How do I build a Dyson Sphere?

Solution 1:

Okay, a lot of questions here, let's tackle them one by one.

1. The actual angle isn't important. Eventually - if that's what you decide - you'll have a full globe anyway. That said, early on you don't have the technology to create a full globe -- you'll need to research increasing tiers of Dyson Sphere Stress System to increase the maximum latidude from your planned meridian you can build to -- IE, if you designate your sphere to orbit at 30 degrees off the solar ecliptic, and you have one tier of DSSS researched, you'll be able to build from about +15 to +45.

2. I'm not actually 100% sure about the second and would have to test it out, but I think that a larger radius means you'll need more material to make the ring and shell - but also a higher maximum output. I recommend a nice big one around a star with a high luminosity factor.

3. You've got three basic components you're designating: Nodes, structure, and shells -- or basically, points, lines and filled-in areas. You need to place nodes close enough together that you're allowed to make structural braces between them, and then make a shell segment once you've enclosed an area. How you enclose an area is entirely up to you; if you want a nice even geometric shape you can switch to the triangular grid and make the nodes twelve triangles apart along straight lines.

4. Ejectors can be placed pretty much anywhere on any planet in the system as long as it faces toward the star at at least some point of its orbit -- so avoid the night side of tidally locked worlds, but otherwise you're good. Receivers will need a line of sight to the swarm and shell to function; at first you're going to have to reconcile yourself with periods of inactivity as you place them wherever, but once you invent gravity lensing then you can use the edge of the atmosphere to bend the incoming power transmission and the area above about 60 degrees latitude will, on any planet with a decent atmosphere, effectively draw power 100% of the time.

5. Solar sails are shot into a defined swarm orbit. You can specify swarm orbits in the same interface as your sphere, and the ejectors can be told which orbit to aim for. Once the actual structure is starting to form, sails will be pulled out of the swarms and into position on the shell automatically; no need to worry about those.