I've finished two space races so far, both using approximately the same order in a mid-sized CE. I thought I'd toss out some observations and thoughts, and solicit those of others.
After Liberalism, Democracy, Astronomy, I beelined Assembly Line. Factories now give much more unhealthiness, but they're still one of the strongest buildings in the game. Then to Railroads for that production boost (and Ironworks). By that point factories and coal plants were finishing, and I was feeling health-limited, so I went to Biology-Medicine for better farms and hospitals. Environmentalism also becomes available, though I didn't feel I needed it. What I did do was decline to hook up Oil (or in one case, give it away to a vassal). All Oil does is allow for certain military units, and it costs 2 health in every city with a factory. I figured I could defend myself with infantry/artillery, and connect it later if I really felt the need.
Now what? I went Physics-Artillery-Rocketry to get Apollo underway. In retrospect, there's no hurry. No space ship parts are available for a long while, so my cities sat around building Wealth or random troops. There's one piece -- the docking bay -- with Satellites (requiring Electricity-Radio), but Casings have been pushed back to Composites (requiring not just Satellites, but also Industrialism-Combustion-Plastics). Instead, I went for laboratories, which have also been pushed back to Superconductors. I chose the Computers route (Electricity-Industrialism-Combustion-Plastics-Radio-Computers-Superconductors) because Computers is eventually needed, whereas Refridgeration is not. This was the period when my cities were largely idle or building junk like public transportation and security bureaus. Would it be better to take the shorter Electricity-Refridgeration-Superconductors route, even though it includes an unnecessary tech and eventual backfilling to Computers?
Anyway, after Superconductors I went to Composites, then Fusion, finishing with Genetics and Ecology as before. That portion felt right, with secondary cities mostly fully employed on labs, thrusters, casings, and the major production cities handling engines plus a few minor parts.
Overall, it's still research-limited rather than production-limited, meaning there's little reason to build less than the maximum number of parts. Likewise, I think the Space Elevator has become even more optional. The whole process does take longer than it used to, but not that much longer.
peace,
lilnev
After Liberalism, Democracy, Astronomy, I beelined Assembly Line. Factories now give much more unhealthiness, but they're still one of the strongest buildings in the game. Then to Railroads for that production boost (and Ironworks). By that point factories and coal plants were finishing, and I was feeling health-limited, so I went to Biology-Medicine for better farms and hospitals. Environmentalism also becomes available, though I didn't feel I needed it. What I did do was decline to hook up Oil (or in one case, give it away to a vassal). All Oil does is allow for certain military units, and it costs 2 health in every city with a factory. I figured I could defend myself with infantry/artillery, and connect it later if I really felt the need.
Now what? I went Physics-Artillery-Rocketry to get Apollo underway. In retrospect, there's no hurry. No space ship parts are available for a long while, so my cities sat around building Wealth or random troops. There's one piece -- the docking bay -- with Satellites (requiring Electricity-Radio), but Casings have been pushed back to Composites (requiring not just Satellites, but also Industrialism-Combustion-Plastics). Instead, I went for laboratories, which have also been pushed back to Superconductors. I chose the Computers route (Electricity-Industrialism-Combustion-Plastics-Radio-Computers-Superconductors) because Computers is eventually needed, whereas Refridgeration is not. This was the period when my cities were largely idle or building junk like public transportation and security bureaus. Would it be better to take the shorter Electricity-Refridgeration-Superconductors route, even though it includes an unnecessary tech and eventual backfilling to Computers?
Anyway, after Superconductors I went to Composites, then Fusion, finishing with Genetics and Ecology as before. That portion felt right, with secondary cities mostly fully employed on labs, thrusters, casings, and the major production cities handling engines plus a few minor parts.
Overall, it's still research-limited rather than production-limited, meaning there's little reason to build less than the maximum number of parts. Likewise, I think the Space Elevator has become even more optional. The whole process does take longer than it used to, but not that much longer.
peace,
lilnev
per laboratory. The bonuses weren't needed, since I was far ahead in tech and production, but it was still a nice bonus.
