Normal planet development question

It really depends on how much you want to micromanage Robert. I prefer to use the govs and just build the same stuff on a majority of my planets in the same order and then save the micromanaging for a select few.

My thought has always been that you cannot have too many PQ improvements or morale improvements built on a planet, as they both ultimately result in a higher population capacity for that planet and thus a higher production/research capacity. The social projects that I do keep from building on some planets are the shipyard improvements as I only build those on planets that I plan to have building my fleets, ie. high military production planets and some more advanced research improvements.

Rule #1: Don't build everything everywhere.
Rule #2: Don't complete a building just to build something.
Rule #3: On lower PQ planets, there had better be a real return on the investment unless some local emergency forces a project.

A shipyard on a PQ 15 with little production value? A waste. A medical center on the same planet? More waste. An embassy on that planet when the system only has a three influence? Big time waste. Your highest PQ planets may very well benefit from these due to high production, research points, and influence. But the whole point is to justify the need for the project.

Now, the things you most certainly do:
If there is an emergency, fix it! Getting culture bombed? Build a news network for resistance. Normally a waste, but in this local case, part of an essential defensive move. This little system always the first stop on the Drengin Express when they come after you? A system defense project is well justified then. Entertainment centers, stock markets, teleporters, and stadiums are worth building everywhere due to good return for the morale boost. Not to mention the intial holy triad of soil enrichment, habitats, and banking centers that give only benefits at no cost.

In the end you will get a feel for what to build and where. Just think about the cost vs. the need. It is alright to leave a project blank, or to build something nearly to completion and then leave it incomplete to finish it rapidly later if the need for the building arises. It is also alright to pick out the one or two jewels of your empire to max out, just to see what a fully decked out planet will do. The jewel will probably lose money, but its purpose in this case was not to make money, but to shine.

Why an entertainment network and not a news network? Both contribute to increasing the morale of the planet they are built on.



Do you wait until all three are available before building these on planets are just build them when you obtain the tech?



That's my main problem, I have been using a gov, and as new techs are completed I've just been adding that tech to the list, so everyone is getting everything. Less buildings mean less maintenance which means more money for me, right? What about ships? I've been building constructors on all my planets except a few. What I have never seen yet, is an increase or decrease in the expenses of my planets or empire when selecting to build a ship, or to build nothing.

Entertainment center +20% morale. News network +5% morale, +5% influence, +10% cultural resistance, and neglible +econ for the same upkeep. Unless you need that cultural resistance or unless that 5% influence will really make a difference, then the return on the investment stinks.


No waiting on those. They get built as soon as I have the tech. But onto the governor thing.

There is a reason why there are four governors. Use Ford for the projects that every planet will get no matter what. Throw nothing extra on that list, it should just be bare bones. Mine might look something like this toward the end of the game when the techs have been researched: Soil enrichment, habitats, banking centers, entertainment center, stock market, teleporter, stadium, terraforming techs.

The next gov should add in some things that a higher PQ planet might be able to utilize due to higher production numbers and better influence: Manufacturing center, research lab, anti-matter powerplant, embassy.

Then have a governor for the crown jewel planets that get everything. Since the governors do not build after the last project on the list is finished, you start everyone off on gov #1 and promote them to the higher govs later on.



Every planet gets its share of social and military project money whether it builds something or not. We refer to it as throwing money into the void or the money pit. Anything not used is wasted, but sometimes wasted social money (in Galciv, anyway) is better than building things you don't need that cost money every turn. Building constructors is good. No maintanence cost when you finish them, and there always seems to be a resource starbase that needs to be tinkered with, a trade/production starbase that need to be created or added to, or a culture palace to deck out.

As you can see, I am more of a minimalist when it comes to social projects. Some players swear by everything that says +morale no matter what the cost. I tend to find that leads to money pits later and I am selective about which morale buildings I am taking.

But, in defense of the "morale at all cost" school of social project thought, the extra pop means extra influence and more cannon fodder for the transports. The extra pop also mean extra taxes, but there are certain population thresholds that produce more tax money. There is a line where the extra people are simply not paying their way. Where is this line exactly? I don't know. I am going by cost analysis and gut instinct when I draw the lines over what morale projects are worth it or not.

Thanks for the info Gerakken