Mentioned Before, but any progress towards use of <15 Planets?

from Stardock Forums
I know this has been mentioned in previous posts, but I was wondering if any of it made it into the Release Version (or Bonus Pack).

Several ideas had been mentioned for using the uninhabitable planets, like:

1. Setting up Mining Colonies that would aid the production of planets in that system/sector

2. Have additional resources that could reside (hidden) in crappy planets. Mining these planets could unearth a new resource that aids Military, Economy, Influence, Trade, etc.

3. Working with the suggestions above, maybe a ship that is an archeological/geological surveyor, that will examine crappy planets to see if they have any use. Random events could be worked in to find messages from the PreCursors, or a new resource (above) or even cause the release of a noxious chemical that poisons much of the system/sector (to add balance).

These could add a dimension to the game, and also give your big planets something to build late in the game when they churn out constructors every turn and become annoying. It could also make controlling systems where there are no yellow/purple stars more important (coupled with a UP proposal that you can only survey planets in your sectors). There are usually plenty of sub-15 class planets to explore, and find new stuff to do, at least to me, is my favorite part of the game.


-Dave
796 views 18 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Sound like interesting ideas to me. As long as the AI's can handle the ideas...
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Hi David!
I haven't seen them implemented yet, don't know about the bonuspak. But i colonize class 14 planets all the time. Especially after there are no class 15+ planets left. :-( I also colonize class 14 or even class 13 planets when i need a colony near my foe (build up my fleet, build enough constructers to build a terror star) In doing so I make purchase the soil and habitat improvements first and i don't build anything militarily until the colony is well on its way to being established.

rich
Galactic Civilizations III
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Sounds like a nice idea, alot lowerclass planets are pretty useless now.

Alto I even colonize planets as low as 13 or even 12 if I have the tech to build planetary quality improvements.

The survey ship could be suited for planetary examinations. (Maybe have a tech called shuttlecraft to enable this for the surveylike ships)
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Louie, I do the same thing when i need to expand my territory. To that end, though, my friend and I have an ongoing debate as to whether or not it is worth colonize sub-15 planets (unless they are of strategic importance). Here is the question:

If population growth is exponential, is it worth taking citizens from a class 18 planet, which has better growth and produciton rates, and putting them on a 14 or 13 class planet, where they will grow and produce much slower? It seems that you have slowed the growth of the better planet, and if you do not need the additional unit produciton, done it for nothing. The only reason I could see to do it would be an increase (if it works this way) in your overall research amount generated each turn. If the new colony produced more than the extra people on the better planet, then it is worth it.

Any other ideas/contributions?
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
That is a good point Obliterator, although it may take a while for them to add much to your overall influence. I guess it depends also on the size of the map you are using. On a tiny-medium map they would be pretty important. On a gigantic map (unless the are imptrant strategically), they wouldn't matter as much (unless you do it in great volume).

-Dave
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
also if your class 19 planet grows too big then removing some of them will boost morale and build up the lower class system. I use combat transports as a way to keep up morale especially after your foe is spending a lot of money on destabalizing you.

and research seems to be cumulative, so takeing away from a higher class planet with good morale might actually lower your research total.

By the way have you taken time to play a game adjusting your 3 sliders throughout the play. When I start (against superior foes, I go 100% for research on propulsion theory, I want to be the one to won gravity accelorators) I might do that for the first 10 turns to get the jump that i need, then i set them somewhat bak to normal.

rich
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I wouldn't say that planets with class less than 15 are totally useless. Once you have established your empire and have a few morale building techs and galactic resources under your belt these planets become colonizable *IF YOU ARE CAREFUL*. In the late alpha and early beta (before "influence" was added) I was colonizing planets as low a class 8 regularly. Since influence was added I have not colonized a planet below class 13, but then, things have been changing too fast for me to try lower class planets much.

Why colonize lower class planets? A couple of reasons come to mind.

1) Any time you can increase your tax base, you effectively increase your abiliity to use more of your production capability. Lower class planets don't prvide much to your tax base, but sometimes every little bit helps.

2) Having more planets working on projects, expecially military projects, helps. If you are getting 1 battleship or constructor a turn with class 15 and above planets, having a several class 13 or 14 planets that combine to kick in an extra battleship or constructor every 20 or 30 turns gives you just a tiny bit more edge.

But don't think you can just colonize these planets whenever you wish. Do it before you are properly prepared and it will cause you all kinds of headaches.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Wouldn't your cumulative research total increase in the long run when your class 19 planet replaces those that left to colonize another world by reproduction? So in the long run it would benefit you more to take from another planet to colonize a lesser class planet. right?
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
Rich - I also manipulate my spending throughout the game, usually switching between research- and military-heavy spending. I also agree that going hard and fast toward the Propulsion techs is the best early approach, especially in larger galaxies.

Jack - Your points are well taken, although by the time those lesser planets would help me, I usually have the game well in hand. If I'm not conquered by the time I have Dreadnoughts, I usually win, and it doesn't usually make sense to spend resources on those lesser planets until much later in the game.

Warrior - If population growth is exponential (meaning that the more people you have, the faster the population will grow), then you permanently stunted the growth of that class 19 planet. Not that it will make too much of a difference in the long term, but that class 15 planet will not grow as fast as that class 19 planet. If you had left those people on the class 19 planet, then that planet's population would grow faster, creating more production and research. 100 People growing and researching on Class 19 will be more beneficial to 100 people growing and researching on Class 15. This is a little long-winded, but does that make sense?

-Dave
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
I regularly colonise class 14 planets under two circumstances:

1) There are no other systems in a sector with higher class planets. This means I get control of a sector by virtue of having the only colonised planet in that sector. This can be difficult to maintain later in the game if the sector is surrounded by influential aliens, but it's usually worth it.

2) A class 14 planet, or planets, are included in a system with a higher class planet that I've already colonised. As Jack says in his second point, having that extra production facility can come in real handy.

In both cases, I restrict the initial colony size to <= 50. Much more than this and you're bound for (greater) morale problems.

Colonising class 14 planets means that while my research progression emphasises Propulsion techs, I have to dip into Medical to get Habitat Improvement. I fiddle with the sliders quite a bit early in the game - also going for Gravity Accelerators. ;)

End transmission.

~SDC~
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
And just as another point of reference, it's remotely possible to get a Planet Quality bonus of about +145%, which would terriform a class 8 up to 19.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
REmember that by colonizing low quality planets you restict your maximum tax rate! If you colonise only class 15 or higher planets then you moral is higher and you can increase taxes thus increasing income which can be spent by increasing production. If you colonise lower class planets then you cannot increase taxes as high or else the moral on those low class planets plummets and then defect or rebel (not to mention vote against you in the senate).

It's a balancing act really. I like going for the higher taxes and cranking out ships quicker as oppossed to the lower taxes but having class 14 plants adding an extra ship every 20 turns.

Paul.
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
Soltair, I agree. I never colonize <15 class planets, unless I have to for range or strategic purposes. I feel like my empire is more stable without the lower class planets (even if they get up to 16-17 with late game improvements).

-Dave

~SDC~
Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top
Paul,

I think you missed some of what I said. By the time I start colonizing planets < 15 I have already gotten some galactic wide morale enhancements, in the form of techs and galactic resources, and have an advanced government. So colonizing planets <15 is not as difficult as earlier in the game.

Also, since I play almost exclusively the gigantic size galaxy, I don't have a feel of how this works on the smaller galaxies. It may be that it doesn't work well on tiny through medium.

~SDC~
Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top
T think using Constructors to build Mining Colonies is a good idea. The colonies can be upgraded for more ability like Starbases, and certain modules can be build only if you are good or evil. Evil empires can build Prison Facilities that use forced labor to increase production, but lowers morale on nearby planets (if you know you will be sent to mine, you are gona be scared). Good empires can build Nature Domes for miners that increase morale on nearby planets.

The technology to let survey-capable ships scan planets could be called Geologic Sensors. When a ship scans a planet, there could be a random event (like David said) that gives you a ship, a new resource, activates a Precursor Terraformer device (make the planet 15 or better), or triggers a Precursor booby trap that blows up the ship, the planet (which also damages nearby planets), or destroys the star like a Terror Star.
Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top
Sorry Jack,
I wasn't actually disagreeing with your style of play. I was just pointing out the balance between no low class planets and potentially higher tax rates versus lower class planets and lower tax rates. I agree with you, if you get your hands on a few moral improvements then class 13 and 14 planets can be maintained with a high tax rate.

In tiny rare galaxies where there are very few planets then colonising the class 12-14 planets is a huge bonus early game as most races only own 1 planet!

Paul.