Economic Capital...Overrated?

Is this the way it is supposed to work?

from GalCiv2 Forums
I have been playing GalCiv2 for some time, and thought I had a pretty good understanding of the game concepts. But I recently noticed that the Economic Capital does not fit my strategy nearly as well as I thought.

I usually do not build the Economic Capital until a bit later in the game, when I can put it on a planet with a lot of stock exchanges. I also try to make that my highest population planet. But taking a closer look at what the Econ Capital actually does, I found that the stock exchanges make no difference whatsoever.

In the manual, it states that the Econ Capital doubles the economy of a planet. We know that is not true; the in game description states that it gives a 50% economic boost. However, that 50% increase is only an increase in the base economy, not 50% increase to the overall planet economy after bonuses. That means that the Econ Capital functions exactly like 2 stock exchanges, which really is not that much of a bonus.

I found this after conquering an AI Econ Capital, and noticed that a planet with 12.0B pop, 9 stock exchanges and an Econ Capital produces exactly the same income as a planet with 12.0B pop and 11 stock exchanges. Both planets list +275% economy in their details.

This really changes my strategy regarding this super project. It seems only valuable early on, when you are only building marketplaces at 8-10% economy increase. Then an Econ Capital is worth 5 tiles. But once you are building stock exchanges, it really loses it's value. I always waited until I had stock exchanges before I built one, but this is obviously not a good strategy.

Is this the way they are supposed to work? I can see where this would be by design, as I recall a past patch in DL where the devs stated that economy was reduced in late game play to prevent astronomical income.
18,695 views 18 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I guess it matters the most early on before you have stock exchanges and terraforming techs, but afterwards it loses its importance. Still 2 for 1 isn't bad, but it does take a long time to build.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Is anyone actually suprised by this??? remember that the economic capital is a financial building, and we all know how finances are geared in galciv! .....

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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This really changes my strategy regarding this super project. It seems only valuable early on, when you are only building marketplaces at 8-10% economy increase. Then an Econ Capital is worth 5 tiles. But once you are building stock exchanges, it really loses it's value.


All very true, it's still well worth building though unlike many specials. Early on is when games are usually won and lost...
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
In the manual, it states that the Econ Capital doubles the economy of a planet. We know that is not true; the in game description states that it gives a 50% economic boost. However, that 50% increase is only an increase in the base economy, not 50% increase to the overall planet economy after bonuses. That means that the Econ Capital functions exactly like 2 stock exchanges, which really is not that much of a bonus.


Perhaps it has changed. The Manufacturing capital was increased to 33% bonus, while the power plants were nerfed back to the levels they once had back in beta.

I remember to when the Economic Capital used to have a 100% bonus. That would double the planet's economic bonus if no other economic structures were placed.

This really changes my strategy regarding this super project. It seems only valuable early on, when you are only building marketplaces at 8-10% economy increase. Then an Econ Capital is worth 5 tiles. But once you are building stock exchanges, it really loses it's value. I always waited until I had stock exchanges before I built one, but this is obviously not a good strategy.


The Economic Capital will become less valuable, the more planets you play with. Each extra planet is another source of income. At some points, your income will average out to a point, that another Economic Capital will not provide you with much of a spike in income.

Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The flaw in my thinking was comparing it to the Manufacturing Capital, where each added factory would increase the effectiveness of the capital. I always believed that more stock exchanges increased the bonus of the Econ Capital. There wasn't any info on exactly how it worked, so I may not be the only one who thought this way. Now I know, and hopefully others will also.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The Eco capital is still worth building, but nothing worth losing sleep over. Most games, it's the only economy building I build. I don't build markets.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The flaw in my thinking was comparing it to the Manufacturing Capital, where each added factory would increase the effectiveness of the capital. I always believed that more stock exchanges increased the bonus of the Econ Capital.

I also initially thought the econ cap worked the way the manu cap worked and multiplied the effect of all economic buildings on the planet. I think this is the intuitive interpretation, but I think a careful reading of the description does indeed accurately reflect the way it works.

As long as you understand the effect, I think it's better the way it is. I always build my econ cap on my home planet as soon as I can because I think that's the best place and time for it. On the basis that a mediocre early bonus is better than a great bonus later in the game, I think it’s a blessing in disguise that the econ cap doesn’t work like the manu cap. If it did then people would be more likely to wait until later in the game when they had the “perfect” planet to put it on. BTW I use this same reasoning as to why I always build my manu cap on my home planet ASAP.


Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If I do the Ctrl-N cheese I will build my manu capital on my home planet and not the econ capital. With factories getting +33%, I need the tile for a factory, not an econ building. If I don't do the ctrl-N cheese, I do the opposite: econ capital on my homeworld, manu capital on some other world that has nice +300% manu tiles.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
manu capital on some other world that has nice +300% manu tiles.


Stupid question time... if you place the manu capital on a bonus tile, or any other relevant build to bonus tile, does it receive a bonus? My belief is it doesn't but I've never built it on a bonus tile to see. Maybe I should've, but I didn't.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Stupid question time... if you place the manu capital on a bonus tile, or any other relevant build to bonus tile, does it receive a bonus? My belief is it doesn't but I've never built it on a bonus tile to see. Maybe I should've, but I didn't.

No. It doesn't, so it's good that you haven't.   

Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
No, but if you place the manuf capital on the WORLD that has the 300% manuf bonus tile, then the factory you build on the bonus tile gets multiplied by 300% and then multiplied again by the 33% from the capital.
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
If it did then people would be more likely to wait until later in the game when they had the “perfect” planet to put it on.


That's exactly what I was doing 

As long as you understand the effect, I think it's better the way it is. I always build my econ cap on my home planet as soon as I can because I think that's the best place and time for it.


Agree. The effect is fine, now that I understand it. I was initially traumatized upon learning my perfect econ worlds weren't as perfect as I thought. Now I realize why the AI is always so gung-ho to get this built early on.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I was initially traumatized upon learning my perfect econ worlds weren't as perfect as I thought.

Yes. The first time I discovered this was when I had a PQ32 filled with nothing but Stock Markets (this was in v1.2 when the SM still had a 5% morale bonus). I was getting 3000 bc's per week out of the planet. When I built my econ cap I got 3100 bc's per week. Very disappointing, particularly when in the same game adding my tech capital increased a similar planet’s research output from 6,000 RP’s per week to 12,000 RP’s per week.


Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Anymore I generally conquer worlds with capitals before I build my own. That can blow sometimes, like when the AI makes a dumb build with one Tech capital on a Class 4 world filled with industry.

That also makes it impossible to build one where I do want it. I don't like the "can't destroy" way they work. C'mon, if I took a bulldozer to it I should surely be able to knock that ECON capital down.

About the only thing I can do in that situation is to give the planet to someone else. Then when I conquer it again make sure I use the MASS DRIVERS

Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Anymore I generally conquer worlds with capitals before I build my own.


Why?? Don't you want them both?
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Anymore I generally conquer worlds with capitals before I build my own.


Why?? Don't you want them both?



No, I just don't get 'em built in time, LOL. I forget about them, or put it off until I can get that "plum Class 15+" planet to put one on. Then I conquer or flip a planet, and, whoops, too late!
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
What I figured out is if you START building one and then you conquer a planet that already has it built, you can continue building yours and get both. Or, if you have yours BUILT and they're in the middle of theirs, you can finish theirs and get both. But, if you're in the middle of building and they're in the middle of building, you'll only get the first one.
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This is a great thread, until this very moment i thought that my econ capital was a world economy multiplier. I guess its still good to build ASAP like I do, but later in the game its less effective, this means that you can rebuild on that tile and not lose too much money. or just leave it as is.

And I'm glad to know that my others capitals DO works that way.

So if i understand this correctly... the planet you build the economic capital on DOES NOT need any economy buildings on it and it will still give you the same 50% boost in money.?.?