AI and planets with PQ < 15

from Stardock Forums
I know the AI is programmed to go after yellow stars for colonization. However, I've never seen it colonize a PQ 14 or less world. Is there any reason for this? Soil Enhancement and Habitat Improvement are cheap, and can make PQ 14 worlds very productive (and even PQ 13 if you don't get hit with a bad event). Yet I've never seen it colonize them.

For that matter, I've *never* found a PQ 15 world outside of a yellow (or perhaps purple) star. Can natural PQ 15+ planets exist around other stars like Orange and White Dwarfs, or is it impossible? The only one I've seen was the result of a random event in the game, not naturally when the galaxy was created.

Bruce
480 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Personally, I don't think PQ15 planets are good until they've got Soil Enhancement and Habitat improvements.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
On abundant I once saw a PQ 15 around a white star, or at least I'm pretty sure I did.

As for what planets are "good", well, I tend to eventually get around to colonizing any planets I can get up to at least PQ 15 with current tech, for the extra taxes and production/research capacity if nothing else. Is there a significant downside to that approach (aside from the cost of the colony ships)?
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
I heard somewhere that it's not how many planets you colonize...but the quality of each.

I used to colonize anything 12 or higher...but after watching the AI, now I do not colonize anything but yellow stars (15 PQ or higher)

Should I change my tactic? If so...why? :notsure:
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
It depends on the galaxy size and planet abundancy. In tiny, rare, you want to colonize those planets, and I wish the AI would too. If you're not playing at or near that extreme, you'd be advised to avoid bad planets. In the beginning, any planet you colonize well under the PQ of Earth seriously hurts your pop. growth and economy, unless you send out small population colony ships. Fourteen and lower planets shouldn't be colonised until much later in most games, if at all.

I'd like to see the computer use some radical tactics, such as colonizing very low PQ planets with a small population simply to extend range. That would be so awesome, and would help with those civs that get stuck in corners.

Which brings me to an idea: Can there be a way to input directly, via keyboard, how many people we put on a colony ship? When my planets get big, it is hard to get a small amount of people on a colony ship without hitting the one button over and over and over and over.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Oddly enough when I play tiny rare I dont colonize
sub 15's but otherwise I do.

I think it has something to do with my 2 planet
economy not being strong enough to handle the drag
of trying to make a 12-14 profitiable, nor the game
lasting long enough to make a profit.


Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Yes, I have defintely seen PQ15 (and better) planets around other stars - not often, but it happens.
And - at least a version or two ago - the AI is NOT focussed on yellow stars - it knows the PQ of every planet, and sends colonists to the ones over PQ15, regardless of star colour.