How to make sexier complexes [Updated, again!]

[DJ Wolf]

Complexes suck.

Reality check. When I was doing computer graphics last centuary, we had 'snap to grid'. Then when I went mining everything was computer operated and robotic and that was when we had jackhammers and diesel fuel, not proton pulse cannons and jump drives.

I have spent two days placing ten stations... no, not having fun. The fun stopped after the first 20 minutes. In a world of space compression and interplanetary relations, I have to jump out of my space ship with a wrench to search for nodes? Are you kidding? How 19th centuary?

Where's my construction robot? "Meca, I want you to drop these ten factories into a perfect computer aligned, snapped to grid, complex." All I want to hear is "Complex completed, master"

North? In space? It's funny. I use paper and pencil to align each station to the x,y and z axis perfectly and it still looks like #^&%!!!

2.5 pipe lengths? ROFL... Well, are the stations small or am I far away? I suppose after I've laid down 500 stations I could start to get the feel of it. Give me a break.

I wouldn't have complexes at all and would just use freighters but my CPU and memory can't take much of that. This isn't fun.

See you on the X2 forums.

[chilipalmer]

[DJ Wolf]

It's sort of funny because you'd think that included in the price of 'complex construction kit' would be factory alignment for the most sensible and unobtrusive complex.

But it seems that no matter how much time you spend on it those pipes seemed to be put down by the Three stooges on LSD.

[ThommoHawk]

Groannnn.... I have just read all of this topic to this point. 'Complex' indeed - the method of building them, I mean, is way too fiddly. NOT satisfying. Painfully tiresome in fact. I have made a few, they make good money and I will continue to try with more.

I am grateful at least there is an option to make them - having no idea how difficult it is to develop the program to enable the creation of these things, it is bizzare that the Map placement screen blocks out the actual visual view when trying to orientate the danged things.

Even the nice ones look basically ugly - just after spending so much time making them, I can't bring myself to not like them. But really I hate them.

Think, Explore, Fight, Build er...Reload, Build...Dang! Reload again... Build? Arrggghtfg Warning, you will self-destruct if your blood pressure continues to climb....

[Doom-Slayer]

Im not kidding...if theres something I dont like about this game..its placing complexes....the idea is AMAZING...but holy cr@p.....its rediculous...I spent an hour trying to get the "2 and a half tunnels" and I get it perfect for oen thing...line up my hanger perfectly and it dislodges it vertically AND HORIZONTALLY....can someone please tell me..I dunno...DISTANCES? of this magical '2 and a half tunnels...because Ive tried everything and I refuse to let this stupid system beat me

[mrbadger]

[CHAZZ]

I WANT TO BELIEVE.

I am kinda new at the TC complex building, but I am already mighty missing my X2 dozens of perfectly aligned complexes. Yes, I even rotated them to make the docking/undocking operations faster and safer for both my and also the AI transporters.

The very idea about building complexes is a great one (common resource pools) but the reality is dissapointing. Crazy nooodles park haha.
Some kind of idiot-proof complex assembly mode would be useful
You know, you click on the existing fab, and command it to 'sprout' out the available nodes or something, so you can decide which one to 'use'.

[brucewarren]

I gotta ask

X2 Complexes ?

How? I thought CCKs only came in with X3R.

[K-64]

I like complexes, but not aligning them so that docking doesn't include ploughing straight into one of the tunnels.

I think all TLs should get a "Complex Construction Software MkI" built in as standard, when you use it, it asks you how many stations you want to link together (2 to however many you have CCKs for). It opens up the sector map and you choose the place for the complex hub, then it opens up a view in-sector where you can rotate the camera as standard and place the stations as you see fit, while the game renders what the tunnels will look like with that particular configuration.

I hate trying to make these things but they are a necessity for the stage that I am at

[pulzarokkit]

2 days ago i tried to build a 5x michrochip self sustaining complex...
after 15 minutes i gave up
The pipes were not going the way i wanted them to, and that silicon mine is a major pain in the ...

maybe i should install the complex construction script and build my next complex with that

[Goodfeller]

My biggest beef with complex building is with mine positioning. It's almost impossible to point the nodes on mines in the exact direction you want them to point (i.e upwards). I've spent hours pulling and tugging a particular mine this way and that, to get it to point in the upright position, only to have the stupid thing suddenly roll over sideways and ruin all the effort.

Very frustrating.

[sraddone750]

@pulzarokkit

what do you mean for 5x chip plant? a complex with 5 chip plant? or there's a way to change the productivity of the plant?

sorry for the newbye question, but I've just started playing with complexes....

thanke

ettore

[Alan Phipps]

He meant the former - but check the dates on the posts as you are asking questions on a thread that has been quiet for a while.

[Rapier]

[Baddieus]

What gets me about complexing is running across a sation with non-standard connection points, which screw-up the math. I was building this "perfectly" spaced, mostly self-sustaining Boron based Crystal-Chip-Plex by the sector plot numbers (Example:Point X,Y,Z - Minus Points X & Z by 1.8 & 2.3 KM) to set stations at exact connecting tube spacing for 2 or 3 lengths for each connection. Then I ran across the Bio-Gas L Fab which has connection points at the bottom 40ish-degree angle instead of out the sides on a liner base like the Bofu-L, Chip, & Crystal-L Fabs do. When those connect it almost ensures that the connection tubes go spagetti on you. I'm still working the math on these, now factoring in the verticle, or Y coordinates, as well as spin factor, and will be attempting to write a math-guide (with screen prints) on this particular semi-sustaining complex. It would be nice if that 3rd rotational vector were available in Vanilla for complex building, or if there were an available key on the board that would ghost in where the connection tubes will show up if you place the fab at the current set location.