets are definitely your friend! ;)
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I'd suggest rally points and starbase governors to manage build queues would be a better solution. :)
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
I'd be happy with a hotkey that says "Go the same place as the last ship of your type was sent."
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
If you want to put a fleet of constructors into guard mode, add an escort.

Also note that you can go through the newly built constructors fairly quickly by aiming the ship, then tab'ing to the next immediately. You don't have to wait for the ship to finish moving before giving orders to the next.

I usually send one turns crop of constructors to one place - if I zoom out max so the map don't move, I can get all the constructors to the same location in about one second per cons, which isn't too bad even at gigantic maps.
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
I'm more worried by the uncanny ability of a bunch of stacked Constructors to pop up a TS in no time than with the management of moving them...There should be a drastic limit on speed of "SB improvements" : it should take 1 turn to build the SB then another for each module (so no multiple new modules each turn) .
For moving constructors, defining yourself rally points and escorting them with any useless Corvette to put them on "Guard" is good enough.
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
I WOULD LOVE a "set rally point" command. Auto Launching them is one thing (although if you're not using governors it doesn't make much difference), but managing sending the constructors around is the single most tedious aspect of the end game and is probably tripling the overall length of the game.

Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
Pdifolco:

You're right about that. Right now my dominant war strategy is to fleet up ~10 constructors and bring them plus a few warships into my target's most valuable sector. Just throw up a big starbase with +12 attack bonuses, smash their defenses, and invade, all in the same turn. This should probably be fixed.