Terraforming Missions

[Wargear]

I get it that Terraforming is an extreme undertaking but as implemented is way too tedious and an enormous time waster. It take days to complete relatively simple tasks like Oxidizing Methane using SETA to accelerate the processes doesn't really help and overheats my processor (5950x). Not everyone has endless amounts of time to dedicate to these missions and they become boring very quickly. If your listening Egosoft, first thanks for an awesome game I'm not here to trash anything but to suggest streamlining the process and perhaps add in a few side missions or a campaign that in completing them give a player something interesting to do that also rewards them by knocking off chunks of the terraforming mission. As it is I'm watching football or going out for other things in my spare time from work and leaving my game running for hours only to find little progress upon my return to it.

As a side note, are there any projects to resolve the heavy CPU bound aspect of your coding and add in a player office module to use in any build and fix the Manticore's losing touch with scrap factories when assigned to them? OK I'm done ! Thanks again for a great game!

[jlehtone]

It take days to complete relatively simple tasks like Oxidizing Methane using SETA to accelerate the processes doesn't really help and overheats my processor (5950x).

What in it is "slow" or computationally intensive, yet non-interactive? I have plenty to do while I terraform.

[Wargear]

It take days to complete relatively simple tasks like Oxidizing Methane using SETA to accelerate the processes doesn't really help and overheats my processor (5950x).

What in it is "slow" or computationally intensive, yet non-interactive? I have plenty to do while I terraform.

I'm in a late game scenario have all the stations I want built tweaked and self sustaining guess I could start a war but...Nah! I all but eliminated ZYA and FAF already and have the whole northern tier of sectors in my control to the point that Argon and the Terrans are being quietly two-faced and sneaky, the Khaak and xenon do make for "Busy work" and pirates too. Finished out research and started T-forming missions so no, there's "issues" but the T-forming process is IMO way to time consuming and more repetitive than necessary. And yes the game is CPU bound badly and when your fleets are large and you add T-forming into it the CP is running at 85% and 90C pretty much constantly... A Threadripper or data center CPU would bog down too....

[Imperial Good]

overheats my processor (5950x)

Modern processors are meant to thermal throttle (down clock) before overheating. If your processor is truly overheating you might want to check if your thermal solution (cooler) has good contact with the ISH (integrated heat spreader, the top of the CPU package). If your thermal solution cannot cope with the thermal output then consider artificially lowering the CPU power limit to a value that your thermal solution can cope with.

and fix the Manticore's losing touch with scrap factories when assigned to them

This is the first time I have heard of such a bug. I recommend making a bug report about it.

[Raevyan]

If your CPU overheats then you probably should check your cpu cooling and/or install proper cooling.
Also Terraforming is supposed to be end game stuff for people that want to have a long term goal to shoot for. If you don’t have time to do them, then just don’t do them. They don’t even give a reward, maybe except the SCA one.

[Wargear]

If your CPU overheats then you probably should check your cpu cooling and/or install proper cooling.
Also Terraforming is supposed to be end game stuff for people that want to have a long term goal to shoot for. If you don’t have time to do them, then just don’t do them. They don’t even give a reward, maybe except the SCA one.

Your correct The issue I suspect is that I upgraded my hardware from a 5900X/RTX3080 to a 5950X/RTX3090 but kept the 240mm AIO I built the system originally with which was great for the 5900X but I now suspect is inadequate for an overclocked 5950X I just ordered a 360mm replacement unit which should resolve the issue.
As to the T-forming missions I probably won't continue with them but won't quit this one till I see it through.

[Wargear]

overheats my processor (5950x)

Modern processors are meant to thermal throttle (down clock) before overheating. If your processor is truly overheating you might want to check if your thermal solution (cooler) has good contact with the ISH (integrated heat spreader, the top of the CPU package). If your thermal solution cannot cope with the thermal output then consider artificially lowering the CPU power limit to a value that your thermal solution can cope with.

and fix the Manticore's losing touch with scrap factories when assigned to them

This is the first time I have heard of such a bug. I recommend making a bug report about it.

Greetings! The Manticore issue has been around for a bit now is well known on Reddit and Steam. I should clarify my comment... 6 Manticores assigned to salvage for commander of Terran Scrap factory will all generate "No trades in allowed sectors" message after a short time and circle around even though the factory is in the same sector (Silent Witness for example) and they are surrounded by cubes. Reassigning them does no good unless player is in sector as well even then it rarely works. There was a suggestion of adding an 8M dock to fool them but to no avail makes scrap recycling useless unless player micromanaged.

[jlehtone]

Finished out research and started T-forming missions so no, there's "issues" but the T-forming process is IMO way to time consuming and more repetitive than necessary.

I have no production modules. None. All that I do need for TF is from NPCs. I don't have any traders assigned to the PHQ either. Every purchase is ordered by me.

Is that repetitive? Yes. I'd imagine that if I had automated traders, then I would not have to do something all the time just to keep the wheels rolling.

Is that time consuming? Yes. Again, with automation it would require less of my attention.

Does it take a while? Yes. If I had production of my own, then the process would not stall so often on the NPC not being able to offer what I need.


Sounds like there is nothing in the game that you'd like to do while your empire completes terraforming in "fire and forget" manner. That is unfortunate.

the game is CPU bound badly and when your fleets are large and you add T-forming into it the CPU is running at 85% and 90C pretty much constantly... A Threadripper or data center CPU would bog down too....

The 5950X has 16 cores. The X4 does not use that many threads. Not even close. Primary thread will use one core, but the 85% of all cores cannot be from X4. For the same reason the "data center CPUs" will be even slower; they have more cores but lower clocks, so the couple active cores are slower than on the "gaming CPUs".

[GCU Grey Area]

It take days to complete relatively simple tasks like Oxidizing Methane...

If it's taking you that long to complete just a single project you're not using nearly enough infrastructure. Indeed for planets with seismic activity it's often necessary to be able to complete each individual project within half an hour or so, because that's all the time you've got between eruptions. If you let a project drag on for several days there's going to be a huge amount of wastage on such planets. Instead best to stockpile everything necessary & send it all down to the planet in one big convoy of drones before the next eruption starts: https://www.dropbox.com/s/iv5a81az2ahpy ... 1.jpg?dl=0.

Would also recommend not leaving terraforming until the end of a game & SETAing your way through it. I do terraforming throughout each game - it just hums along quietly in the background while I do plots etc. Every now & then Boso contacts me to let me know that a project has finished, I then decide what to do next & if necessary build more production & storage at HQ so it can be completed in a timely manner.

[Wargear]

It take days to complete relatively simple tasks like Oxidizing Methane...

If it's taking you that long to complete just a single project you're not using nearly enough infrastructure. Indeed for planets with seismic activity it's often necessary to be able to complete each individual project within half an hour or so, because that's all the time you've got between eruptions. If you let a project drag on for several days there's going to be a huge amount of wastage on such planets. Instead best to stockpile everything necessary & send it all down to the planet in one big convoy of drones before the next eruption starts: https://www.dropbox.com/s/iv5a81az2ahpy ... 1.jpg?dl=0.

Would also recommend not leaving terraforming until the end of a game & SETAing your way through it. I do terraforming throughout each game - it just hums along quietly in the background while I do plots etc. Every now & then Boso contacts me to let me know that a project has finished, I then decide what to do next & if necessary build more production & storage at HQ so it can be completed in a timely manner.

Thank you! Your suggestion made me step back and take a better look at what I was doing made some needed adjustments and we'll see where they go!

[Imperial Good]

The 5950X has 16 cores. The X4 does not use that many threads. Not even close. Primary thread will use one core, but the 85% of all cores cannot be from X4. For the same reason the "data center CPUs" will be even slower; they have more cores but lower clocks, so the couple active cores are slower than on the "gaming CPUs".

5950X has the highest clock speed of Zen3 processors. Consumer CPUs not only gain core count but also single thread performance as you go up the product stack.

It only loses out to the 5800X3D because that has a lot of cache, even if its cores run at a significantly lower clock speed.

[Tempest]

Agreed that slogging through TF missions can be tedious, myself, i like the challenge the projects put in front of you (as you mentioned, Methane Oxidizers should be easy, if your project is stalled, even after unhealthy SETA periods, then there's probably an issue somewhere that needs your "hands on" problemsolving/management-skills ). Added complications when you play in short sessions (e.g. 2-3 hours) hard to make progress in a single session in those cases. (same for large construction projects)

Big fan of GCU Grey Area's approach: (volley large batches of drones for a project) extremely satisfying. needs many shipbuilding facilities though, and the production modules/infrastructure. jlehtone's is also interesting, let the NPC ships sort the mess out. time-consuming though.

my only gripe with TF is Scale Plate Green, and SCA behavior afterwards (significant change) in my save SCA is back to the old shennigans and at -30 Again (i know, pirates will be pirates) but inclined to revisit this site and "accidentally" make the place uninhabitable again..

not sure on the rewards front, very happy with the training-facilities, hard to think of a fitting reward for such large undertakings. some extra recognition from NPC factions (in the sectors that were terraformed) might be cool, e.g. audio messages tailored above the +20 Rank message: "it's an honor to have you aboard". it's the little things..

[Raptor34]

Shouldn't have went around pirating from the SCA then.
Once they hit iirc +20 or 10 they stop targeting your ships.

[GCU Grey Area]

Big fan of GCU Grey Area's approach: (volley large batches of drones for a project) extremely satisfying. needs many shipbuilding facilities though...

Good point, thanks for raising it. It is quite important & forgot to mention that in my earlier post. I'll typically build at least 6-8 S/M fabrication bays on my HQ so dozens of drones can be built concurrently. No good having a ton of production & storage if you don't also have adequate drone production facilities to get all that stuff down to the surface rapidly.

[jlehtone]

jlehtone's is also interesting, let the NPC ships sort the mess out. time-consuming though.

Oh, I did not stress that point: NPC ships do nothing (except keep their own factories running).
The PHQ does not buy from anyone. Only my MORTs haul to PHQ.

[Wargear]

Big fan of GCU Grey Area's approach: (volley large batches of drones for a project) extremely satisfying. needs many shipbuilding facilities though...

Good point, thanks for raising it. It is quite important & forgot to mention that in my earlier post. I'll typically build at least 6-8 S/M fabrication bays on my HQ so dozens of drones can be built concurrently. No good having a ton of production & storage if you don't also have adequate drone production facilities to get all that stuff down to the surface rapidly.

Took your advice on infrastructure and fabricated 8 S/M fab bays and a couple other items BIG difference! Thanks and it's a forehead slapper this never dawned on me before frustration clouded my judgement!