Is terraforming worth it

[HomoScorpio]

Just a sorta nood tryin to learn

[Ungenau84]

I dont think so ... play synthetic or extremly adaptive.
Terraforming cost to much energy and time.

But perhaps other people use it ...

[Hugh]

It depends on the situation and what you're trying to do but in general, no, it's not worth it. Just go adaptive, use multiple species or synthetics

[Bumbleton]

I guess its worth it if you're trying to get as many species as possible onto the same planet, or for RP, but otherwise, its easier and faster to just gene-mod a species or use drods to colonize than it is to terraform

[MongooseCalledFred]

I've used it extensively with my non-adaptable species. I'm getting so much energy that I can easily afford to have 4 terraforming projects going on at once. I'm playing with a tiny galaxy, max planet density, 3 other empires. I've got about half the galaxy under my control without fighting the AI empires at all. For previous runs where I wasn't trying to build so wide, terraforming wasn't really worth it.

[Fallenangel700]

You sometimes find barren worlds that can be terraformed into habitable worlds. If you do, then it's totally worth it. Other than that, not really. Just wait until you upgrade your habitablility to crazy levels and then you can live anywhere.

[Meewec]

if it fits another planet into one of your core systems it seems worth it

[MongooseCalledFred]

Messaggio originale di Meewec:

if it fits another planet into one of your core systems it seems worth it

That's a chunk of what I've been doing. My fanatical pacifists currently have 18 planets under direct control.

[mcsproot]

Not really. It's expensive (unless you have access to Terraforming Liquids AND Terraforming Gases, in which case it's OKish), it takes a long time, and there are other, easier ways to get around the habitability problem.

Gene modding: Once you have the 40% threshold for colonising, just colonise the planet and change their climate preference with gene modding. An easier way is to colonise a Gaia world if you can and gene mod that population, then colonise new planet types.

Droids/Synthetics: They have 100% habitability anywhere, and can be used to colonise new planets. Robots cannot colonise.

Uplifting pre-sentients: If a planet your species cannot colonise is in your empire and you have the tech to Uplift them, you can do that to get a new species with a new climate preference.

Pre-FTL civilizations: Either Infiltrate, conquer, or Enlighten then Integrate them to add them to yuor empire. Especially useful if they are a different climate type to your own species. They need to be within your borders to Infiltrate or Enlighten, but you can conquer them from anywhere assuming you can meet the influence cost (same as colonsing). You can usually get away with one or two armies depending on how advanced they are. They do not have fortifications so you don't need to bombard. I usually bring one army per army they have to be sure, plus it helps keep down on Unrest once you conquer them. Other empires will be displeased at you for conquering primitives, though. Newly conquered primitives cannot be used to colonise due to the 'Stellar Culture Shock' debuff, which lasts longer the more primitive they are. For Stone Age it can last nearly a century, for Early Space Age it lasts just a few years.

Multiculuralism: Usually requires a Gaia world or otherwise already having colonised a planet to their liking within your empire before they'll accept a Migration Treaty. But once you do and you start getting immigrants, then you can use these other species to colonise.

Annexxing new species: Go to war with wargoals to cede planet, or get someone to be your vassal and integrate them. Voila, new species to colonise with.

Also, under the current build, Terraforming a planet that is already colonised (requires additional tech) will screw up the tile bonuses. The next patch SHOULD fix that.

But next build, they are changing how habitability works.

The only world type really worth terraforming is Tomb Worlds, unless you have a species with the Tomb World Habitability, or a pre-sentient with the Irradiated trait.

[Malvastor]

A lot of people mention that it's expensive, but I haven't found this to be a problem. It's fairly easy to reach your energy credits cap with a high monthly surplus, at which point 2000 or so credits is a minor expense that would just go to waste anyway. Start the process, walk away and go about your business, and in some years you'll have another perfectly habitable planet, completely free of tile blockers, that you can settle whenever you wish.

[mcsproot]

Messaggio originale di Malvastor:

A lot of people mention that it's expensive, but I haven't found this to be a problem. It's fairly easy to reach your energy credits cap with a high monthly surplus, at which point 2000 or so credits is a minor expense that would just go to waste anyway. Start the process, walk away and go about your business, and in some years you'll have another perfectly habitable planet, completely free of tile blockers, that you can settle whenever you wish.

IIRC 2000 credits is what it is to convert a planet to a different type within the same climate (EG tropical to ocean). It costs a base of 5000 credits to convert the planet's climate, and a base of 10,000 credits to convert it to a Gaia world.

When you factor in that gene modding costs nothing other than bio-research time, and takes MUCH less time than terraforming, it begins to show the downside of terraforming.

Even the Xenophobe faction that dislikes gene-modding only gets like a -5% opinion for gene modding.

Though I did forget about the tile blockers, which depending on the planet, can pay for itself.

[Malvastor]

Messaggio originale di mcsproot:

Messaggio originale di Malvastor:

A lot of people mention that it's expensive, but I haven't found this to be a problem. It's fairly easy to reach your energy credits cap with a high monthly surplus, at which point 2000 or so credits is a minor expense that would just go to waste anyway. Start the process, walk away and go about your business, and in some years you'll have another perfectly habitable planet, completely free of tile blockers, that you can settle whenever you wish.

IIRC 2000 credits is what it is to convert a planet to a different type within the same climate (EG tropical to ocean). It costs a base of 5000 credits to convert the planet's climate, and a base of 10,000 credits to convert it to a Gaia world.

When you factor in that gene modding costs nothing other than bio-research time, and takes MUCH less time than terraforming, it begins to show the downside of terraforming.

Even the Xenophobe faction that dislikes gene-modding only gets like a -5% opinion for gene modding.

Though I did forget about the tile blockers, which depending on the planet, can pay for itself.

I'm not knocking gene-modding; I'm saying that at some point you won't really be doing anything else with the credits you use on a terraform, and that you can pretty easily terraform a world or three in the time it takes you to do the necessary research to start gene modding. Plus, from what I understand of it, you can only apply a limited number of modifications to your species. Terraforming allows you to add other beneficial gene mods instead of having to use trait points on adaptibility perks or climate preferences.

[mcsproot]

Messaggio originale di Malvastor:

Messaggio originale di mcsproot:

IIRC 2000 credits is what it is to convert a planet to a different type within the same climate (EG tropical to ocean). It costs a base of 5000 credits to convert the planet's climate, and a base of 10,000 credits to convert it to a Gaia world.

When you factor in that gene modding costs nothing other than bio-research time, and takes MUCH less time than terraforming, it begins to show the downside of terraforming.

Even the Xenophobe faction that dislikes gene-modding only gets like a -5% opinion for gene modding.

Though I did forget about the tile blockers, which depending on the planet, can pay for itself.

I'm not knocking gene-modding; I'm saying that at some point you won't really be doing anything else with the credits you use on a terraform, and that you can pretty easily terraform a world or three in the time it takes you to do the necessary research to start gene modding. Plus, from what I understand of it, you can only apply a limited number of modifications to your species. Terraforming allows you to add other beneficial gene mods instead of having to use trait points on adaptibility perks or climate preferences.

If you have Leviathans and aren't playing Devouring Swarm/Fanatic Purifiers (which in themselves require Utopia), you can use Energy Credits at a Merchant Station to buy Minerals at a cost of 2 EC per 1 Minerals.

But otherwise, there is very little to spend ECs on. Private Colony Ships are cheap even in the early game. Tile Blockers can be expensive early game, as well as Robots, but later on even those espenses are pitiful.

[Shahadem]

Terraforming is absolutely worthwhile. There is nothing else you can do with the energy credits. This allows you to turn every world into a Gaia planet which will give you 100% habitability. Even if you colonize the same planet type as your homeworld, you will only have 80% habitaiblity, but with a Gaia planet you will have 100% habitability.

With 100% happiness you will have more minerals, more energy, more research, more food.

I am going to guess that many people who are calling terraforming expensive are the people who keep 1 million plus fleet power fleets online even when the fleet power of the next highest fleet is 250,000 or less. I earn enough energy per month that I can terraform a planet into a Gaia planet every 2-3 months.

[The Bush]

Well It's REALLY usful when you don't have a punch of aliens in your empire

[Ungenau84]

Messaggio originale di Malvastor:

I'm not knocking gene-modding; I'm saying that at some point you won't really be doing anything else with the credits you use on a terraform, and that you can pretty easily terraform a world or three in the time it takes you to do the necessary research to start gene modding.

Hm - in my games this situations doesnt exist ...
Curator Research and Artisan Bonus every 3600 days. The energy I dont use for this, I trade for minerals to build more ships - and buy the strategic ressources.

In addition I don't like to colonize planets after the year 2250 because they take to long to pay off. My important core worlds should have their capital at this time. In 2300 my planets have to be "ready" ...
I tested the terraforming perk and even then, the planets took to long ...

Messaggio originale di Shahadem:

Terraforming is absolutely worthwhile. There is nothing else you can do with the energy credits. This allows you to turn every world into a Gaia planet which will give you 100% habitability. Even if you colonize the same planet type as your homeworld, you will only have 80% habitaiblity, but with a Gaia planet you will have 100% habitability.

With 100% happiness you will have more minerals, more energy, more research, more food.

I am going to guess that many people who are calling terraforming expensive are the people who keep 1 million plus fleet power fleets online even when the fleet power of the next highest fleet is 250,000 or less. I earn enough energy per month that I can terraform a planet into a Gaia planet every 2-3 months.

yea, I have 1 million of fleet in 2400. At this point the game is won and I wait for the end game crisis. There is no need to terrarform planets at this point.