Problem with 'hidden' starbases

from GalCiv2 Forums
I have a problem with locating Ascension Starbases on the map. My ships scout out the locations initially but the Ascension Crystals aren't permanent fixtures within fog of war on the map, unlike the other Resource Cystals which remain on the map once they have been scouted.

I'm in the middle of a game where a race has grabbed a number of them, and even though I had originally located them, I now need to build a fleet of scout ships just to re-discover them again and destroy the starbases that have been built.

This seems alot like 'micromanagement' and I was wondering if I have missed a setting that hides/shows these crystals? Or perhaps there is a mod or something that shows them in the fog of war/

Hope someone can help.
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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have a problem with locating Ascension Starbases on the map. My ships scout out the locations initially but the Ascension Crystals aren't permanent fixtures within fog of war on the map, unlike the other Resource Cystals which remain on the map once they have been scouted.I'm in the middle of a game where a race has grabbed a number of them, and even though I had originally located them, I now need to build a fleet of scout ships just to re-discover them again and destroy the starbases that have been built.This seems alot like 'micromanagement' and I was wondering if I have missed a setting that hides/shows these crystals? Or perhaps there is a mod or something that shows them in the fog of war/Hope someone can help.
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I've noticed this too - Ascension Crystals don't show up the way normal galactic resources do on the map. I think you can still see them if you scroll the main view to where the crystal is, but honestly, I just build a starbase on them, then it's easy to find the things.

Of course, then the countdown starts. I usually play with ascension off now, it makes the game too fast otherwise.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
They should be hidden as they are truly unique crystals and NOT regular resources! No road signs, neon lights or road maps... They ARE "Game Ending" elements!!!
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
They should be hidden as they are truly unique crystals and NOT regular resources! No road signs, neon lights or road maps... They ARE "Game Ending" elements!!!
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Funny thing about amazingly important and unique things in real life - you tend to note where they are. Unlike, apparently, my ship captains, who look at an Ascension Crystal, say "Golly gee, there's the amazingly powerful crystal that will let our entire species ascend to a higher plane of existence as beings of pure energy. I guess I'll just drive on by to check out that class zero planet over there, noting it in exhaustive detail in my charts.

Nobody is asking for the crystals to show up before you find them, but it's asinine to not have them show up on your map *AFTER* you discover them. I still have to turn off display of most map elements just to find my own starbases half the time, and I *BUILT* them. Luckily, they show up on my minimap so I can actually find them again. Just having to randomly scroll around an area I've explored already hoping I stumble across where that Ascension Crystal I found in my initial explorations has gotten to is idiotic.

If it doesn't move, it should stay visible on the minimap and through the fog of war once it's been discovered. I refuse to believe that the ruler of an interstellar empire would allow somebody too stupid to mark down an important location on his star charts as captain of a hideously expensive starship.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
When it's time to inspect the map more closely i find it useful to hit 5 and zoom almost all the way to Icons - there they are, the crystals show up permanently with starbases built on them included.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
When it's time to inspect the map more closely i find it useful to hit 5 and zoom almost all the way to Icons - there they are, the crystals show up permanently with starbases built on them included.
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What I've seen is that the icons stay on the map (inside the fog of war after they have been seen) UNTIL their status changes. Eg. Fly past an unoccupied crystal and it will remain seen until someone builds a starbase on it. Or, fly past a crystal with a starbase on it and the crystal will remain on the map until the starbase is destroyed.

I think that the locations need to remain on the map once they have been spotted.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I agree, once you find one of these suckers, starbase or no, its location should be marked for future reference. I'm currently in a similar situation as the OP where the Iconians have built a starbases on a couple of ascension crystals, and although I have the ENTIRE MAP scouted, they're location is a mystery to me as their icons have vanished.