Food Distribution Center

from GalCiv2 Forums
This isn't a TA bug per say, but I figured it might deserve some attention in here.

The food distribution center increases food production by 25%.  Yet, at the same time, due to the way the happiness rules work, having more than one or two farms -- three, at most! -- just isn't something someone is going to do by the time they get this tech.  It would be useful early on when the first farms are released, but once you get to the third level of farms -- required for the building -- its useless.  A second farm would double your output, not increase it by 1/4, and even that is generally too much unless you have a lot of +morale.

Anyone else thinks that building needs to be looked at?  (Or have I missed a use for it?)
7,646 views 13 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hehe. You missed the point there I think. At least as I see it. If you can easily keep morale while having 1 farm, but 2 farms push your population high enough that you are having problems maintaining morale again, the food distribution center is a great way to get more population while limiting morale problems. Building a farm and a distribution center is like having a farm and a quarter.

The question I usually ask myself is "what gives me more money, building that extra 2b worth of population, or an econ structure?" Sometimes the population is worth more.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
They are also useful if you placed the Torian farm building on a planet and wish to increase it's size a smidgen.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
d'oh. A way to increase farming by a small amount. Huh, didn't think of it that way.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Much cheaper just to build one of the lower tech farms alongside your new one if you want a few more billion people.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Much cheaper just to build one of the lower tech farms alongside your new one if you want a few more billion people.
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Cheaper to build, but not in terms of maintenance, which is what matters long term. I've found some instances where I consider the distribution center worth building.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Same maint. as the enhanced xeno farm. I've built a few distribution centers, but I rarely find them useful.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Same maint. as the enhanced xeno farm. I've built a few distribution centers, but I rarely find them useful.
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I totally agree, "rarely" being the keyword. Sometimes, they are. I probably micro-manage my population more than alot of people though. I agree with TC in terms of it being less useful than it could be based on where it is in the tech tree. Getting it earlier would make it alot more useful.
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Much cheaper just to build one of the lower tech farms alongside your new one if you want a few more billion people.
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... Except the get obsoleted when you research the new one.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
You can still build them.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
You can still build them.
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How?
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
At the top of the improvements list there are tabs to show old or new improvements. Also handy for newly colonized or conquered worlds where you want to build a factory or something, but it would take 40 turns to buid the latest and greatest. But mostly I use it to pick exactly the right farm(s) to build given a planet's morale and food bonuses.
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
But what happens when you have level 1 farms on a planet where you don't want to use level 2, and then research level 3 farms? Wouldn't everything auto-upgrade? Then you'd have to go around and decide which upgrades to cancel. On a big map, that could be a huge pain.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
But what happens when you have level 1 farms on a planet where you don't want to use level 2, and then research level 3 farms? Wouldn't everything auto-upgrade? Then you'd have to go around and decide which upgrades to cancel. On a big map, that could be a huge pain.
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You have a choice, turn off auto-upgrade or do what you have already said when farms upgrade. The former is a lot huger pain, but you are very right...it's a bit of a pain. I wish there was a way to turn off auto-upgrades just for farms while leaving everything else on.