What to do on the first turn...

[Kinjiru]

Here is what I have found useful for the first turn. Please add your thoughts.

1) Change your initial build order from Colony Ships to System Colony Ships. They build much faster and you will almost always have at least one, probably two other good planets in your system.

2) Check the Personnel panel. Several games I have started with a Leader but was given no indication (since there is no SitRep for the first turn).

3) Check your Foreign panel. If you are in the Senate, then you need to head back to the Personnel panel and queue up some defensive spys.

4) Check your government type in the Empire panel. I have played 5 games as the Humans and started with a different government in three of them.

5) If you like to let the AI handle colonization orders (like I do) set the option to yes in the Empire panel. Several times I have forgotten to do so and this has left me a dozen or more turns behind in colonization.

6) Also in the Empire tab, lower your Oppressometer. For the first dozen or more turns you won't be bothered with spys, so might as well get some extra happiness from your folks. If you have built up some spys, you can probably even keep it pretty low for the first 30 turns.

7) This is my grandest thought so far in the game, disband your initial task force. I know, it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Within 5 turns, or fewer, those 3 ships will be in your reserves. Create three new task forces with a single ship in each. Now go explore in different directions. You will cover a TON more territory and recoup those lost turns in a hurry. Now, you might say, but that makes those ships too vulnerable. Well, if you have an aggressive neighbor, you need to know that in a hurry don't you? And let's face it, your little 2 scout ship task force isn't going to last much longer than 1 scout ship anyway...

I have never found a need to adjust taxes empire-wide, at least at the start, but if you are hungry for cash, then go ahead and do so.

[canamrock]

Your fleets came preassembled?

Mine are separated from the start... you can remove individual units from a fleet if needed, and vulnerability is barely an issue for the first dozen turns, unless you're stuck next to a bunch of Guardian planets. You should just whack yourself out of existance if that's the case, though. lol

I'd say build a Colony Ship, and then a mix of Colony Ships and SystemColony vessels based on the quality of nearby planets. Grabbing a good rock early on makes all the difference.

Lowering your Oppressometer is unnecessary unless you are going to try to overtax your civilization... which might be a good idea.

However, it's not that good an idea for Senate members, or playing on small maps... not for long enough to be that beneficial, in any case.

[vmxa1]

You can remove a ship form the task force and create a new detached task force for that individual ship. I split the scouts and send them off.

[canamrock]

Alright, I don't get it... I must have bought a different copy of this game... my spies can't go in more than one at a time, and my fleets come preseparated, whereas I guess everyone else's are grouped together to start...

(sigh) This is strange...

[Main_Brain]

Nope Mine are seprerated too ;=)

[General Ludd]

The starting ships do, infact, start in three seperate task forces. They have in both the games I have played, anyways.



Coincedentally, I seem to recall geting a sitrep on the fist turn of my first game, but not in any game after that. Pain in the arse that they aren't saved either. (and I hear that your actions during the turn aren't aswell? )

[tjno2]

Originally posted by Osweld
The starting ships do, infact, start in three seperate task forces. They have in both the games I have played, anyways.



Coincedentally, I seem to recall geting a sitrep on the fist turn of my first game, but not in any game after that. Pain in the arse that they aren't saved either. (and I hear that your actions during the turn aren't aswell? )

Probably you started the game in a system that had a random tech.

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by tjno2


Probably you started the game in a system that had a random tech.

actually, a splinter colony and random tech. aswell as random research on my home planet. How's that for a first game?


But I was replying to the comment about starting a game with a leader.

[tjno2]

Originally posted by Osweld


actually, a splinter colony and random tech. aswell as random research on my home planet. How's that for a first game?


But I was replying to the comment about starting a game with a leader.

In my first game, i had 2 splinter colonies in my home system. For a moment, i tought the game sould always start like that.

[Hydro]

Hello Kinjiru (of Spartan Chronicles Fame!)

I agree with your start. System ships are good. I’ve never had to disband my ships – they’re always separate and can immediately go about their business. Now, it may make sense to disband your almost useless system warships, but I like a bit of defense at my capital.

Here is my plan, which is very similar to yours with a few key differences:

1) Colonize all green and maybe yellow 1 worlds in your home system with system ships. After colonized, choose a mining and industry world. Yellow worlds are good Industry or mining specialist world (no farming). If you colonize a yellow 1, set Emigrate to get it up to full colony status ASAP. The key here is to have a mining (with research) world and a industry specialist world. I’ve found that later in the game (say later early or mid-mid game during warp ¾) the big limitation is a good industry world (8+ industry) with a decent pop. Set Emigrate to the industry world. This will make a HUGE difference in pop and future growth rates since bigger pops grow faster. Objective – good mining (low pop OK on new worlds) and good mid-game industry. Also, Yellow 1 quickly become Green 2 with free planet improvements in late early to middle game (if you’ve invested in Biology tech), or if you apply AUs to terraforming.
2) Build outposts and settle ALL magnet worlds you see. Then, set to Emigrate (see a trend here?). This will boost that puny 250 pop red or 700 pop yellow to full colony status ASAP. Don’t build warp colony ships – the magnet are a much better investment since you get a size 6 or 7 world and a race with a vastly different environmental preference. This is wonderful in late early and mid game when these loyal citizens start colonizing worlds by themselves. Plus, my wimpy Trilarians like finding Mrshan and Bulrathi (or anyone else besides us) for ground combat!
3) If you find a Sweetspot world, ignore the above. Likewise consider it if you find a truly juicy system with several green worlds. But, keep in mind that your assimilated Magnet worlds will be productive much faster than a size 1 native colony.
4) After many magnets (say 5, or all that you can reasonably get to) have outposts and you are emigrating, then build colony pods (oops – slipped into SMAC tech talk). Likely by now your Industry world is up and running and you can build colony ships there, or maybe a warship or two (by turn 40 or so). By turn 40 your industry specialist world should have a better industry than your home world, which probably had to be balanced with much less industry (2 or 3, but bigger population to use it).
5) Also, violate the above to seal off or secure a choke point – grand strategy trumps tactical advantage. This works well on the fringes, but I’ve had little luck securing much of my territory when at the center – there are too many warp connections (I’ve selected many, medium warp).

For planet development, I (as mentioned) have my capital balanced with 3 mine/3 industry or maybe 4 mine/2 industry if I am mineral starved, which I frequently am. At colonies I like having a little (say 1 or 2) farms so they don’t starve when blockaded, at least 2 industry, then go for specialist. Mine specialists come in two flavors: rich and very rich get mines on broken and mountains; average (or if desperate, poor) get mines in mountains. The rest are recreation/government (all get recreation, worlds larger than 8 get government too; Mrshaan and Bulrathi get Military for obvious reasons) and research. Industry worlds have 2 farms, government, recreation, maybe military, then all industry. Size 10 or 11 worlds make great industry planets, even if High gravity.

So far I haven’t trusted the AI in the early game to do zoning and development. Later in the game I let the AI go since my imperial time is too limited. I also haven’t experimented with zoning plans by specified planet types – this could be a powerful tool.

I will EAGERLY wait for replies and suggestions!

[Main_Brain]

Well I set magnate to few so 2) doesnt apply to my current game
I agree on the Miograte part.
Do you migrate only one planet a time or set some migration targets?

[Jamski]

MOST IMPORTANT !
Go to the finance screen and set Millitary funding up to Limited or Total War. This gets the colony pods flying out in no time. Its best to grab the planets first and then switch down to spend more on infrastructure. Also only colonise the best world in each system, and then backfill with system colonies. This saves money and resources = saves time.

-Jam