Free Settler is a trap

[Soffacet]

"Colony Initiative" does not unlock new policies to continue down the Prosperity tree. So picking it offsets the acquisition of every policy for the rest of the game. Settlers are easy to build anyways, especially with (very common) 80-hammer expeditions. Delaying Settler Clans, Mind over Matter, Eudaimonia, and Might/Knowledge/Industry (2nd tree) is a mistake.

Discuss.

 

[tommynt]

not getting free settler is a trap, free settler speeds trade routes and everything by 10+ turns, Thats huge. sp fly in every 5-10 turns later anyway - so no loss there.

 

[sprang]

Trade routes are OP.

Therefore, fast free colony is always worth it. Save your cash to rush the routes and you'll come out ahead every time.

 

[Matthew.]

You can get settler without Pioneering :O

 

[Meridian36]

free settler given how strong the trade routes are is defenitly not a trap. The whole idea is to spam as much cities asap to get the traderoutes going.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Since you're really spending two policies rather than one (because you want the Worker and it's on the shortest path down the left side where everything really good is), there may be something to this argument.

I still tend to think that the free colonist is well worth it given trade routes in their present condition, but it's worth revisiting once trade routes get the nerf hammer if the left side Prosperity virtues remain worthwhile after they get nerfed.

Settler Clans IS a trap, again because trade routes. 39 quickly dwindles to being well under a pop point. That bonus was amazing in SMAC where it more or less doubled or tripled your initial production and got you two steps closer to the almighty size 5 and Librarians, but here the marginal production benefit is minimal and you rip through the early growth steps to large boxes in short order.

 

[tommynt]

dont think i want the free worker even close to as much - even more when considering sp conditions where one can steal workers.

I agree though that the whole tree is pretty weak after these 1. 4 or 5 sp .

 

[Martin Alvito]

It's not so much that I want the free Worker as that I want Gift Economy and Joy from Variety ASAP. Plus I get more or less infinite Expeditions along the way.

 

[tommynt]

i actually think that going deeper in tree slows going down science tree too much - but then i m pretty clueless and played only 1,5 games.

But espacially this expidition thing comes WAY too late to be useful. cant see expetitions left so late in a competetive environment (ie mp or patched deity ai)

 

[Martin Alvito]

The problem isn't the AI, it's how late (and where) they land in some games. It's very possible to need four Expeditions for several Explorers. That needs to get patched out.

Agreed that in MP that particular policy would be rubbish, and that Gift Economy would be a lot less attractive.

 

[tommynt]

for close expeditions when can just refill explorers in cities ... and as said far away one SHOULD not be left late.

 

[Minor Annoyance]

I think the reason these policies are not required for later ones is specifically because they're only useful at the very beginning. If you start with another tree and then start this one then you can skip the policies that are only useful in the very early game.

 

[Arilian]

I am pretty sure it worth 1 virtue to get the trade routes start early.
It might not be so important if you have 2 stations nearby.

But I am also pretty clueless too

 

[omniclast]

But espacially this expidition thing comes WAY too late to be useful. cant see expetitions left so late in a competetive environment (ie mp or patched deity ai)

AI is very bad at pulling in expeditions on island maps. Played an equatorial map where I picked up this virtue and got 15+ expeditions over the course of the game... was still getting them after turn 150 which was pretty sweet since they scale over time. Anyway Deity AI might not be so bad.

 

[Strategist83]

Don't think free Settler is a trap - rather, seems not getting it every game, is. It's 186 free production at a very early stage in the game and doesn't require you to block city growth training a Colonist yourself. As mentioned, with how excessively powerful (REALLY needs patching) trade routes are, it is by far the best early policy in the game. I don't think nether the fact that it doesn't lead to any subsequent virtues (dead end) nor that it offers no new advantages other than the single free Colonist are enough to offset just how powerful this virtue is.

 

[Ryika]

I don't think its a trap. Yeah, there are some trade offs, but it basically a virtue that boosts your capital by ~13-20 turns. Or boosts the amount of cities, and thus trade routes, you have at any point in the game by 1 (3).

And who cares about Settler Clans when he can have trade routes?
Mind over matter... who cares about health! I've got trade routes!
Same for Eudaimonia.
And most techs in other trees scale with the amount of cities/citizens anyway, so I don't even consider that a trade-off. Yes, you get them later, but the the bonus itself will already be stronger. Not really sure if that pays for itself 100%, but who cares about percent bonuses when he can have trade routes.

Can I has more trade routes please?