Unused tech

[zolobolo]

These are my top unused tech mostly due to athe AI not using them and in some cases also as they do not make sence to be used from player side:

1. Ion Guns (both batteries and PD): Less effective then modded laser, turbo laser and in some cases also other options like coin/railgun,. Specialised tech such as disruptor also has more damage output + special effects per default
2. Asteroid Base: Mentioend this already a couple of times. Due to how tactical combat works, increased HP is irrelevant ofr a non-combat base, and the amount and type of slots prevent it from configuring it as a usefull combat base. The total amount of planetary base slots is limited and this can also only be built if planetary pre-requiremtn is met so basically is never researched and built. Suggest giving it harpoints to be able ot function as a cheaper long range version of starbases able to host heavy guns (the range of which would even be longer then that of planetary defneses) and making this an excellent defense option - if the AI would use it then it would give it an edge and make siege of these planets more interesting
3. Boarding Module (+Marine Quarters): A classical exploit as it is cheap/early tech that cannot be countered so reffraining myself from using it at all as it is really not fair against the AI. I would either make it a late-mid tier tech, give it to pirates and include it in some AI templates
4. Habitat Module: This one is inefficient as I find the planetry pop capacity is almos never a limiting issue, the slot it takes up can be used well for a shield though.

Shield in particular are so increadably usefull to have (due to regen rate) that they push out all other alternatives most of the tim inlcuding bulkheads and range extension. There is also a mod for armor penetration but not agaisnt shields which makes armor suffer even more under the clear benefit of a regenerating shield barrier

If the DLC update really addresses some of the techs, maybe some of the above could be tackled

[gaerzi]

4. Habitat Module: This one is inefficient as I find the planetry pop capacity is almos never a limiting issue, the slot it takes up can be used well for a shield though.

With a bit of modding so that orbital population can actually work on projects even without a planetary colony, they can be useful, e.g. for creating artificial planets in systems with only tiny rocks or gas giants.

[zolobolo]

With a bit of modding so that orbital population can actually work on projects even without a planetary colony, they can be useful, e.g. for creating artificial planets in systems with only tiny rocks or gas giants.

That is a good idea: also treid out this right at the biginning: sending an outpost with 1 pop to a planet to mine its resoruces but is not possible vai theis mechanic

But that would be a viable option: the module would enalbe an outpost to harvest resoruce from a planet even if not habitable - this would be very difficult to get the AI to use though

I think in order to mae this module worth both the slot and micro-mgmt AND allows it to be uswed by the AI it would need to have an automated effect (this way it only needs to be inlcuded int oa template for the AI to effectively use). As for the effect it could be multiplier to existing production of one or more resoruces, or just mutiplying the max pop capacity to allow for larger pop (like now). Just instead of having to moiunt hte pop into the modules it could apply x1.1 multiplier to hte existing cpacity meaning +10% capacity effectively withouth the need for further actions

[AMX]

Habitat Modules can be used to take control of planets with Natives, even if you don't have the tech to settle the planet type.

[zolobolo]

Habitat Modules can be used to take control of planets with Natives, even if you don't have the tech to settle the planet type.

Sounds neat wonder if it was intended like that though
What happens if you deploy the outpost to a Marauder planet or one with refugees/mayor factions on it?

[Arioch]

Habitat Modules can be used to take control of planets with Natives, even if you don't have the tech to settle the planet type.

Sounds neat wonder if it was intended like that though
What happens if you deploy the outpost to a Marauder planet or one with refugees/mayor factions on it?

Yes, that's intended.

I don't think you can deploy an outpost to a planet that already belongs to another faction... but to be honest, I've never tried it.

[zolobolo]

Outpost cannot be built over panets of other factions so no effect on those

[sishelper]

kind of slightly disagree with you
1. Ion Guns
I do use Ion PD mid game - depends on adversary and its tech. For a PD against all rocket adversary is good and cheap> antimissles are surely better but they do dry up in a longer battle against a larger opponent army

2. Asteroid Base , yeah useless. But sometimes I do roleplay with it. I also love to take over Pirate Asteroid bases, those are like level two Asteroid Bases. Would be useful if you can upgrade a simple asteroid base into a pirate one with later tech

3. Boarding Module. Very useful tech even without exploit. In some games and situations is a must have as a 2nd or 3rd or even 1st tech pick. For example using it on a scout to take those pirates colony ships and trade ships. This is a huge boost early in the game. Specially if you also dont have human race and it increases your planets pop. Using boarding modules to take existing shipyards in orbit or pirate bases. You need a boarding module to take the Ancient Gate from the Imperials. If you take it after you have the tech functioning it will also function. The difference about this gate is that it can TP anywhere on map, gate or not. Priceless for huge maps

4. Habitat Module hmm, if you have the resources you should build science lab stations in every possible slot around every possible planet. Those are free maintenance research labs and allow for scrapping research labs on planets altogether. They are also expensive to build on planets. Later in game you can upgrade the science module to a habitat one and gain even more science plus other bonuses. Good also for optimizing trade planets which lack pop for another marketplace or sometimes even good for optimizing food planets gaining on the grain boost and allowing scraping of farms on other planets .. Not to mention those are the only way to colonize a node

[zolobolo]

1. Ion Guns
I do use Ion PD mid game - depends on adversary and its tech. For a PD against all rocket adversary is good and cheap> antimissles are surely better but they do dry up in a longer battle against a larger opponent army

Antimissiles never run out of ammo if you are not using rockets so in dedciated PD ships they have infinite ammo
Laser is more effective with Rf mod

3. Boarding Module. Very useful tech even without exploit. In some games and situations is a must have as a 2nd or 3rd or even 1st tech pick. For example using it on a scout to take those pirates colony ships and trade ships. This is a huge boost early in the game

Exactly: It is one of the most usefully tech in hte entire game, is available from early-game on and the AI does not use it. Using it in any way is the exploit itself

Gremak for instance I find very underpowered, but when comibining their early cruiser with boarding module and cloacking field + maybe even shield, they become unstoppable. The enemy can barely shoot at them, they have decent armor and hull if they do get hit and they can one-step capture small ships, destroy even the largest capital ships withouth the chance to counter their "attack".

If the AI would use this tech it would be fine but otherwise its like bringing laser guns into a musket fight

4. Habitat Module hmm, if you have the resources you should build science lab stations in every possible slot around every possible planet. Those are free maintenance research labs and allow for scrapping research labs on planets altogether. They are also expensive to build on planets. Later in game you can upgrade the science module to a habitat one and gain even more science plus other bonuses. Good also for optimizing trade planets which lack pop for another marketplace or sometimes even good for optimizing food planets gaining on the grain boost and allowing scraping of farms on other planets .. Not to mention those are the only way to colonize a node

Stations cost 2 coins to maintain each while a lab costs 1 coin to meaintain. Since the economic rebalance, coin is more scarse then planet capacity, food or metal so having labs is much less micro and less maintenance. Your overall power curve might have hidden this inefficiency

Markets can be built instead of the research labs but these have diminishing returns when not enough pop to support them, and Research project focus as well as loyalty bonus for Yoral is lost when not using labs

What is the benefit of colonizing a node? Upkeep also applies there so there is production, metal and maintenance costs, time and micro that need to be offset by the benefit

[Serenitis]

the AI does not use it.

I don't think the problem here is that the AI doesn't use boarding modules because it is broken in some way and incapable of doing so.
I've seen AI empires fight each other and capture ships using military transports.
When I've been fighting an AI and they've disabled one of my ships, they've gone and captured it. And they've re-captured a ship I captured off them.
So the AI definitely knows how to use boarding.

It's more likely (imo) that it doesn't use them because it appears to have no ship designs which tell it to use them. And the AI is only as good as the instructions it's given.

[zolobolo]

So the AI definitely knows how to use boarding.

It doesnt know how to use Boarding Modules specifically. Even if the tech would be inclodued in any of their designs (which it is not) or they would capture such a ship I dont think they would use it.

I have seen the AI using all sorts of ships to board vessels that could not move anymore so that works as intended but not having this tech available in their templates is due to this I assume which is fine but as is the module itself only serves to give the player an edge

[Ashbery76]

Agreed some sort of use for smaller ships later game would be great too.Maybe for some sort of sub type mechanics.Stealth,etc,

[zolobolo]

THere is infact a cloacking system already in game which serves for a stealth mechanic

Small ships can even be equipped with this as I believe all have at least one available system slot
My favorite exploit is using Cloacking+Shield+Boarding Module is a crazy good setup but of course only available for Cruiser sized hulls