Specialist training

[littlelambsy]

I have a couple more question LOL. I don't like using the university so was wondering

1) Is there is another way to get specialists. I can import them but how long will it be before I run out of applicants.

2)I know I can also use non specialists in specialist positions but do they have the same performance as specialists.

3) What about biobots? Are they worth creating for specialist positions?

The university draws all age groups even middle aged colonists who leave their jobs and get trained, then they retire! So I am always short of workers.

[ptwr]

Applicants will keep generating unless:
- you picked some game setting that prevents it
- World War III or some plague screws up earth
- scare them by commiting genocide on Mars

If you are lucky, you can score repeatable Mars Marketing breakthrough which will generate 5 rare-perk applicants on-demand, who should mostly be specialized.

You can also steal colonists from other colonies through Covert-Ops but its not very reliable.

As for Biobots, they are simply superior... as long as you can afford them.

If you have issue with too many colonist being educated, just disable some Univerisites or their shifts.
You can also micromanage population by relocating middle aged to work camps, or create breeder+education dome, but just letting University do its thing in background is easier.

[kaki_gamet]

You can use More Applicants game rule if you want to keep bringing applicants from Earth but they are weaker than Martianborns once late techs are available. You can even dry your standard applicants pool regardless of their flaws, they will keep Sanatorium running for a long while but is always better than a shortage of workers. But don't expand too quickly, only after everything is staffed and have unemployed on the two-digits range.

Non specialists have a -40 production penalty (at best) when staffing a specialist job. The opposite has no penalties instead, a specialist will do fine for a non specialist job.

You already tried Biorobots about two years ago ; )

Middle aged are the most of any colony, with their 31~60 age range they represent half of your workforce, even more with a late tech (31~80). Your issue maybe is holding back young and adults from University for too long, other than having no spare people in general ^^'

Call more applicants in the beginning, breed them more efficiently (raise Comfort), create a spare pool of unemployed. Giving up University will do more harm ^^'

[littlelambsy]

Thanks for the sugestions :) I have the mod unlock breakthroughs so I will unlock that mars marketing.
I like the work camp idea, never heard of that before. How do you create a breeder ed dome?
Curious, why do you think biobots are superior? I would be happy to have mars with just biobots. Sounds great. Thanks :)

[littlelambsy]

Thanks Kaki, I did use biobot before but cant remember much about them. Than you for remembering. Nice to know someone has their eye on me lol. Great info. :)

[Schekelberg73 DiNase]

Originally posted by littlelambsy:

Thanks Kaki, I did use biobot before but cant remember much about them. Than you for remembering. Nice to know someone has their eye on me lol. Great info. :)

They breathe, eat and sleep, however they do not age and do reproduce. they are quit expensive though with 5 electronics. 5 metals if you have the breaktrough Printed electronics. You can build them in the drone assembler. Breaktrough is called The positronic brain. Basically the perfect colonists.
Cloning vats are kinda nice as well, however they die faster and have only half the livespane.

[kaki_gamet]

@Littlelambsy - the underlined words in my comment above is a link to the discussion we had before, it may help to remember what happened back then ; )

[Schekelberg73 DiNase]

Originally posted by littlelambsy:

Thanks for the sugestions :) I have the mod unlock breakthroughs so I will unlock that mars marketing.
I like the work camp idea, never heard of that before. How do you create a breeder ed dome?
Curious, why do you think biobots are superior? I would be happy to have mars with just biobots. Sounds great. Thanks :)

Different specialists have different interestings. Botanists for example are interested in relax, luxury, shopping, so a diner would be wasted in this specialised dome. You can put a water reclamation spire into your farming dome and save some serious amount of water this way, You could make a school education dome by putting nurserys, playground and schools into it, aswell as an university and late game a sanatorium or school spire cuz school spire can create a genius with a low chance (8%). Sanatorium removes 8 annyoing flaws, always nice to have.
Then filter that only only children and youth, maybe adults are allowed in those domes. This way you have a solid workforce faster than you can imagine. And will produce everything faster.

[Schekelberg73 DiNase]

Originally posted by Schekelberg73:

Originally posted by littlelambsy:

Thanks for the sugestions :) I have the mod unlock breakthroughs so I will unlock that mars marketing.
I like the work camp idea, never heard of that before. How do you create a breeder ed dome?
Curious, why do you think biobots are superior? I would be happy to have mars with just biobots. Sounds great. Thanks :)

Different specialists have different interestings. Botanists for example are interested in relax, luxury, shopping, so a diner would be wasted in this specialised dome. You can put a water reclamation spire into your farming dome and save some serious amount of water this way, You could make a school education dome by putting nurserys, playground and schools into it, aswell as an university and late game a sanatorium or school spire cuz school spire can create a genius with a low chance (8%). Sanatorium removes 8 annyoing flaws, always nice to have.
Then filter that only only children and youth, maybe adults are allowed in those domes. This way you have a solid workforce faster than you can imagine. And will produce everything faster.

And cou you only trained young people they will stay in their job a lot longer than adults or middle aged.

You can filter domes and colonisty by clicking at a dome and the you can see a filter option. this way you can filter renegades into a single dome and then euthanize them if you dont like their actions. I did this in my mid and late game on ym hardcore run with 1100%ish difficulty, cuz they were quite annoying, low work and steals and destroys buildings. Now i have to deal with a colonist died message and sound every sol, but i dont need to worry about them anymore. Aswell as idiots.
But my colony is thriving and growing, 2k colonists and steadily increasing. Have way too many homeless and jobless people.

[littlelambsy]

Ok, I read my original post from the link posted. Thanks, that was helpful. I do remember them now. I just find it odd that biobots, although mechanical, can have feelings like being afraid of disasters (coward) or loners. I'm guessing they get low moral when working during the night shift and working outside a dome. What I do like is they never grow old and can work the jobs forever. No need to replace workers.

Thanks Schekelberg73, great info on specialists and dome filtering. Now I have lots to work with. I'm going to start producing biobots and ..... if they become a problem, I'll just start a new game LOL

I've just come back to surviving mars. The game kept crashing on me when I started going green. Now I have a much better computer and so far, no problems. I've also started playing with rival colonies (just one for now, Europe), and Below and Beyond. ( I like the drone hub extender) :)

Great help everyone, much appreciated. I will probably be back with more questions LOL

[kaki_gamet]

Without late techs (Martianborn Strength and Martianborn Resilience) they will lose Sanity (but not Morale, it is affected indirectly) from disasters or from working out-side dome respectively, like anyone else. With those techs are exactly like any others Martianborn, great guys and gals : D

About night shift it can be helped by Good Vibrations and Rapid Sleep breakthroughs if available, otherwise and if done with moderation, Medical Center or other facilities will be more than enough to keep it in the safe range.

If you pile up no techs, no breakthroughs, night shift, outside dome work and a disaster, they probably will suicide soon after ^^' Don't do that : D

[littlelambsy]

LOL thanks for the advice. :)

[Mizi]

I always put my university in it's own dome and forbid middle aged people from living there, you can use the filters to exclude colonists with other traits from moving in as well (like whiner, loner and idiot)

[kaki_gamet]

Long time no see you, Mizi : ) Welcome back ^^/

[littlelambsy]

Just thought I'd update on my decision to do a colony of biorobots. I gave up the idea when it created too many idiot bots! It seemed they had more of the bad flaws than the colonists. So I started a new game. I will go with the forever young trait instead and slow down the birth rate.
Thanks for all the help, suggestions and reminders. You guys are a great support and patient with all my questions and trials. :)

[kaki_gamet]

You are welcome : )