I'm stuck in a little corner of the galaxy whilst the AI is exploring like crazy.

I haven't seen a range increase yet. Any tips on how to get that range increase?

It doesn't repair your ships. You can't build anything there.

Why would you build one?

This is not an answer to your question, but is only tangentially related: If you do the ongoing action "City Planning", which increases population growth (and increases happiness of refugees, making them assimilate faster), the planet's food consumption doubles as long as City Planning is in effect ...

Is food production binary? In other words you're either above zero or below zero?

Or does more food make your pop grow faster? In other words if you had 8+ food would your pop grow faster than if you had 4+?

I'm guessing there are penalties for going below +0 food?

I just bought 500 metal from the Phidi. We're in an alliance now so I'm thinking I'll be able to do that again.

I'm a retired programmer living in Idaho. Just started playing SIS and am enjoying it very much so far. Love the artwork and music. The tech tree is a little daunting but we'll see.

It's an inexpensive game that offers lots and lots of gameplay.

Five bucks for dlc is cheap. I bought it just to support the developers. The more dlc we buy, the more updates the game gets, yes?

Thanks, this is very helpful.

So if 'industrial automation' is the first tier for mine upgrades, what's the second?

Other than building mines, of course. I assume there are things you can build or research?

I just ran into an AI fleet of TWENTY ONE SHIPS. So I'm thinking I need to step up my ship-building big time and I can't do that with the less than one thousand metal I have now.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for the link to the changelog, I'd looked for one but hadn't found it. Very encouraging.

Master of Orion has been released in early access, people are buying it and playing it.

Yet here it is being called 'dead' on the webpage of a game that has not had a 'state of the game' forum update in THIRTEEN MONTHS.

This hating on the new MOO... it's crazy.

I bought it and am enjoying it ...

Will there be more than just 'wipe everyone else out'?