Natural Merchant racial tech?

LeTharg · #1 August 18th, 2001, 09:37 PM

The value also depends on the type of game. I'm playing in a game where you can only colonize planets of the same type and atmosphere as your home planet (methane ice in my case). That means 1 or 2 planets per system. So Natural Merchant might mean one more facility per planet.

There is also the benefit of getting cash flow earlier. If a space port takes 3 turns to build then Natural Merchant means that every production facility on the planet is done 3 turns earlier and yields 3 turns more stuff.

That said I've taken Natural Merchant twice and probably wouldn't take it again.

Kimball · #2 August 18th, 2001, 10:32 PM

I really don't think Natural Merchants is that important. Without a space yard facility, you can build a space port in three turns. The 1000 racial points can be put to better use someplace else. 1000 points goes a long way and can more that offset the inconvenience of having to build a space port if one get destroyed.

Phoenix-D · #3 August 18th, 2001, 10:37 PM

Inconvience won't be the word you use if someone smart-bombs the only Space Port in your most important production system

Phoenix-D

Sinapus · #4 August 19th, 2001, 06:37 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
Inconvience won't be the word you use if someone smart-bombs the only Space Port in your most important production system

Phoenix-D

That's why those of us with Advanced Storage Techniques sometimes build more than one spaceport in a system.

CW · #5 August 19th, 2001, 06:46 AM

In my opinion you got to really screw up big to get your most important production system's space port smart-bombed or blockaged. If that happens your opponent probably is so ahead of you that you have no chance anyway, with or without the space port!

Phoenix-D · #6 August 19th, 2001, 07:04 AM

Only takes one shot, similar to plague bombs. Forgot to build a sensor platform or two, he sneaks in a ship and.. boom.

Phoenix-D

Baron Munchausen · #7 August 19th, 2001, 04:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
Only takes one shot, similar to plague bombs. Forgot to build a sensor platform or two, he sneaks in a ship and.. boom.

Phoenix-D

Yeah, the smart bombs actually make the planetary intelligence operations valuable. Once you know where your enemies' space ports are you can deprive them of entire systems worth of production. I wonder if the AI would know how to use a smart bomb equipped ship?