Is the Space Elevator worth it?

[Culture Bomb]

My probable answer, based on my fairly limited skill at this game, would be 'no,' because in general I find that by the time I finish building it, the spaceship is nearly finished anyway so it might not save as many hammers as the cost to build it.

The only exception to this is if you have one, or preferably two, Great Engineers (maybe one from Fusion and one generated in the normal way.) In this case the Space Elevator can be rushed, which allows those GEs to contribute to the spaceship in a way they couldn't normally as the spaceship parts cannot be rushed.

 

[Ataxerxes]

My probable answer, based on my fairly limited skill at this game, would be 'no,' because in general I find that by the time I finish building it, the spaceship is nearly finished anyway so it might not save as many hammers as the cost to build it.

That's been my impression. Another consideration is the deviation in the tech choices. Robotics for the space elevator doesn't enable a spaceship part so that's another cost. If I have a reasonable sized empire, I usually find I can handle the production costs without the elevator, but that the extra tech to research slows me down.

 

[Izanaki]

The benefit is very marginal, it can speed up the building a little bit if you rush it with great engineers bust most of the time it's not worth the trouble.

It looks nice though

 

[Yxklyx]

I think it could be useful if there are three or more civs (including yours) all about equal in the space race and you've built The Internet and hope to get some of the space race techs from that.

 

[NihilZero]

Consider this scenario - it's 1840, you are a dozen or so techs behind, beelining Computers to get the internet. Most of the other civs have finished the Apollo project decades ago and are building spaceship parts, but you don't even have Artillery yet, let alone Rocketry.

After Computers, you go for Robotics next. The Internet succeeds, filling in six to twelve vital techs, including numerous spaceship part ones. You tech Robotics, build the Space Elevator, complete Apollo and throw together a spaceship at breakneck speed for the win.

 

[Brownsfan02]

I don't think it's worth it since I am usually winning

 

[Culture Bomb]

Consider this scenario - it's 1840, you are a dozen or so techs behind, beelining Computers to get the internet. Most of the other civs have finished the Apollo project decades ago and are building spaceship parts, but you don't even have Artillery yet, let alone Rocketry.

After Computers, you go for Robotics next. The Internet succeeds, filling in six to twelve vital techs, including numerous spaceship part ones. You tech Robotics, build the Space Elevator, complete Apollo and throw together a spaceship at breakneck speed for the win.

That's very good in theory, but actually I have never got much use out of the internet either; if I'm far enough behind to need it, it's fairly unlikely I will be able to get it.

 

[beest]

My probable answer, based on my fairly limited skill at this game, would be 'no,' because in general I find that by the time I finish building it, the spaceship is nearly finished anyway so it might not save as many hammers as the cost to build it.

The only exception to this is if you have one, or preferably two, Great Engineers (maybe one from Fusion and one generated in the normal way.) In this case the Space Elevator can be rushed, which allows those GEs to contribute to the spaceship in a way they couldn't normally as the spaceship parts cannot be rushed.

I usually build it. I b-line to the space elevator, save an great engineer for it, finish it in my ironworks city and then start building the space ship parts. It works quite nice for me on emperor with normal speed. I probably would win the space race without as well though, but then again, most wonders you can do without. I do think this one is quite good.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Consider this scenario - it's 1840, you are a dozen or so techs behind, beelining Computers to get the internet. Most of the other civs have finished the Apollo project decades ago and are building spaceship parts, but you don't even have Artillery yet, let alone Rocketry.

After Computers, you go for Robotics next. The Internet succeeds, filling in six to twelve vital techs, including numerous spaceship part ones. You tech Robotics, build the Space Elevator, complete Apollo and throw together a spaceship at breakneck speed for the win.

Teching robotics still loses out normally. The AI tends not to go for genetics or fusion early, so you can start teching something that will actually help you out.

With the multipliers, aluminum, and labs, you already have 250% hammers towards space parts. SE gets you another 50%.

In a city with say 50 base , the wonder gets you an extra 25 in a city already producing 175. It might save you a turn or so on space parts, but you generally won't tech robotics in 1-2 turns. Usually one can keep up production with their tech in a space race, meaning that you'll have the parts built regardless by the time you reach your next tech.

Although sure, go for it in games where you have so many cities that the others can all build parts and you have some left over. In most games that are contested it is a hindrance to pursue it.

 

[UTOPIA6666]

hello all, my question is simple, I play Noble and I usually end up in a struggle for time. Is it because I dont trade enough techs???? In other words, I always reach techs such as robotics, compistes, etc very late in the game. I never make it in time to build my last 2 or three components for my ship, what am I doning wrong????

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Sounds like you have either too few cities (you want about 15+ ideally for space) or not enough commerce in cities (usually not specialising cities correctly).

Trading techs is something you should do a lot anyway, especially in the mid-game, unless you have a big lead.

You are building Oxford University in your best science city too, I hope. And you should have a city that concentrates on GP production with lots of food and the National Epic.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

If you can't win before 2050 even with tech trades off and shackled to 6 cities on a standard map, then you are picking the wrong buildings, tile improvements, and not managing your and health caps.

Start with the basics ---> read up on guides to tile improvements/empire development, then diplomacy. Civ isn't something you get good at instantly, but it's good to have a focus. You can get pretty high in difficulty via unit spam though.

 

[PieceOfMind]

If you can't win before 2050 even with tech trades off and shackled to 6 cities on a standard map, then you are picking the wrong buildings, tile improvements, and not managing your and health caps.

Start with the basics ---> read up on guides to tile improvements/empire development, then diplomacy. Civ isn't something you get good at instantly, but it's good to have a focus. You can get pretty high in difficulty via unit spam though.

You were too modest to include a link to your own guide!

 

[Trev]

Robotics is useful for the weaponry it allows, ie Mech Infantry. Often I research it for this purpose, so the question is not so much the time to research the tech as the time to build the Elevator. Most games I find myself waiting to learn techs to build more parts, so i can spare a city to build the Elevator if it is avaialble, and it is good not to let the AI have another advantage.

 

[catfish99]

Robotics is useful for the weaponry it allows, ie Mech Infantry. Often I research it for this purpose, so the question is not so much the time to research the tech as the time to build the Elevator. Most games I find myself waiting to learn techs to build more parts, so i can spare a city to build the Elevator if it is avaialble, and it is good not to let the AI have another advantage.

I've seen threads similar to this one before. Usually most of the posters say the Elevator is not worth the hammers spent on Robotics, but this ignores the huge value of Mech Infantry in either defending against an attack after you launch, or in attacking the enemy capital after he/she launches.
I've made late runs from behind to grab Al Gore, and popped things like Composites, Lasar and Superconductors which the space ship leaders already had in hand. At that point, you usually need to spend some hammers building labs and some upgraded military (Modern Armor, Mobile Artillery, etc.). No reason not to combine an Engineer and your best hammer city for the Elevator, and get the hammer savings on the parts. The delay of turns for researching Robotics will take place during your lab building period, and you can crank out military while you wait a few extra turns for the Wonder to finish. The net will be at worst a push, and you will have the extra units in hand to attack or defend during the flight turns.

 

[CHEESE!]

throw together a spaceship

 

[r_rolo1]

@catfish

You are right ... and wrong

Ok, Mechs have a good military value, but that is irrelevant for a space win ... in fact, if you are concerned with Mechs is because you haven't really commited to win by space so far or atleast it is not safe enough to start concentrating in that ATM ( and there you also have to consider the value of those hammers as mechs vs the value of those hammers either as SS parts or as the Space elevator ). And about using a GE or two ... well, then you have to consider the possible benefits of a GA vs the benefits of rushing the space elevator with them as well. It is not that unlikely that a well timed GA using that engineer will not surpass in terms of SS build the benefits ( especially because a GA acts on the raw hammers output, that will be multiplied later ) ...

In the end, as always, it is a matter of tradeoffs

 

[twansalem]

Consider this scenario - it's 1840, you are a dozen or so techs behind, beelining Computers to get the internet. Most of the other civs have finished the Apollo project decades ago and are building spaceship parts, but you don't even have Artillery yet, let alone Rocketry.

After Computers, you go for Robotics next. The Internet succeeds, filling in six to twelve vital techs, including numerous spaceship part ones. You tech Robotics, build the Space Elevator, complete Apollo and throw together a spaceship at breakneck speed for the win.

I've won several space race victories on Prince basically using this strategy. I don't know whether it is realistically possible on higher difficulties.

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Getting the internet was key to my immortal space race win with Darius.

I didn't build no stinkin' space elevator though

 

[TheMeInTeam]

If you have uranium mechinf are trash defensively compared to tactical nukes...offensively too. Very handy since the space techs alone are sufficient for them .