Orbital tip - basic infrastructure includes expanding ground based orbital coverage first and exploiting Firaxis geostationary properties
- Thread starter s0nny80y
- Start date
vorlon_mi
Emperor
Yes, orbital units are both fun and challenging.
In the early game, I like getting free Solar Collectors out of resource pods. I don't very often build my own Solar Collectors; maybe I should?
In the mid-game (between turn 120 and 200), I usually build Station Sentinels over the stations I'm trading with. I try to expand my orbital coverage to cover them. Yes, the visibility over Firaxite sites is very helpful.
In the late game, I like to build a couple of spy satellites on the edge of my lands, so that I know when an AI invasion group is coming. Having a few turns warning helps me reposition my ships, or rebase my planes. Another experienced player recommends using Orbital Lasers instead of Spy Satellites -- does the same job, but can also shoot. Since I usually research the tech for Spy Satellites sooner than Orbital Lasers, I don't follow that advice as often as I could.
I use the other orbital units less often; it's more map dependent. If I have a swath of land covered with miasma, building one or two repulsors is much more effective than using workers to clear it one hex at a time. I've built a few Tacnet Hubs to hover over a city that the AI loves to attack. I've built a couple of Rocktopus, just for fun. I've not seen many maps where I lack the resources that the Weather Controller or Orbital Fabricator would generate. Most games, I have enough cities on good land that my empire *as a whole* has enough Firaxite or Floatstone. When I really, really, REALLY want a Contact victory, I may need to build the Deep Space Telescope to get the 2nd piece of the signal. Takes a lot of techs, though.
Though now that I think about it, I have settled some Tundra cities that might have benefited from an orbital "gift" of resources, to make them more productive. In the mid- to late-game, I find myself either settling or conquering cities on lower quality land. Maybe some Weather Controllers might make sense.
In the early game, I like getting free Solar Collectors out of resource pods. I don't very often build my own Solar Collectors; maybe I should?
In the mid-game (between turn 120 and 200), I usually build Station Sentinels over the stations I'm trading with. I try to expand my orbital coverage to cover them. Yes, the visibility over Firaxite sites is very helpful.
In the late game, I like to build a couple of spy satellites on the edge of my lands, so that I know when an AI invasion group is coming. Having a few turns warning helps me reposition my ships, or rebase my planes. Another experienced player recommends using Orbital Lasers instead of Spy Satellites -- does the same job, but can also shoot. Since I usually research the tech for Spy Satellites sooner than Orbital Lasers, I don't follow that advice as often as I could.
I use the other orbital units less often; it's more map dependent. If I have a swath of land covered with miasma, building one or two repulsors is much more effective than using workers to clear it one hex at a time. I've built a few Tacnet Hubs to hover over a city that the AI loves to attack. I've built a couple of Rocktopus, just for fun. I've not seen many maps where I lack the resources that the Weather Controller or Orbital Fabricator would generate. Most games, I have enough cities on good land that my empire *as a whole* has enough Firaxite or Floatstone. When I really, really, REALLY want a Contact victory, I may need to build the Deep Space Telescope to get the 2nd piece of the signal. Takes a lot of techs, though.
Though now that I think about it, I have settled some Tundra cities that might have benefited from an orbital "gift" of resources, to make them more productive. In the mid- to late-game, I find myself either settling or conquering cities on lower quality land. Maybe some Weather Controllers might make sense.
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