Tile Improvement Strategies

[Promethian]

I currently have 3 that I use and am wondering if anybody has more.

1: Superfarms. I am sure everybody that has bothered to explore the tech web has noticed this one. Ectogenesis pod + Vertical Farming + Industrial Ecology = Insanely powerful farms. Purity also has the Holomatrix satellite so those super farms can provide tons of culture as well. When I play Purity I generally go for superfarms and have in many games used my institute free tech to get Vertical Farming because of how big of a jump in resources it is.

2: Biowell spam. This strategy needs a way to counterbalance the energy cost. My preferred way is to use Solar Collectors. Also the Alien Genetics tech is very important to this strategy for the culture bonus to biowells. This strategy was made even better with the patch to positive health offering bonuses. I use this strategy mostly in Harmony games. Alien Genetics gives Purity xp but it is on the way to Transgenics (Harmony victory tech). Still this strategy is also good for Purity game, I have done Purity biowell spam in games that I was beaten to the Ectogenesis Pod.

3: Generator spam. Lots of energy and with the tech Planetary Engineering generators can provide production as well. Food is something of an issue but that is what Weather Controllers are for which incidentally are a leaf tech on the optimized generator path. Obviously Organics (+1 generator energy) and the Xenomalleum Wonder (+2 generator energy) are also important. This is the strategy I generally use for my Supremacy games since all the techs involved are on Supremacy techs or provide easy access to Supremacy techs. However if you have the leeway to pick up a couple Supremacy techs on the side this strategy is viable for a Purity game.

 

[FaceUnderMask]

with the right techs generators can provide science and production as well.

Generators do not provide science. Farm does, Node does, Array does.

Not sure why you left academies.

 

[Promethian]

Biometallurgy. I will update the OP to include the tech names for the generator strat. I realize now that was a serious oversight on my part.

As for farm science, you must go way out of your way to get that with a superfarm strat. Artificial Evolution is as far away from Purity techs as it is possible to be.

 

[Xenotitan]

Are you sure that biometallurgy gives science from generators?

 

[Promethian]

Double checking I was wrong about Biometallurgy. That is strange I could have sworn it had a generator science bonus. I wonder where I got that impression, maybe a previous version had it. Well fixed it sorry for the confusion.

 

[FaceUnderMask]

As for farm science, you must go way out of your way to get that with a superfarm strat.

You don't pick transgenics as purity?

Edit:
Nvm, you have to have a lot of farms for +1 science to makeup for this technology cost.

 

[Xenotitan]

Double checking I was wrong about Biometallurgy. That is strange I could have sworn it had a generator science bonus. I wonder where I got that impression, maybe a previous version had it. Well fixed it sorry for the confusion.

I googled "Beyond Earth biometallurgy" and found a website that claimed it gave +1 science to generators. I'm guessing it may have done that in a beta version.

 

[Promethian]

When I get Transgenics as Purity it is generally pretty late. The Gene Garden helps with health where Transgenics would be needed with a different affinity and I spend a lot of time as Purity on the left side of the tech web to get super farms and tanks and such.

Now I need to start restarting games until I get a Supremacy start. This thread has made me realize I haven't done a Supremacy game (and thus a generator strat) in a long time. I always go by the availability of strategic resources to determine my affinity.

 

[mb2bm55]

What the heck do nodes do? Does anyone use them?

Manufactories can be useful.

I know academies are as well but I've never tried.

Does anyone use domes either? I suppose if you are spamming culture. Honestly though, science becomes more important to me mid-late game and I spam workers so terrascapes aren't that difficult. A combo of terrascapes and generators/solar collectors works well too.

 

[Xenotitan]

Nodes do exactly what they say in their description.

 

[FaceUnderMask]

Nodes, domes and arrays are somewhat special. Nodes are defensive tiles. Domes are both defensive and culture tiles, but there is enough culture as is, while other stuff (science, food, health, energy) is scarce. Arrays...do they stack? Because if they do, you can launch your army anywhere on the map with Phasal Transporters, but that would be pretty much their only use.

 

[Promethian]

Nodes I have found I kind of like. As supremacy you are going to get Hypercomputing anyways so they are worth 2 energy and 1 science on a tile which isn't bad. They also made an early invasion of mine go much more smoothly with the healing they provided to my ranged units on the edge of enemy territory.

 

[GeoModder]

Arrays...do they stack? Because if they do, you can launch your army anywhere on the map with Phasal Transporters, but that would be pretty much their only use.

They might 'stack' only locally (within the territory claimed by the city they're build near).

 

[sprang]

They might 'stack' only locally (within the territory claimed by the city they're build near).

They stack, but only for that city. And you need to work, them, don't you?

All of these per-city defensive benefits seem so lame to me. Domes, especially. Domes are a waste. They totally need a buff.

 

[Minor Annoyance]

You do not need to work the array for the increased range. Even if you did you could just work it for a second while you launch the orbital then reassign.