When to build stations?

[Tex]

At what point should you be building stations? I have around 28 mil saved up after purchasing over 25 trading ships/miners. How much money should I have on hand?

[ZombieHunter]

A builder is around 9 mil base price so I'm waiting till I get 20 or 30 mil to start building a station.YMMV.

[stretch]

OK so you will need a habitat. That's a blueprint that will cost you 11Mill for small, 15 med or 22 large approx.

That's an idea of what you are up against.

Might pay to start with some cheap modules that don't require a workforce but there are few.

Make sure you have found and recruited a manager as you will require one of those soon after starting or naff all happens on your station.

28 mill is in all honesty a fraction of what is needed for a half decent base. But it will be a good start.

Once you start building production modules the manager will buy in any components and supplies for running the base which usually means he requires a budget of around 5mill which you assign to him. He will fill all your storage but without a market you will simply generate more items that require more and more storage and more and more expense as he buys in parts.

It's a real money sink with NO RETURNS without a big war it seems.

Right now I have maybe 9 types of production buildings and have filled 9mill in storage capacity. I just keep tossing on more storage modules against the day they fix the economy somehow or trigger an all out alien only war. I really don't want the faction war(s). I find it too hard to track down what is being attacked when the warning pops up on screen. It takes a while for even a small trader to pay itself off and when they die faster than you can find and save them.... bleh.

[ZombieHunter]

To stop the economy from halting can't your create a production loop? So that wares are always in demand?

[AuGuR]

Easiest startup with residual income are the solar power plants, in terms of station building. As stretch noted, it's still an investment, yet disagree that it's a money sink short of that initial investment. They do eventually pay back the money spent, but the lackluster economy vs. war necessitating trade does slow it down. Suggestion there is simultaneously build up your fleet with a station or three on the side, protect those stations while picking your own fight with one of the other factions. Even if you're really selective on which blueprints you buy.

I'd suggest using a fleet of miners to build your wallet, and maybe a few autotraders.

The when? Minimum of 100 million creds after buying the basic blueprints as that's go quick just gathering the resources your station will need to be built.

The economy wouldn't be so bad if the factions didn't spam-build stations all over their sectors at the rate they do, which ultimately causes those "microtransactions" where your traders are only selling a bit here and there after draining your wallet.

[Hakgova]

Originally posted by ZombieHunter:

A builder is around 9 mil base price so I'm waiting till I get 20 or 30 mil to start building a station.YMMV.

You don't need to purchase a builder. You can "rent" them.

Also, you can start a station at any time as long as you have blueprints and a little cash. I typically start one and add to it over time.

[Malkuth]

If you just want to mess around and not make money build a food production or silicon wafer station. These will help you learn the ropes of station building. And are cheaper.

But your traders and miners will make more money.