Newbie Question

[DarkStar]

When you start in your homeworld sector, do you put colonies on every planet, or try to find the best ones? In MOO it was more important to get as many planets as you could is this the case in SE4?

[Dracus]

That is really up to you.
I personally colonize everything I can. Even if it is just to prevent someone else from using the planet.

[raynor]

Expansion in Space Empires IV is a little bit different than in MOO because the planets are in solar systems separated by wormholes. If you ask whether or not you should colonize every planet in every solar system before moving on to the next solar system, well, then obviously that would be a bad idea. Instead, you should constantly expand outward to new solar systems.

Strange though it may seem, your first new colony in an outlying solar system may not be the best planet since you'll need to build at least a Resupply Depot and Spaceport on that planet and may not want to waste facility space for those on a planet with really high minerals.

When you enter into a military alliance with another empire, this allows them to resupply at your Resupply Depots. This almost certainly guarantees that they will try to establish colonies inside your empire. So... once you have stopped expanding, you'll be sending colony ships to build colonizes on mineral rich and large or huge worlds. At the same time, you would be wise to build colonies on even moons that border another empire with whom you plan to enter into a military alliace.

BTW... colony ships in Space Empires IV are practically free compared to MOO/MOO2. Some players don't send out armed escorts and frigates to do their scouting. Instead, they send out colony ships. In MOO, you might not want to build a colony on a planet close to the enemy because of the risk of attack. Until you had built a certain industrial infrastructure on the planet, it wouldn't be able to build up defenses fast enough to defend itself. But in SEIV, a new colony can build its own defensive emplacements quite rapidly compared to a new colony in MOO.

[Suicide Junkie]

quote:

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When you start in your homeworld sector, do you put colonies on every planet, or try to find the best ones? In MOO it was more important to get as many planets as you could is this the case in SE4?

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I generally colonize planets in the order of:
1) Strategic location
2) Value
3) Part of a claimed/colonized system

strategic locations include those planets:
-in a chokepoint system
-in a new border system (expansion & claim)
-having multiple moons (for shipbuilding)
-being near a wormhole (for defending against intruders)
-etc

[Menschenfresser]

SJ, just reminded me of something that has been determining my selection on homeplanet conditions.

Don't those who pick rock have a slight advantage given the fact that all (as far as I know) moons are rock. Granted this is an advantage that could be lost by the middle of the game, but starting at low tech with only one planet, before someone has the tech or research points to acquire rock colony quite a few decades can pass.

This really isn't a complaint on how things are (however I think realism could allow for ice moons); I'm just wonder if any of you think this gives much of an advantage.

[Lisif Deoral]

quote:

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Originally posted by Menschenfresser:
Don't those who pick rock have a slight advantage given the fact that all (as far as I know) moons are rock.

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Actually there are also ice moons (I usually play a ice-dwelling race). No Gas Giant moons, anyway (for obvious reasons of size).