Poll: Best Cargo

[OldEarthRelic]

Criteria: Maximize chance of winning on higher levels on standard maps (whatever they are)

 

[KrikkitTwo]

You missed machinery (Worker)..and you should probably describe the actual bonus.

 

[OldEarthRelic]

****. Can I edit a poll?

 

[Acken]

The best cargo isn't in the poll !

 

[The Dark Knight]

****. Can I edit a poll?

Don't think u can, i tried it with my original poll about colonists but couldn't do it...

 

[DarkestOnion]

Machinery definitely. My second choice would be Laboratory in order to get earlier access to Pioneering Leaf Techs. Although Laboratory would also make Settlers available on Turn 1, I do not intend to risk the loss of an un-escorted Settler with Alien Nests lurking in the FoW.

 

[Shafi-is-back]

+1 for machinery. it isnt in the poll though

 

[3of5]

i too think machinery is the best possible It takes around 6 turns (or 3 with refugees) to get to pop 2 but with 2 of the possible 3 yield from an unimproved ressource tile (+1 energy if there is a river) actually needed to support that additional population, it won't make your building that much faster. Instead with the ability to terraform tiles from teh beginning you can make harvesting more efficient fast AND can use the first build order to crank out that second explorer. By the time you go for the relic or a small initial army you might already be ahead of a more stagnating civ that started with more pop but hat do choose if construct the worker or an explorer (or has to send of a soldier to scout, you'd barely use offensively anway before turn 25). Basically the worker is a way to have it both, getting the first city more effective AND faster exploration at the same time. What you loose out on is some research from more pop for the first 10 turns, easily compensated if you find 1-2 pods more with that second explorer you construct instead of the worker.

 

[joncnunn]

I'll go with Raw Materials. A free building on turn 0 producing both Science AND Health? Yes, please. This is really going to speed up the first couple of techs.

If BE uses the same population function that Civ V does, the second population point won't do much good since it only takes about 8 turns for that while to grow from 2 to 3 takes 16 to 24 turns. (It's the same reason that the Shoshone wait for their capital to already be size 2 before choosing the refugees)

Labs appears to be most popular at the moment, but are you going to be allowed to build a settler at all while at size 1? Is it even a good idea considering that growth is likely to halt and that some of the aliens may want to eat your colonists if you don't have a military unit to defend them? The trade route also won't do any good until there's something to trade with.

Machinery is just as well left off, would you even have the tech to do anything with your worker on turn 0? And another case that they could be dinner for the aliens.

Weapons Arsenal is also appealing to me, but it depends upon what both the stats of the unit it supplies and weather or not that's a unit able to be built on turn 0 and cost to construct.

 

[3of5]

Machinery is just as well left off, would you even have the tech to do anything with your worker on turn 0? And another case that they could be dinner for the aliens.

you can build Generators (+2 energy), farms (+1 food), mines (+1 prod), and the improvements to benefit from basic ressources (quarries, paddocks, mines and plantations) right off the bat. You are not able to improve strategic ressources yet (although the observatory building from physics requires improved firaxite, so maybe you can harvest that with a mine, but floatstone quarry and xenomass well seem to be off limit).

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Weapons Arsenal, and I don't think it's even close. The problem with a worker from the start is that it an be rendered useless by aliens. If one of those buggers wanders near your border you'll have to order your worker to hide in the city and do nothing until the danger has passed and possibly destroyed the improvements you have built. With a soldier you have another scout that can grab pods, protect/assist your explorer and protect protect your worker.

 

[Acken]

Weapons Arsenal, and I don't think it's even close. The problem with a worker from the start is that it an be rendered useless by aliens. If one of those buggers wanders near your border you'll have to order your worker to hide in the city and do nothing until the danger has passed and possibly destroyed the improvements you have built. With a soldier you have another scout that can grab pods, protect/assist your explorer and protect protect your worker.

You mean your extra soldier will be able to protect your worker that you build ?
Like how your extra worker can be protected by the soldier that you build ?

 

[MadDjinn]

You mean your extra soldier will be able to protect your worker that you build ?
Like how your extra worker can be protected by the soldier that you build ?

also, learn to dodge!

Make the workers learn to play dodgeball on the way to the planet, so they'll know what to do if they meet an alien.

 

[manu-fan]

Here you go, to help with the poll:


Hydroponics: Begin with an extra Population in your first City
Laboratory: Being with the Pioneering technology
Raw Materials: Begin with a Clinic building in your first City
Weapon Arsenal: Begin with a Soldier unit
Machinery: Begin with a Worker unit

 

[Seek]

I asked a mod to edit the poll and voila! Machinery is now an option.

 

[OldEarthRelic]

Seek = Star!

 

[bhavv]

Machinery or Laboratory for me.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

You mean your extra soldier will be able to protect your worker that you build ?
Like how your extra worker can be protected by the soldier that you build ?

If you start with a soldier and then build a worker there is no window where your worker is without protection.

also, learn to dodge!

Make the workers learn to play dodgeball on the way to the planet, so they'll know what to do if they meet an alien.

And while your worker is hiding or running around he's wasting turns that a soldier could spend grabbing resource pods, clearing a nest or two or just scouting. I'm not saying the starting worker is useless, but he'll operate at a much reduced efficiency until you have one or two military units and or an ultrasonic fence.
Now if there was a grace period in the early game that prevented aliens from entering your territory things would be different.

 

[happybjorn]

I would have picked worker, but conversing with sea dragons and kraken seems way better.

 

[3of5]

If you start with a soldier and then build a worker there is no window where your worker is without protection.

Natives don't seem too hang around your city like barbarians did, they hust pass by and might make an attack of opportunity (unless they are worms and you shoot them). Having the worker out there and use the city as cover if an alien passes too close is a low risk only. The devs surely never felt bothered. and you gain a whole tile improvement in the time it would take you to build the worker. I'd rather build a second explorer as first choice instead of a soldier. Also the worker takes longer to build than either soldier or explorer.