[TC] Are advanced satellites really necessary?

[SirDeity]

I have a merchant fleet of 25 ships, most of which are universal traders. They seem to be working just fine on trade command software MK3, generating several million per hour. I'm curious though, would they generate more income if I were to deploy a satellite network throughout various systems? To be more specific, would they have less downtime (standing bye..) if satellites were available or are they just as able to find good trade deals with or without satellites?

[Triaxx2]

UT's don't use Sat Networks. CAG's do, and they improve your ability to trade remotely, as well as find enemies to hunt, and ships to board. Plus in sector they let you use a camera to see where things are.

[AgamemnonArgon]

The camera facility helps with placing stations, I used it recently to line up several equipment docks to park some Capital ships for resupply.

[Kryten]

If you do a lot of station placements then they are essential especially if you make huge complexes and need the stations places very close together, although they are more expensive you'd probably need them so might as well just start out with them. They also seem to very easy to get in TC, those military bases just love to stock them.

[SirDeity]

I don't understand how using a satellite could possibly affect station positioning. I just use my tractor beam and drag my stations where I want them with my cruiser ship. Once stations are "tight" and in a position of my choosing I connect them to the main complex using a construction kit.

How would a satellite make this easier?

[silenced]

How would a satellite make this easier?

If you press 'k' with an Advanced Sat in the same sector you see the 3D-Environment in the map directly, which makes station placing quite easy, still not perfect but better than nothing, just note how far away the station is from the previous one and placing adjacent ones of the same type is really fast.

Towing stuff is kinda ... sorry, retarted? (Except for Ore/Silicon mines)


I also got a few Busters flying around with 'Deploy Satnetwork' as command, and one Mistral freighter with CLS buying new satellites all the time and refilling the Busters constantly anywhere in the universe, works like a charm.

[Simoom]

An alternative, if you don't mind a ***modified*** tag, is to use the Factory Complex Constructor - every complex builder's best friend.

[Triaxx2]

It gives a 3D wireframe view of the stations. Use the Home and End keys to zoom in to see the station.