Resource Gathering Hints

2010-04-23T19:09:00Z

NidaBrabyn20: Planets and orbits aren't the same.

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==Scouting==
* Keep a log of the systems you have visited. If a resource-rich planet is too hostile to land on now, you may be able to return to them later better prepared.
* The planets are displayed in different colors. If you figure out what they mean, you can potentially save some time scouting. Unfortunately, the colors are only partially reliable, as rich worlds and poor worlds of every color exist. Also, planetary orbit paths display the general temperature of the planet.
* Many planets have satellites which you can land on. Most of these are Gas Giants, such as the planet Jupiter, which you cannot land on. However do not assume all planets with satellites are Gas Giants. Some are not, which means you can land on them as well as their satellites.
* Different star systems have different overall temperatures. Generally, the higher the star temperature, the bigger the [[Minerals|mineral]] deposits will be on its planets. Look for hotter star systems, but be aware of the increased risks involved. Planets orbiting giant or super-giant stars may prove to be too hot to safely explore with a [[Planet Lander]].

==Collecting==
* Talk to [[Commander Hayes]] about resource gathering.
* Do not waste time and [[fuel]] on gathering common or corrosive minerals. They provide the least amount of [[RU]]s.
* Collect [[biological data]] by shooting [[Table of bio types|alien life]] on planets. They are there for a reason. [[The Flagship]] can hold an unlimited amount of biological data. You do not need [[Storage Bay]]s for biological data.
* Make sure [[Minerals|mineral]] quality and quantity is worth the fuel cost, especially for planets with high gravity. When you choose to dispatch a [[Planet Lander]], the amount of fuel the trip will consume is displayed. You can decide not to make the trip by hitting the usual canceling button. While exploring for mineral resources, you will find many planets that only have a few tiny deposits of Commons or Corrosives, the two least valuable resources. It is recommended that these are left unharvested. UQM is completable without collecting every resource on every planet.
* [[Fuel]] is expensive. It is more efficient to collect every worthwhile resource within a system in one trip than to go back twice. If the Flagship runs out of [[Storage Bay]] space and worthwhile minerals remain in the system, consider dumping some of your least valuable mineral cargo.
* [[Fuel]] is valuable. Some aliens will accept other items in exchange for fuel, which you can sell back to the [[Earth Starbase]] for huge returns in resource units. This is an alternative to collecting expensive minerals for fuel.

==Random Hostile Encounters==
* The Ilwrath [[Avenger]] will prove to be a very risky fight. One mistake and you face serious damage or destruction.
* Always be prepared to fight a Slylandro [[Probe]]. You will have no choice but to fight any you encounter.
* Develop your skills at destroying Ilwrath and Slylandro ships. Practice against them and others in [[Super Melee]].
* Within a star system, alien ships often move about from planet to planet. It is possible to take resources from these planets while completely avoiding any and all hostile ships.
* You can gather resource units easily if you encounter a race which is a poor match for your ships. Within an alien species' [[sphere of influence]] you will often find a large number of their ships in encompassed star systems. You can gain a considerable amount of resource units by destroying them in battle and salvaging the ship debris. Combat salvage does not require a [[Storage Bay]], therefore success at resource collecting using this method is limited only by your combat skill and crew complement.

==Reconfiguring the Flagship==
* You will '''not''' lose [[RU]]s while exchanging ships and modules for others at the [[Earth Starbase]]. Therefore it is cost-effective to rework your flagship and fleet to suit whatever task you are planning. Take the time to experiment with different configurations.
* If friendly aliens give you ships you do not handle well in battle, you may sell them. However, once sold, these ships cannot be repurchased unless you currently have an alliance with that alien species.
* Always keep a couple of fleet combat ship positions open when visiting alien species so you can receive ships as gifts.
* If you are resource collecting, bring extra [[Planet Lander]]s and as many [[Storage Bay]]s as you can afford. Remember to bring about 15 extra units of fuel per [[Storage Bay]] since every planet landing costs fuel. Pack an extra [[Crew Pod]] because planet landings are hazardous.
* Remember that a lander costs 500 RU. When you lose one, you will also lose all of the cargo on board that lander.
* Depending on which alien species you are hunting, the best "Bounty Hunter" configuration might be an unarmed [[Flagship]] with extra crew pods supporting a fleet of combat ships particularly suited to your chosen prey.
* Some regions of space are safe from space combat. Therefore you can optimize your [[Flagship]] for massive resource collection in order to collect every valuable mineral resource within that region. This is potentially better than wasting fuel on several trips to and from Earth with a [[Flagship]] always configured for battle.

==Improving the Flagship==
* Early in the game, technological advances may prove more useful than knowledge about your enemies by improving your resource-gathering and combat capabilities. Seek out races willing to trade technologies or items with you.
* Invest in [[Antimatter Thruster]]s. Thrusters directly affect the speed of your [[Flagship]] in all areas of the game, including combat, travel within star systems, and [[HyperSpace]]. Maximum thrust can get you from system to system (and away from enemies!) much faster. The number of thrusters does not affect fuel consumption.
* [[Turning Jets]] are not as important as thrusters, but they make navigating and avoiding enemies easier. Turning Jets also save valuable game time by reorienting your ship in [[HyperSpace]] faster.

==Interstellar Navigation==
* Remember that time passes very quickly outside of star systems, in [[HyperSpace]]. Know where you want to go and use the autopilot to get there efficiently.

==See Also==
*[[Non-Spoiler Hints]]

[[Category:Game mechanics]]

Navigation Hints

2010-04-23T19:05:27Z

NidaBrabyn20: Added information, fixed misconception.

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* One unit of [[fuel]] will permit you to travel 10 [[standard HyperSpace distance unit|units of distance]] in [[HyperSpace]]. The number of [[Antimatter Thruster|thrusters]] your [[the Flagship|flagship]] has doesn't change this, you only travel faster with more thrusters. So you have to do the math to ensure that you'll have enough fuel to get to a named destination and back. There may be places to get fuel en route, but you have to know where these are for certain.

*The nose of your flagship is indicated by the light green dot. To get close-up on a planet (in orbit to do scans and send [[Planet Lander|lander]] crews down), the centerline of your ship (drawn from the green dot at the front to the red dot marking the engines) must touch the center of the planet. If you aren't yet adept with the controls, or don't have your flagship improved much, and are about to zoom past a planet, it can be effective to turn your ship as you approach the planet; approach slowly, and aim to hit the planet with your ship at a right-angle to the direction of travel. This gives you the biggest chance of hitting the planet, and makes it easier to make a last-moment course correction.

*When navigating to a specific destination in hyperspace, the ship's autopilot can be helpful (if you find yourself missing the planet system by a little bit, having to stop, turn, and double back, losing time and fuel). To enable the autopilot, view the Starmap and move the cursor with the arrow keys to the destination system. Hit enter to engage the autopilot, and then space to leave map mode. Even a perfect human pilot cannot outperform the autopilot when moving in hyperspace, because a ship controlled manually can only thrust in sixteen different directions. If you are trying to save game-time or fuel, you should only control the ship manually in hyperspace when you need to take evasive action or contact another ship.

* There are three main different views that the game automatically uses as you navigate your flagship about: for HyperSpace, for general exploration of a star system, and for the region near a planet. It's important to know how the transition between each is handled.
**When entering HyperSpace from a star system, your flagship will be completely stationary and facing the same direction you were facing when you left the star system. When leaving HyperSpace and entering a star system, you will always enter the star system from the center of the bottom edge of the screen, facing straight up.
**The view in the star system will is always centered on the star, but will zoom in and out depending on how far out you are. This zoom is not continuous, but happens only when your flagship passes certain threshold distances. Your flagship will still be pointing in the same direction as you transition between zoom levels, but at the higher zoom levels it will look like your flagship is traveling faster. This is just an illusion caused by zooming in, don't let it throw you off. You will leave this view by either exiting the system on the edges, or by touching a planet.
**When your flagship touches a planet in the star system view, you will transition into the single planet view. The planet and any satellites it may have are in the center of the screen. Your flagship will enter this screen with the same orientation from the previous screen, but will be on located along the edge of the view so that it is pointing roughly at the planet and will be initially stationary. Similarly, when you leave this view, your flagship will still stay facing the same direction and will initially be stationary in the star system view.
*When you're going to some specific destination in HyperSpace, you may want to bring along some extra [[Storage Bay]]s and collect some minerals on route, killing two birds with one stone.
* After you meet a new alien race, click on "Starmap" on the main menu to see if the map has been augmented to show that race's [[Sphere of Influence]]. You won't find a map in a drawer in this game.

[[Category:Game mechanics]]

Star Control - Official Wiki - User contributions [en]

Resource Gathering Hints

Navigation Hints