How do you use the Stargate module?

[Agent Wigggles]

How do you use the Stargate Module?

[Dray Prescot]

I assume you activate two of them at the same time, and the StarGate forms between them.

I am currently building some of them for the first time, and if there is some quirk in getting them going, I will add to this message. The distance of the Star Gate between them is 7998 H.U. according to the description of the module. By the way (inspired by comments from other players), I am designing the ships to carry 3 StarGate Modules (you need a LOT of power plants) which will make the Star Gate last 60 years. I never tried building them while I was playing Magellans on easy.

I just had a nasty thought which I assume the game is progammed to prevent: if you activate ONE StarGate module containing ship, how long does it stay activated (without being destroyed or damaged) for if the 2nd Star Gate Module ship is NOT activated? If it stays activated for a more than a very short time you could try to hijack an Alien Race's attempt to setup the Star Gate and have it connect to you instead, for a surprise invasion path. I do not expect it to work, but as always in a new game just because YOU do not think it will work, does not mean that the computer program will prevent it. But it will be hard to disprove by other than a statement by a GM. If you could do it, you might even give the tech to an Alien Race just to take advantage of it! It is one of those ideas that sound interesting, but in practice would be hard to actually make work.

It could be an interesting very expensive tech to research (being able hijack an Alien Race's Star Gate formation attempt), also any techs that might close down currently operating Star Gates and/or keep them from being formed, or reduce their lifespan. Such techs could have a range limit.

[Dray Prescot]

I have the ships now, but they are not in the right position to use. However, the StarGate carrying ship now has a new command option icon available to it to use for the Star Gate (which destroys the ships when formed, which I expected).

[Agent Wigggles]

Uh, so I didnt read that they dont last. Which explains why one of them disappeared.

So I made a new wormhole, with one ship at either end, and I can see the dotted line for the wormhole but I couldnt get any other fleet from using that new lane. So maybe the transversal ships have to be in the same fleet when its created? I dun know.

Its a very expensive module.

[Dray Prescot]

I am not sure if you would use a regular movement command, or the down the worm hole command icon (if there is one showing there) . It is supposed to last for 20 years and need at least 7,998 fuel to go through it, which sounds more like a regular movement command. I will know in a little while when my stargate ships move where I want them (I sent one of them down a Worm Hole to a detached lobe of my empire, which I built using that Worm Hole. I do have a regular space route to it but it goes through an Alien Race's territory).

[Agent Wigggles]

I dont believe it was showing for me.

[edgewise_sj]

I use them quite a lot. Basically, they work like this. Pop one in location A. Pop one in location B. A wormhole pops up with a MINIMUM FUEL REQUIREMENT of 8k. Ships that cannot make that distance in one go will not be able to use it, even if they are with a tanker. Nornally, I have abotu 5-10 of them sitting in my super-mega production systems with 1 at every chokepoint in and out of my space.

When I go to war, I pop the link from my production planets to the chokepoints bordering my soon-to-be victim, then send a fleet of freighters and heavy ships to said locations. This way I have very up-to-date technology fresh from the factory straight into the front line.

The freighters will include bombers, colonizers, spare fighters, bat-sats to defend captured territory, bla bla and also at least 1-2 stargate ships to re-open the wormhole later when I need to use it again to send ships back for repair/upgrade. I do not try to use them to establish any sort of permanent travel network, but instead use them for temporary huge convoy movements.

Note that even though they make a straight line from A to B, your ships may prefer a different travel route anyhow if it's a nearly straight line of connected dots between the two systems, and also be aware that trying to send short range ships from the same point A to point B via non-wormhole travel will require you to manually move them the first jump out of the system since they will try and fail to be able to use the wormhole and end up just sitting there.

[Agent Wigggles]

Oh, okay so then my ships probably couldnt make the distance then. My ships at the time only had 7k in fuel.

[edgewise_sj]

Originally posted by Agent Wigggles:

Oh, okay so then my ships probably couldnt make the distance then. My ships at the time only had 7k in fuel.

Yea, I have had the improved stargate modules as well but didn't really pay attention to what the difference was other than their longevity.

[Dray Prescot]

I have posted a message to the GMs or developer asking if they want this idea to work.

Continuing on about Star Gates, I can see the possibility of establishing a location near several major shipyards, that links to (possibly many) other parts of your Empire, for offense and defense. You could also leave some Star Gate Module ships stationed at various places in your Empire and activate them on an as needed basis.

It occurs to me that a tech that prohibits Star Gate formation within a certain range of a special building or specially equipped ship might have a significant actual value in Polaris Sector.

You could also send Star Gate module ships along with your war fleet, to either reinforce an offensive, or pull back an overextended military force. In either case, the enemy might end up using Star Gates that you built, unless there is a way for you to close them; but that is a two edged sword as well since both Races might be able to do it. What if the Star Gate was closed while your warfleet or an enemy's warfleet was traveling it? I strongly suspect that they would die/disappear.

I guess that is why you prefer short lived, i.e. only 20 turns, and not 40 or 60 years Star Gates from ships with 2 or 3 Colony modules. Although if the enemy can counter invade your Star Gate, and seize a beachhead, he might be able to build his own Star Gates to his own territory, if he has the tech, even after your Star Gate dies.

However, for travel within your Empire, you could go with the longer lived Star Gates.

[Dray Prescot]

The game designer answered my question: the way Star Gate subprogram works is to consider only other attempts/locations by the same Race when making a new Star Gate, i.e. the dirty trick of hijacking another Race's Star Gate construction attempt will NOT work.