How do you colonize? |
I have been thinking a fair bit about maran's topic regarding helping the AI to get a good start in the game, and something that occured to me that hasn't been discused much (at least to my knowledge) is how we setup our colonies. I am sure this will help maran, kwok and other people doing mods.
I tend to have a couple of rules, I always look from breathable planets and will colonize them ASAP (diverting colony ships if thats the quickest way to do it).
I avoid anything smaller than medium non breathable in the early part of the game, I would rather send my colony ships exploring new systems than use them to colonize tiny or small, unless I desperately need something on that planet such as ruins A MUST colonize at all costs, I will park my explorer on them until I can get a colony ship there, but won't divert a breathable colony ship unless its from a tiny world. OR they have a really high value for one of the resources, any planet with above 150% in any mineral will get colonized irrelevant of wsize and that resource will be mined even if I ain't short of it yet.
My explorer colony ships ignore all non breathable planets until they start to run out supplies at which time they grab the nearest huge (or large if I must non breathable).
I will always colonize one planet in every system if I can so I can claim it as my own, but this isn't a high priority until I meet another race. (I tend to guard strategic warp points to protect unclaimed systems)
My 1st colony in a system is always a "Military outpost" I will build in order. This is either a non breatheable huge planet, or a smaller sized breathable (I try to keep medium and above breathable planets for pure resource or research / intel planets so I can take advantage of of planet boosters later)
1. Space Yard,
2. Resuply depot,
3. Any system improvers (I often use organic or religious traits for my race and they have specific facs that improve the system in one way or another, I think the other traits do as well but haven't explored them to be honest)
4. space port (if I need one, I often take merchants as a trait so I don't need them)
3 and 4 can swap places depending on other planets in system, obviously if there are other good planets that will be contributing to my empire in the imediate future then a space port is essential earlier, but I still think resuply is more important
5. more resuply depots, especaily if I think this is going to be a frontline or choke point system.
6. any left over space gets research centers. (unless really high resources in which case I take advantage of those)
As I have said all breathable get colonized asap.
Breathable planets
Tiny and Small tend to become my military outposts.
Medium can by military outposts if no tiny or small, but generaly they follow the same rules as large and huge.
Large and Huge planets get 1st of all a Space yard, it makes construction so much quicker and the same goes for upgrades. Then I tend to make them into research planets filling them with research centers, one of which will be destroyed to build Databanks (with the AI it might be easier to leave 1 space spare on these planets for them to build tese if thats possible)
Within the 1st couple of years I will try and get a huge planet to star as my intel center, same process as research planets.
Once I have over 30K research i look for a huge breathable planet to turn into a storage planet (certainly before year 4). This will have 1 space yard and 8 of each storage facs.
Non Breathable planets.
Tiny and small, I tend to ignore in early game unless they have ruins. Once I have a steady churn of colony ships I will back fill these as a LOW priority, I tend to build resource facs if they have over 150% in a resource. Otherwise I tend to fill them with intel centers (keep this creeping up, as if you leave it too late then you can be intel crippled very quickly).
Medium, again resource if over 150%. If not I alternate 4 for research 1 for Intel.
Large and Huge, often become Military Outposts, if not they become research. (unless mineral over 150% and I am short of minerals).
On the breathable side of things, i always try to get imigration deals with AI races who breath different atmospheres to me. (1 way if I can them imigrating to me, but will do both ways if I need too)
Anytime I get "new" breathable planets I sacrifice my own population (1 planet per turn) to get imigrants who can breath the atmosphere.
Any races who refuse imigration deals get targeted for assimilation. Send loads of troops, often on colony ships to save time in making specail troop ships.
Captured homeworlds, a MUST have accesory in my opinion for any wannabe galactic overlord. I tend to space about half the population, this gives room for more to be born loyal to me, and to spread colonies to other worlds. as soon as I can I will irradicate the native non myflag waving population. If the homeworld has the same atmosphere as I do, it imediatly has its population spaced.
I hope this helps and that you can be bothered to read this far, if you have different stratergies to me please feel free to add them, or argue with or against any bits of my plans to be galactic overlord. The more we do the more idea the AI modders will get to improve the AI 
I colonize every thing can
I will colonize every colonisable world in every system I can. The only exception to this is that I won’t colonize any world in an inhabited system as I don’t want to divert attention and effort to wars early on. Starting for preference with the largest world which I call a Resuply base it will always have the following built in this order. Space port Resuply depot Space yard I do this to make sure that the system is linked into the rest of the empire as soon as possible. If the world has the capacity I will they build one of each of the storage facilities.
I farm planets with more than 120% organics; I mine planets with similar amounts of Minerals and build radioactive extraction facilities if the radioactive levels are this level or above. I don’t build lots of these as I find it more efficient to increase the tech level of the extraction techs and build boosting facility. I also try not to build huge fleets too soon as Going bankrupt is very easy especially early on. The other thing to note is storage is as important as extraction and cargo is also useful to support your ships. I like to have ships that are not over dependant on supply ships as I would go all out to kill this myself in fleet battles and it is easy enough for fighters or drones to catch and kill them even if they run
I also use coleny ships as scouts as they can then grab prime worls as soon as the find them and get them linked into your empire before you start on a follow up wave
Like in SE4, the Homeworld
Like in SE4, the Homeworld goes on emergency build the first 10 turns with an exception. I delay emergency build usually 2 turns (long enough to put out one colony ship)in SE5 to get one or two levels of sensors so exploring a system is much more effecient. Then, the Homeworld goes on emergency build.
I don't have special exporer colony ships or frigates (ie, scouts). Colony ships ARE explorers. Usually I expand first in the direction of enemy space (away from edges or corners) assuming no one is behind me I can pick those systems up later.
I skip the first systems encountered entierly except to explore that system enroute to the next warp point. The first wave will colonize at the second or third system out at a tiny usually with a resupply depot (a fueling stop for the next wave and / or minelayers). This way my initial 'bubble' gets explored as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile I'm looking for 1) a large / huge nonbreathable or a tiny breathable for resource stoarge, 2) a medium / large / huge breathable with mineral above 115% for mineral mining and 3) a medium / large / huge breathable with low resources for a research planet. Those 3 will keep me going until the seoncd wave of colonizers starts providing shipyards. And, it looks like in SE5 AI Intelligence starst ealier, so a 4th planet may have to be added early for intelligence facilities.
After two sensor levels the reserch prioity is construction / mines / warheads. 20 mines give each planet good self protection against two frigates or a destoyer. Add small CSM weapon platforms, built on emergency as needed, and my far flung outposts may survive long enough for the first warships to get built. At small hull level 6 (375kt) I put colonizers in frigate hulls with 12 engines. Since one mine layer component can lay an unlimited number of mines per strategic turn even frigates can carry and lay 100 mines no problem.
In SE4 I ignored tiny / small nonbreathables but SE5 is a bit different somehow in avialable planets. Part of that is the 'Advanced Storage' trait no longer increases planet facility capacity. So, when backfilling I tend to colonzie everything available. Its nice to have at least smalls for shipyards to allow for ship training facilities later (buld a reserach faclity at first and scrap when STF becomes available). Given the greater importance supply is in SE5 nonbreathable tinies and smalls are good for extra resupply depots and the occasional oraganic farm you need, not to mention system wide facilities.
I have not put spaceyards on large / huge breathables just to increase the build rate. Spaceyards take 5 turns to build. Surely there is a mathematical blance point here I need to figure out. Much like the Monolith facility controversy of SE4. The serial construction of SE5 will make a difference in this.
buggeration and bloody subject field
I don't like using emergancy build 10 turns of 25% is a real killer, and I am too lazy to micromanage it. its good when its needed or to finish a big build on a planet that won't need to build anything soon.
sounds an intresting stratergy will have to give it a go at some point.
Ouch, thats gonna sting on the tech level, you are looking at what 40k, thats a lot to invest in mines so early ain't it. I tend just to build a few WPs using CSM and DUC, at least I can use the CSM and DUC on my frigates as well.
Serial construction does help, but seriously building a space yard on a large or even more a huge planet is worth it. You have to conside not just the saving you make in building the facs, but also the saving you make every time you upgrade them. It also allows you to build defences far quick and upgrade them. I also like to be able to add a couple of CSM (or range 16 heavy weapons when i get em) bases on my large and huge worlds to add to their defence.
SE4 Explosive Start
I don't like using emergancy build 10 turns of 25% is a real killer, and I am too lazy to micromanage it. its good when its needed or to finish a big build on a planet that won't need to build anything soon.
I hesitated to use emergency build at the first like this also, until I tried it a few times. This is the standard SE4 explosive start. It is so effective some consider it a cheat vs the AI.
The trick is in the timing. You should have a second spaceyard finishing up at or 1 or 2 turns after your homeworld slows down. The point is to deny the other guy territory. And you do that early by getting your colonizers out there as quick as possible.
As for mines; yes it is a big research outlay early (so is fighters). But, you get instant effective self defense for all those far away planets you just colonized that are sitting there vulnerable. Well, almost instant. You can build mines at 10 per turn (worth about 200 hits each), but must deploy the following turn. IOW 20 mines equals about 4 to 5 frigates, so someone has really got to make an effort to overcome such a simple defense early (and, flavor with small CSM weapon platforms as needed).
For the other guy to sweep your mines he has to spend the research to develop the mine sweeping compnent, the same you just spent for mines, and build the mine sweepers on top of that. In a nutshell, mines are effective early, not so much later on.
I usually add a couple of
I usually add a couple of weapons platforms to all planets as well to protect them, but these come dependant on threats (hostile AI races) and the importance of the colony. Anywhere with a construction yard gets them fairly early on as they are quick to build and protect my ship producing planets.
Satalites and Mines are also handy for protecting planets, but really need to be in large numbers (20+ in early game) to be effective, where as 2 or 3 weapons platforms (with mix of cap misiles and dep urainium cannons and maybe some PD) are very effective.