Colony
From Starport: Galactic Empires
Colonies are the main source of wealth, experience and reputation in game. Any planet except for gaseous and tiny worlds can support a colony. Most colonies are player owned, though UN-owned planets also exist. Building colonies requires patience, skill and a large sum of credits, but if successful, the returns will be manifold.
Colonies sustain themselves by harvesting resources. Certain resources such as anaerobes, organics, oil and medicine provide reproduction and morale bonuses, while others, such as equipment and uranium can be used to produce nukes, deployable cannons and other items.
Colonies can be invaded on PvP servers, after UN protection runs out. If captured, it immediately becomes property of the new owner. Players can use laser and flak cannons and mines, as well as the devastating Solar Cannon to deter the invaders, but any planet can be captured with enough credits, warp fuel and skill.
A colony with zero population or three pollution disasters will become abandoned.
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Building
Also see: Buildings
Any planet can be colonized using a biodome kit, purchased at a Star Base. Domes can be dropped almost anywhere on the surface, excluding the landing zone. It is important to choose the best available placement for a colony, as misplacing the dome could easily cripple the defenses. Certain planetary layouts are naturally prone to invasion, and should only be domed with prior consideration.
Every colony starts with a basic biodome capable of holding up to 1000 colonists. The population could be set to construction using the construction slider on the biodome screen . Initially only refinery and radio receiver can be constructed, but other buildings become available after the refinery has been completed. To speed up the process, credits could be used to rush construction. Prison government gives a 50% boost to construction.
Research
Main article: Research
A portion of the population could be set to research to either make discoveries or clean pollution. The likelihood of making a discovery is proportionate to the number of colonists involved in research and the total number of discoveries present, making it especially hard to get the last few. Colonies with directorship government have double the research efficiency. There are 15 different technologies with 5 levels each that provide a range of bonuses, from increased harvesting of a certain resource, to increased reproduction, increased morale and other bonuses. Planets can have a maximum of 10 research levels, which ensures their uniqueness.
Military
See also: Hardware, Military service
When the population is set to military, it fulfills two important roles. Most importantly, it empowers laser and flak cannons and increases Solar Cannon's rate of fire. The maximum defense strength is achieved with 5000 colonists set to military, though military tradition research discovery reduces this amount. It is extremely important to have the highest defense strength possible on any planet not under UN protection.
Population set to military also constructs defensive and offensive hardware in weapon factories. This requires a supply of equipment and uranium. Prison government, higher military settings and certain research discoveries all increase the speed of weapon construction.
Harvesting
See also: Resources
Once the refinery is up and running, colonists can be directed to harvest resources which is done every 5 minutes. Depending on the type of the planet, certain resources might prove to be more abundant than others. Harvesting is an important part of establishing a self-sufficient colony that does not rely on import.
Consumption
See also: Consumption table
Every 5 minutes colonists consume a fraction of their hourly demand for the four consumable resources: Anaerobes, Medicine, Organics and Oil. If their demands are satisfied the colony receives a boost to reproduction and morale growth for that period, until there is not enough resources in refinery. Consumption for these four resources calculates out to be roughly .00149 for every colonist per hour, or about 15 resources per 1000 colonists per hour.
In addition to the four consumable resources Metal Ore, Uranium and Equipment are also utilized. Metal ore is used to power up the Solar cannon, which consumes 25 crates of ore per hour for every shot. Uranium and Equipment are necessary to produce cannons, mines and missiles.
Morale
See also: Morale table
An important indicator of a planet's well-being is its morale, displayed at the upper left corner of the biodome screen. The total morale determines the owner's hourly reputation gains, and has a small effect on reproduction rates. It also determines the amount of reputation lost, or gained due to invasion. Morale levels below -300 significantly reduce construction and weapon factory outputs.
Hourly morale change significantly affects reproduction. Having excess morale growth is always beneficial, as it can be turned into credits through taxation. Stockpiles of oil and medicine, government type, certain buildings and the fraction of colonists assigned to entertainment can all improve the morale.
Pollution
See also: Pollution table
As the colonists learn to exploit the environment they inhabit, some adverse effects will inevitably follow. Pollution is the bane of a long-term colonial ownership as it can kill a planet if left unchecked. The amount of pollution accumulated every day cheifly depends on a planet's type, although the size of the population and the number of colonists set to harvesting also play a significant role. Colonies with over 50% pollution have a growing chance of a pollution disaster taking place. Each disaster will deliver a permanent decrease in morale growth and reduce the population in half. Moreover a colony will disappear if three disasters take place, leaving behind only abandoned ruins.
Buildings like refinery upgrade 3 and Church of Earth can slow down pollution and setting a group of colonists to research environment technologies also helps. The only way to get rid of pollution that has already accumulated is by cleaning it with a level 3 refinery, which costs 1,000,000 credits per 10% removed.
