My Starting Strategy as University -- Please Help me Improve

[TROOPERBLUE]

University Strategy –
Goal #1: Build City (Preferably on a River Square, but other squares near any special resource works as well. The important thing is that it is done within the first 3-4 turns.
Goal #2: Explore with first Independent Scout Unit (just around the city Radius) and pick up all Supply Pods in that Surrounding Area.
Goal #3: Continue Building Scout Patrols in your first city (at least 1, preferably more) depending on the turns it takes to grow to the next level and the turns it takes to build a Colony Pod. Basically, Stop Producing Scout Patrols when it takes more turns to build a Colony Pod than it takes to grow the city to Size 2. Usually 1-3 is a good number.
Goal #4: Explore with all newly built Scout Patrols and Hold the Independent one in the Base city square. Reason – Because it is Independent it is like having a Free Clean Reactor (takes no support) and is more valuable there (less likely to lose it to mind worms from exploring and is more valuable, if kept.)
Goal #5: Explore within your Borders and Colonize as much as you can
Goal #6: Get Free Market ASAP and switch to it.
Goal #7: Get Secrets of the Human Brain ASAP
Goal #8: Get Democratic ASAP and switch to it.
Goal #9: Get Formers (Centauri Ecology) and Gene Splicing
Goal #10: Now that you have the Basics, it is important to Research Military Technology – like Nonlinear Mathematics for example.

The Reason why Free Market and Democratic are chosen are not only for allies, Lal and Morgan who shares this belief system, but for the improvement of City Growth and Economy. Free Market is preferred over Green because Green = No Population Boom, ever and Planned = no ally. The Reason why Democratic is preferred is because of Population Boom Potential later on – all that is needed is a Golden Age and a Children’s Crèche, although I dont like the minus to Support, but that is something you can deal with.

 

[Petek]

I often play the University. Here's how I usually start out. (This assumes playing on a huge map, or even larger. On smaller maps, you may have to adjust if you meet an unfriendly AI early. Also, this strategy is for playing at Transcend level.)

The Uni's main advantage is super fast research at the beginning of the game. This allows you to beeline to Industrial Automation for crawlers and Wealth. So, my initial research path is

Centauri Ecology (free tech)
Industrial Base
Industrial Economics
Planetary Networks
Industrial Auto

(If you're unfamiliar with the power of crawlers, see the article about crawlers on this page.)

Meanwhile, each base builds a former, then a scout and then a colony pod. Formers are rushed, if there's sufficient energy. Each former first builds a farm (if no square in the base radius produces 2 nuts), then roads and forests. I might explore with the scouts, but try to return to base before getting drone riots.

Once I get Ind Auto, core bases produce crawlers. Outer bases continue to produce more Colony Pods. The crawlers work the forests that I built earlier until the core bases produce around 16 minerals. Then I start on Secret Projects.

I will switch to Planned, Wealth ASAP to maximize production, both for crawlers and SPs. Then switch to Free Market after building the Virtual World.

Your strategy of going for Secrets of the Human Brain has the disadvantage that it delays getting Ind Auto, even if you do get a free tech. Also, switching early to Demo has the disadvantage that new bases no longer receive 10 free minerals. This delays getting out the former, or whatever you decide to build first in the base. I usually don't switch to Demo until after the initial round of base building is over, or I build the Planetary Transit System SP. OTOH, an early switch to Free Market is reasonable, especially at lower difficulty levels in which drones aren't so much of a problem.

Hope you find this useful.

 

[TROOPERBLUE]

I agree with your Method of Bee-lineing to Industrial Automation to get to Wealth and Crawlers. Also, with getting Centauri Ecology first because that gives you something to build in the mean-time while your city grows besides just Scout Patrols and it is productive by improveing resources, sometimes even more so than Recycling Tanks in the beginning.

I just thought of an improvement.... that is to build your city on top of nutrients and other special resources, just not on top of rocky areas, mine them, that way you dont need farms, you could just mass produce forest around it which is more efficient anyway, and with Tree Farms and Hybrid Forests later (a long term strategy) it may work. However, if a square produces 2 food by itself naturally or more, then it is better to farm and solar it, i believe. Just need Gene Splicing for 3+ nutrients.

Also, I dont know the best way to expand population the fastest -- I generally get 5-10 population by 50 turns into the game and about 20-40 population by 100 turns into the game (I would like to increase that). Is it best to build Colony Pods at size 1, 2, 3, or 4? Before or after Recyling Tanks and Children's Creche.

I did find your reply useful. Thanks.

Also, I think maybe I dont need Secrets of the Human Brain now until maybe after Hybrid Forests? or is that too long of a wait? By skipping it, i can get to other techs more quickily.