Colony population/quality largely irrelevant

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Colony population/quality largely irrelevant

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Colony population/quality largely irrelevant - 7/19/2014 6:37:50 PM

corwin90

Posts: 48
Joined: 7/14/2014
Status: offline

I just won my first game playing as Humans in a Pre-Warp Empire in an 8x8 galaxy with 700 star systems. Coming from a game like Master of Orion, I was disappointed to find that colony population / quality seemed largely irrelevant on:

1. Research
2. Ship production speed
3. Money

1. Research - The planet quality / size probably does affect your empire's strategic value. This should, in turn, produce a very slight and largely unnoticeable (IMO) increase to your research capacity and thus your research. At the end of the game, it felt like my 20 colonies seemed to have very close to the same research potential as my first starting colony. It definitely did not feel like I was researching any faster. Maybe that is because the higher techs are so much more expensive?

2. Ship Production - Once you build the Shipyards wonder at home world, every other planet / space port is, at best 1/3 speed. (Yes, you get increased repair / retrofit speed at remote locations. But it is home world that is cranking out colony ships, warships, etc.)

3. Money - I never raised the tax rate at these colonies above 0% so I never saw any tax revenue from any colony besides home world. Its taxes essentially paid for the entire empire.

Playing Master of Orion, once I fully populated and developed my first colony, I had effectively doubled my research, ship production and money. Then, adding a third planet tripled it, etc. Playing Distant Worlds, it just does not feel like there is as much a difference with the addition of each new colony. I am doing it to win the game and achieve the victory conditions. I am *not* doing it to increase my research, ship production or money.

Post #: 1

RE: Colony population/quality largely irrelevant - 7/19/2014 7:48:51 PM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

Research potential is capped.

And with very easy galaxy settings, the game is indeed easy. As it will be if you work hard to exploit every possible exploit option on somewhat hard settings :)

Quality and population is a key to getting high revenue that can be taxed.

(in reply to corwin90)

Post #: 2

RE: Colony population/quality largely irrelevant - 7/19/2014 10:10:38 PM

Tcby

Posts: 342
Joined: 12/16/2013
From: Australia
Status: offline

Hi corwin,
Research potential is based on population, and is capped. The cap is not so low that maxing out your starting planet will result in almost all your research capacity being achieved. Acquiring additional planets and getting them to high population is essential to maximising your research output.

On the subject of your experiences...It shouldn't strictly matter whether you felt like you were researching faster; you can see your exact research output at any time by going to the research tab. Did you notice that your research potential was increasing? Do you know how research potential / capacity works?

Regarding production, you seem to have indicated that you understand that population does influence production. The difference between a highly populated planet and one just colonized is enormous in terms of planetary construction speed. It is true that the planet with Bakuras is faster still...but if you have a large empire there is strategic benefit in having planets with high construction speed across your empire, rather than in a single location. When your need to get a constructor to a location 10 sectors from your capital, it is still faster to build it at a non-bakuras planet that is closer to the location.

I agree that in small galaxies games, or short games in general, the effect of the wonder is that all other production yards lose importance.

In terms of money, it is also tied to pop and quality. That you played a game that didn't require any additional money past that of the capital is fine...just set up a game that isn't so forgiving.

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 3

RE: Colony population/quality largely irrelevant - 7/21/2014 12:21:00 AM

Carl4243

Posts: 31
Joined: 4/17/2011
Status: offline

If you have a planet that is below 50% quality, i believe in most (if not all) situations that colonly will always be at a Loss on taxable Income... basically, it's gonna cost you more then you can make off it to keep that planet fully operational and supplied/guarded ect.

as others have said, it sounds like you have the game on Easy mode for your settings, as i have never been able to win or complete a game with just the homeworlds income... i also dont typically play small maps where that could likely be the reason... i also custom build all my ships and stations from the get-go and they tend to be very expensive (but well made).

(in reply to Tcby)

Post #: 4