Really big games Version 2

I just posted a mod and a map (in scenario/mod archive) with lots of moons which will be the starting point for my next map. To have any point on the map within range 50 of any other point on the map, I will have to remove only 9 warp point links, add only 56 from regular systems to 24 feeder systems, then add six nexus systems and Central. Each feeder system connects to nine regular systems and one nexus system. Each nexus system connects to four feeder systems, the other five nexus systems, and Central. Central connects to six nexus systems, three regular systems to be carefully selected, and one link to secure systems. Seven secure systems will be created with no link to the map except the one through Central. That brings the total systems to 240 regular + 6 Nexus + Central + 7 secure = 254. I will post the map again at that point. Then I plan on adding lots of sphereworlds to half the capacity of the regular planets in the 14 added systems and posting again. Then I will follow the ten starting point plan (see really big games thread) for adding good large planets to make the final map with a ratio of three to one planet versus sphereworld capacity. Basically I am setting up a scenario where one player controlling 14 systems has one third the capacity of the remainder of the map, with 27 warp points leading to the regular systems, and one warp point leading to half his production in seven secure systems as a fallback position. This will make an interesting one versus all multiplayer game for whoever controls the nexus! Note that this map has a LOT more warp points than usual. See the patchsys file in the zip for how to get this. What I wanted was a map with good connection so that all empires could meet all others in the first 20-40 turns. LET THERE BE WARS! The friendly races will prosper from trade, and the power of the unfriendly ones will diminish over time as they fail to trade and fight too much.

To save the hassle of looking at another thread, I repeat the instructions from Remote Mining Economics here. You might want to revise these to add the repair bay to the original build since it does not cost much. My revised design at turn 60 in the map posted in the scenario/mod archive took only six turns to build. I verified that you CAN mine over a colonized planet. You get the production from all planets in the stack which have not yet been colonized. So colonize the proper atmosphere ones and mine the rest of the stack! Another bonus of remote mining is that your income from it is NOT included in what you TRADE to other empires. So you can keep them from gaining any new production advantages by mining and doing storage rather than building facilities. Later when you have finally depleted your mines, you can scrap emptied storage facilties and replace them with production.

Build battle cruiser yard ships. Each yard ship goes over a planet of the wrong atmosphere and builds a starbase with master computer III and one remote miner III RM3. It takes 4 turns and when built immediately do a retrofit to same with 3 RM3 plus one repair bay. Retrofit again to same with 7 RM3. Retrofit again to same with 13 RM3 and now 13 to repair. Next turn you have 8 working and the repair bay added. Retrofit to same with 22 RM3. Retrofit to same with 23 RM3 and one minelayer III which has space for 6 small mines. There are 16 to repair and the Last retrofit is done. Next turn the yard ship shifts to another planet and starts over. So it takes 4+3 = 7 turns per planet mined. Next turn your income is 800x23xtotal percentage of planet/ moons which is 184 per percent. Base maintenance is 5181 125 701. So breakeven is 29% total. Factor of ten profit per turn versus maintenance is 201% requiring moons, but who is that greedy? The base costs at least 42k minerals, but I did not bother to check how much more multiple refits make it. The planet is depleted one percent per turn. Calculate L = total percent minus 29. Then total percentage earned until you drained it down to breakeven is L*(L+1)/2.
Examples % = 39 gains 55 * 184 = 10k definitely not worth it
% = 59 gains 465* 184 = 85k about a factor of two minus initial is 1x.
% = 79 gains 1275 * 184 = 234k a factor of 5-1 but it takes 50 turns
% = 99 gains 2485 * 184 = 457k a factor of 10-1 takes 70 turns
Draining a 99 down to 59 is 40 turns at (40*41/2+30*40 = 2020) * 184 = 371k Which is a factor of 9-1 payback in 40 turns.
At 99% if you have the proper atmosphere on a large planet you can get yard + 19 * 1000 * 1.2 Jubiliant * .99 = 22572 per turn. At that rate it takes 14 turns to get the same minerals payback as the base gives in 40 turns. But it also takes 5 turns to build the yard and 19 more to reach full production. So call it 5+24 turns to get an equal payback. So if it will be 10 or more turns until you can plant a colony with the proper atmosphere, do the starbase. Now why would that be a factor ? Well it turns out that production from planets is part of your score. But production from remote mining is NOT!!!!!! To have an enormous minerals surplus while avoiding MEE you just need to learn minerals 3, battle cruisers, and bases 3. If you have the time you should also do yards 3, computers 3, repair 3, and mines 3, but the economics without them is almost the same.