Discussion about constructor micromanagement

I've seen discussions about this before. This is one of the more tedious parts of the game.

My suggestion was to design starbases the way you design ships, and allow one constructor to complete the project, either by paying a large sum of money, or spending a number turns constructing it.

Others suggested giving constructors more than one constructor module, allowing you to build several modules in one go.

Others suggested using constructors for the initial build only, and allow the player to simply "upgrade" the base with modules by spending money.

i think something like this really should be implanted,
i never use constructors simply cause its so annoying,
i like the idea of having more than 1 constructor modules, make it so that the price will be high so that you cannot make them at the start of the level due to pricing.
also with more large hulls and minitarisation level goes up you can add more constructor modules to 1 hull, wich would make micromanagment in the later part of the game go down a bit, wich is great.

I don't really see this as a big deal. I just auto launch the constructors to a fleet rally point and send off fleets to build out my starbases. And I use starbases a *lot*. I currently have 94 starbases that have required close to 700 constructors to build and I still have another 32 or so starbases I need to build. I just don't see this as a problem.

I was thinking about this earlier, and I usually end up not bothering upgrading the starbases, it's just way too much micromanagement for me to be bothered with. It requires endless amounts of Constructors, as each Starbase easily has 7-12 modules at least, that needs building, and that's not counting Attack & Defense modules.

I'd be contempt with a way to upgrade the Starbase by clicking on it, and selecting which module to build, it would then build it over several turns depending on the Tech level required to build said module. Along with spending several turns constructing the Starbase initially, plus consuming the constructor as it already does.

Summary

- The Constructor would be consumed and spend X turns building the Starbase.
- Update option on the Starbase once built that allows modules to be built on it.
- Any modules built would take x turns, depending on how advanced a module it is. (ie. later techs that unlocks modules would take longer to build then older tech modules).
- No buy option to speed-complete it.

Ok guys, here's the best solution (IMHO) to the problem:

Have a section in the starbase UI that allows you to relocate constructers to the Starbase's position.

Here’s how it works: You have a slider, where you select the amount of constructors you want to relocate. The amount of constructors needed to max out the station would be should be indicted by a line on the slider. As you move the slider it will first relocate ships that are closer to the starbase, and then further away. The interface will tell you how long it will take for the last constructor to reach the starbase. There will also be a toggle to ignore constructors which already have a target.

Problem solved.

Others suggested giving constructors more than one constructor module, allowing you to build several modules in one go

I think this is the best solution to the problem but I am not a programmer so I have no idea how viable it is. You can already add more than one colony module so it should be relatively simple enough to add more than one construction module (plus it would really make for some interesting ship designs). I always seem to have an issue with the use of rally points/auto launch so I tend to shy away from the features. This does add some angst to my starbase upgrades, but I cannot let them go without upgrading them to their fullest potential. If my constructor held say, five modules, then upgrades could be done in a totally different way, perhaps changing my strategies some and cutting down on having fifty constructors heading all over the place, single file, like lemmings.

And as an afterthought... get ready for it... make constructor ships operate as resource collectors (not sure if that is what the miners are in DA or not so do forgive if I'm redundant on this). So long as there is a resource of a certain type available for a particular upgrade, the constructor can go right along with building. Once the supply is depleted, time to go to the nearest asteroid belt and replenish... at least something along this line. Not sure, any ops?  

To me, constructors are like the caravans of the original civilization. They give you something useful to build during times when there's otherwise really nothing else useful to do.

Perhaps as been suggested you could make a constructor carry more than one module, but I don't see as how this really changes anything. At my current level of logistics, I just put 12 constructors in a fleet and send them on their way.

By the time I'm finished my current game I'll have built over 1000 constructors and about 125 starbases. I really haven't found it to be all that tedious. I find there's *far* more micromanagement due to auto launched ships forgetting their rally point destination than on this.

Mumblefratz I find the auto launched forgetting their rallypoints problem really annoying too. Even more than the constructor micromanagement. You also have a good point on when to build constructors, when you do not have anything else to build.

But from my perspective hardly anything would change if you would change the system abit. It would need balancing for sure, but nothing impossible. One constructor to build initial star base and the rest would "improve" it by building more components automaticly. Even to a extent that they would decide what components to build on their own and you could manually adjust this order ofcourse. More complex components would take more time to build so you would need to build constructors too. Then again star base research tech could give you "faster" consturctor modules to speed up the work.

It all boils down to removing micromanagement. If you do not have to create so many constructors and move around rally points etc, surely there is more time to think about your grand strategy and plans. This is one of the biggest reasons I would like constuctors be more automated. I find that once I have finished herding my constructors and builded components on star bases I just press Turn button and start over again the next turn. Might sound silly but I realized in my last game that 90% of the time I just moved constructors not giving a thought to galactic situation at all. Which is sad since I hardly use diplomacy at all, since I find it less important than herding my constructors.

I would like to say in the end that I find all the constructor improvement ideas in this thread better than the current one. Not just my own

I think it would be great to be able to design a starbase complete with all its modules and the have a constructor be built for that spec, and sent on its one-use mission to build it. If you get more tech and want a different base, just send out a new constructor with the new plan in use and destroy the old starbase.

I can see the merit in some of these ideas. Believe me I'm all for reducing micromanagement wherever possible. This area wouldn't necessarily be my first choice, but in general I wouldn't think any of this is a bad thing.

The one thing I wouldn't like is to now suddenly have to build this one super expensive constructor that would do all the upgrades and replace 7 to 10 (or whatever) regular constructors.

Currently the constructor is cheap and be quickly produced at pretty much any planet with production. I usually have 50 or so of these planets that can spit out a constructor in a single turn. I also build uber-production planets that can spit out 4000 bc battleships in a turn or two, but I usually have only a handful of these.

I would hate to have to choose between waiting 10 to 15 turns to produce one of these super constructors or dedicating on of my uber-production planets for this. The fact that constructors are cheap allows me to produce them both quickly and anywhere. That's more flexible than a costly super constructor could be. Just MHO.

A possible issue with multiple construciton modules could be the situation where fewer building options are available compared to the modules on a ship. Unless the surplus is wasted of course but that might spark another annoyance.

I was thinking about treating starbases similar to the way colonies are built. One module goes to building the basic component - the initial colony so to speak, and further modules would represent buildings. You could have buildings such as Mining, Attack, Defence and Sensors or have a more detailed tree (Shield, Armour, etc.). Each of those branches would require one module and once that's built, it should upgrade itself automatically once a newer, better version is discovered, much like the colony is managed.

I believe the current system works too but it can get a bit tedious if you want to beef your starbase up all the way to the max. It wouldn't surprise me if a fully loaded starbase could harbour 15+ constructors.

I like EvilS's Idea of the multiple modules, therefore as your tech and minaturization got better you would be able to add more modules. Essentially your constructors would get more powerful as the game went on.

I like theidea of the 'upgrade slider'. It is a pain to make masses of constructors when you have only a handful of planets.

ORRRrrrr, heres another idea, be able to put multiple constructor modules on one ship to help stave the micromanagement(and to kill one bird with two or more stones).

I like EvilS's Idea of the multiple modules

This is a good idea. I think though perhaps the construction module should be made a bit (not a whole bunch) more expensive. If you like the current way you could make constructors as they are now and they still would be relatively cheap. If you want a mega constructor with say 7 modules to build a complete econ SB with it's manufacturing modules then that constructor should be close to 7 times more expensive.

Currently the constructor is cheap

You can make not-so-cheap constructors if you value speed. I used to keep two classes active, slo-boat commercial contractors and rapid-deployment SeaBee types.

The micro stuff has made me wasteful (maybe one reason I'm still too chicken to step up from Tough AIs). Until the DA beta, I just keep making constructors faster every time I did a round of ship upgrades.

That said, although I like the "radical" idea of a new starbase system that works like planetary build queues, the stacking constructor module thing sounds good. A big, expensive constructor could warn you if you were about to waste modules, and the change would add an interesting set of strategic choices.

Hey, what do you guys think about the solution I proposed ten posts ago. I'm pretty sure it's the absolute best way to deal with constructor micromanagement.

Hey, what do you guys think about the solution I proposed ten posts ago. I'm pretty sure it's the absolute best way to deal with constructor micromanagement

Sorry  . Your idea wouldn't work for me. My constructors have a destination planned before their even built 99% of the time, so I wouldn't ever have any just hanging around to choose from. It would help those that build a load of constructors and then decide how to divy them up after they're built.   

Jeff, I like your Calling All Constructors slider idea very much and think it could help many of us without putting a burden on anyone but the devs

Hey, what do you guys think about the solution I proposed ten posts ago. I'm pretty sure it's the absolute best way to deal with constructor micromanagement

Jeff, I like your Calling All Constructors slider idea very much and think it could help many of us without putting a burden on anyone but the devs

That is the issue. This is so foreign to the current management of the game that it's unlikely to be implemented, while multiple constructor modules per constructor would be very consistent with game mechanics. Then constructors would be just like colony or troop modules.

Your idea has the same result as a more general idea that's been proposed before. If you had a rally point governor that directed ships to different rally points based on ship class then you could do exactly as you've proposed, plus it would have a more general benefit. I think this is a great idea that a number of people have seemed to like but nothing has come of it.

My only complaint would be that i cannot find the auto launch feature since installing Galciv 2.

You have no idea how tedious it is to have to launch every single ship i build!!! and then when i try to hurry and don't quite click in the right place, i am rewarded with a trip to the shipyard.... where i have to waste time scrolling through the list to reset the stupid ship production grrrrrrr

My only complaint would be that i cannot find the auto launch feature since installing Galciv 2.

Just set a colony rally point under the governors tab in the civilization manager. Or you can set this on a planet by planet basis by pressing the gold button in the details area on the main screen with the planet selected. If the button is blue that means a colony rally point is already set.

You also can launch all ships without setting a rally point destination by pressing the green arrow under the stack of ship icons that appear along the right side of the screen.

launch all ships without setting a rally point destination by pressing the green arrow

This only launches ships built in the current turn, which is good if you keep some ships in orbit but can be tricky if you try to keep everything offworld and occasionally miss some ships.

My major gripe with the current system is;

I have maxed out say an econ starbase, I move the rally point the next base and so on .
In the meantime I research new econ modules.

The more recent econ starbases will get the benefit of the new techs, but the old ones have to be done.
This can be a nightmare when you have multiple starbases.

A starbase filter system, similar to the colony screen and a improved rally piont system would go a long way to relieving the tedium.

You could tag the bases for upgrade.

Also this filter system is needed for DA mining bases and Spy insertions.

On a lighter note, I have not had any problems with forgotten rally points with the new DA beta. Not sure if it has been fixed or I am just lucky.

I was thinking that, since there exists beaming technology to transfer raw materials from an asteroid to a planet, why not from planet to starbase, or between starbases?

Instead of sending constructors out to perform upgrades, you use your starbase network to transfer the necessary materials where they need to go. This makes the deployment of upgrades much simpler, and planets which would normally waste a square on a starport in order to build cheap constructors can still use their military production, to build 'upgrades' which are sent out via transporter beam relays.

This does make starbases and their positioning a little more important.

Marvin: I too like the idea of a constructor free upgrade path for starbases. Building a "constructor" to deploy a starbase is fair enough but having to micromanage hundreds of the little devils to upgrade is a nightmare!