Reporting in!

I actually did a much deeper analysis of this and wrote it down somewhere but I can't find it at the moment so we're just going to generalize this problem. 

The primary problem with sending out boatloads of 750M is you can't grow that fast (unless you're Breeder in which case you don't need 750M pop colony ships).  If you're looking at a 4 turn build for your ship anyway growth is almost irrelevant, and it is worth noting that since you're using a cargo hull anyway you may as well slap 3 colony modules in.  But at that point I have no idea how you're managing to even come even in the colony race, so I wish you luck.

Note: 4 turns is assuming any growth bonus whatsoever and also taking into consideration that unless you're Breeder or producing colony ships too slowly to keep up with the AI that it's unlikely your homeworld pop will actually grow (when accounting for those that are leaving via colony ships) during your initial colonization phase.  Otherwise, assume 5 turns.

However, in general it's better do either 500M pop ships or 250M pop ships and have a 750M pop/1B pop "ferry" running around between your colonies getting them up to "speed".  In this instance, 250M small/tinies generally work better, but 500M pop cargo hulls can be more worthwhile in some games, particularly if you don't take speed bonuses with customization points and/or don't rush to Impulse early (enough).

So basically if your ferry can't be built fast enough/doesn't have enough speed, you'd be somewhat better off with 500M pop cargo hulls (with an engine of course).  250m pop takes about 9-10 turns to grow to 500M pop with no growth bonuses; taking the 40% in customization points cuts it down to around 7 turns.  This is assuming a custom race, which all have growth factors of 0.04-the stock races have growth factors of anywhere from 0.03 to 0.07 (I believe the Torians are the 0.07, but I've forgotten).

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I had thrown that idea out as well, but it would seem to be more worthwhile to simply use pure transports as ferries as early on as you can get them; rather than using the 750M pop colony ship one could use a 1500M pop or even 3B pop transport ship as a ferry.

However if you combine it with early game starbase hopping to get to your opponent and shut them down on a huge/gigantic/immense map in a number of weeks, it's useful.

As a counter argument for Sole Soul:

A: I haven't noticed that 750m colony ships are that much slower to build than the 250m colonyships. If you're speeding up the 250m colonyship, then what you gain in smaller pods you're losing in other systems, plus wasting money building a Hull for each of them. You spend less per unit of population moved on a large colonizer.

B: Although you may be losing some time on building the colonies, you have to remember that until your population can produce 10bc/turn, you're operating at a net loss, and it takes that was *expensive* time you skipped, with each  colony costing you (IIRC) 10bc per turn versus a piddly 1bc production. Just thumbnailing it -250m people @ 5% growth per turn*2 (100% approval), 1.1^11 is 713m million people on week T+11.

The exact time frame that this is advantageous under is going to vary based on racial bonuses to population growth and how that changes the compound interest equation, the exact moment the population starts making a profit at taxlevel 'x%' (I'm not quite sure) and of course how big the difference in speed between a maxed out 250m pop colony ship and a 750mpop colonyship at a given distance (And under the 2003 "truth while talking out your arse act", I should note that buy +2 to speed now, which is *so* worth it with this strategy, since a 4-3 speed advantage still means that at ranges of <36 parsecs, I'm better off doing this), but all those only affect the equation parameters - for doing a close colony, bigger *is* always going to be better because of

C: Your people are happier and produce more tax revenue per capita on a lower population planet, which in turn means

C1: More econ per capita means each tax percentage is worth more;

C2: happier 'capitas' means you can tax them more without slowing down population growth;

C3: Happier 'capitas' are going at it like bunnies which in turn means you can shove more of them on other planets. Where y'know, you can tax them more.

Sure, I hate my citizens, but if they don't re-elect me, I'll lose my cushy job - {G}

That theory about not colonizing your second planet until late game? Well - My first colony ship goes out to find a really good planet out a ways because of the range bonus, but the second one bloody well colonizes mars, and before I do anything else, the third one just makes sure that Mars is profitable - especially if mars is only one square distant and you can move half your population there for free.

So it goes slower - just do what I do -  just use that extra time in cryostasis for the subconcious brainw . . . er, reminding your wonderful people of the glories of the Psilon way of life, um anyway, er, yeah that!

Jonnan, the vaguely benevolent dictator, when his meds are properly adjusted - {G}

Yeah, but those two worlds are going to cost you (Spitballing here) about 3 months more in game time before they become economically viable to expand, resulting in time lost either

A: population stagnancy because your taxes have to stay pegged to the right hand column, or

B: production loss from breaking the deficit ceiling and shutting down production.

So you may have your eight colonies out in time frame X, but my four colonies in the same time are coming online as full fledged colonies three months sooner, which means that they are producing their own colonies in turn three months sooner. In the mean time, because I don't *have* to keep my taxes quite so high, my colonies get a little larger before leaving +100% population growth territory and +25% population growth territory, which in the long run means I have more people, the larger population base means I don't have to keep my taxes so high which means . . . rinse and repeat . . .

I'll admit I stumbled across this strategy in a buggy game where the economics went down the toilet badly (1.96 didn't install right or something IIRC - it was kind of fun in a masochistical sort of way after I decided to run with it - {G})- I did this because I *had* to, not because I'm a particularly good theoretician, but I don't see any reason the principle doesn't translate over perfectly well just because the economy isn't in slow death mode - {G}.

At any rate - *I* have certainly had fun with it, although it may be worth noting that, despite my experiences playing the buggy economy game I had for awhile, I typically only play tough, so I readily grant the possibility that your opinion is shaped by, y'know, being a better player than me - {G}.

Jonnan

Short answer - Ah, actually, yeah, I *have* dropped 2*1.25b (and larger) colony ships on a planet in the early-mid game range.

And that's what I don't think you're processing - I lose out in the faster landgrab at the very early stage, but by the time this process get's really rolling, yeah I *Can* easily keep that many colonists going out orbit from my multiple, moderately populated but fully armed and operational battle . . . er, planets.

Literally, the hard part is getting *enough* colonists moving out.

Lemme put it this way - The spamming colony theory basically depends on the premise that, if you have enough population on your 'core worlds' they can pay for your 'colony worlds' till they're up and running

And if you were getting an additional benefit from your core worlds from doing so, I would agree - but both the morale system and the economic/tax system is designed to give diminishing returns, dx/y is always getting smaller on taxes, and same with morale. Influence is linear, so it doesn't help you to have one world of 16billion anymore than having two worlds of eight billion or four worlds of four billion.

But four worlds of four billion *are* producing population faster and *are* more economical than any of the others - eight worlds of two billion even moreso. You don't *want* more population than needed to pay for your colony and four factories running @ 100%.

So yeah - this theory is "screw the core worlds, get the colony worlds up *fast*", so they can pay for themselves, then they *can* build their own colony ships, because if you're going to be out the 10bc/turn until the colony becomes self-sufficient *anyway*, you might as well just skip that part - as long as you can keep your coreworlds up enough for them to pay for themselves it's *silly* to concentrate your population there - you need just enough industry going to keep popping out colony ships efficiently - no more, because your core world are actually getting support from the colony world - it can afford to take twice as long, because it's not doing it by itself, it has three colonies up and running doing the same thing.

Jonnan