Planets not within reach of my colony ships

use one colony module, not two, that will open up some space and concentrate on some propulsion research up to at least Ion Drive. thats about all the tips I know of atm.

Engines == Speed
Life support == Range

if you need to go further, you need to add life support modules.

For galaxies with big gaps between star systems, you will probably want/need both

Also, you can piggy back off of your new planets to get range. you only need one colony module per ship, esp early on.

Cheers,
Reaver

Sometimes, you just get screwed. Research basic logistics, this frees up the life support tech tree, and cram your ships full of life support modules, engines, and one colony module. Or, build starbases. Build a starbase (probably economic) at the max range a constructor can go, this will increase your range considerably. Continue doing this until you can reach the planets you want.

You can put on basic support modules even without researching anything, they are available under the modules tab of the ship designer. You can research better life support after researching basic logistics, and each life support technology gives you a blanket range bonus for all ships, including existing ones, as well as a more efficient life support module. You can also extend your range by building starbases with constructors, I believe.

Engines are not at all related to the range of a ship, only how fast it goes. So if you have to, you can put on fewer engines to leave room for life support models, although your ships will take a long time to get to the distant planets.

Another thing, in future games if you see that you are in a very isolated starting position and want to avoid facing this problem again you can press Control-N to get a new random starting position.

Edit: Heh, Saguinius beat me to most of the advice....

A player can add support modules to extend range, research life support techs, or build constructors to set up refueling starbases.

Sometimes the map is tough. Four planets isn't bad on a medium map, if you are playing on large or gigantic, it may be a tough game.

Cntrl N, is for weaklings.... My best (most fun), games are either this sort of start, or at least a crowded start where i don't get to many planets.

I wish there where settings to change the range scale. Most of the time range just isn't an issue. Having to build resupply starbases, and protecting them would really make the game more fun for me.

For the original poster:

When you say you are building colony ships, are you actually building them? Some of the best investments you can make in the entire game are using the "buy ship now" functions to make a fleet of colonizers very quickly in the opening turns. Waiting to build each one is painfully slow.

Depends on how well you manage your empire...

I wish there where settings to change the range scale. Most of the time range just isn't an issue. Having to build resupply starbases, and protecting them would really make the game more fun for me.
/quote]

What is a good resupply starbase? Military, economic or influence? Logicaly it should be military or economic but I am not sure?

If all you're worried about is extending range, it shouldn't matter which one you use. Influence starbases are pointless in the middle of nowhere, so you might as well build military/economic depending on whether you think you're going to need military support or trade boosting there later.

Right from the beginning you can fit one colony module, one basic drive (I forget the name off the top of my head) and two basic life support modules, which will give you extra rance and a speed of 3 parsecs (squares) per week (turn). Alternately, you can drop the engine and add more basic life support modules for even more range, and stick to the basic built-in per-turn speed of the main drive that the hull starts with, which iirc is 2 for a cargo hull. Use the fast variant to nab planets in their range (which will extend your overall rnge by having them) and then if you can't reach any more, use the slower, higher-range variant.

I've noticed that since 1.11, the galaxies generated are rather stacked against you. I usually get about 3-4 stars anywhere near me, while about 1/3 of the AI races, especially the Torians, have 12-15 or more within reasonably close range of each other. Kinda makes me sick.

I wish they would re-do Max tange. Instead of simply "not allowed", you would lose hit point on a regular basis, depending on how far you are from "maximum range".

That way, cargo ships still can't go too far, but you could do lightning-strike outside your max range..

In the galaxy setup described (evidently habitable planets somewhat rare) starbases are the way to go. You can piggyback clear across the galaxy using a chain of starbases, though I would research range imrovements as well. Its best if you can build on a resource point right close to your range limit, but don't insist on it. Like others said, a military starbase is good; but influence is also good in some situations. If there is a cluster of planets being settled just beyond range, an influence starbase both increases your range so you can grab some too, plus potentially will help sway your neighbors culturally later on ... but check the race you're trying to influence. Some are not too easy to influence.

I always had the other view point. If you go beyond max range, I think your ship should die.

For the colony modules, another trick would be to make a scout ship out of a cargo hull with only life supports and engines. have it scout for you and if you find another planet, upgrade it to a constructor, build a base, and use the range extention of the base to get a colony ship with extra engines there fast. This only works if you have lots of dough.

To extend the reach of your colony ships, build a starbase in the line that marks the end of the range of your ships and this line will be extended beyond the starbase. As easy as that. More engines in your ship, only increase speed no range.

When the technology becomes available I make two classes of ships -

fast colony ships (2 or 3 engines)

and

fast troop transport ships.

With the transport ships, I take a freighter hull and add 4 or 5 warp drives. It allows me to show up on an enemy's doorstep REAL quick after having eliminated their defenses. Don't add any weapons or armor, and these ships will be real cheap. Make sure to add 2 ultra or advance life support modules, and perhaps a sensor module. When taking over a large enemy, I set up rally points in a couple of areas and have a number of planets crank these out. Don't let them make to many, or they'll deplete the # of soldiers guarding the planet, though.

It depends on the size of the galaxy. If you are on a medium galaxy with 4 planets you can survive for a while with those planets. i was stcuk on a gigantic with 8 planets and still dominated. Just buildup those planets and then when you have the best tech send a fleet off and destroy the first race you come in contact with. The advantage is that the few planets will be well populated. Many times we over extend ourselves in the colony rush. A few well pop planets can do as well as many with just a few pop.

I was stuck on gigantic with only two planets at the start of my current game
-my home and the class 4 in the same system as other planets were out of range-and im now a very dominant power having taken out the arcaens, torians, altarians and drath in that order-

I'm now embroiled in a conflict i am winning with the Yor who own the very desirable and dominant cluster of habitable planets in the centre of the map.

To achieve this basically i neglected my military for the early part of the game focusing on tech (esp. diplomacy) and economy and trade. The diplomacy is v imporant as it made the other civs less eager to crush me like a bug.
Having secured a profitable economy and advanced tech i then was secure enough to take out my nearest most hostile rival-the arcaeans with a war fleet and transports which i could afford to buy.

From thence on its been a game of building up money and tech then launching inavasion fleets-my diplomacy rating is ridiculous now! So if you have four planets to begin with and your on a smaller map you should be fine!

I echo CANTANATRIX.

When stuck with few planets, research the Diplomacy tree, get Spin Control Center, and put some cargo holds filled with nothing but weapons in orbit. It'll keep the warlords off your back until you can get a few influence victory techs, and start flipping some nearby civ's planets over to your own empire. Then just keep expanding outward.

Didn't someone make a mod that restricted range much more?

It should be noted that often just researching the life support tech is enough because it automatically adds to your range, even without strapping on the module.