Researcher Win Condition questions

[Syelnicar]

1.) Are solar taps used up like outpost/colony ships?
2.) Solar taps don't seem to have speed attributes. Do they need to be built in the system you intend to tap?
3.) The researcher-only skill mentions "+1 star per rank" as part of it's description. What does this mean exactly?
4.) The other part of the win condition is "find the ascension device." What is this? Is it something you build, or is it something you're going to have to look throughout the whole universe and hope to come across? Or is that purely lore?

[catswift]

Could we get answers to these? As a fellow researcher, I am very interested.

[JetJaguar2000]

You have to assume, for the sake of sanity, that they don't need to be built in the system you want to collapse. The thought of needing a colony with the resources to build one in 12 different systems is terrifying. The fact that the "ship" stats look like orbital stats is confusing, though.

I think they are almost certainly "used up" after a number of uses defined by your level of Graviton Physics. That would be the only way to justify the fact that it costs so little compared to the Planet Killer when the effects (in terms of win condition) are so similar. And if you accept that they have multiple uses, then they must be mobile, right?

[Royce]

It says right in the graviton physics description that the tap must be built at the star. How that is possible, I don't know. Maybe it means it must be built in the system, but it specifically says at the star.

[JetJaguar2000]

It says right in the graviton physics description that the tap must be built at the star. How that is possible, I don't know. Maybe it means it must be built in the system, but it specifically says at the star.

Ok, but in the description of the Solar Core Tap it says you have to "place the solar core tap in orbit of the star you wish to collapse," which would seem to imply you can move them there.

[catswift]

1) When a star is collapsed, supposedly having researched hyperspace physics will protect your ship from the ensuing blackhole. Elsewhere there is a thread that said this was not enough, that surviving a black hole relied on some hidden "skill points". As a researcher if I collapse a star with one rank in hyperspace physics, will my ships survive?

2) The solar cap description states that making the black hole destroys orbitals and ships in the system; does it destroy the planets? It seems like a tangent idea of the solar tap is to create a "safe haven" for everyone with the research to survive in there.

[Royce]

Ok, but in the description of the Solar Core Tap it says you have to "place the solar core tap in orbit of the star you wish to collapse," which would seem to imply you can move them there.

Maybe it's like a fighter, can't travel out of the system...

[Royce]

1) When a star is collapsed, supposedly having researched hyperspace physics will protect your ship from the ensuing blackhole. Elsewhere there is a thread that said this was not enough, that surviving a black hole relied on some hidden "skill points". As a researcher if I collapse a star with one rank in hyperspace physics, will my ships survive.

Im pretty sure that only applies to the large alien anomaly, and that you can survive black holes with just hyperspace tech.

[JetJaguar2000]

Hah, right, it's going to be hilarious when the first Researcher to build a Solar Core Tap tries to collapse his home system and ends up wiping out all his stuff.

The fighter idea sounds sadly plausible. We really do need some clarity on this, because if it does mean you need to build the tap in-system, this completely changes how a Researcher would play the early game (of course, pushing them to expand, expand, expand). In the game I'm playing as a Researcher, I'm fairly close to Graviton Physics, but have nowhere near 12 colonies, nor do I think I could come up with the difference I need at this stage of the game.

[Syelnicar]

Okay good, I'm glad I'm not the only one confused. And the idea of collapsing your own home system's star, if you have hyperspace physics, and everything survives, doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. Imagine someone trying to jump a planet killer to your home system...