Best faction station modules?

[ATM_Reaper]

So Im about to go EMP crazy but would like a bit of help in what station modules I should go for? Is there a best faction to target to get the modules I need or are they pretty generic?

[Tommytools]

Production and habitation modules tend to be the most expensive to buy, I generally focus on those. Commonwealth production modules are universal (except for food/medicine production), the Terrans (and PIO) use their own types unique to them.

When I've just started I tend to focus on an end product (claytronics and advanced electronics are usually in high demand) and get all the modules needed to produce them from raw ores/gasses.

I'd advise focusing on large habitation modules of a race near your stations, it will make it easier to keep them fed.


Build modules like the shipyard, wharf and refit docks cannot be acquired through scanning.

[ATM_Reaper]

Originally posted by Tommytools:

Production and habitation modules tend to be the most expensive to buy, I generally focus on those. Commonwealth production modules are universal (except for food/medicine production), the Terrans (and PIO) use their own types unique to them.

When I've just started I tend to focus on an end product (claytronics and advanced electronics are usually in high demand) and get all the modules needed to produce them from raw ores/gasses.

I'd advise focusing on large habitation modules of a race near your stations, it will make it easier to keep them fed.


Build modules like the shipyard, wharf and refit docks cannot be acquired through scanning.

Thanks for this, I don't intend on buying any modules just yet, need to get my empire up and running first. I was more thinking is there a particular storage I should be aiming at that has more capacity or can hold more types of product etc. Just now I am setting up some trading outposts for ore and energy cells as that is pretty much all I have.

[conrado.lacerda]

Just to be sure: you did the necessary research, right?

[ATM_Reaper]

Originally posted by conrado.lacerda:

Just to be sure: you did the necessary research, right?

Nope, still need to do that. Do you still need to research if your stealing the blueprints with EMP bombs?

[conrado.lacerda]

In order for scanning leaks to give you the blueprints, you first need to research this ability at the HQ. The research in the middle:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2985309029

[ATM_Reaper]

Originally posted by conrado.lacerda:

In order for scanning leaks to give you the blueprints, you first need to research this ability at the HQ. The research in the middle:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2985309029

I take it you unlock research by doing the storyline missions?

[mikemonger]

Originally posted by ATM_Reaper:

Originally posted by Tommytools:

Production and habitation modules tend to be the most expensive to buy, I generally focus on those. Commonwealth production modules are universal (except for food/medicine production), the Terrans (and PIO) use their own types unique to them.

When I've just started I tend to focus on an end product (claytronics and advanced electronics are usually in high demand) and get all the modules needed to produce them from raw ores/gasses.

I'd advise focusing on large habitation modules of a race near your stations, it will make it easier to keep them fed.


Build modules like the shipyard, wharf and refit docks cannot be acquired through scanning.

Thanks for this, I don't intend on buying any modules just yet, need to get my empire up and running first. I was more thinking is there a particular storage I should be aiming at that has more capacity or can hold more types of product etc. Just now I am setting up some trading outposts for ore and energy cells as that is pretty much all I have.

No. Commonwealth production modules are all identical, and the only difference between the storage units is appearance and connection point layout. Although of you're scanning storage modules, I prefer the Teladi or Split ones because they have better connection point layouts. The Paranid one only has one connect point and the Argon one only has horizontal ones.

Terran modules are their own thing entirely...although you can use Terran storage modules to supply Commonwealth production modules (and vice versa).

[conrado.lacerda]

Originally posted by ATM_Reaper:

I take it you unlock research by doing the storyline missions?

Research becomes available when you get the HQ, either by completing its quest or, if you have the latest dlc Kingdom End, by flying to the sector Heretic's End. (To begin the HQ quest, go to any station and scan a comm leak.)

[ATM_Reaper]

Originally posted by conrado.lacerda:

Originally posted by ATM_Reaper:

I take it you unlock research by doing the storyline missions?

Research becomes available when you get the HQ, either by completing its quest or, if you have the latest dlc Kingdom End, by flying to the sector Heretic's End. (To begin the HQ quest, go to any station and scan a comm leak.)

Yeh Ive got the HQ, I just stopped the side quest there so just need to progress that a level then I believe it unlocks the research so thats cool.

[mikemonger]

Oh, in addition. Food, medical supply, and habitation modules differ between factions. All medical supply factories produce medical supplies for all races, the only difference is what goes into making them. Food and habitation modules are faction specific. Since food and medical supplies usually use the same stuff to make, you usually want to align the three.

[conrado.lacerda]

Originally posted by ATM_Reaper:

Yeh Ive got the HQ, I just stopped the side quest there so just need to progress that a level then I believe it unlocks the research so thats cool.

Yeah, sorry, you have to progress in this questline until you rescue the Boron scientist. He is the one that opens up the research menu for you. (At this point I've done this so many times it's all jumbled in my head. )

[ATM_Reaper]

Originally posted by conrado.lacerda:

Originally posted by ATM_Reaper:

Yeh Ive got the HQ, I just stopped the side quest there so just need to progress that a level then I believe it unlocks the research so thats cool.

Yeah, sorry, you have to progress in this questline until you rescue the Boron scientist. He is the one that opens up the research menu for you. (At this point I've this so many times it's all jumbled in my head. )

Yeh I bet, I'm still piecing things together, lots to learn in this game.....

So if I own the terran DLC does that mean those sectors are accessible in the standard foundations scenarios?

[conrado.lacerda]

Originally posted by ATM_Reaper:

So if I own the terran DLC does that mean those sectors are accessible in the standard foundations scenarios?

Do you mean the Sol and Segaris sectors? Yes.

[ATM_Reaper]

Originally posted by conrado.lacerda:

Originally posted by ATM_Reaper:

So if I own the terran DLC does that mean those sectors are accessible in the standard foundations scenarios?

Do you mean the Sol and Segaris sectors? Yes.

Yes thats right

[Sphinx of Black Quartz]

Originally posted by ATM_Reaper:

So if I own the terran DLC does that mean those sectors are accessible in the standard foundations scenarios?

Yes. All DLC content is available to all starts, if you have the DLC. Well, if you want to get technical, each starting scenario has slightly unique starting quest stuff, but it merges very rapidly. X4 is very sandboxy, and nothing of consequence is gated off.

It sounds like you have already learned that you need to complete the appropriate research. Once you're ready to start stealing reverse-engineering blueprints, I would suggest setting up some basic production stations. Since you already have the HQ, you have an obvious place to start. Steal Borrow the following blueprints:

• a dock module of your choice (you'll probably have one already from the HQ)
  
• M or L solid storage of your choice (they're all identical except for aesthetics)
  
• M or L container storage of your choice (ditto)
  
• Energy Cell Production
  
• Refined Metal Production

Note: The game isn't great at explaining the difference between storage types, so this may save you some frustration: SOLID storage is for raw solid resources, like ore, ice, and silicon. LIQUID storage is for gasses, like hydrogen or methane. CONTAINER storage is for worked products, which is pretty much everything that isn't a raw resource.

You may also want some connection structures to make your station look nice, but they aren't required. They're also so cheap that it's probably a better use of your time to buy the connection modules from a faction rep rather than waste EMPs on them.

Anyway, slap one of each of those modules onto your station, then assign an S miner to mine for the station, and an S trader to trade for the station. The miner will deliver ore, the station will turn the ore into refined metal, and the trader will sell refined metal at a tidy profit. You can scale up production by adding more Refined Metal Production modules, and eventually more energy cells but be wary of crashing the local economy; prices in X4 are demand-based, so if you glut the market, you'll be making much less money, and NPCs may stop buying the resource altogether.

Note: Station sales go into the station's budget, not your personal wallet. Once the station's budget is at a surplus, you'll start getting periodic payouts. You can always manually drain the station's funds if you need them. I tend to let my stations build up large budgets, and I treat them as piggy banks I smash whenever I have a major purchase to make.

Also, be aware that most investments in X4 take a few hours to pay for themselves. That may seem frustrating, to invest ten million credits in a station that only earns you a million credits per hour, but it's ongoing passive income — and you can set up a LOT of passive income streams.

Incidentally, if you have the Cradle of Humanity DLC, Terran space can be extremely lucrative. Prices are high, demand is strong, and their space is relatively safe, so I suggest it's a good choice for your second station. If you're interested, you might try this:

Buy a plot in Gaian Prophecy — it has a sunlight bonus and good access to resources — and build the following station:

1 dock
1 solid storage unit
1 liquid storage unit
1 container storage unit
5 Terran Energy Cell Production OR 2 "standard" Energy Cell Production (Terran solar panels are smaller and cheaper, but yield less energy)
1 Computronic Substrate Production

For this setup, I suggest two medium mineral miners and one medium gas miner. (There are no small-sized gas miners.) The station will cost you around five million credits to set up, but you'll make that back in an hour or two. And the Terran war machine is ALWAYS hungry, so you can scale up production a lot higher.

I hope that helps. Oh and hey, welcome to X4! I hope you have fun!