Need some help from the Experts

Welcome Robert,

#1) Nope, only works with your own trade lanes. Just to add that if they are allies and you have a United Planets event that allows sharing of starbase benefits with allies, then they will benefit from your trade module.
#2) You meant your 2 survey ships? Yes, automatically added. Some will benefit your empire (economy, military), some your explorer (attack, defense, hps) and some will grant you research bonuses, new ships, etc.
#3) Military tech will enhance all ships, existing and new. Planetary ship improvements work the same way.
[Message Edited]

As to number 2, the spanners (spinning wrenches) not only will benefit your surveyor ship, but if you have any other ships stacked with that surveyor, I believe they benefit as well, unless that has changed recently.

Welcome as well, Robert.

1) In addition to Ray's very well-written response, I would like to add that, regarding SB trade modules, it is important to note that the income bonus only applies when the "mini-freighter" (a small ship auto-controlled by the AI, which appears as a small "dot" on the F2 map) is in that SB sector. You do not receive it for a standard freighter (player-controlled ship which has not yet reached a target destination and formed a route) nor once the "mini-freighter" leaves the sector.

2)Force - I think this was changed in 1.04. At least I didn't see it happen when I moved the Hero stacked with another ship on one of these. OTOH, it was late at night (1am) and I was both (a) drinking and (b) "discussing" with the GF just "when" I intended to actually come to bed, so check me to be sure.

3)On ship bonuses, it's important to recognize the in-game descriptions are...well...just plain wrong! Shipyards (social improvements, ie, "buildings"), in all their various manifestations, increase Attack & Defense values - NOT hit points. The ship must be built after the improvement to benefit.

Techs & Trade Goods which state they increase hit points (eg, Tri-blah Steel) are, however, correct.

Weapons bonuses from Techs do the same, but for Attack values only. However, all ships (both current and later built) benefit once the Tech is researched.

This was one of the most confusing "features" of the game for me. Hope this helps.

~SDC~

Thanks All!

I'm playing on a really big map with all AI's as "fools" for my first game. Although all the AI players are constantly fighting each other no one has declared war on me so I still have no experience with attack/defense etc. I'm not the largest civ but I do have the biggest (untried!) military and the most influence. I'm reluctant to start a war just to gain some tactical experience (I keep figuring somebody is going to get fed up with me!).

Robertr,

Hit the diplo screen and see if one of the sides will give you something for an "Attack...with" treaty.

(GalCiv speak for a declaration of war. I'm still wracking my brain trying to figure out how the Dev's came up with that wording. I've now taken to offering my GF a "Go out...with" treaty when she wants me to take her somewhere. So far, I've gotten one copper piece and a really weird look that borders on a pathological stare. But hey, something's better than nothing!)

They'll frequently cough up some swag, sometimes including a ship or two. Then try the combat system out.

~SDC~

No, developers stated that ships remember their home planet (there they was built), and so all ships produced on this planet now matter when get bonus from ship quality improvements.

Some advices about trade (and not only about trade): http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=85148

~SDC~

Really? A shipyard improvement built after the ship
produced from there will gain that improvement?

I learn something everyday!

#6

Thanks for catching that, Ellestar! I myself just discovered it yesterday! Certainly helps out when you (finally) build a shipyard on that backwater planet you've had producing all those constructors the past 5 years!

~SDC~

I'm getting my butt kicked in Beginner mode.

Any suggestions? My POP falls behind. If I concentrate on soc projects I get attacked. If I concentrate on military I cannot spend enough and I get overwhelmed. Please help.

Just a note..a large military is expensive. You may not be having money problems, but if you are, the militart upkeep is not helpong you. If you have a large military, better to use it. If you dont want to fight, you are better off with a smaller military but with high defense values...and make sure all your systems are guarded.
JW111: dony worry too much about population on a given planet. If it gets too high, you will have morale problems anyway..and there's only so much you can build to improve morale before you have to start shipping population into space on transports to get youe planet pop in line. And thats a waste unless of course you need those troops to invade another system. If you build defensive ships and have thme in orbiyt on all your systems, you may get attacked but you should be able to fend them off. You sound like you are having money problems since you cant spend enough on everything.