TeamRecon.Net

[Venz Dirge]

Here are some things you should know when colonizing a planet.


1. All planets have a random number of fields for each colonization effort. There is no way to tell how many fields they have before you colonize, and there is no way to change the amount of fields if there are not enough. Defenses don't take up a field space.


2. Gaias are used up in the colonization effort. They cannot be reused.


3. When colonizing, the planets that usually yield the most fields are in the 4, 5, and 6 slot on the galaxy screen. These planets have a higher probability of yielding a high amount of fields. (150 and up) You dont have to colonize a 4, 5, or 6 planet to get a high field amount, there is just a better chance.


4. The closer your colony is to the sun of your system, the more energy will be created by your solar sats. Planets 1, 2, and 3 are the best for this, although they usually have a lower number of fields. Solar sats are easily dstroyed in a raid however, and the solar array output is not affected by planet position at all.


5. Hydrogen output in slightly greater on the higher planets (13, 14, and 15). These planets also have a lower chance of getting a good field number, and solar sats on these planets will not produce very much energy. I believe the hydrogen output is 110% of a planet in 4, 5, or 6.


6. Field amount is VERY important, but is also misleading. The lowest number of fields you can have is around 40, and those planets are useless. The highest numbers you can get are above 300. Most people are mislead to thinking that all their planets need to be above 200, and this is not true. Upgrading mines/buildings to their most efficient levels (about 21 ore/ 18 crystal/ 15 hydro/ 21 solar/ and 9 nuclear for mines, plus 9 shipyard, 10 research lab, 4 missile silo, 10 capitol, 1 foundry, about 10 warehouses if you need them, and several other minor things) rarely puts you over 140 fields used. After those mine levels are reached, it takes a LOT of time for the upgraded mines to pay themselves off with their own production (about 2 weeks for ore 22 or crystal 19). After a certain level of mines, which is around 25 or so, the mines become simply too expensive for what they give back, and are not worth it. I would recommend keeping a 140+ field planet if you get one. To put it in perspective, getting a planet up to level 21 ore, 18 crystal, 15 hydrogen, 21 solar, 9 nuclear, 9 shipyard, and 10 research lab costs well over 3,000,000 resources. The final production of 21 ore, 18 crystal, and 15 hydrogen with max number of mine droids allowed is about:


5,500 ore per hour
2,300 crystal per hour and
800 hydro per hour with the level 9 nuclear reactor running at 100% with level 7 energy tech. When you upgrade to level 8 energy tech you can run the level 9 reactor at 90%.


These are much higher with human workers
however.



7. Distance apart is important too. With Hercules class cargos, a trip from one planet to another in the same system takes under 1 1/2 hours one way. This amount does not increase proportionatly to the amount of systems however. Having a Herc travel 100 systems only takes 3 hours one way.


8. It is not a good practice to put all your colonies in the same system, because an enemy can find them all very easily. It is also not a good idea to put them too far apart, because transporting ships to them takes a long time and a large amount of hydrogen.


9. Dont make all your colonies at once. It's a good idea to get your first colony built up before you make the 3rd one, and so one. By "built up" I mean self sufficient, not the level 21/18/15/21/9 setup that I stated earlier. A built up colony is considered a colony that can produce enough resources by itself to pay for it's own upgrades in a decent amount of time. A good production amount for a built up colony is about:


1200-1300* ore per hour
700-800* crystal per hour
Hydrogen doesnt need to be that high in the beginning if you're trying to build up the colony, and you need the ore/crystal production to build up the hydrogen synth anyway.


10. Sections 6, 7, 8, and 9 are not absolute, and don't need to be precisely followed to be successful. They are mearly suggestions that I have learned through experience. If you have a better idea about maximum mine levels or planet fields, go for it, I'm not saying it wont work.


You should put your first one relatively close to your homeworld, so you can use it to supply your main shipyard. It's bad if someone finds you, but good for resource/fleet production. A colony in another galaxy is usually called a war colony, and most people only build a shipyard on it to use the resources they get from raiding that galaxy to build more ships.