Game Time: 5/26/2006 9:23:29 PM
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Factories, Factories and Yet More Factories
There are many different types of factories which can make many different types of things. Take a look at the list of factories. Depending on what you wish to make, you will need to supply your factory with the raw materials to make your desired item. Some items require raw metal, while others require processed goods and are assembled into a more complex product. Factories have 100 workunits to use each turn (this may change in the future as we balance the gameplay). If you are producing an item which requires 50 workunits, your factory can produce two each turn. If the item you are building takes 300 work units, you would produce one item every three turns. Remaining work units carry over (unlike your cell minutes) from turn to turn as long as you are creating the same type of item. So if you were building an item that requires 30 workunits you would produce three and have 10 workunits remaining to use next turn. Continuing the example, the 2nd turn you would build three items and have 20 remaining. On the 3rd turn you would have 100 workunits + 20 remaining from the previous turn for a total of 120 workunits. This turn you would produce four items rather than three and have zero workunits to carry over into the 4th turn. Droids Droids are used to build Factories that are to large to haul aboard your average ship. A blank droid is not very expensive to manufacture in terms of Metal and components, what costs a bundle is the license fee that is charged for it's programming. You will install the droid using the Activate Equipment command from the Engineering Menu. The items to be used in construction should be in your inventory. Activated Equipment is not used as parts by the Droid. The Construction Yard So you want to play with the big boys now? The Construction Yard is used to build Ore Mines, Ore Smelters and Fuel Refineries. It works just like any other factory, you feed it with Metal and other equipment and out pops a Mine (assuming you selected a Mine of course). To build a Construction Yard you must purchase a Construction Yard Droid. They are pretty expensive but you can understand their potential. Shipyards Shipyards, as their name implies are used to build Starships. The basic Hull is the same for all classes of ships, it is the superstructure which binds the ships together which dictate the different configurations. In addition to Starships, Shipyards can also build Torpedo Hulls.
To create an Advanced Shipyard (Shipyard-2 to Shipyard-5) you will upgrade an existing Shipyard at each step. This is to say if you want a Shipyard-5 you will need to move through Shipyard-2, Shipyard-3 etc all the way to the top. Since you are upgrading an existing factory, you only need to have the difference between the two factories in free base hulls. Again, with an example, you want upgrade your existing Shipyard (2500 Tons) to a Shipyard-2 (6500 Tons), you only need 4000 Free Base Hulls to begin construction since you already have 2500 from the Basic Shipyard. Additionally, when you are upgrading, the Shipyard being upgraded must be kept in perfect repair, otherwise the upgrade construction is halted until repairs have been completed. If you cancel your ship to build Torpedo Hulls all progress/materials used to build the ship will be lost. Sensor Factories Like the name of most factories imply, Sensor Factories create sensors. Current Sensors used in the game include Homing Sensors, Probe Sensor Arrays, Mineral Sensor, Short Range Sensors (SRS) and Long Range Sensors (LRS). There are other types of sensors that will be implemented in the future. Here is a list of the different Sensors they create. Engine Factories Engine Factories create SubLight Engines which are used to propel Starships during combat. SubLight Engines are also used as a component for other items. An Engine Factory can create all the SubLight Drive sizes from 1 to 8. Bend Drive Factories Bend Drive create the Bend Drives which are used to move Starships the interstellar distances between Starsystems. A Bend Drive Factory can create the full range of Bend Drives. Robot Factories Like the name of most factories imply, Robot Factories create robots. A Robot Factory can build Industrial, Construction, Repair and Cargo Robots. A Robot Factory does NOT create fully programmed droids such as the Base Construction Droid, Robot Factory Droid or any of the others. Probe Factories The Probe Factory produces Probes, Message Beacons and Jammers. Probes which can be used to explore dangerous places you might not want to travel with your Starship. (although they are not yet implemented in the game so they are mostly used for trade.) Message Beacons can be used to leave messages for others. Some players use them to mark their territory, others to identify their Bases, yet others to gave out instructions or warnings to players. Jammers are used to "jam" sensors from other ships and bases that are trying to scan your ship or base. Spares Factories Well you guessed it? Spare Parts are produced by Spares Factories. Spare Parts are used by Repair Robots to repair damaged Hulls/Base Hulls and all types of equipment. Laser Factories Laser Factories are used to build Lasers which are used on Starships and Bases for offense and anti-missile defense. Ion Cannon Factories Ion Cannon Factories build Ion Cannons which are used on Starships for offensive purposes. Missile Factories Missile Factories assemble Homing Missiles from various component parts. Warhead Factories Warhead Factories create Uranium Warheads which are then sent to a Missile Factory for assembly into a Homing Missile. One special item of note, is the Warhead Factories are prone to blow-up in combat situations. There are very volatile processes at work. A few direct hits on a Missile Factory and the ENTIRE BASE may be destroyed. Damage to nearby Bases is not uncommon. Be fore warned! Turret Factories Turret Factories build Turrets and Double Turrets (See Combat for more details about turrets). Turrets are used to mount Lasers, Ion Cannons and Missile Launchers for combat. Computer Plants Computer Plant builds various Bio and Combat Computers Equipment Factories Equipment Factories build many miscellaneous things that are needed by other factories and starships. They build Bend Coils, Laser Tubes, Tractor Beams and Mining Scoops. |