Constructor Effective Area

I think it's based on your racial color so picking a different color should help. However, your suggestion is not a unreasonable one.

I'm not sure you know so I'll just mention it, the effective area displayed by the constructor is not quite the actual influence area of the starbase. I think the constructor's radius is smaller than the starbases's by one parsec. Also it's not totally clear which square parsec's are covered by the round influence area. I once mapped out the starbases influence area and posted a drawing in the following thread.

WWW Link

I have the same difficulity seeing the constructor's AoE. It is much fainter than the starbase AoE. I would love an intensity slider. BTW, I don't know which Race color is used since there are a couple of shades in my game. At any rate, I prefer not to change the Race colors. I mean they do differentiate the Races.

I think my problems started when I got my flat panel monitor...

Might be a setting... The constructor effective circle was always faint but I used to be able to see it.. I've played with the contrast, brightness, etc with no luck.

Then again it could be the new version also...

I did notice the slight difference between Starbase and Constructor effective area.. kinda odd but nothing major as long as I have a guildline The drawing linked above was actually quite helpful (worse case I count squares when I 'really' need exact placement

If I have 2 (or more) constructors in the same spot and select them all I can see the effective area no problem as well.. until I create a fleet.. Then back to the same problem...

Just a bit frustraiting...

I run the game accross two monitors. Even though I've tried everything to get the monitors the exact same, I can see the constructors sphere a lot better in one monitor than the other. It's the only difference I can see between the two, but it is quite noticable. I thought it might be a monitor setting, but everything I've tried to get the sphere to show up better in the other monitor hasn't helped. Maybe it's just a monitor thing. I'm still not sure..

I once mapped out the starbases influence area and posted a drawing in the following thread.

Pics don't seem to be there anymore, any chance you could link them again?

Try stacking a few constructors on top of each other. The sphere should grow more prominent as you add more constructors to the stack. Not that this is going to help you any as the individual constructor on it's own will still have a faint sphere, but it will show you that it is not the monitor. Not sure if this helps anything but it was just my observation.

Thanks. That's about what I figured it covered, any tile partly inside the circle gets the effect, nice to have it confirmed

Must be some colors are more muted in one monitor than the other(dif. Brands). I changed my race color to an orangish color and the spheres show up great in both, so try a few different colors to see if some show up better if your having trouble seeing the spheres.

Thanks. That's about what I figured it covered, any tile partly inside the circle gets the effect, nice to have it confirmed

Yep. That's it. If only the constructor influence area was the correct size (and you could see it) then you wouldn't need the picture.

But back to the OP's original problem. I've never had much difficulty seeing the constructor area on my monitor. I've most recently played the Drath (orange race color), the Torians (green) and Drengin (red). When I've played the Drath the default orange appears very much like the Drengin red (at least on my monitor) so I changed the race color to gold. I've had no trouble seeing the constructors influence area with any of these colors. Actually, the gold race color also shows up the auto pilot and trade route paths quite nicely. It also doesn't conflict with any other races default color. I know it's not the prefered solution but you might want to give it a try.

Ya for me the Dregin red is nearly invisible. I generally just count 8 squares off the constructor to give me an idea which works well except if you're got planets on the diagonals.

This used to not be such a problem a few versions ago, I'm fairly certain they dimmed it. I just wish it had the same intensity as the constructed starbase.

It hasn't been dimmed that I'm aware. On this subject though, the AoE fields are markedly improved visibility-wise in DA (sorry, can't post a screenshot--this is all Cari said I could tell ).