Flexible Starting Locations...

[Concept]

Given: Random - Standard Planet Size. (Not knowing the Map).

Question: How many squares would you "Move" your 1st Colony Pod... For?

Prioritize City Square:
1. Nutrient Resources.
2. Mineral Resources.
3. Energy Resources.
4. River Square.
5. Next to the Coast.
6. Near a Monolith.
7. Near a "2 Nutrient" Square.
8. Give Up for anything "Special."

 

[Petek]

Hi Concept,

About the only time I'd move my first Colony Pod from its original square would be to gain access to a "2 Nutrient" square. And I wouldn't even do that if I started with Centauri Ecology (which allows me to build a former right away). If your first base doesn't have 2 nutrients, it'll take a long time to crank out another Colony Pod. If I start on a river square, then I might be tempted to move a couple of squares to look for a better location. Other than that, I think it's best to found your bases right away.

Petek

 

[OpheliaImmortal]

yeah. i'm not willing to move very far at all. 1 tile max

 

[GooglyBoogly]

I have been known to move my colony pod into the transport you start with if starting on an extremely small island

 

[vyeh]

Except for a case like GooglyBoogly, I prefer to build my base the first turn. Perhaps if I had a situation where there were two resource bonuses visible and you could build a base on one and work the other, I would move the CP to one of the resource bonuses.

 

[chuft]

Being a compulsive perfectionist builder, I always try to have my cities have no overlap in their city radii and to have high quality tiles if possible. Often that means moving the initial pods around a lot till I find some juicy bonus tiles, a monolith or two, or at least some nice river and rainy tiles. Fortunately the AI is weak enough that I can usually indulge my sci-fi gardening impulse.

 

[Concept]

So, am I to Understand that: In General, it doesn't matter where you Found your First city, except if you HAD to gain access to a "2 Nutrient Square" - up to a distance of 1 tile away because the Cost of Exploring for Each Additional Turn (time) > any added Benefit you'd get with Better Resources? Also, with Formers built immediately.... a Farm is Easy to do!

So, let's say you started next to a river, that is 1 tile away from the Coast... Is there NOT any Benefit moving it to that square? And, if there was a Nutrient Resource next to that, would it Not Be Best to Build a City on that Square???

 

[vyeh]

A coastal square may be a disadvantage because it is more vulnerable to attack and sea squares do not have the terraforming potential land squares have.