How do refineries really work?

from Sins Forums

I'm playing in one of the biggest maps available, and I'm having problems understanding how refineries work. Trade ports are pretty simple so no need to explain (also, they're giving me 110 credits/sec right now, w00t!!!) but refineries are a bit harder to understand.

I spent a lof of money building refineries on almost all of my planets (some planets got 2 refineries) and they're only pumping out a max of.... 8.2 metal/sec and 6.5 crystal/sec. Is that it? I don't know how much I spent to get these built and that's all they give? Did I do something wrong? How to know when to build a refinery? My planets give around 30 metal/sec and 20 crystal/sec... so they kick refineries' asses no problem.
18,883 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
Refineries are capped in several ways.

First, when you hover over a resource rock, you'll see "0/3" (before any refineries). Which basically means that rock can support 3 refinery ships.

Second, each refinery sends 1 ship to each of the mines in its own grav well, and 1 ship to each mine within 1 jump.

Neutral captured mines can support 4 refineries.

So basically, 3 refineries caps a planet and all the other planets one jump away in most cases.
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
Wait, so you don't need a refinery on every planet to get full benefits?
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
You need at least 3 refineries to fill up all the mines around a planet and adjacent ones.

But yes, assuming no "shared" planets, you only need refineries every other jump since they have a range of 1 jump.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
so in other words.... say I build 3 refineries on a planet with 3 rocks, and the said planet got 4 lanes leading to 4 other planets with 3 rocks each, all these rocks will be filled by refinery ships?
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
If you build 3 to a plasnet and non on the ajacent planets. Whats the dif between jut putting one on each planet?
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
so in other words.... say I build 3 refineries on a planet with 3 rocks, and the said planet got 4 lanes leading to 4 other planets with 3 rocks each, all these rocks will be filled by refinery ships?
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Yes :)

If you build 3 to a plasnet and non on the ajacent planets. Whats the dif between jut putting one on each planet?
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Wasted resources. Say you have planets A and B connected. Putting 3 refineries on either A or B will completely fill up their resource rocks to max capacity. Building 3 more on the other won't do anything because each rock can only support 3 refineries, but you now have 6 in range.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
/calculating all the money lost from building refineries on all my planets....
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
BTW, the purpose of such a cap is to ensure that people don't spam refineries and it also ensures that you place them strategically, that is, at locations with lots of phase lanes or logistics slots. Oddly enough, spamming trade ports works beautifully. You can get well over 200 cred/sec with 15 planets/roids. My personnal oppion on the whole matter is that refineries (both the tech and the cost to build) doesn't justify them, unless you get a planet that has 4 or 5 phase lanes and they are all going to something you own (or neutrals). Otherwise, just build trade ports and buy whatever resources you need.
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
/calculating all the money lost from building refineries on all my planets....
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Ditto. :SNIFF!:

I never realized they had a one jump range.