Complex Construction Advice

[CTHOMP]

Hello,

I am going to make a medium sized complex in antigone memorial using various argon factories. Whenever I make complexes I become obsessed with trying to keep them somewhat neat/tidy and as we all know, there are huge issues with the tubes connecting station to station. Does anyone have any "vanilla" advice on the best way to set up the complexes so I don't spend hours trying to get it to look unchaotic?

[76561198074131058]

Well.. the thing is, they are not made to look pretty.. :) there are numerous posts on Egosoft forum, how to made it somewhat tidy, the biggest help is having advanced sat in the sector then hit "k" and zoom in and out.. with the key "insert" sorry if I do not pronounce it correct.. it is above the "delete" key, you can switch between looking at the object from above or from the side.. if you hit the "5" it will always attach to the nearest object so it is on the same level. With other keys on numerical pad you rotate and move the station.

[Stomper]

There are some youtube videos out for station placements in order to make your complex more fluid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kyH83nK6dM

[Patastrophic]

I found a similar guide (I'll see if I can link you in a bit, but literally search "complex construction guides" in google and you'll probably hit it) that I was following, but I ended up giving up trying to follow it. I don't know the shapes of the stations enough and I feel like the menus are always obstructing my vision -- I've yet to figure a way around that.

Personally, I've been setting the stations I know have more connection points up first, then hitting 5 from the sector map while setting up the other stations and placing the stations a short ways away (maybe 1 or 2 times the station's length) on a diagonal. The pipes may not be completely straight, but they look much cleaner. My first attempt was a disaster. I feel like it's basically trial and error.

[Patastrophic]

http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=110199

Here's the guide I was following. I had difficulty following along with it (presumably my own incompetence), so I gave up.

Originally posted by K0LdNuTTz:

There are some youtube videos out for station placements in order to make your complex more fluid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kyH83nK6dM

I'll check this out when I get home tonight. :) Thanks for the link.

[CTHOMP]

Hello, Yes, I do all the stuff with "K" and advanced satelities... but still have trouble getting the tubes to work... it is annoying that the game doesn't ahve some way of mapping out complexes or something so you don't have to micromanage to get them not to look like a jumbed mess.

[Patastrophic]

Originally posted by clthomps:

something so you don't have to micromanage to get them not to look like a jumbed mess.

I just close my eyes when I fly past my first complex. :P

[CTHOMP]

I mean, once I get a large complex up and running I doubt I'll fly through the sector. LIke, once I get astroids moved into position in Antigone Memorial along with stations build I probably won't go in the sector anymore... so in reality, I'm just being anal about it all. Does game performance suffer if a complex isn't neat? Will tube issues cause problems? I mean, if I stack things and have the factories in neat rows and columns that must be better than nothiong, even if the tubes don't line up perfectly.

[Patastrophic]

Originally posted by clthomps:

so in reality, I'm just being anal about it all.

I know exactly what you mean, though. I was kidding about closing my eyes. Knowing that the complex exists at all drives me crazy. It's an abomination. At least I got the tube to stop sticking out of the SPP.

Originally posted by clthomps:

Does game performance suffer if a complex isn't neat? Will tube issues cause problems? I mean, if I stack things and have the factories in neat rows and columns that must be better than nothiong, even if the tubes don't line up perfectly.

As far as I know, it will only have any kind of impact if you're in sector. In sector, performance will take a hit from big complexes (it doesn't seem to take much, either; I have a considerably small complex in Omicron Lyrae producing energy and it's already noticeable if I use SETA) but I would be surprised to find that the messy structure would have any impact. I did notice though that while I'm in sector, my freighters are suddenly too stupid to fly around the tubes.

Out of sector flight doesn't account for collision and it's perfectly legal for two objects to occupy the same volume of space, so I doubt there would be any repercussions short of a guilty conscience over the abomination you have created.

I think I'll build my next complex with two Solar Power Plant Ms with the dishes point straight up (on the Z axis) so when you're flying at it, it looks like it's throwing its appendages up in agony at its own existence...

[76561198074131058]

Abomination.. :) yea.. I even did destruct some of my first "creations" after gaining experience.. over time you will get some intuition where the tubes will go.. and where it will connect.. in some sectors like in Trantor, the light is so good.. the golden color it gives to the complex.. believe me, over time, some of the complexes will look so pretty.. you wanna show them to the others.. :)