Colony-build strategy: the all-X approach

All-factories, all-labs and all-finance explained

Hi!
After noticing there's not a single page where those advanced planet-build strategies are explained, I created the topic on wiki: Colony-build strategy: the all-X approach . It's still a work in progres, so if you want to add or change something, go ahead.   

BR, Iztok
14,239 views 9 replies
Reply #1 Top
Sometimes when I use mass drivers on a planet I can get 7 or 8 X's all at once, that really helps in my "all-X" strategy...

No seriously, thats pretty cool you started one up, good info
Reply #2 Top
I did notice a few paragraphs up on that link, theres a line that states putting a farm on a +300 percent farm tile is the same as +3 PQ. Thats not right is it? Adding pop cap doesn't expand more useable tiles like +3 PQ would, does it?
Reply #3 Top
I made some English language changes to the wiki page. The first paragraph still needs some changes, but I was hesitant to change it without risking accidentally changing the meaning of the text.

BTW Good idea to wiki it. I couldn't find anything comprehensive on the subject myself. I think it kind of grew organically across a couple of threads and took off once Wyndstar did his AAR.
Reply #4 Top
Thanks for responding to my request!
Reply #5 Top
You can find my tech trade for planets strategy and my turbo spore strategy in other posts in the strategy forum if you can't find them let me know. They are both all research strategies.

There's a new strategy I've been working on:

100% Military spending

Preferred Galaxy Settings-Low number of races, Abundant everything, Gigantic, Very Slow Research

Race Stats:
Super Adapter
+2 Speed
+50 military
+10 morale
+10 social
Creativity
Industrialist

Techs:
Start with sensors

You build a starport on any planet and colonize as many planets as possible. AFter you're done building you set your focus on research otherwise you focus social.

If there are any factory bonus tiles then you build a factory on that spot. If PQ is 8 or higher then you build markets on the other squares.

Use size 24 for constructors and colony ships, size 16 for survey. Spam colony ships. If any resources are nearby grab em' with constructors. If neither are nearby spam survey ships.
Reply #6 Top
Piznit, what he probably means is that you save the building space of three additional farms, thus a +300% tile is the equivalent of +3PQ restricted to farming.

Still, I would not use that tile or else you can use the rest of the planet for entertainment centers.
Reply #7 Top
Has anyone experimented with a "mixed" All-X strategy? I like to place the corresponding improvement to bonus tiles (except farming) and if the planet has Research bonus tiles, I go (modified) All Research on that planet, defaulting to All Industry for the others. My initial build order of tiles for my PQ11+ planets is 4 Production tiles (or equivalent if there are bonus tiles), 1 Farm (so that I can eventually default to 13 billion population) and an optional starport. Smaller planets default to All Bank and special goodies that I can afford to buy outright, and to All Research if they happen to have Research bonus tiles.

So, is this too mixed to be called an "All-X" strategy? heh.
Reply #8 Top
Has anyone experimented with a "mixed" All-X strategy?
End of quote


If by "mixed" you mean starting with one strategy and switching to another mid-game, then yes, it's been done. If you just mean building all of one building type on specific planets... that's not exactly an all-x strategy.

The all factories or all labs (or all econ) strategies get their strength from setting your sliders to x/x/0 or 0/0/100 and gaining the full production/research bonus from your buildings. If you do it on a planet by planet basis, then you've probably got your sliders more evened out, which means you are not going to get anywhere near the research/production you would in an all-x strategy.

This is not to say that focusing planets on one kind of production in a normal game is not beneficial. If you're not using an all-x strategy, then building one specific building type on a planet (like making your industrial capitol an all factory world) is still quite useful.
Reply #9 Top
Hi!
Has anyone experimented with a "mixed" All-X strategy? I like to place the corresponding improvement to bonus tiles (except farming) and if the planet has Research bonus tiles, I go (modified) All Research on that planet, defaulting to All Industry for the others.
End of quote

You can't go all-factories on one planet and all-labs on the other. The way sliders work prevents that. If you do that is that a mixed aproach.

Although in one suicidal game with very few planets I did an almost "all-labs" with ~10% spending into factories, but I had only 3 planets and on my HW was a precursor mine (+700% production). In mid game, with some SB support and focus on production those ~10% for factories produced there a tiny-hull constructor each turn. IIRC when the game ended I had my HW and the secondary planet covered with ~12 fully upgraded econ SBs. Over 1500 BCs from trade was not enough to support all my spendings. I had to convert some HWs from conquered AIs into "cash cows".

BR, Iztok