Improve the Evacuator's Colonization Ability?

(This is a repost of a response I made in another thread, but I think it deserves to have its own thread. What do you guys think?)

I think a simple way to buff the Evacuator's colonization ability and to make it a little more comparable to the Akkan's and Progenitor's ability would be to give it a planet population increase buff. So for example, Level 1 Colonize might increase population growth on the colonized planet by 50%. Level 2 would give you double the normal growth rate, 100%. Level 3 would give a 150% bonus.

I don't know if those growth rate bonuses would be too much or too little. Maybe it should go 100%-150%-200% or 100%-200%-300%. I do know that the order in which I upgrade my Evacuator is:

Colonization
Nanites
Nanites
Phase Jump Inhibit
Nanites
Planet Suck
Phase Jump Inhibit
Phase Jump Inhibit
Colonization
Colonization

With a population growth bonus I might be more likely to take Level 2 Colonization at ship level 3 or 4 instead of pushing it back to the end.

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I've heard lots of different suggestions on how to improve the Evacuator's colonize. One was an extra constructor on colonization, another was no underdevelopment tax for a short duration. Increased planet population gain rate is another. Honestly, it needs something and I really don't care what it is.

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Not sure how much increased population growth rate would help. If you are colonizing a lot of asteroids it would seem to help little. Actually ices or volcanics don't get so big with population either. But I guess if you could colonize terrans early and get population growth bonuses on them, it could help. Thing is, does it make enough of a difference before trade/refineries become the dominant form of income?

An alternate idea might be free population UPGRADE? That would help no matter what type planet you are colonizing (as with akkan/mothership bonuses). Thing is, this has nothing to do with the current bonus of build speed.

Something that would be more compatible with build speed might be free additional logistics and/or tactical slots, or free logistics/tactical upgrades?

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Thing is, does it make enough of a difference before trade/refineries become the dominant form of income?

Early game, tax and extractor income is dominant. Unless you're in the pocket and can go all-out eco, at very best you'll get a modest boost out of trade/refineries. It will NOT make up the majority of your income by any means.

An alternate idea might be free population UPGRADE?

Too similar to the Progen's colonize, which offers a generic discount to all planet upgrades. We need to at this from a different angle to keep the abilities different.

free additional logistics and/or tactical slots, or free logistics/tactical upgrades?

Can't be permanent. There is only one capital ship ability in the entire game whose effects are permanent, and that's a highly situational ultimate.

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Maybe you could make it so that the starting population is higher. Or maybe you could increase the structure build time decrease to 20%-40%-60%

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Maybe you could make it so that the starting population is higher.

Yes, perhaps an additional starting chunk of population (10/20/30 starting pop or something like that)? What about the case of a roid? This would put it over its max population. Would it be allowed to keep its over-population? Debatable I guess.

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