Is AI/ministers worthless for pop relocation?

[javaslinger]

I built several population transports and gave them all over to minister control. They don't seem to be doing much though I have many planets that could use more population.

Am I doing something wrong or does the AI just plain suck?

Ken

[dumbluck]

Did you turn on the Transport minister (under the Empire button, under the Ministers button?)

[javaslinger]

Yep, I turned on transport ministers...

At first it seemed as if the minsister was making good use of the transports, but now it appears they're all just sitting there.

I think on occasion they pick up a bunch of population and proceed to drop it off right where they picked it up from....

hmmm

Ken

[dumbluck]

oh. never seen that before. Maybe it has the population levels right where it wants them?

[zen.]

Hey...I thought I was the only one with that problem! My transports stopped working around 1.27, I do believe. Even with the AI minister turned on for pop transports, they just sit there...I have tried 'goading' them on by delivering some people, but to no avail. I suspected it had something to do with my AI files (mods), but isn't transport behavior hard-coded?

I just reinstalled the entire thing and applied Patch 4 this weekend...the previous Version was patched 4(!) times, so I figured a clean install would make it happier. I haven't had a chance to test it out yet, though.

Zen

[Felan]

Is it better to use really large pop transports or smaller ones with the AI pop transport minister?

[Richard]

The minister was tweaked to not suck planets dry as the old minister had a habit of doing.

This way you do get the minister moving folks but not at the expense of your old colonies.

------------------
Sarge is coming...

Richard Arnesen
Director of Covert Ops
Shrapnel Games
http://www.shrapnelgames.com

[Arralen]

Think there's still a problem with the pop transport

- at first I notice that the minister always fills the pop transport, no matter what cap it has, thus taking away some 240M from a planet that has only 2000M pop (this could be fixed making pop take 50kt/1M instead of 5kt/1M, though)

- second the transports sometimes do get "stuck" .. tested with cargo pods set to 80kt cap. instead of 150kt once, and it seemingly got worse .. I could put all transports on minister control, and not one of them moved if it arrived at the planet Last turn with 0 movement left .. got loaded, but never left in the next turn. (making the cargo cap 80kt was a bad idea, by the way, as the AI mixed up all components that had that cargo cap .. used sat.bays on all transports http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon9.gif )

Maybe things would work better if the cargo cap of the pop transports where lower .. ?

A.

[javaslinger]

I agree. The pop transports under minister control are definatley getting stuck.

some how they got unstuck either when I took them all off minister control, fiddled with them, and put them back on

Or, when I just saved and restarted?

Not sure...

Ken

[Lord Felix]

The population transport minister is the only minister I'd want to use, doing an essential task that is tremendously tedious. But that minister simply does not work at all.

This is the No. 1 thing I'd like to see patched (aside from the passivity of the AI).

[Nitram Draw]

I use Population mininster all the time and occasionally the transports get stuck in one place. Try leaving the minister on but give the transport orders to move where you want some population. This may unstick it.

[pathfinder]

I use the transport minister to move population all the time, though he/she is a bit slow some times.

[This message has been edited by pathfinder (edited 19 March 2001).]

[Trancejeremy]

My trouble with was it would mix conquered aliens in with my own people. Which is a problem when they breathe different atmospheres.

[Aussie Gamer]

I have used the ministers for Pop moving and they are pretty stupid.
They removal a lot of population from the homeworlds sometimes taking them done below 2000.
They only do one thing per turn, eg move to a planet, next turn unload, next turn move again.
They basically take the population to the closest planet and fill it up forst, leaving no room for natural growth.
I feel that they are a waste of time and don't work properly.
DON'T USE THEM>>>

[Nitram Draw]

Later in the game when you have lots of conlonies the minister comes in handy. It is a real chore moving population around when you have 50-60 planets.