Upgrading a commander loses logistic points

from GalCiv3 Forums

Save game is here

Dominion Declan Fleet XXI is the one to look at in this save.

 

When you add a commander to a fleet, you get a bump in logistic, 25%, IIRC.
But if you promote that commander to an admiral, you lost that logistic bonus.  You get +25% weapons and defense in the fleet, but revert back to the previous logistic.  You also lose the previous bonus of "double the fleet move".

Looking at another fleet, Dominion Norway Gladiator Fleet III, if I upgrade to a privateer, I lose my command ship and my logistic reverts to the base of 81, although the fleet will show 88/81 logistics.  As long as you don't dismantle your fleet, it will stay intact, but you can't re-add ships up to the previous logistics (in my case 101).

 

Was that working as designed?  It seems weird that granting a promotion kinda acts like it's a new type of commander, not an upgrade.  Right now, there's not much incentive to promote a commander to anything, except maybe the navigator that becomes a powerful survey ship.

Maybe the commanders should gain in experience after each battle, like assigned citizens to a planet?  And after Level X has been reached, a promotion is then available that further increases the bonus?  Hmm, or maybe that will unbalance the game too much, especially at higher difficulties against a powerful AI?  Any other thoughts from people here? :)

46,279 views 3 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I agree that the base commander is by far the best, and that others are of limited use. Further, the commander ships are often the weak point of a fleet in battle. I believe all commander-types should simply be modules. When you design a ship, you just add a module of the type you want, and when you build it, it deducts the appropriate resources, including a commander, from your pool. Just like building a survey ship costs an administrator.

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I almost always use custom made ships in my games, and as soon as I can, I put two drives on each ship to move a little faster across the vast expanse ;)

Now, here's another problem with commanders.  It says they will double the fleet's moves, but they ain't doing it.  See, before I add a commander, my fleet has 39 moves.  Once I've added a commander, I only get 42 moves.  All of my ships are at 39 moves, so it ain't a case of one ship slowing down everyone.

I'm guessing the "double the moves" trait is based on medium-sized generic ships, it could explain the 42 moves.  A generic medium sized ship has 24 moves (in my case a corvette), but I believe I had some events that increase my fleets move, so the "bonus" of the commander is probably based on a default value?

 

Here's a save game if you want to look at it.  Take Dominion Icarta Fleet IV and add a commander, you will see what is happening.

Save game - Dominion Icarta Fleet IV

Before the commander:

 

After the commander:

Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Stardock.net Forums Top

I find promoting a commander to be a waste of resources. I'd rather have the commander than an admiral. I find having +25% larger fleet to be as helpful (if not more so) than having a +25% bonus to attack and defense. Plus a speed bonus is always helpful.

I don't employ very many commanders these days. I try to build a lot of ships, much more than what I could ever hope to fill my commander fleets with. Now a days, I save those citizens for other jobs.

Quoting Falkoner, reply 2

I almost always use custom made ships in my games, and as soon as I can, I put two drives on each ship to move a little faster across the vast expanse ;)

Now, here's another problem with commanders.  It says they will double the fleet's moves, but they ain't doing it.  See, before I add a commander, my fleet has 39 moves.  Once I've added a commander, I only get 42 moves.  All of my ships are at 39 moves, so it ain't a case of one ship slowing down everyone.


The commander ship has its own speed as well. It has some engines, but they don't improve as your tech does. Ironically, it may be the commander ship giving the speed bonus that is slowest ship in the fleet.