Distant Worlds: Universe annouced!

[Jack Nastyface]

Yeah..I'm up on the latest patch.  I think some of the problem I am having is admittedly to do with learning the game, what to automate or not automate, how to adjust polices, etc.  And some of it is just plain old random dumb luck...like being located to close the Boskara Hive on 1 game, or having Kaltors spawn right next to my just-built-and-admittedly unguarded gas mining station and research facility on a nearby planet.
I'm also having problems understanding cash flow...I always seem to have negative cash flow.  Once again, computer gaming imitates life...

[bobarossa]

Having jumped from Return of the Shakturi straight to DWU, the biggest change I've noticed is how hard it is to keep a positive cash flow now.  Not sure what exactly they changed.  The other is those danged pirates. 

[FarAway Sooner]

Jack, the negative cash flow is a bit misleading.  You have two types of expenses and revenues:  one-time and ongoing.  Cash flow is just a statement of ongoing expenses and ongoing revenues.  Here's a high-level description of each:

• One-Time Expenses:  Building state bases or state ships, facilities, retrofitting state bases or state ships, initiating crash research programs
• One-Time Revenues:  Private sector builds ships at your ship yards (this happens A LOT in the early game, especially if you're starting out PreWarp), private sector pays you to build a base, passengers arrive at a resort
• Ongoing Expense:  Maintenance on state ships, bases, troops, and facilities.  Protection agreements and tributes you've agreed to pay to pirates and other races.  Plus all the other stuff you see in your Empire Summary screen.
• Ongoing Revenue:  Taxes on colonies, tributes from other races.  Plus all the other stuff you see in  your Empire Summary screen.

In the early game, Cash flow is always negative but offset by the huge amount of cash the private sector channels your way as it pays your shipyards to build ships for it.
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[Martok]

Having jumped from Return of the Shakturi straight to DWU, the biggest change I've noticed is how hard it is to keep a positive cash flow now.  Not sure what exactly they changed.  The other is those danged pirates.

Are you doing a pre-warp/Age of Shadows start, or a standard start (with your home star system more-or-less fully developed)? 

[bobarossa]

Having jumped from Return of the Shakturi straight to DWU, the biggest change I've noticed is how hard it is to keep a positive cash flow now.  Not sure what exactly they changed.  The other is those danged pirates.

Are you doing a pre-warp/Age of Shadows start, or a standard start (with your home star system more-or-less fully developed)?

Doing the pre/warp start with slightly reduced pirates.  I've done ok after the first few tries but I recall rarely having money problems in the RotS version.  My latest game has me 42 years in with a huge surplus and I'm beating down several pirate factions that have annoyed me.  Planning to restart soon with the latest patch. 

[Rayfer]

Having jumped from Return of the Shakturi straight to DWU, the biggest change I've noticed is how hard it is to keep a positive cash flow now.  Not sure what exactly they changed.  The other is those danged pirates.

Are you doing a pre-warp/Age of Shadows start, or a standard start (with your home star system more-or-less fully developed)?

Doing the pre/warp start with slightly reduced pirates.  I've done ok after the first few tries but I recall rarely having money problems in the RotS version.  My latest game has me 42 years in with a huge surplus and I'm beating down several pirate factions that have annoyed me.  Planning to restart soon with the latest patch.

I play with the latest updates and always start pre-warp. My problems haven't been with cash flow, they are always with resources...I am always having to renew contracts with the pirates to smuggle in those that I need to continue to build new stuff. Pirates can be irritating but fun as well. They are very difficult to defeat, even on easy setting. At least that has been my experience. All in all....I really like the game.

[Jack Nastyface]

FWIW...this most recent game of mine seems to be going better.  The following things seem to be making a difference:
1.  Switch from Republic (default form of gov't to Monarchy).  This reduces my cost of ownership of my ships, resources, etc.
2.  Build research stations at locations where there is a research bonus.  Previously I had built all my research stations around my home planet, but now I am "diversifying" the research for optimal results.
3.  Colonize!  I was lucky enough to have another planet and moon within a short distant of my main planet, so as soon as I could afford to build colony ships, off they went.  I could only afford to build those ships, however, AFTER I had switched governments and mothballed some of my fleet / ships.  The extra population is a big help (obviously).

Question:  Can I build a mining station for luxury items?  There is a nearby ocean planet that has three luxury items...if I build a mining station there, will I get more product from it?  Or should I just leave that up to the independent mining ships?
Question:  I have seem to turned "off" the advisors who tell me to upgrade my ships...and I may have also turned off the "automated ship design" feature.  Where do I turn these back on?  I don't think my latest ships are getting the benefits of all the new tech I am researching.

Yours in gaming,

Jack Nastyface

[Kushan]

Happy to hear things are going better for you Jack.

Question:  Can I build a mining station for luxury items?  There is a nearby ocean planet that has three luxury items...if I build a mining station there, will I get more product from it?  Or should I just leave that up to the independent mining ships?
Question:  I have seem to turned "off" the advisors who tell me to upgrade my ships...and I may have also turned off the "automated ship design" feature.  Where do I turn these back on?  I don't think my latest ships are getting the benefits of all the new tech I am researching.

Question 1: Your normal mining and gas mining stations should already have a luxury extractor on them.

Question 2: Those are found under the "options" menu. Can access it from the main loading screen or by hitting escape if your already in game.

[bobarossa]

For Question 1 I think he asking if he 'should' build a mining station there.  I would say yes.  At least that's what I do.  I let the independents mine things that might be temporarily low in my stockpile.  Anyway, I hope that is the kind of thing they do.

Question 2. I think you can also access those things in the Empire Policy screen (one of those icons near the top, slightly left of center)

[Kushan]

For Question 1 I think he asking if he 'should' build a mining station there.  I would say yes.  At least that's what I do.  I let the independents mine things that might be temporarily low in my stockpile.  Anyway, I hope that is the kind of thing they do.

If that's the case it depends on mining percentages (the number next to the resource). The common practice isn't to mine any planets where the total of resource percentages is less then 120%. I'm not sure the math behind it, but I've seen that number mentioned several times in various posts at matrix and in YouTube LP's. However, there are exceptions to every rule, and if its a very rare resource, strategic or luxury, then you should go ahead and mine it.

[Jack Nastyface]

Thanks Kushan et alia...
So this latest game went much better.  Sort of.  I've managed to avoid getting eaten, pirated or overwhelmed by cute rodents or ugly insects...but I "lost" anyways.  Just as I had established my eighth planet I got a message from the game saying the Naxxians had "won" based on their victory conditions.  Looks like I am going to have to re-visit that victory conditions screen at start-up....

[Martok]

I generally enable only the race-specific victory conditions.  It seems to make for a better game (at least in my case). 

[Jarhead0331]

I only play sandbox. Victory or death.

[Rayfer]

I only play sandbox. Victory or death.

It took me awhile to get there but this how I play it too.

[Barthheart]

I only play sandbox. Victory or death.

+1