Feeding the Beast (PHQ)

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Fightguey (6)

Posted 10 years ago.

I think I loved math too well.

I've been rolling around the PHQ in my head, trying to figure out how to use the thing efficiently. I'm assuming this information is still true.
http://www.x3wiki.com/index.php/Headquarters

Long story short, I made an attempt to work out how to best configure the dockware manager on my PHQ. I think I came up with numbers (under Opt. Quantity) that will max the station's capacity without micromanagement, while allowing you to build any ship that can be built. My total volume came out a bit different from the result in-game, but it was still pretty close.

The next step is building the factory complex to provide materials in a similar ratio. Fun fact, it involves 60 chip plants.

After some quality time with wordpad and calculator, I came up with this:

Wares            Ratio            Volume/Unit            Total Volume

Cloth Rimes         2.5            2            5
Computer Cmpts.     2.5            1            2.5
Crystals         2.5            4            10
Energy Cells         237             1            237
Microchips         5             2            10
Ore             10            8            80
Quantum Tubes     2.4            5            12
Rastar Oil         5            6            30
Silicon Wafers         7.4            18            133.2
Teladiunium         7.4            5            37

Combined Base Volume: 556.7
500000 / 556.7 = 898

Wares            Opt. Quantity        Opt. Volume        Base Production Amt.

Cloth Rimes         2245            4490            300
Computer Cmpts.    2245            2245            300
Crystals         2245            8980            300
Energy Cells         212826            212826            28440
Microchips         4490            8980            600
Ore             8980            71840            1200
Quantum Tubes     2155            10755            288
Rastar Oil         4490            26940            600
Silicon Wafers         6645            119610            888
Teladiunium         6645            33225            888

Total Volume: 499891

Obviously, I can't triforce. Or show my work (my algebra teacher said as much).

The result looks like this. I think the different total comes from the game rounding slightly differently.
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/921265044569466518/B21ABC66FF592B3F073BCFD83CE3FA31D62CF653/

Maybe I'm overthinking things. Or forgetting how to add.

Roguey

Trueguey (22)

Posted 10 years ago.

I think the biggest problem with the pHQ is the time it takes to do stuff. If you factor that in, then there is better ways to make money.

Kirlack

Specoguey (14)

Posted 10 years ago.

I don't like to use the dockware manager for my PHQ. I find it's far easier to set up a CLS or 10 to bring me the resources, and since you can set limits in the CLS waypoints, my PHQ never fills up with ore Wink

Madder than a Bastard on fathers day.
My DiDs: Peace(s) of Eight - Way of the Gun - Status: Online, A Xenon DiD

AngryToaster

AngryToaster avatar

Fightguey (6)

Posted 10 years ago.

I'm mainly using the dockware manager for bookkeeping. I'll probably manage the PHQ goods flow by setting up a trading station next to it. I can feed the trading station with ICLS from my factories, and control the transfer to the PHQ with ECLS.

I wanted to avoid having a full PHQ that can't build anything. I'd be a pain to have to remove (and store) a jillion ore or silicon just to make room for some other ware.

Is all this effort worth making for the PHQ? Probably not. But it's part of my train set, so I might as well use it well. Plus it's nice to be able to mill out otherwise unbuyable ships.

I forgot to add, that Base Production Amt. column is supposed to be the minimum amount of wares you can produce in an hour with your own factories in a ratio similar to the requirements for shipbuilding. I started with one Cloth Rimes M factory, and went up from there. Then I saw the microchip factories needed and spent some time shrieking.

Kirlack

Specoguey (14)

Posted 10 years ago.

Then I saw the microchip factories needed and spent some time shrieking.
- AngryToaster

LOL. Yeah, I bet. I'm curious, why set up the trading station as an overflow point? Wouldn't it make more sense to directly supply the PHQ Confused

Especially considering the storage limits on trading stations. Sorry, I don't mean to piss on your barbecue, it just seems odd to me. That said, the Hub has some quite impressive storage space, comparatively, so it might make a viable overflow point.

Madder than a Bastard on fathers day.
My DiDs: Peace(s) of Eight - Way of the Gun - Status: Online, A Xenon DiD

AngryToaster

AngryToaster avatar

Fightguey (6)

Posted 10 years ago.

Then I saw the microchip factories needed and spent some time shrieking.- AngryToaster

LOL. Yeah, I bet. I'm curious, why set up the trading station as an overflow point? Wouldn't it make more sense to directly supply the PHQ Especially considering the storage limits on trading stations. Sorry, I don't mean to piss on your barbecue, it just seems odd to me. That said, the Hub has some quite impressive storage space, comparatively, so it might make a viable overflow point.
- Kirlack

The trading station would mainly act as a way of switching between ICLS freighters and ECLS freighters. ECLS can be setup to fill to a specific total at the unloading point, but it's less flexible and needs to be micromanaged. ICLS ships can pretty much govern themselves once they're setup, but you sacrifice fine control.

The station infrastructure I have on paper includes one big power plant complex (silicon to Ecells), one ship materials complex (fueled by silicon and Ecells), and a bunch of mines strung in systems from around Preacher's Void to Light of Heart. The PHQ itself is in the Unknown Sector 9,7 off Legend's Home. I'm also going to gather up all the asteroids in that sector into a single mining complex with a tractor beam. All those rocks floating around are a hazard to navigation, you know.

The trading station is mainly there to provide a single dropoff point for all the various producers. I suppose in this instance, only the silicon has to be imported from many sources and centralized (all the ore I could want is already in US9,7). But if my manufacturing was more spread out, having that single customer for the ECLS ships would make things a lot simpler.

As for overflow, I have no idea how it will manifest. I might end up with a ravenous shipyard hungry for any materials I can feed it. I might end up with warehouses overflowing with goods while my PHQ takes forever to build anything complicated. I tend to believe Roguey is correct, and time will be the scarcest resource. If so, I'll just setup some commercial agents and sell the extra wares off.

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