Senior question
 

Given the main planet facility slot sizes: 12/18/24/30, how many research facilities will you devote to each size - assuming resources above 50% (or what ever your cut-off is)?

For low resource planets having your breathable atmosphere - on an 'all research' planet - do you still build a RD and SY?

Do you ever build a research only planet 'out system'? That is other than your home system(s)?

Do you always build a resupply depot (RD) and space yard (SY) before your research facilities?

Do you attempt to colonize a non-breathable planet for the resource storage slots before colonizing a breathable so as to not 'waste' resources?

These questions may or may not have been answered before but I've searched with no clear answers. I have stuff dating awhile back as well. Might have missed it - but if I have - put it down as a 'senior moment'. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smirk.gif

Re: Senior question
 

Notice:
The following may not represent the views of a PBW master.

1) I don't take advanced storage too often these days, but my colonies' research is typically all-or-nothing.

If its not worth a resource extractor on the first facility, it won't be worth it on the Last facility unless the planet was of borderline value and there is a major disaster such as a nova in a resource-heavy system.

If your empire is small enough that you have to consider mixed-use worlds, you've got bigger things to worry about http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif.

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2) I typically use one or two SY per system, stacked with low-maintenance BSY, so no. Parallel production, and massive centralized repair and resupply services. Always with a healthy pile of defenses and ships, of course.

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3) Why not! Losing research is better than losing the
production which is maintaining your defense fleet.

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4) See above

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5) Resource storage is overrated IMO.
If you're wasting resources, you simply need to build more stuff.

Re: Senior question
 

Cut off: At 80% production.
Any planet with 80% or better is worth the investment to mine.
All planets especiallized.

Re: Senior question
 

All my planets are specialized.

Any planet with 4+ slots gets a shipyard.
Most planets with 3 slots get a shipyard.

I put in the research facilities before the shipyard. (If Research III available, shipyard goes in first.) Only one RD per system.

The other questions I'll answer this way:

Mins 80+ or Orgs 110+ or Rads 110+ ... dedicated resource facility

All resources 50+ ... candidate for Monolith

Resources 50 to 100 ... dedicated research fac. (Can be converted to resource fac. when research nears completion.)

Resources 50- ... Intel, storage, system facs, etc.

That's the plan, but it never quite works out that way. Sometimes you have an abundance of high yield organics planets. Naturally that will up the minimum for organics. The tactical situation may cause me to build shipyards early either to get the needed ships or simply use up excess resources by building ships. In fact the tactical situation may cause me to change everything! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

A lot of things I didn't mention, but that's the basics.

Re: Senior question
 

All or nothing here as well.

Re: Senior question
 

A PBW master would probably say that is a bad idea. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Re: Senior question
 

I also concentrate the research facilities on breathable planets, preferably good conditions so the population bonus arrives sooner.

What I like to do is enter a system with a scout and try to plan it out. You'll want a couple of space yards, a resupply depot, lots of mineral miners and research facilities, rad and org extractors where needed. You want the resupply depot near a path, and you want shipyards near a warp point to defend your system quickly. But ...

Sometimes a resupply depot has to go on a tiny planet you wish would hold a mineral facility because you're broke. Sometimes I see I haven't built a research planet in a while, and the only large is a 150% mineral world that is < 1 month away from a warp point, and I have to sacrifice the minerals and try to defend the planet from elsewhere.

When you make concessions in one system like that, you have to look back at your whole empire and see where you have to make another change elsewhere to pick up the slack you just created.

Ah, the joys of micromanagement.

Re: Senior question
 

I also think about "stackable" worlds, meaning that there are four planets (mixed types, of course) in the same sector. I will colonize the easiest one first and plan to build SY, resupply there. Once I am able to colonize the other 2 or 3, this becomes quite a stronghold.

Re: Senior question
 

It becomes a training center for sure.

I use dedicated planets strategy too (well, try to use) because of later computer complex/robotoid factory facilities. It's more profitable to have all facilities of 1 type + planet boosting facility than mixed facilities with 2 planet boosters. Not much more profitable, but nevertheless it's.

Re: Senior question
 

PBW Newbie here, but I'm having reasonable success in most games.

All or nothing. If resources are below 70%, I build research facilities. I like tech, tech is important, and there's enough 120% planets out there (depending on the map).

Depends. Depends on where the planet is, and if there are other planets available to build ships.

No.

<edit> clarification, I do build many many research planets, the circumstances dictate what I build. If the planet is less than 70% on a really good galaxy, I'll probably build research centers on it. I just don't build research systems, looking too far ahead most smaller games end before you get system wide boosts</edit>

No. If the planet is far back, and I don't intend to build ships from it, I go research centers right away.

Sometimes. Sometimes not. Depends on how many resources I am wasting a turn. I usually send my excess off to allies.

It all depends on the situation. All or nothing is probably the best PBW way, but where to put your resupply depots and space yards is a matter for debate. I followed the SE:IV strategy guide idea of an "outpost" system. I have one system in the front, underdeveloped and usually producing a lot of units. Behind the outpost system I have my main shipyards. This gives you a buffer to emergency build ships when the first enemy attack inevitably comes. The "outpost" system may be just an outpost planet, it is pretty effective at destroying early game fleets unless they get troops.

Brian