When do you start to build costlier improvements?

[s0nny80y]

When do you start to build costlier improvements or replace cheaper ones, such as farms, mines, and generators with biowells, academies, etc?

Building these would mark the distinction between cities that specialize and cities that don't, no?

 

[aguliondew]

When I have nothing left to improve. I try to improve blank tiles before anything else. 2-3 workers per city.

 

[Promethian]

I don't make many farms unless I am planning on going the superfarm route. Usually I only get about 3 to 5 farms up before I get Biowells and then I make them for food improvements. Most games I end up getting the culture from Biowells tech. Academies I usually only make in a science specialized city that gets one of the science sats. Most games I end up butting up against the top or bottom of the map and after I am secure with my energy I terrascape the hell out of those cities.

 

[Japper007]

Never

I stick with generators until the end of the game. Having 1000+ EPT by midgame is nothing to sneeze at, add some techs and they get really crazy.

Sometimes I go farms when purity (just make sure to get the ectogenesis pod).

But I don't feel like anything other than roads/magrails is really worth paying for.

 

[Wabango]

I think that this is a valid question, here is my belief (Gemini):

By the time you have access to paid improvements such as the Academy or Biowell, you likely also have some upgrades to standard improvements. Mines for example have additional energy with Biometallurgy; while farms have additional food, production, science and energy.

Additionally, as the game progresses, there are many opportunities for civilians to fill specialist slots. Unless the tile is incompatible with a standard improvement (snow), I am not tempted to pay maintenance at the expense of an established farm, mine or generator.

That being said, Academies are definitely attractive with 4 Science/1 Culture at full upgrade. If I am seriously lacking in science or going for a Supremacy victory, while rolling in energy, I might reconsider replacing generators/mines with Academies.

In short (Gemeni): I believe that the benefits of paid improvements (Academy) are best achieved through specialists, through large population, through food/farms.

 

[Xenotitan]

Biowells and academies take a lot less beakers than biometallurgy actually. You can't replace the health benefits of biowells with specialists, large population, or food/farms. Also academies on grassland compared to a science specialist is basically 2 food for 2 energy, which is often a good trade. Academies can also be buffed more than specialists (+1 culture +1 science compared to +2 energy).

Which virtue tree one goes down and which affinity one focuses on has a large effect on what improvements I build and when. If I'm weak on energy in virtues I like to try for ectogenesis pod and get the purity farm boosting techs, then sprinkle in a few academies but no other costly improvements. If I'm strong on energy in virtues I'll prioritize unlocking and building biowells.

 

[omniclast]

I have usually farmed all grassland tiles near my cap by the time I have biowells or academies, and I start replacing them immediately. Food-production is more important early game when food buckets are smaller, but mid game once the high-growth phase is done (and I'm seeing a lot of growth from trade routes), I feel comfortable replacing those farms with a mix of Academies, Biowells and post-Organics Generators.

The key is to focus on tiles in your most populous cities first. There's not much point in having a whack of biowells surrounding a 5 pop city. So I prioritize replacing a farm in a 15 pop city over an empty tile in a 5 pop city.

Priority also largely depends on the quality of the underlying tile. Grassland is by far best, hills and tundra worst. Removable tiles like forest and marsh are in the middle, but note that with biowells these don't need to be removed (though build time is longer) so biowells on remaining forest or marsh tiles are pretty high priority. Desert is awesome for terrascapes, because the +1F from vivariums applies to them.

 

[FaceUnderMask]

Academies - ASAP (if ever. no grassland/floodplains -> no academies).
Biowells - ASAP, if academies aren't feasible.
Terrascapes - never.
Domes and Arrays - never.
Manufactories - only when health is not an issue.