Exodus end-game (mild spoilers)

[cswiger]

Exodus needs to complete an Interstellar Launch Facility to win, which is a structure which needs 5000 power, a bunch of normal resources, and 500 exotics.

You can provide the power with 12 Heavy Fusion Plants or using ~7 T3 Solar Farms around Mercury. One cannot use any lesser power plants or you'll run out of building slots.

I am OK with grinding for about 20 years to kill the alien ships needed to obtain the exotics. But I was not expecting the delivery cost of building the ISL in Mercury orbit to be 90K boost. That would take another 70 years of boost income, which feels ... excessive.

[gimmethegepgun]

It's not a Boost cost, it's a Metals cost. At base, that's 10,750 Metals, but around Mercury it's way higher due to the radiation shielding cost.
Just build it somewhere that doesn't have radiation and use Heavy Fusion Reactors.

[cswiger]

Originally posted by gimmethegepgun:

It's not a Boost cost, it's a Metals cost. At base, that's 10,750 Metals, but around Mercury it's way higher due to the radiation shielding cost.

The boost cost is much greater than the metals cost:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3077835817

Just build it somewhere that doesn't have radiation and use Heavy Fusion Reactors.

That's a workaround, not an argument whether the ISL resource cost is reasonably balanced.

[AgaresOaks]

Originally posted by cswiger:

The boost cost is much greater than the metals cost:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3077835817

There is no boost cost.

What is happening is the game is attempting to substitute your shortfall of metals with boost. Building around Mercury costs 3.5x the mass, and all the additional mass is metals. You can click on the ISL itself and find that it costs a whopping 73k metals which can be seen on the left side in the "select a module" box.

You have 46k in the bank. It costs about 2.6 boost to put one unit of resources into Mercury orbit if you have all the boost reducing techs. (test this by comparing the boost cost of making a new ring hab vs. 210 which is the resource cost) So yeah, the calculation is correct you need around 70k boost to make up a shortfall of 27k metals.

[gimmethegepgun]

Originally posted by cswiger:

Just build it somewhere that doesn't have radiation and use Heavy Fusion Reactors.

That's a workaround, not an argument whether the ISL resource cost is reasonably balanced.

Yes, it is an argument. You're building the most expensive module in the game in a location that multiplies the cost by 3.5x. It is entirely reasonable to say that the solution is to build it somewhere cheaper.

[SirChaos77]

Originally posted by gimmethegepgun:

Originally posted by cswiger:

That's a workaround, not an argument whether the ISL resource cost is reasonably balanced.

Yes, it is an argument. You're building the most expensive module in the game in a location that multiplies the cost by 3.5x. It is entirely reasonable to say that the solution is to build it somewhere cheaper.

No. When the question is "Why is Boost cost so high?", "Build it elsewhere instead" is not an argument. Look at AgaresOaks´ post - THAT is an argument.

[gimmethegepgun]

Originally posted by SirChaos77:

Originally posted by gimmethegepgun:

Yes, it is an argument. You're building the most expensive module in the game in a location that multiplies the cost by 3.5x. It is entirely reasonable to say that the solution is to build it somewhere cheaper.

No. When the question is "Why is Boost cost so high?", "Build it elsewhere instead" is not an argument.

Yes, it is. The cost is so high because you're building it in a place that makes it more expensive. Build it somewhere else and it won't be so expensive.
Unless you're saying that it's not an argument because it doesn't justify the expense, in which case:

Look at AgaresOaks´ post - THAT is an argument.

That post didn't do that, either.

[g0815krieger]

That is complete BS guys.

I have just completed the Exodus campaign, and guess what, if you have the materials needed to build that starting ramp, it cost 0 boost at Mercury, building from space!

He just don´t have the materials needed, and thats why he needs a lot of boost to get the missing materials from earth.

Well the building itself still takes 720 days, but thats ok :D

[Pawleus]

Originally posted by g0815krieger:

I have just completed the Exodus campaign, and guess what, if you have the materials needed to build that starting ramp, it cost 0 boost at Mercury, building from space!

Exactly! However, I have no idea why you build it at Mercury - you could have it much cheaper around Earth and your councilor would get to it within one turn.

One also doesn't need 20 years to get enough Exotics - in 10 years it's possible to get more if the Aliens are provoked into attacking and all defense is done with fleets proactively (so that other factions do not take some of them and they are not wasted by hab defenses).

[g0815krieger]

The reason why I build it at merkur, is that I was under heavy pressure by alien and AI factions at earth.
High risk to lose the station there, and merkur was definatly a lot better defense than my remains around earth and moon.
Mothership guarded by battleships and dreadnaughts in moon orbit - fleet Str over 3k, no thanks don´t risk to build it in earth orbit.
When this fleet arrived I lost a full 30 ships fleet + well defended oribtal ring station with several combat plattforms.
Over 1000 missles fired and didn´t even scratch one of the alien ships.
That was the point where I have lost space at earth :)
Total war vs aliens can hurt :D

I have sent of my agent with the start mission company 1 week befor this aliens arrived in a single ship to merkur, glad they didn´t intercept him.