[EL] Glenn Whipple's Thread of Questions

[GWhipple]

NOW UPDATED WITH ANSWERS!

So, I have:
- Done the in game tutorial.
- Read the html manual.
- Read on this forum.
- Read on steam forums.
- Played like 100h+ (haven't played earlier Evochron games).
- Read the in depth pdf of 300+ pages for the earlier games, a lot of stuff doesn't apply anymore in EL. Like Guilds, Clans, Constructors, ship frames and a lot more.
- Seeya's website.
- Asked people in MP (only 2 but still).

But I am unable to find updated guides and in depth information for EL. Probably since nobody got the time to write one yet. ^^

So I will post any questions I may have in this thread.




Question 1 - Ship frame config (mostly energy cores)
Most of the stuff is straight forward like cargo bays and fuel tanks. But I really want to know what the following REALLY does:
* ZERO (0) Energy cores - It doesn't seem to make a difference (on a trading ship). You still have shields, your energy for (WEP and) FD charges up faster than the FD timeout. And even with 0 cores I was still able to defend myself against some nasty foes. What is the difference between 0 cores and 8 for example?
* Hull (armor) slots.

(shortened) answers from Vice:

But to provide a specific example for your primary weapon system, you gain about a 2% reduction in power consumption per firing cycle per core. So if you installed 10 cores, the base power consumption level would be reduced by about 20%.

Hull armor

It too amounts to about a 20% reduction in raw hull damage calculations when set to the maximum value.

My comment: I will probably never spend points on Energy Cores or Hull Armor anymore in the Frame Config (shipyard). 2% per point is, in my opinion not worth it. I rather use a smaller frame or spend them on the other alternatives (like cargo bays, fuel tanks, equipment slots and so on). More bang for the bucket for my play style. And when I wanna fight, then I bring out a military frame ship. But if I have slots to spare and running a StarMaster, why not.

Question 2 - Available frames
I thought the tech rating was the biggest (and perhaps only factor here).
But that doesn't seem to be the case. For example this happened:
I went to Pices, Pices station to be exact. F3 and "news/info" said Tech 8. Which is VERY low. But I was able to switch to the Starmaster. Meaning, it had all the frames. So now with the Starmaster I went on with my adventure. I went to Pearl and some other systems (doesn't matter really). Then I decided that the Starmaster was too heavy for my taste. Slow and thirsty so I wanted to "downgrade". Since I knew Pices Station was a sure bet for all frames I went back there. But now it only had up the frames with 28 frames iirc. Why is that? Still a tech level around 8.
The question is: Is it totally random what you can get? Is it a bug?


Question 3 - Constructor module buildings
So, the station is a no-brainer, also weapon turrets and shield. But the others. For example, what do the following do:
- Storage
- Crew
- Horizontal
- Vertical
- Production

Answer from Vice:

Storage, production, and command modules can help increase local technology levels. Their benefit is roughly 3.3% per module added to the base regional level. Storage modules help store items that are built and made available in local inventories, production modules help produce items that are built and made available in local inventories, and command module include benefits of both of the other modules (although you can only build one of these per sector, so the other modules can be used to expand things further). Module totals for analysis are available in the Inventory > News/Information screen.

A secondary benefit of storage modules is to provide more weapon storage for weapon turrets. So once you build enough turrets, you'll start to be prompted to build storage modules to help support them.

Crew modules provide living space for the crew needed to support a station once it reaches a certain size. Once you reach certain design limits, the game will prompt you to construct more crew modules to provide the required crew level to support it.

Horizontal and vertical modules are structural pieces that can be used to provide connecting/spacing structures and/or defensive obstacles around other modules. They provide no other functional benefit and are not required as part of a station's design.

Suggestion 1 - Weapon's Lab (missiles)
So the WL is a great feature. I made a really neat fusion particle gun. Also a fusion beam. Really nice. But the missiles... I tried to make the cheapest one. They cost me 1 electrical, 2 metal, 2 machinery and about 20-40k PER Missile. What is up with that? I can buy Echelon for like 1,5k. Or a decent one for like 4k, (dog fights). But when I make my own it costs me 40k per missile, resources and a lot of time (to get the resources). So, expensive and tedious.


Anyways, great game. I just want some clarification and help. And as always, thanks in advance.

[Edited on 4-6-2016 by GWhipple]

[DeathTech]

Alrighty, lets start off with, there is a somewhat in-depth youtube tutorial guide, (check my signature).

Other than that I guess I will try to answer everything in one go.

Answers 1
Energy Cores -> Generate power, more = quicker, more = more power for guns & shields & equipment.
Hull slots increase the amount of hull points you have directly increasing survivability by being able to take more damage and if I remember correctly it also increases armour value (take less damage per unshielded hit). But don't chew my arm off if I am wrong about the armour.

Answers 2
Ship frames are differently available depending on rank both civilian and military & the location you are looking to get them from.
If you want an exact frame you will have to look for it as well as different variables affect what frames are available.
If you turned on the whole changing economies & territories that is. Else only player interaction changes things.

Answers 3

Storage -> Nothing
Crew -> Nothing
Horizontal / vertical -> Nothing
Production -> Nothing

OKAY OKAY, maybe I'm being a bit harsh on vice there. (Love you really Vice , no homo)

Storage -> Improves stuff for the system in general, no immediate obvious effect
Crew -> Improves availability of crew members in the station & nearby system.
Horizontal / Vertical -> Aesthetics
Production -> Improves availability of commodities & equipment in the nearby system / station.

All of them are not really needed, they just improve the system.
And I notice you forgot out "power" which actually also does nothing other than improve the local military strength(ish) for the controlling faction & if I remember correctly (don't eat my if I'm wrong about it) also improves tech level.

Suggestion 1:
Weapons lab is okay if you want something custom. And no you can't build any good serious missiles in there.
You won't be able to until vice decides that resources should be in a more proper constant supply than mysticaly appearing from time to time if you are lucky.

I hope this has shot some of your questions in the head with great precision,... I mean, god I gotta fix my analogy machine.
I meant to say was I hope this helped you.

[Edited on 4-5-2016 by DeathTech]

[Vice]

Question 1 - Ship frame config (mostly energy cores)
Most of the stuff is straight forward like cargo bays and fuel tanks. But I really want to know what the following REALLY does:
* ZERO (0) Energy cores - It doesn't seem to make a difference (on a trading ship). You still have shields, your energy for (WEP and) FD charges up faster than the FD timeout. And even with 0 cores I was still able to defend myself against some nasty foes. What is the difference between 0 cores and 8 for example?
* Hull slots.

Energy cores are the redundant power generators of your ship. All ships come with a primary energy core, but you can optionally add more cores with the frame configuration option. Additional cores act like boosters and improve the energy production capability of your ship. The benefits can vary based on the system being powered (as they each have their own unique power consumption levels). But to provide a specific example for your primary weapon system, you gain about a 2% reduction in power consumption per firing cycle per core. So if you installed 10 cores, the base power consumption level would be reduced by about 20%. Obviously, other factors apply such as the frame's base power level, crew factors, and energy settings. But the base energy consumption level that is initially calculated is based on the cores.

Not quite sure what you mean by hull slots. But you can adjust secondary weapon hardpoints, equipment hardpoints, cargo bays, fuel tanks, hull armor (maybe this is what you're referring to?), countermeasures, and crew in the same menu. If you're referring to hull armor, that adds additional hull protection for direct impacts by weapons (once shields fall). It too amounts to about a 20% reduction in raw hull damage calculations when set to the maximum value.

Question 2 - Available frames
I thought the tech rating was the biggest (and perhaps only factor here).
But that doesn't seem to be the case. For example this happened:
I went to Pices, Pices station to be exact. F3 and "news/info" said Tech 8. Which is VERY low. But I was able to switch to the Starmaster. Meaning, it had all the frames. So now with the Starmaster I went on with my adventure. I went to Pearl and some other systems (doesn't matter really). Then I decided that the Starmaster was too heavy for my taste. Slow and thirsty so I wanted to "downgrade". Since I knew Pices Station was a sure bet for all frames I went back there. But now it only had up the frames with 28 frames iirc. Why is that? Still a tech level around 8.
The question is: Is it totally random what you can get? Is it a bug?

It is significantly based on the regional technology level rating. However, keep in mind that local in-sector tech levels can be increased substantially by production and storage modules as part of the local station's design. So you may have docked at a station that had enough of these to increase the technology capabilities in that station enough to allow for the availability of the StarMaster. So for the latter event, maybe there was another less capable station you docked at, you logged on to a different multiplayer server with a different station configuration, those modules were destroyed on the station, or something else caused a restriction in the level. Economies with enhanced technology levels can be more volatile and have inventories that vary more dramatically. So when you receive notices that new inventory items are available, that's a good time to check on the local inventory for the latest available items and ships.

Question 3 - Constructor module buildings
So, the station is a no-brainer, also weapon turrets and shield. But the others. For example, what do the following do:
- Storage
- Crew
- Horizontal
- Vertical
- Production

Storage, production, and command modules can help increase local technology levels. Their benefit is roughly 3.3% per module added to the base regional level. Storage modules help store items that are built and made available in local inventories, production modules help produce items that are built and made available in local inventories, and command module include benefits of both of the other modules (although you can only build one of these per sector, so the other modules can be used to expand things further). Module totals for analysis are available in the Inventory > News/Information screen.

A secondary benefit of storage modules is to provide more weapon storage for weapon turrets. So once you build enough turrets, you'll start to be prompted to build storage modules to help support them.

Crew modules provide living space for the crew needed to support a station once it reaches a certain size. Once you reach certain design limits, the game will prompt you to construct more crew modules to provide the required crew level to support it.

Horizontal and vertical modules are structural pieces that can be used to provide connecting/spacing structures and/or defensive obstacles around other modules. They provide no other functional benefit and are not required as part of a station's design.

Suggestion 1 - Weapon's Lab (missiles)
So the WL is a great feature. I made a really neat fusion particle gun. Also a fusion beam. Really nice. But the missiles... I tried to make the cheapest one. They cost me 1 electrical, 2 metal, 2 machinery and about 20-40k PER Missile. What is up with that? I can buy Echelon for like 1,5k. Or a decent one for like 4k, (dog fights). But when I make my own it costs me 40k per missile, resources and a lot of time (to get the resources). So, expensive and tedious.

Custom missiles are best reserved for more advanced/capable high end designs to be somewhat cost effective. But if you're in a pinch and need a rack of missiles that aren't available where you are, you can build your own in the lab for a premium. The reason you pay more is the same for why you might pay (a lot) more to have a custom car built for you, rather than buying a prefabbed model from a dealership. If you buy the production line car, you get a nice low price. If you pay to have one built for you based on your own selected specifications, you might pay 10X or more. In the game, the tradeoff can be a benefit to acquire missiles you want in a location where you can't find something comparable and/or want to build a specific design for your preferences. Otherwise, until you are fairly wealthy and/or have a need for particular configuration, you may want to stick with prefabbed missiles for their cost benefit.

[DeathTech]

I love it when we both overly extensively answer simple questions only to discover we were both writing them at the same time lol.
I hope either of those explanations were sufficient enough.

[DaveK]

I'm working hard on the EL version of the Techy Guide - some of the changes are requiring a bit more research than I'd anticipated. Since EL is set 400 years after EM I've also needed to plough through all the EM techy explanations and see if they need 'updating'. However, it's getting close to completion and as soon as I'm happy with it and Vice has OKed the main changes it'll be in a bookstore in a system near you! ... and SeeJay's site as well .

[GWhipple]

Thanks for the answers!
Some comments:


FRAME CONFIG - ENERGY CORES
Energy Cores and Hull Armor: Thanks but no thanks. 2% per point is too expensive for my civilian ships. My fav size now when it comes to capacity is 28-32 since the fuel usage is fair, enough capacity for exploring and building and not too sluggish. ^^ Fighting = Military frame. But I will perhaps play around with a Talon or Arrow to make a really lightweight recon/scout fighting machine. Let's see how that goes.

I also think it should state that the Energy Cores (and Hull Armor) is redundant. To avoid confusion, since everything else is not. You can for example not get away with 0 fuel tanks (I'm guessing). Maybe even a name change like, "Energy Booster", "Secondary Power Core" or "Energy capacitor". At least being stated in the readme. Would be useful for especially new people with only a Talon/Arrow. So that they know that's safe to run with 0 Energy Cores and 0 Hull Armor. Those points are better spent on cargo bays in the early game imo.


SHIP FRAMES

It is significantly based on the regional technology level rating. However, keep in mind that local in-sector tech levels can be increased substantially by production and storage modules as part of the local station's design. So you may have docked at a station that had enough of these to increase the technology capabilities in that station enough to allow for the availability of the StarMaster. So for the latter event, maybe there was another less capable station you docked at, you logged on to a different multiplayer server with a different station configuration, those modules were destroyed on the station, or something else caused a restriction in the level. Economies with enhanced technology levels can be more volatile and have inventories that vary more dramatically. So when you receive notices that new inventory items are available, that's a good time to check on the local inventory for the latest available items and ships.

Yeah, but the weird stuff is:

* It was in my SP world.
* It was the very same station (the prebuilt Pices Station in Pices) and therefore sector.
* The change in the frame availability was in around 60 minutes of playtime and I wasn't there.
* The Tech level was 8 +/- 1 at both times. (which I think is pretty low for a StarMaster).

It is possible that stuff happened in that sector and system when I was in Pearl, that resulted in the sudden change in ship frames. It's just interesting that a big change like this can happen in around 60 minutes in a SP world. Maybe the planet Pices (I) is helping a lot with boosting that station's frames?

I have a text file with some notes, I find it useful for games like this. According to my notes that sector in Pices, with the planet Pices and Pices Station got:

6 PWR, 10 CREW, 5 Prod, 8 stor, 3 hangr, 8 SHLD, 7 WEAP, 1 HORIZONTAL, 0 VERT

So maybe this is intended.


WEAPON LAB

The reason you pay more is the same for why you might pay (a lot) more to have a custom car built for you, rather than buying a prefabbed model from a dealership. If you buy the production line car, you get a nice low price. If you pay to have one built for you based on your own selected specifications, you might pay 10X or more.

I get ya. But I would like to see it as baking my own bread or building my own house (or something along those lines). Time is money.

It's a matter of preference, but for me, it's not useful at all for missiles. Maybe if you got 8 of them instead of one since they are consumable.


Comment to DeathTech:
Yeah, I have watched your videos and they are good for new players. But relative to this game they are not in depth at all. Since this game is pretty deep. But good videos never the less, and very useful for new players I would imagine. So keep up that work! ^^


Comment to DaveK

I'm working hard on the EL version of the Techy Guide - some of the changes are requiring a bit more research than I'd anticipated. Since EL is set 400 years after EM I've also needed to plough through all the EM techy explanations and see if they need 'updating'. However, it's getting close to completion and as soon as I'm happy with it and Vice has OKed the main changes it'll be in a bookstore in a system near you! ... and SeeJay's site as well .

Sounds great!

[DeathTech]

Comment to DeathTech:
Yeah, I have watched your videos and they are good for new players. But relative to this game they are not in depth at all. Since this game is pretty deep. But good videos never the less, and very useful for new players I would imagine. So keep up that work! ^^

Sadly I can't know as much as Vice or I would be able to make a full high level in-depth guide. But I don't know half the secrets and unstated variables that he does.

I have been interested in making a wiki and got started on it a while back but unfortunately I am starved of time.

[GWhipple]

Comment to DeathTech:
Yeah, I have watched your videos and they are good for new players. But relative to this game they are not in depth at all. Since this game is pretty deep. But good videos never the less, and very useful for new players I would imagine. So keep up that work! ^^

Sadly I can't know as much as Vice or I would be able to make a full high level in-depth guide. But I don't know half the secrets and unstated variables that he does.

Yeah, very true.