Orbital Refinery - anyone know the mechanics?

Nope, placement doesn't matter

Probably not. Mileage varies, but most agree that it's easier and cheaper to build trade ports and use the credits to buy the resources in smaller games. In large games I've used refineries, but you also tend to have enough basic income just from the number of planets you own that you don't need the extra from refineries in order to keep up with research/production. So I personally play it by ear, so to speak. I play mostly Random maps, so resources can get pretty lopsided sometimes. More in the next paragraph

Refineries have a range of 1 jump. So if you build a refinery at a planet, it will also serve all planets one jump away. Each colonized planet can support 3 refineries, neutral mines can support 4. This makes refineries useful in that if you have a really nice intertwined cluster of planets, the 3 refineries max out all of them. And this is my most common use of refineries. If I see that I have a very nice group of planets (usually 4+) all linked, I'll drop the 3 refineries because it will benefit all 4 planets. Otherwise, I don't really bother.

Also note that the Advent don't have a separate refinery structure, their trade port can change to serve as a refinery but without the 1-jump range, it will only work in that grav well. On the flip side, it will also give a bigger boost.

cool... thank you very much for the info...

I thought that the OR structure required log slots... Good to know that it does not. I'll try the stagger method that you mentioned.

Actually it does require log slots

Yeah, I don't think I said anywhere that it doesn't require logistic slots

What about Advent they don't have a refinery, although I heard that Advent's trade port can be used as a refinery but I don't belive that

ahhh... my bad...

My reply does cover that

(1)yes it does matter.

(2)place your refinaries where there are volcanic and ice planets they contain more recources.

(3)place it between or close to your mining facilities because it reduces travel time between local recources and the factory.

(4)in the long term you will thank me because as you need more fleet size for your forces which then the inflation or cost start to increase and eventually consumes 75% of all recources which if that then gos into negative or minus income, then it starts to take away valuble recources(building them is abit of a double bonus-(1)it helps reduce dependancy on the black market (2)helps when the stock market as crashed (3)increases recource income

(i recomened you do this withthe trade ports as well but dont put it nex to the factories)

(5)yes it does take up logistical slots but only 4 and besides you only need one which eith the TEC you can research aditional 4 slots so really your not taking up any valuble slots

any more help you can contact me at [email protected]

Yea well how do I turn them into refinerys?

After you research Resouce Focus. Click on your Trade port and you will see the ability to transform it into a refinery.

ok thx

what about commercial ports?

Does it works the sasme way (1 jump blabla?)

No, trade ports don't have a jump limitation, but they only produce a certain number of ships so not every trade port is going to "connect" to every other one

So how do you play with it?

One for each planet?

It doesn't matter, to start trading you need 2 trade ports on any two planets. After that, every port you build adds a static amount of credit income. Building 4 ports on one planet and 1 on another is the same as 2 on one and 3 on another. It is good to build them on as many planets as possible, because the longest uninterrupted chain of trade ports (like if you have 5 planets connected in a chain, building ports on all 5) will give a bonus to trade income. Neutrals/things you can't colonize don't break this chain.

yeah, so 2 on the same planet is kinda useless.

But I got it thanks

Two on the same planet is only useless if they're your first two.