Best and worst buildings

I suspect that the answer for best building will overwhelmingly be Neutrality Learning Centers. For where they fall on the tech tree, they are simply awe inspiring. I also like how it seems a bit sinister due to the red colour it has.

That's because they are using the pictures that originally was meant for the 'Museum of Pain'

Because stock markets do only a little of everything, they are actually quite mediorce. It is far better to not waste tiles on them by having a high econ rating already and instead building more effective morale boosters. Additionally, using up limited space for any influence building is absolutely useless as one can instead build an influence starbase. Farms can actually be harmful on colonies with capitals-I mistakenly built a farm on an agri boost sector last game and the people in my capital hated me. The combo of research and industrial buildings are the heart of your colonies-everything else is in essense used to support those builidngs. So the best buildings are the best research and industry you can build at any particular moment.

I disagree about influence starbases. They can be much more easily destroyed in a military situation. One embassy per planet is not a high price to pay and the cumulative effect is definitely noticable.

Indeed, and Influence Starbases represent a much larger investment than an Embassy.

As far as the defensive structures, I think they're more intended for the AI, to help them in defending their planets more effectively. Personally, I never build them.

Will there ever be a special building that allows the defenders of a planet fire first?
If there was a building like that then the planetry defence buildings would be worth building, as it is you're better off making a fleet in space so that you can attack first and building much more useful buildings on your planets. If you stay on defence you're resigning yourself to being attacked first and that usually cancels out the advantages of the buildings on your planet.

Well, as I understand it, Influence star bases (not to be confussed with influence resource minning bases) only effect the area thats shaded when you click on the base. They wont cause your influence to spread beyond what the base reaches. Influence buildings on planets will actually help your influence spread beyond the planet, adding to your total galactic influence.

Farms = population (which will then require a morale building or two because of planet over crowding), population = tax credits, taxes = lower morale (afore mentioned morale buildings lets you get away with this). I never put a farm (well, almost never) on any planet with less then PQ 10. A high morale rateing lets you really crank up the taxes when your at war with everyone, keeping a positive cash flow.

I also avoid building Galactic Wonders as they take up valuable land tiles. I let the others build them, then trade for them later in the game. Sure, theres a few I'll try to get, but for the most part I dont build them, I buy or steal them later

Most useless buildings r definately any of the defensive ones. Why would anyone want to just wait to be attacked? Also a military starbase and a fleet in its sphere r much better defending a planet, nearly invincible (against the AI anyway) in my opinion.

Planetary defense, oribital flleet manager and omega defense system = totally useless, waste of space, time and effort.

My favourites r anything that increases research (=power).

Building I build most of all: Stock Market.
Buildings I never build: Influence boosters, Planetary defense.

Best: Whatever research building I can currently build.
Worst: Anything to do with defense.

Of course, you absolutely cannot do without factories, so they are more important than research buildings when you first colonise a planet, but in my games are eventually replaced by research buildings when I run out of space.

BEST: Orbital Spin Center

BELIEVE ME this turns the tide in any game.

I also avoid building Galactic Wonders as they take up valuable land tiles. I let the others build them, then trade for them later in the game. Sure, theres a few I'll try to get, but for the most part I dont build them, I buy or steal them later

You can't trade for Galactic Wonders, only Trade Goods.

Because stock markets do only a little of everything, they are actually quite mediorce. It is far better to not waste tiles on them by having a high econ rating already and instead building more effective morale boosters. Additionally, using up limited space for any influence building is absolutely useless as one can instead build an influence starbase. Farms can actually be harmful on colonies with capitals-I mistakenly built a farm on an agri boost sector last game and the people in my capital hated me. The combo of research and industrial buildings are the heart of your colonies-everything else is in essense used to support those builidngs. So the best buildings are the best research and industry you can build at any particular moment.

Stock markets are the cornerstone of any great empire, because a civs military is only as large as the economy that supports it. Ive had single planets making over 800bc a week, stock markets are one of the msot usefull buildings in the game (that you can have more than one of) when coupled with farming improvements.

By the way i think you dont really understand how the gmae mechanics work, race bonuses are applies on top of structures further adding to the bonuses being gained from buildings on planets. So having a 30% race economics bonus and then dedicated stock market/farm planets with an morele boosting structure if need be is by far the best way to use high quality planets. Because they can support higher populations and the economic bonuses add up, more tiles, moe bonuses. The same kind of thing can can be said for a technelogical capital or a manufacturing capital, more dedicated research tiles. So using high quality planets or ones with additional tile bonuses is more advantagous than using low quality planets. But there super projects not normal buildings.

Influence starbases add to the influence created on planet so having a higher planetary influence is desirable, but i dont ususally bother too much about influence unless a planet is engulfed in another races borders.

Its gotta be said, stock markets rule! and in v1.1 they seem to be cheaper too. On small planets: PQ8 or less its a farm a morale and all finance buildings - initially there is a factory to speed the production. during the game even pq4 planets give me 80-100 bc per turn and all they have is stock markets.

orbital fleet manager, omega defence systems and all that suck and are a waste of time. on planets i have a couple of scouts and a big fleet sitting on a military starbase nearby. why waste a fleet on each planet when overlapped defences mean that two fleets with the potential to shoot first can cover more planets. it would make sense if each planet had its own defence sat and ground batteries which could be upgraded to the fleet manager tile were there, but its still a waste of resources.

i'm still uncertain about the influence system so i only put influence buildings on the specific bonus tile only, but i once won an influence victory when i controlled 3 influence bonus starbases maxed out to the limit. those AI planets defected fast.

As for wonders, build em on whoever is the fastest especially galactic showcase, restaurant of eternity and eyes of the universe - now those are wonders! Same goes for trade goods build em fast especially diplomatic translators and aphrodisiac. i'd trade for the others but wanna keep these to myself.

In the game i'm playing at the moment i'm trying to build a massive population on three of the worlds, becuse all three have a yellow food bonus tile and one also has two more greens- i think the rule is one morale building per farm per level, but i think that this is for tax at 40%, im always sitting on 49%. i might drop it so i can have 50 billion happy taxpaying peeps. does anyone know if citizen morale decreases linearly with size of population???

happy empire building

I have to agree with the worst buildings being the defensive ones.

It's funny to read these sorts of posts. Everything is *best* or *worst* depending on your style and strategy. There is a situation for every building in the game. I'll grant you that some are more useful then others but only so far as they help with particular strategies.

Take the Omega Fleet Manager for instance. I build one of these on every planet that has room left after whatever its dedicated function is. You know why? Because the AI tends to leave planets like this alone when it is in its *few escorts and a transport* stage of war. Those four small hulls I've got in orbit are generally enough to repel any attack that I happen to miss with my patrols.

Any building that improves your economy is useful. You can't have dozens of monster dreadnaughts without the economy to support them.

The same goes for an Embassy and the Cultural Exchange Center. They are far far cheaper then any influence starbase could ever be given how much upgrading you have to do just to get a reasonable bonus. Couple them with a large population and you'll have a planet producing close to 100ip a pop. Take that United Planets .

The Planetary Defense building that gives a 25% bonus on the planet is very handy if you are evenly matched with the enemy that landed troops. It may surprise you to know that there are actually times where the AI will sneak a fleet off to a planet that you think is safe. Or it may take a combat fleet along and wipe out your defenses so the only thing left is to hope the planet can hold. This building can help negate some of the automatic attacker bonuses.

But of course all this is my opinion and therefore really only applies to me ... great thing about this game we are all right to a certain degree.

I think definitely the NLC, followed by stock market. Every tile I'm not using at the moment gets a stock market until I need it for something else. And then I can just BUY whatever I'm replacing it with.

I don't bother with defense buildings either usually, with a couple of exceptions. I'll build a spin control center on my economic capital and park some battleships there. If my manufacturing capital is on a high quality planet and I can afford to replace a factory, I might build a Hyperion fleet defense and keep most of a battle fleet parked in orbit when I'm not building anything. Other than that, it's better to defend by launching ships and attacking first.

It may surprise you to know that there are actually times where the AI will sneak a fleet off to a planet that you think is safe. Or it may take a combat fleet along and wipe out your defenses so the only thing left is to hope the planet can hold

A military starbase, with a fleet on guard (1 ship in fleet has high sensors if needed) will ensure the AI never sneaks up on u, ever, period. Any attack fleet will be outmatched, by your fleet, because of the military starbase. Result i have never lost a planet, been invaded, hence any planetary or orbital defense really, really is useless in any players book. The vast majority of GC 2 players agree on this point. Not sure if it can or should be fixed, as the AI 's would take full advantage and the game would slow to a crawl.

Perhaps we should just accept an attacker has an overwealming advantage?

A military starbase, with a fleet on guard (1 ship in fleet has high sensors if needed) will ensure the AI never sneaks up on u, ever, period. Any attack fleet will be outmatched, by your fleet, because of the military starbase. Result i have never lost a planet, been invaded, hence any planetary or orbital defense really, really is useless in any players book. The vast majority of GC 2 players agree on this point. Not sure if it can or should be fixed, as the AI 's would take full advantage and the game would slow to a crawl. Perhaps we should just accept an attacker has an overwealming advantage?

Absolutely no arguement there. My point was merely that for certain strategies buildings are going to be more or less useful. On a larger map it is often difficult to get full coverage for your entire changing border. You know war can break out before you've got that perfect line of defense. And I do believe it was the French that figured out too late in WWII that a wall to keep invaders out doesn't always work .

Hi!

does anyone know if citizen morale decreases linearly with size of population???

AFAIK it's capped at -80% (~25B pop). Then it doesn't decrease anymore, regardless of amount of pop.
BR, Iztok

The consensus seems to be that the defense buildings suck most, with the embassies / farms being the 2nd most hated depending on the players strategy.

I am very surprised that there is no vehemence for the propaganda center. I suppose many people dont bother going far enough up the Xeno Ethics chain to even see it.

END COMMUNICATION

The consensus seems to be that the defense buildings suck most, with the embassies / farms being the 2nd most hated depending on the players strategy. I am very surprised that there is no vehemence for the propaganda center. I suppose many people dont bother going far enough up the Xeno Ethics chain to even see it

You cant have a decent economy without people, those that dislike farms for allowing the rabits ot breed so fast probably dont know how to effectively keep morale up alongside population growth. You cant like stock markets and say you dislike farms, the two go hand in hand. You dont place 10 stock markets on a planet and 0 farms do you, it would be silly.

I do believe it was the French that figured out too late in WWII that a wall to keep invaders out doesn't always work

My Maginot line has no big holes called Holland or Belguim in it

You cant have a decent economy without people

Very true. I have read alot of posts that dismiss farms, high population. Some wont build a farm on a 300% bonus tile. If managed correctly, high population = loads of money. To the extent u can upgrade your factories to something more useful, as u can buy instead of manufacturing what u need.

Defensive buildings probably are good on a very small map. Hyperion defense and Omega ship center on your homewolrd, where there are only 2 planets per race on the map would be really good idea. But overall I dont build any defense structures except maybe for fleet one. And that's at higher AI levels.

I don't build farms on any agriculture bonus tiles. Ever. Even with an approval bonus, it seems like I need three VR centers per each advanced farm built on a bonus to keep people happy. I can NEVER keep people happy if I build on a 300% bonus. Strangely, I can build two seperate farms on normal tiles and need only three approval buildings total.

You cant have a decent economy without people, those that dislike farms for allowing the rabits ot breed so fast probably dont know how to effectively keep morale up alongside population growth. You cant like stock markets and say you dislike farms, the two go hand in hand. .

You need at least ONE farm, but the key point to note is that farms *don't* speed up population growth.... For most part, all I need xenofarms, and when my larger colonies hit the 10Billion mark, i get the next tech level in farms which is pretty cheap to research anyway (but remember to turn off autograde, most planets don't need super teched up farms).

I've never seen the need for 2 farms though. Much more efficent to just tech upgrade the one farm.

Certainly I get planets with 2 or more bonus food tiles, I just use one of them for farming, and treat the rest as normal tiles. I almost never do that for other bonus tiles.... Except maybe the approval ones...

For low PQ planets, you don't really need farms as much because their top population caps at a low value, and you probably don't build economy improvements there anyway, so population is moot anyway.