Outpost ships and habitable planets

[Davor]

Any reason to send an outpost to a habitable planet? All I can think of is either to increase your range and/or deny an opponent from colonizing it.

Can we colonize a planet that is already in our system? I don't like making colony ships all the time to colonize a planet that is already in my system. Since we don't have system colony ships, does the outpost do this over time?

If not does it act like MOO2 where you get a barracks or something?

[Medway]

Originally posted by Davor:

Any reason to send an outpost to a habitable planet? All I can think of is either to increase your range and/or deny an opponent from colonizing it.

Can we colonize a planet that is already in our system? I don't like making colony ships all the time to colonize a planet that is already in my system. Since we don't have system colony ships, does the outpost do this over time?

If not does it act like MOO2 where you get a barracks or something?

Yes I asked the same and that's what the dev said, lets you mark it for yourself. You need to colonize it like normal. The outpost just holds the planet so the AI can't take it unless they used force (and thus cause war).

[Davor]

Thank you so much. Hopefully this can change in an expansion pack.

[Medway]

Originally posted by Davor:

Thank you so much. Hopefully this can change in an expansion pack.

How would that work then, the outpost colonizes but slower? It would need some balance against using the costlier colony ship.

[Davor]

Colony ships are suppose to be costly because of interstellar space travel.

How I would do it is, instead of colonize each planet separately I would say you colonize the star system. You have your "home" planet for the star system, and everything is combined. Something that was done in Call to Power 2.

Or if that doesn't work out, I would say each planet has a limit of population like normal, but you can move that pop to any planet you wish to get the resources. Everything is already abstract, so having it more abstract I believe is OK. This way the solar system is being developed instead of just one city on a planet, then needing interstellar space engines to colonize Mars for example.

But since that doesn't work in IS:G, I would say give an option to turn into a one pop colony say 10 maybe 20 turns, or just make colony bases just like in MOO2.

After all it's the interstellar equipment that makes the price so much. That would be like saying we need to fly the Space Shuttle to go to the corner store to get milk.

Again, something that should be added in an expansion. After all, back in the day expansions added onto the game make it play longer and not same old same old. So much in the game already, be nice in 6 months or so, to have a bit different way of playing it.

[highwayhoss]

I would think a Colony with a Spaceport could have local STL shipping included to transport cargo and /or people around a system. One idea would be to be able to build transport ships (similar to freighters but for passengers) and assign them to a colony; the colony could then settle worlds in the same system without the expense of a Colony Ship.

[CryonicSuspension]

Well... since you can't remove outposts you could do some kind of weird area denial tactic...

[Medway]

Originally posted by CryonicSuspension:

Well... since you can't remove outposts you could do some kind of weird area denial tactic...

Outposts can be razed.

[CryonicSuspension]

I've never seen the AI raze outposts.

[gaiuskonstantine]

Originally posted by CryonicSuspension:

I've never seen the AI raze outposts.

First, you would have no way of knowing unless you can scan the entire galaxy and take the time to check every single turn

Second, the AI tends to conquer more often than not, it sees more value in capturing a planet or outpost intact rather than razing it to the ground.