Rogers writes:
>How could there be 33 planets owned by only 32 players?  Does this not mean
>someone colonized _before_ exploring a world?  I thought that was considered
>a bug and was going to be stopped?

It surprised me too, at first, until someone gave me the right clue.
It looks like someone has taken advantage of the fact that exploration
comes _before_ colonization in the order of operations. Since I've been
asked for it a few times (and until it goes into the help file), that
order is...

1. New orders move about the galaxy
2. Planet types are changed as required
3. Colonizing ships pick up colonists as appropriate
4. Ship movement and transportation (combined)
   (this is also the first part of combat engagement where appropriate)
5. Enemy ship detection (scanning)
6. Combat processing (for combats initiated in step #4)
7. Configuration Design
8. Research
9. Technology transfer (as a transport command)
10. Construction
11. Exploration
12. Colonization
13. Mining
14. Converting
15. Scrapping
16. Command missions
17. Energy production for ships (and pulling from planets)
18. All planet processing (production, morale, population, etc.)
19. Messages/updates moved through space to leader positions

Tony Hamilton - President

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At 11:15 AM 10/17/96 -0700, you wrote:
>Step 4:
>What do you mean by movement and transportation being combined?  If I have a
>ship next to a station and order the ship to jump/thrust to a new system
>that turn, and order the station to transfer more energy to the ship
>leaving, what would happen first... the energy transfer or the ship leaving?

Mmmm... good question! For a second you almost had _me_ stumped, mainly
because it's been a while since parts of that code have been looked at.
But, I should have the right answer (feel free to confirm!):

The sub-order-of-operations within the "movement" phase is by configuration,
in order from first to last. Now, the standard configurations you get are
ordered on the window alphabetically, so you have no way of telling
exactly which is "first" in terms of which was created first. So, I'll
tell you...

1. Construction stations
2. R&D Centers
3. Exploration ships
4. Defense bases
5. Transport ships
6. Other configurations you design, in the order you design them.

So, in your scenario, the station (if it is a standard construction
or R&D center) would be able to transport the energy first, after
which the ship would move. However, if it is two arbitrary configurations
of your own making (a new station design and ship design), it simply
depends on which configuration was designed first! As for why this
particular ordering - it lends itself well to the optimization of the
movement phase...

Tony Hamilton - President

XX   XX
 XX XX
  XXX             xoftware@calweb.com
 XX XX            http://www.calweb.com/~xoftware
XX   XX OFTWARE - Citrus Heights, California, USA
    XXXXX