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Author Topic:   The best terrain enhancements

itdoesntfit posted 07-14-99 04:49 PM ET

I'm not so sure how to place enhancements. I always put boreholes in flat terrain, regardless of hilly land or not. If it is, I just raise terrain. If the place is rocky, I level it. If it is rolling, I place a condenser, if it is dry. Then I place a farm, solar enhacement, and a road. I never put any mines anywhere. Do you think this is a good idea? Tell me your strategy.
Rakeesh posted 07-14-99 04:59 PM ET
I like forests and fungus (where applicable) since they (added together) produce more than most conventional enhancements. You know.. farms + solarcollecter/mine. You don't get negative ecology scores and you hardly ever get mindwormed (late to endgame). But if you don't like destroying all your enhancements in midgame, just have forests, farms+solarcollecter/mine, and an occasional (one or two per base) borehole to make up the difference. The forests usually cancel the negative effects of your other enhancements and allow you to have your single scanner per base.
mindwormh8er posted 07-14-99 06:29 PM ET
You need sensors (0) to detect mindworms and other factions. You should have mines because it helps you build stuff
Jythexinvok posted 07-14-99 06:48 PM ET
I follow a pretty set method. Outside bonuses I try to build cities with at least 3-4 shelf squares, fill all of those with kelp/tidal harness. then I build 2-3 boreholes on land, I turn rainy tiles into farms and everything else to forrest. If I happen to be a realy high altitude area I'll build solar collectors/echelon mirros, but that's not very often. All my cities usualy have aerospace complexes and I try to maintail a good fleet of satalites. Then again I play builder.
itdoesntfit posted 07-14-99 07:00 PM ET
Is it all right to build 4-5 boreholes per city?
Jythexinvok posted 07-16-99 12:48 AM ET
You can put up too 6 boreholes per city (not counting the borehole cluster). If you know how to hanlde the eco-damange and have good food supply routes then it's fine. i've never tried, but then again I've never built a city in terrain that would allow for such a thing..
itdoesntfit posted 07-16-99 01:08 AM ET
You should try raising land.
TheScientist posted 07-16-99 01:55 AM ET
I have quite the same strategy like itdoentfit. I build mines only in a few cases (0-1 per game) and not so many boreholes (1-2 per city). I never build water bases/formers.
If I have enough satellites (about 100 of each type), I change to condensers on each square to get large cities and many resources from space. So I hardly have eco-damage in late game.
I tried the "forest everywhere" strategy, too, but forests have a too low nutrient production.
sandals posted 07-16-99 11:09 AM ET
I found that mines come in handy for those rocky squares. I put in a mine/road and used a crawler to get the resources. A couple of those per city help bump up production. Using the crawler lets workers be used for more balanced squares.
Scientist - Large scale foresting should wait until tree farms, then the nutrients start coming.
TheScientist posted 07-16-99 03:36 PM ET
Sandals: Yes, but forests aren't generating enough nutrients for really big cities (only 3 or so, rainy+farm+fertilizer+condensor=6). And forests make to much eco-damage, because of their high mineral production. They only reduce damage caused by terraforming, which is eliminated by tree farm + hybrid forest.
Large nutrient production means large cities and large production comming from space, without any eco-damage (you can get most cities at 117 pop).
itdoesntfit posted 07-16-99 07:39 PM ET
You should level rocky land and build boreholes, instead of mines on rocky terrain.
Vinny posted 07-16-99 09:34 PM ET
Some rocky squares with mines produce 7 minerals, if you only care about production.
Boreholes are restrictive in placement: can't be next to other boreholes and can't be on a hill.
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Author	Topic: The best terrain enhancements
itdoesntfit	posted 07-14-99 04:49 PM ET I'm not so sure how to place enhancements. I always put boreholes in flat terrain, regardless of hilly land or not. If it is, I just raise terrain. If the place is rocky, I level it. If it is rolling, I place a condenser, if it is dry. Then I place a farm, solar enhacement, and a road. I never put any mines anywhere. Do you think this is a good idea? Tell me your strategy.
Rakeesh	posted 07-14-99 04:59 PM ET I like forests and fungus (where applicable) since they (added together) produce more than most conventional enhancements. You know.. farms + solarcollecter/mine. You don't get negative ecology scores and you hardly ever get mindwormed (late to endgame). But if you don't like destroying all your enhancements in midgame, just have forests, farms+solarcollecter/mine, and an occasional (one or two per base) borehole to make up the difference. The forests usually cancel the negative effects of your other enhancements and allow you to have your single scanner per base.
mindwormh8er	posted 07-14-99 06:29 PM ET You need sensors (0) to detect mindworms and other factions. You should have mines because it helps you build stuff
Jythexinvok	posted 07-14-99 06:48 PM ET I follow a pretty set method. Outside bonuses I try to build cities with at least 3-4 shelf squares, fill all of those with kelp/tidal harness. then I build 2-3 boreholes on land, I turn rainy tiles into farms and everything else to forrest. If I happen to be a realy high altitude area I'll build solar collectors/echelon mirros, but that's not very often. All my cities usualy have aerospace complexes and I try to maintail a good fleet of satalites. Then again I play builder.
itdoesntfit	posted 07-14-99 07:00 PM ET Is it all right to build 4-5 boreholes per city?
Jythexinvok	posted 07-16-99 12:48 AM ET You can put up too 6 boreholes per city (not counting the borehole cluster). If you know how to hanlde the eco-damange and have good food supply routes then it's fine. i've never tried, but then again I've never built a city in terrain that would allow for such a thing..
itdoesntfit	posted 07-16-99 01:08 AM ET You should try raising land.
TheScientist	posted 07-16-99 01:55 AM ET I have quite the same strategy like itdoentfit. I build mines only in a few cases (0-1 per game) and not so many boreholes (1-2 per city). I never build water bases/formers. If I have enough satellites (about 100 of each type), I change to condensers on each square to get large cities and many resources from space. So I hardly have eco-damage in late game. I tried the "forest everywhere" strategy, too, but forests have a too low nutrient production.
sandals	posted 07-16-99 11:09 AM ET I found that mines come in handy for those rocky squares. I put in a mine/road and used a crawler to get the resources. A couple of those per city help bump up production. Using the crawler lets workers be used for more balanced squares. Scientist - Large scale foresting should wait until tree farms, then the nutrients start coming.
TheScientist	posted 07-16-99 03:36 PM ET Sandals: Yes, but forests aren't generating enough nutrients for really big cities (only 3 or so, rainy+farm+fertilizer+condensor=6). And forests make to much eco-damage, because of their high mineral production. They only reduce damage caused by terraforming, which is eliminated by tree farm + hybrid forest. Large nutrient production means large cities and large production comming from space, without any eco-damage (you can get most cities at 117 pop).
itdoesntfit	posted 07-16-99 07:39 PM ET You should level rocky land and build boreholes, instead of mines on rocky terrain.
Vinny	posted 07-16-99 09:34 PM ET Some rocky squares with mines produce 7 minerals, if you only care about production. Boreholes are restrictive in placement: can't be next to other boreholes and can't be on a hill.