Mid/Late-Game Factory Strategy Question

Which factory do you build on new planets late?

In the mid/late-game when you have decent factory technology and conquer a new planet or found a new colony, has anyone looked at an optimized strategy for factory building?

I notice that the leadtime on ind sectors or mfg centers is very long, is it worthwhile to build cheaper Enhanced factories, etc to build to get more industry quicker then waiting for a full id sector build?

I've seen a lot of math breakdowns of the other game trades like weapon cost/weight on these boards but haven't found an optimized factory breakdown.

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Hi!

I've seen a lot of math breakdowns of the other game trades like weapon cost/weight on these boards but haven't found an optimized factory breakdown.

Maybe because that's not a victory-or-defeat issue?

In mid or late game I usually "plant" mid-tech buildings on a new planet first. They are cheaper (== faster) to build, and I can also afford to outright buy one or two, which speeds development of that planet even further. Buildings that I use are Factory, Trade Center and Basic Lab (Xeno costs 2 BC upkeep). If I'm rich, or there's a 300% bonus tile, then I could use Enhanced Factory or Research Academy. And that's about it.

BR, Iztok

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If I'm a Super Hive, I will just pay to build them since they are cheaper anyhow. If I'm not, I will usually drop an enhanced factory or 2 and then upgrade them at some point later.

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I too support the strat of building less-than-highest-production factories initially then upgrading once the planet has sufficient production.

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I don't know if there is an optimized strategy for building factories in the mid-late game phase. It will depend on how much of your current production capacity you can afford to use. If you are building a high level industrial sector but only using 30% of it, then you are wasting time and money. On the otherhand, you may need top notch industry to build up a planet in a hurry for tactical reasons. It also depends on what you are planning to do with the planet, i.e., crank out capital ships or become a research mecca.

On a side note, I've never played Civ4 (I'm sure it is great), but if there is a mathematical formula that can tell you the best strategy, then that is a game weakness, in my opinion.

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