Considering how many unblocked tiles there are, what kind of tile bonuses it has (Minerals is the key still, food and energy are required to ensure you can keep collecting minerals ) and where it is placed on the galaxy map (will you be getting a lot more territory from it, or just expanding within your borders). Figure out which of your eligible planets you want to settle first. Once you get to roughly +50 minerals per month you should start working on your first colony ship (unless you are getting close to the 2210 mark and you haven't built up the 7+ corvettes for pirate handling you need). Don't be shy about getting additional science ships either, you will need them. Once you have your construction ship building the outpost, you probably want to build another construction ship to build any remaining mining stations or research stations that give at least +2 science. You will want to prioritize visiting black holes, pulsars and neutron stars, since they always get at least a +3 bonus to engineering or physics, which you can then grab with your outpost without having to spend 90 minerals and 1 energy / month on a research station.
If you put them in the 150-175 influence cost range, the finished outpost should connect with your existing borders and cover a much larger area.Įarly on you should use your corvettes to visit the nearest neighbourhood and check if there are any hostiles and habitable planets near by. Distance-wise the influence-price of the outpost goes up, and can be used as a measuring stick for how far out you can place your outpost. So you want to be placing your initial outposts in a way where they cover a lot of systems that you are not going to be settling soon. We will be settling them very soon (unless you lucked out and got tiny planets). The standard empire start has 2 additional systems near by, with habitable planets of your starting type.
You need high armor for lasers/plasma to become relevant and that wont really happen the first 30 years or so)Īfter getting the second science ship up and running, you should focus on building your first frontier outpost. Particles/Materials/Rocketry depending on your starting weapon choice (I would generally advice against starting with lasers. Statecraft: Gets you all the +influence techsĬomputers: Gives you research assist & influence discounts on building colonies and frontier outposts Industry: Gets you higher levels of mines and power plants Voidcraft: Gets you higher levels of spaceports and ships When doing so, prioritize the following skillsets: Either way, at some point you will get your second science ship built at which point you have to recruit a new scientist. Depending on your luck you might get 10+ minerals just in your home system alone, or you might have nothing at all within your initial borders. This means you should keep postponing your science ship as long as your construction ship has mining stations to build. You will want to get a second science ship out exploring as soon as possible, but never at the expense of building mining stations you have already located. For the rest of the buildings I prioritize using tile bonuses and then clearing and building mineral/energy/food as populations come online and you need to stay in the positive for energy and food This will double your initial unity production and allow you to get 2-3 early traditions. As soon as it completes, move a pop from either energy or science over to work it. Personally I like to build the autochton monument as the first structure on your planet, preferable on a tile with no bonuses, otherwise put it on a +1 food or science bonus. For this reason you should get your first science ship working on surveying your home system and split your initial fleet up into single corvettes and have them scout your immediate neighbourhood (if you are playing wormhole, just send out a single corvette and leave rest in orbit). Orbital mining stations offer a solid return on investment throughout the early game, and should always be a priority for you to build. Without minerals, we cannot do anything useful and everything falls apart. Your first priority is securing a higher income of minerals. Are there any black holes or pulsars near by that would be obvious outpost candidates (more on that later). Where in the galaxy are you located and what immediate regions should you scout with your fleet right of the bat. How many systems are within your initial border area. At the very start of the game, you should take a brief moment to assess your options.