Independent Colony Question

[TheMac]

There's an independent colony of humans that really wants me to colonize them so they can join my empire. I checked the planet and it's rated 18% suitable for humans, so that's 2% under profitability as I understand the game.

I don't know what else to do except not colonize until I research Improved Colonization and buy one of the terraforming machines for a bonus of 5% quality which is about 2.5% increase in suitability.

If I do that, will it make the planet better for humans, taking it from 18% to 20% suitable for them, or will it terraform for my race, Ackdarians? Will any of the colony tech make it a better colony for humans?

I was also thinking I could colonize and then check the planet management options to

Ackdarian - Resettle
Human - Resettle

Then, maybe that would remove everyone from the planet and take them to planets that have more favorable conditions for each race?

[Nomad]

Terraforming increases the Quality of a Planet thus raising Suitability for all Races.
The first Facility is limited to 5%, so the Suitability for Humans will be raised to 23%.

[galadon3]

erm 5% increase in quality is a 5% increase in suitability, so just get the first terraforming or get one colo-tech for their planet-type and they are good.

The formula is pretty easy:
Quality - races colo-threashold (usually 50, unless other is mentioned for that type cause of race-bonus) + race bonus (if any) = Suitability

now terraforming increases "Quality" while the colo-techs for the different planet-types decreases the colo-threshold for your empire by 5% per tech.

[Dray Prescot]

There are also the Colonization Techs (7 of them) for a particular group of types of Worlds, like Desert for several different Desert types. Each of those Techs lowers the minimum quality needed by 5 for those Worlds, which has the affect of raising the suitability of those types of Worlds by 5 for ALL Races on those types of Worlds that are colonized by your Empire.

Then there is a 2nd generation of the same Techs which lowers the minimum quality needed by 10 (this includes the 5 in the first techs, it does NOT stack with the 1st Tech, for a total of 15). Which raises the suitabilities (by lowering the required minimums) of Colonies on that Type of World by 10 (total for both Techs). The 2nd generation has Improved in the name, e.g. Improved Continental.

These Techs are NOT Terraforming Facility Techs which require building a very expensive (100k or 150K to build) Facility to to repair Damaged Worlds as well as to Improve undamaged Worlds. Those Terraforming Facilities require a very expensive maintenance (either 7500 per year or 10k per year) and can only repair damage/improve at a rate of 1% per year. With a limit of 5 % or 10% improvement over base quality (repairs do not count against this limit, but they DO count against the 1% per year).

They are the (7) Continental to Volcanic Colonization Techs in the 4th Column that come off of Basic Colonization. The 1st version costs 2400 research, the 2nd (better) version costs 3600 research.

Improved Colonization in 3rd column that comes off of Basic Colonization and costs 1280 research, lets you build the (basic) Terraforming Facility.

Enhanced Colonization in the 6th Column costs 5120 research and lets you build the 2nd generation Terraforming Facility.

Please note that Enhanced Colonization Tech REQUIRES that you research ALL 7 of the Improved Terrain Colonization Techs, in order for you to research Enhanced Colonization Tech.

So by using the (Continental to Volcanic) Colonization Techs you will raise the suitabilities of ALL Worlds of that type by 5 or 10 for the Improved versions in your Empire (and this does NOT require use of a Terraforming Facility).

Once you have a large research capacity and a number of Worlds of same Terrain group of types in your Empire, they are very useful (if costly in research), because they raise the suitabilities by 5 and 10 of those Worlds. Which lowers the Support Costs and allows Worlds to reach larger populations as well, i.e. a net gain of income.

See next screenshot for the part of the Tech Tree that shows this.

[Dray Prescot]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2802638526

[Dray Prescot]

What is the Terrain type of that IND Human World, and it's quality (which normally shows the results with your Race already included)?

So like I said above you can research the Colonization Tech for that Terrain Type of World for 2400 Research points, and then the Suitability of that World will be 23% or 3 % above the 20% you are trying to get. You will not have to research and Build a Terraformer either.

That 5% gain in suitability will be good for all the Worlds of that type group: Continental is only one type, Temperate, Water and Marsh have 2 types each, and Desert, Icy, and Volcanic have 3 types each.

So an Ackdarian who researches the Water Colonization Tech would improve Ocean and Deep Ocean each by 5 suitability, for ALL Races in their Empire.

If it was a Continental World for that Human IND. it would only be 18% Suitability for Ackdarians (without researching any Techs) but it would probably be a lot higher for the Human Race Population already on that World. IIRC for a Human on a Continental World it might be a +40 (or more), so for the Human population the suitability of that World would probably be a net 40% or so, maybe even higher.

So do do not worry about the suitabilility on that World (if it is a Continental World), most of the population will be Human with a much higher than the 18% that the Ackdarians would be getting there. In fact you might want the Ackdarians to migrate away, after you use them to establish the colony.

After you have Human population available in your Empire, you will use them (on your colony ship) to colonize Continental Worlds, instead of Ackdarians.

Populations on their Race's native or preferred types of Terrain, should get large bonuses for suitability there, i.e. more than your Race that prefers something else, such as Ocean and Deep Ocean.

Until you have a Race's population in your Empire, you will not see the suitability bonuses for that Race on any worlds that you check out for possible colonies.

[Gregorovitch]

I have noticed that may of the independents are occupying poor quality planets, some very low. I have got bitten a few times by colonising such without realising it, one or two less than +10 suitability which cost me dearly. I had just assumed all indies would occupy good planets. They don't it turns out.

As a result I am now extremely picky about which ones I colonise. I'm looking for +24. +25 really. +20 is marginally profitable. <20 is financial suicide.

So I'd give a +18 a hard pass until I'd researched a whole bunch of techs to shift that number significantly.

[Dray Prescot]

I am at the end of year 2761, or almost 8 years as a Human Republic in the new game that I just started (1.0.3.9). I have just finished Warp Bubble Tech, and got the Ghost Fleet Pirates to join me, for the first time in many tries.
So I am just starting explore out system.

I have Naxxilian IND Worlds in 2 of my closest systems, and they love Ice or Ice Tundra Worlds. So It is going to be a long time before I can get them to the point of being able to colonize them.

I had my own share of problems with low suitability worlds in my previous game, just like you. So I am trying to be a lot more careful in this game.

My problems in that game as an Ackdarian Technocracy, are what made me learn how the Colonization Techs really work, as I discussed in my above messages. They made a big difference to my problem worlds. I even Terraformed 2 of the worst problem worlds.

IF that IND Human World is a Continental World for TheMac in his Ackdarian game, it should have a much better than a +18 Suitability for the Human population there, even though the Ackdarians would have a +18 there. So as long as most of the population ends up being Human there, it should work out well (IF it is a Continental World).

Until he has some Human population in his Empire, he will will not see the Human Bonuses for the various types of Worlds, and therefore what suitabilities they will have.

[Dray Prescot]

Was it really a +18 For Humans on that World? If so you may want to wait, until you have the Colonization Tech for that World type researched, better yet, have both Techs researched for that type. That would push you up to a +28.

I was assuming that the +18 was for Ackdarians on that World.

In my last game I had some Worlds where I was paying support costs of 3000 or 4000, because of poor suitability, until I researched the Colonization Techs for those Worlds, AND Terraformed them.

[Dray Prescot]

Leave the Humans there, you can resettle the Ackdarians. Whenever you need Human colonists for a Colony Ship, you load the human colonists there. The colony ship can either be built there, or somewhere else and moved there empty to pick up colonists there. You could even pick up the 30 Million Ackdarians there (that you used to colonize that World or whatever colonists you used), if you wanted to remove them from that World. What is the Ackdarian suitability bonus for that World? What type of World is it?

How large is the Human population? Low populations on the World can raise the support costs for that World. You want to keep the population at least over 100 Million.

[TheMac]

Thanks for everyone's replies. I found the info very helpful, and yes I also learned that independent colonies can consist of races ill suited to live there.

Here's the info on that world:

Pyrrho - Continental Moon
Quality 58%
Human suitability 18%
Diameter: 4445

BTW, when I say an increase of 5% quality equals a 2.5% increase in suitability, I'm using the formula giving in the Galactopedia. Maybe it's changed with one of the beta updates, but that's what I read from the game itself.

[Dray Prescot]

Population of the IND? if it is over several hundred Million, best if over 500 Million, it will probably be ok on costs, it might even be positive on net income.

[TheMac]

Originally posted by Dray Prescot:

Population of the IND? if it is over several hundred Million, best if over 500 Million, it will probably be ok on costs, it might even be positive on net income.

Wow. I hadn't noticed how large the pop is, 1 billion now. Maybe so. Thanks!

[Dray Prescot]

Any IND that large, probably over 500 Million, definitely around a Billion should be profitable after you take it over by colonization.

It is the small population INDs to watch out for high costs due to bad suitabilities for the population that is there.

[TheMac]

Originally posted by Dray Prescot:

Any IND that large, probably over 500 Million, definitely around a Billion should be profitable after you take it over by colonization.

It is the small population INDs to watch out for high costs due to bad suitabilities for the population that is there.

Thanks. I'll give it a try and see what happens.

[TheMac]

Originally posted by Gregorovitch:

I have noticed that may of the independents are occupying poor quality planets, some very low. I have got bitten a few times by colonising such without realising it, one or two less than +10 suitability which cost me dearly. I had just assumed all indies would occupy good planets. They don't it turns out.

As a result I am now extremely picky about which ones I colonise. I'm looking for +24. +25 really. +20 is marginally profitable. <20 is financial suicide.

So I'd give a +18 a hard pass until I'd researched a whole bunch of techs to shift that number significantly.

LOL! I'm still learning the game, so I wanted to see just how bad or good it was for myself. The population has fully assimilated and I have moved the majority of the 30 million Akdarians I used to colonize the planet, off the planet, and it's still in the red 1.4k. That's even with a level 1 Planetary Administration building. Well, I'll get some colony tech in the future and solve the financial issues. It will be a good learning experience for me as I see how much small improvements make financially, either in the planet itself through terraforming or through other research tech.