Can someone ELI5 how the Riot Control ships work?

[kmunoz]

I've built some for the first time and I *think* I know how they're supposed to work, but their modules are all at 000 cap. Am I not doing something I'm supposed to?

[LaughingThesaurus]

There's only one version that you can build your own modules onto. The other versions in the riot control starship tab already have prebuilt modules. You should be able to build the ones on the far left of the tab and those should have buildable modules.

[kmunoz]

Thanks! I guessed that was it about 15 seconds before seeing your reply, so it's good to know I was on the right track!

[Tridus]

You can also design your own templates by using the CTRL menu in the bottom right, then the "ship design" tab. Once you design a ship template there, you can tell your starship constructor to build it, and when the ship is built it'll automatically build those modules.

Makes replacing them easier if you have standard designs you like to use, as you won't accidentally forget to put modules on a new one.

(Also if you unlock Riot II's, the tazer module is awesome.)

[kmunoz]

Riot control ships are my new favorite toy. If only because it scratches my itch for ship design systems (like in Gratuitous Space Battles). It's good to know about the templates, that's very helpful!

[Tridus]

Oh if you want ship design, turn on the Fallen Spire game option. It really changes how things play, but it gets you a lot of designable ships as well as designable base buildings (Spire Cities).

Protector Starships as a bonus ship also get you some design (and they're awesome), as do Spire Corvettes. The Champion game mode also does the same thing (set yourself to normal+champion in the player list and you get a very heavily customizable ship that can gain levels and advance to bigger sizes or more types of ship as you do scenarios).

And yes, Riots are great. Riot II's are worth the cost if you've got the knowledge to spare, as the tazer module on them can stun enemy ships and it really helps your fleet out.

[Aeson]

Fair warning: Fallen Spire significantly changes the game, if you decide to pursue its storyline. Depending on the difficulty levels you play at and the degree to which you build chokepoint fortress worlds, you may also find that your game strategy needs significant adjustment if you decide to pursue a Fallen Spire campaign.

I'd also rate Riot and Protector Starships as more fleet-support, while Spire Corvettes and Champions would tend more towards fleet-damage, just in case that matters to you (incidentally, Fallen Spire customizable ships tend more towards fleet=Fallen Spire ships).

(Just in case you don't have it, you need the Light of the Spire expansion or its demo in order to start a game with the Fallen Spire option enabled, and the demo most likely won't allow you enough time to play enough of the Fallen Spire campaign to get into the ship design parts of it. The Ancient Shadows expansion and its demo, with the up to eight champions you can play with and the Spire Corvette bonus starship, offers more immediate ship design options which are available from the start of the game. Protector Starships require the Vengeance of the Machine expansion or its demo, and like champions or Spire Corvettes can be available from game start.)

[LordSloth]

Not only can you design your own layouts for building at the space dock, you can use the "apply to selection" option to retask your Riots without having to rebuild everything. I used to keep a 'blank' template to apply when I was still experimenting with them, but now I generally switch my MK1s between Shield+Shotgun or Shield+Tractor. The latter are helpful for clearing some threat up in a hostile system, however tractored units can always fire upon their abductor, no matter distance, iirc. You still need to screen them a bit with your fleet, but bringing a handful back to your territory to defeat in detail is quite handy, even if you don't have turrets or military commands in play.

[kmunoz]

I started playing after Ancient Shadows came out, and I have all the expansions... so I actually don't really know what's part of which expansion, since I just leave them all turned on. That's probably not the smartest thing to do. I'd like to think that has some bearing on why I'm terrible at the game. 

One thing that would be nice to see is a little emblem or initials in the corner of the info blocks to indicate which expansion something came from.

Anyway, I'll definitely take a look at the Fallen Spire stuff. Maybe once I can at least survive the ten hour mark (in my own super slow/timid games).

[Aklyon]

Most human stuff is in the base game. Most Zenith stuff in in the Zenith expansion. Most Spire stuff (including FS) is from the spire expansion. Most neinzul stuff is from the neinzul expansion. All of the champion stuff is from ancient shadows. VotM has a bunch of things that fit into all of the above (except for champs) but are actually from it and is the most potentially confusing