How I use a magnate to colonize?

[Archonon]

or a conquerered race.

Is there a way to force create a colony ship for a particular race?

[Strifeguard]

When you build a colony ship is carries whatever species was the majority (or the plurality) on the planet that built it. As long as the magnate or conquered race is listed as the "main race" for that planet, any colony ships built there will consist of that race.

[Longspur]

Archonon, while you're waiting for an answer . . .

I dunno. But I have noticed, that when I have magnates, they hitchhike on colony ships to new colonies I settle.

I settle magnate planets 'cause I like 'em, as many as possible, and I have noticed that many of my new colonies start with a real mix of species.

I don't think there is any way to regulate who climbs on your colony ships.

But, I never use ground combat, and some folks apparently have a way of creating ground combat forces they like, so maybe it is possible. -- Longspur

[Strifeguard]

Ground combat forces work the same way. Whatever the primary race is on the planet where they are created, that is the race that the ground forces are made up of.

The exception to this general rule is spying, since spies aren't created anywhere, there's no way to control which race they belong to. Sometimes they'll be other races, sometimes they won't be.

[Archonon]

Is there a way to determine which colony ship was built where? Or do I need to make special named ones for each race and hand select those in that build queue?


Also, will the AI use colony ships made at the magnate planet for similar worlds if auto-colonization is on?

[Strifeguard]

You don't need to design different ships.

Whenever a ship containing a colony pod is built, the colony pod is filled with the dominant race of the planet on which it was constructed.

Then, when you go to the TF creation screen, each colony ship will have (post-patch) the race its carrying listed in parantheses. Simply create task forces using the colony ships of the races you choose, and make a note in the TF name about the race(s) the TF contains.

As for auto-colonize, no. The AI has a method (which, despite much spreadsheet analysis, remains more-or-less a mystery) of determining which planets are the best candidates for colonization. The AI will then rush to colonize planets in that order, using whatever ships are available.

If you really want to guarantee which races end up where, you have to do it by hand.

[Croesus]

For your special colony TF's that contain other species, I'd highly recomend renaming the TF when you create it. I already requested a way to see which planets are best for which species before colonization, but it doesn't look like that will happen. However, due to migration, certain planets will more likely have the right race on them, as long as you turn terreform way down.

Another alternative is to colonize a planet, decide what race to use, rename that planet, give it to someone you are at war with, then annihilate it and recolonize.

The last alternative is to carefully study what the planet looks like and estimate what the heat level and atmosphere is. They do use a consistent method to color the planets.

[DeckPrism]

I already requested a way to see which planets are best for which species before colonization, but it doesn't look like that will happen.

@Croesus: Can't you go to the planets tab (where all the planets are listed) and select somethig other than view by Dominant race? Then, if you have explored the system, you can see what it's habitablility is for different races including the magnate races. Than as has been said earlier, send the colonist you want.

[Croesus]

maybe. But I have yet to install the 1.2.5 patch. If they added that, then I am quite impressed. If it already was in the game v1.2 then QSI didn't answer a question I had a few months back.

[Shogo Yahagi]

The patch is a huge improvement.

[Flinx]

sort planets by suitability for a particular race is in 1.2b iirc.

See the entry for April 4 in the link below.

@Croesus :rolleyes: There is a thread with all of the changes in each patch. This is a far more efficient way of communicating than individual replies to every member on this board. Official QS Patch Information (http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=277756)

[the oob]

Is the AI smart enough to use the right races to colonize the right planets (when you have auto-colonization on)?

[Lennier]

Originally posted by the oob
Is the AI smart enough to use the right races to colonize the right planets (when you have auto-colonization on)? My experience has been "not really." I think the habitability zone is a factor in the AI's decision making process, but not the dominant factor.

[Longspur]

I find the AI colonization completely bewildering.

I set AI colonization, and can trust that planets I have marked for colonization get settled.

But you know, the AI never, ever, puts a colony ship in the reserves. And I build a lot of colony ships. The AI will always find somewhere to send a newly built colony ship.

Say your starting scouts have kept on keeping on, exploring as much of the galaxy as possible. And, you've established intelligence treaties with other races, opening up whole new systems.

And sometimes, the AI will find a planet that is just great, and that you've overlooked. Never mind the fact that your little colony ship will have to run through systems where folks don't like you or are even at war with you. Never mind that its chances of reaching its destination and actually colonizing are about the same as its chances of running through hell while wearing gasoline shorts. Wish it bon voyage. You never know.

But sometimes the AI picks a planet in a system you completely ignored because nothing looks good. And it picks what looks like the very worst planet in the very bad system. I mean, this place is smaller than a bit of spinach stuck in an Ithkul mouth, it is Red 2 cause there ain't no lower desigination, it is toxic and hostile and every other bad thing you can think of.

Well, you never know. After the colony ship arrives, and most of your colonists promptly commit sideways after seeing the place, set it for migration. Maybe you've got some nitwit magnants in your empire who will actually go there and turn it into their version of paradise. Who knows ?

This worthless world might have its brief tactical moment in the spotlight of your empire.

But, as to how the AI selects planets to colonize, that's a complete absolute mystery to me.

I tried talking to my ViceRoy about it, but his IQ is about the same as that little rock he sent a colony ship to.

I find it fascinating. -- Longspur

[Lennier]

Hmmm, my colony Roy hasn't been quite that bad. He refused to send a ship off road to a planet I marked for colonization (blocked from the rest of the galaxy by a Guardian.) Had to turn him off to send a colony ship manually. I've marked a Bulrathi magnate world for colonization that is deep in Ithkul territory and Roy has refused to send a colony ship to it. (For some reason, the AI Ithkul haven't noticed the free range food. I'm hoping to glass my way to that world before they notice it.) On the other hand, after glassing two of six worlds in an Ithkul-controlled system, Roy happily dispatched two colony ships to the system. I'm curious to see if I can glass the other four planets before they get there and immediately attract the parasites. :rolleyes: (Hey, I'm microing enough as it is already. I'm letting Roy not-quite-randomly assign destinations for the colony ships.)

[Flinx]

Originally posted by the oob
Is the AI smart enough to use the right races to colonize the right planets (when you have auto-colonization on)? No. The AI picks a planet to colonize (using a seemingly almost random selection process) and then sends the next available colony ship (with no regard to race) to that planet.

[the oob]

Hmmm, how effective is natural migration (without me specifically encouraging it) at putting the right races on the right planets?

[Flinx]

Natural migration is much better at getting the right races on the right planets. The 'problem' from my perspective is that there is a negligible penalty for yellow and red planets so when a race runs out of green planets, they happily migrate to planets which are yellow and red for them, which is why I modded population.txt.