Feature Request: Park a Constructor!

from Stardock Forums
There are many instances when it's very useful to park a constructor for awhile and not move it. Since a contructor lacks "sentry" and "guard", this is currently a very annoying thing to do. You get the C-tor there, and then you have to deal with it every turn until it's ready to be used. If you're also trying to explore the galaxy with scouts or run a war, it becomes a big problem. This is especially true later in the game, when even 1-base ships end up with 5+ moves/turn.

Example scenarios:
- You want to build a trade/prod/influence starbase somewhere. You can save 5 useless bc/turn by not planting the 'base until there are at least 2 C-tors present.
- You want to make a loaded attack starbase in an alien sector. You could bring a huge fleet of contructors there early, and not tip off the AI to your intentions until the rest of your forces are built and in position on the borders.
- You want to "camp" an AI-owned resource during a war between them and another third party in hopes that it'll get cleared and you can grab it quick.

I find myself wanting to do this but without the patience to in almosst every GalCiv game I play. PLEASE just give the constructor a guard button in the details window!

-EtherMage


~SDC~
276 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Big Ditto on this

one workaround I have found is that you can
group a constructor with another ship type and then
put the fleet on guard duty.

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Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Although the button UI doesn't come up for assigning these states to some of the ships (constructors and terrors stars), the hotkey assignments have always worked since the game shipped at 1.0.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Great, thanks...very good to know. I still want buttons just so the UI and the functionality aren't mismatched. Not nearly so big an issue though. Excellent!

-EtherMage


~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
OronHaus:

- Guard mode means that the ship skips its turn until a hostile ship is in sensor range.
- Sentry mode means that the ship skips its turn until any AI ship is in sensor range.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Although you can use the hotkeys to set guard and sentry modes, they seem to "snap out of it" whether or not there are any other ships in the area. Plus, with Eyes and a sensor pick, sensor range is very wide, and so "Sentry" mode is practically useless because there are ships passing in and out of range all the time.

I'd like a "Parked" mode that:
a) doesn't use up movement points. IE, whenever the ship is unparked it can move immediately.
b) doesn't prompt the player, ever.
c) lasts until the player turns it off or deliberately clicks the ship and gives it a movement order.

Especially for constructors, transports, and other ships for which there is usually no more effective response to spotting an enemy ship than "sit there and hope it doesn't notice you", guard and sentry modes don't make sense.

-EtherMage

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
Hmm...I forget why we didn't put guard and sentry buttons there for constructors, other than needing room for the build starbase button...