Asteroids

After playing a couople of games Im more and more getting the impression that asteroids are more or less a non factor. The reason is that I can jack up my industrial output pretty good without them so I really dont need any asteroid mines.

However what I do find lacking in the game is ways to boost my economy. So I think asteroids would be alot more useful if they added to your economy rather than industry.

What do you think?
10,310 views 17 replies
Reply #1 Top
I've got a question: has anyone out there done any analysis of how asteroids stack with power plants and economy starbases? Does asteroid output get multiplied, free IP, all that?

But yeah, without some multiplying, asteroids seem to be largely a non-factor. Although you can beam their output to weak worlds that need a jump start on their manufacturing capacity.
Reply #2 Top
I personally would like this more. Right now I rarely target them during warfare since I can usually outclass the AI ship for ship, and I don't want to rebuild them when I take a planet.

But knowing that I can take down their economy by doing astroid raids combined with hitting trade routes would make a war of atrition much for fun and viable.
Reply #3 Top
I would like it if you could research something that would allow you to build the kind of base you want on the asteroid. I mean, instead of just giving industry bonuses you could (with the appropriate research) choose between industry, economy, research, etc. making them more like mini resource nodes.
Well that's my two cents.
Reply #4 Top
I mean, instead of just giving industry bonuses you could (with the appropriate research) choose between industry, economy, research, etc. making them more like mini resource nodes.


It was that way back before the public beta, but the devs decided it was too cumbersome and it was scrapped (at least for now).
Reply #5 Top
So far, I find that Asteroids can have a decent impact on a small world, but not much impact on a well developed world.

For example, if I have a class 4 planet with a factory and 3 research facilities, it is much quicker to upgrade the research facilities if the planet is getting bonuses from asteroids.
Reply #6 Top
I find Asteroids to be most useful in times of war, when I can jack a planets military production way up and divert all roids to that one planet, I started pumping out ships very fast, without having to outright buy them
Reply #7 Top
I tend to find asteroids pretty useful, it helps get smaller worlds up of the ground much faster, and when leveled up, can provide some pretty nice bonuses! True it takes a while to get them to that state, but with a power plant, manufacturing capitol, and a few factories you can really pump ships out!

But being able to select the kind of bonus a 'roid gives you would be very cool, would be neat to see it implemented later on down the road!
Reply #8 Top
However what I do find lacking in the game is ways to boost my economy. So I think asteroids would be alot more useful if they added to your economy rather than industry.


If you have a planet receiving a significant amount of mp from a nearby asteroid belt try building economic generating buildings instead of factories.
Reply #9 Top
I assume the industry you get from asteroids is free? I will always take 1 free point of industry over 1 credit any day.
Reply #10 Top
I find the impact from upgraded/maxed asteroids to be significant, but its a collosal pain to get there. Certainly , I never have time to research the mining tech befoe the games over, and if I pick it up in another fashion, it takes forver to get the mines upgraded.


Ive found myself turning the number of asteroids way down in my game to reduce "busy work". If there were an "auto-mine" option for mine ships to reduce micro, like auto survey, I might feel diferently. If there is one and I havent noticed it yet, please dont point that out, because then Ill look silly
Reply #11 Top
Wouldn't wnat to do that. It would be rude to point out that the automate button does make them autohunt the nearest unocccupide asteroid.
Reply #12 Top
Well, now youve gone and done it.
Reply #13 Top
Hello.

If your manufacturing planet is besieged by spies- you have no manufacturing points coming out anymore, asteroids could save you. If the planet is surrounded by asteroids, they'll take over for your factories until you purge the spies. Make sense?
Reply #14 Top
I found a nice use for asteroids: micro. I'm frequently in the habit of rush-buying projects that are almost completed. Which works right away, if it's a social project. But if it's a ship, you have to wait a turn, and all the military production that turn is wasted. Instead what you can do is shift the asteroids around and get those ships out one turn earlier, and without spending 20bc to get that last kick out the door. Then you can shift the asteroids back.

Helps with the colony rush. And I just changed a 428bc manufacturing planet from putting out 435bc medium hull ships every other turn to every turn that way. Yay me!
Reply #15 Top
I like asteroids just fine. The mining ship is free and I can usually trade for mining tech. I've never researched mining or extreme colonization techs, if the AI gets it I'll get it eventually.

Reply #16 Top
You can trade w/ the AI for their mining ships, too.
Reply #17 Top
I'm not very good at running my empire, and I need all the help I can get, so I always have something to do with my asteroid mines, usually I just spam them all on my wonder/trade goods planet.