My build order has been rearranged. What is yours?

[EyeofMobius]

My initial build order was: Concrete ex>Metal ex> Machine Factory> Poly Factory> Rare Metal ex> Elec Factory
Now it's: Concrete ex> Rare Metal ex> Elec Factory> Machine Factory> Metal ex> Poly factory.

I have also started taking 5 concrete on my initial rocket to start with wind on high ground right away. I add solar when I start having work dayshifts.

Sometimes I Scrap my early rockets for the 10 Electronics if I feel they are redundant.

Has anyone else had huge shifts for success? What is your build order? Any other early game quirks you use?

 

[erneiz_hyde]

Electronics factory is very manpower heavy to run at a profitable rate since it's consuming it's own product, I'd say leave them for later until you are supporting a large and growing population base so you can fully staff it. Rare metals first is indeed the best move though, it will give you the funds for further imports like food and maintenance needs.
I have stopped trying to be self-reliant too early and have instead dig all those rare metals for imports.

 

[MarQan]

I started paying unnecessary attention to finish both a Large Solar and the Concrete Extractor just as the sun is coming up on the 2nd Sol.
Before the 2nd night you can have enough for wind and just use the solar to charge the rovers (they don't get dusty unless turned on).

Besides that I just got rid of the noobie setups basically:
- I loved the Stirling gen + Moisture Vaporizer + Fuel Refinery start, but of course that's not affordable on higher diff,
- as a result of that I started focusing on building techs more, so I can just order the materials from Eartch and build most things myself,
- my first factory is for Machine Parts instead of Polymers so I can keep Morale high enough for babies,
- I stopped building a Tunnel before my first Dome,
- I don't wait for Soil Adaptation with my first Dome anyomre (which made me realize how ridiculously overpowered Farms are, at least compared to the alternative).

I never scrapped any Rockets yet, but I guess I'll try when I grind the SpaceY achievement.

 

[Bakta]

If I was to rate manned factories, in order or early usefulness

1- rare metal, unless playing Europe sponsor in which case it's metal (you get more money with research than just selling rares)
- Also a factor to consider : What of power you rely on. If it's solar panels, you'll need metal and machines parts. So mine first and buy a machine factory. If you go solar panels, surface metal is ok.
Then, we're second dome territory here
2 -Whatever you didn't pick for number 1
3- Polymer, just add water and makes for a good shopping+luxury building or playground etc..
4- Electronics, very costly in term of manpower, best reserved for a medium sized dome.

At which stage your issue is more population management than ressources

 

[Tank Hunter]

"- I stopped building a Tunnel before my first Dome,"

You what? Why was that ever a good idea?

 

[ainyru]

2 Concrete Ex -> 1st Dome -> Rare Metal Ex -> Polymer Factory -> 2-3 Concrete Ex -> 2nd Dome -> Machine Parts Factory -> Electronics Factory -> Metal Ex

 

[MarQan]

"- I stopped building a Tunnel before my first Dome,"

You what? Why was that ever a good idea?

Well.. yeah, that's why I stopped

 

[AlycyaJane]

My current playthrough is Church of the New Ark which only has one rocket, so I had to bring a fuel refinery and moisture vaporator or I'd never get resupplied!
My usual initial build order is solar panel > sensor tower > concrete ext. + large solar panel to power it, followed by fuel refinery and moisture vaporator. I was lucky enough to get Extractor AI as my first breakthrough as well this time, so I set up rare metal extractors before I built my first dome Electronics factory is usually the last one I build as it's so resource- and manpower hungry (machine parts is the first, then polymers). I do use a Steam workshop mod that changes its maintenance to machine parts rather than electronics though, which does make things a bit easier.

 

[Carl_Bar]

Solar panel->bit of cable->sensor tower->gather local resources till i have a good stockpile of metal->concrete extractors->battery->gather more resources with transport rover-> water extractor -> fuel refinery -> start on domes->order of domes is food, child, mining, production-> once food and childrens domes are up start putting in interiors, wind turbines, oxygen, and first drone hub, (if inventor hub goes in earlier.)->pull first colonists->pull in more once founder over->keep pulling them in to limits of applicants->university dome->wait for colonist numbers to reach self sufficiency.

Very slow start but keeps your maintenance down right up to the moment you complete domes which is just before first colonist pull. Can take 35-50 sols depending on various random factors before your ready for first colonist pull.

 

[spannbeton]

3 Small solars -> Concrete.
5 more small solar-> battery-> 2 big solar ->moisture, fuel
Second battery, 2 wind turbines, 2 moisture, watertower. 10 more small solar, oxy+tank, dome.
2 big solar, 2 wind, dome utilities, rare metal mine.

Why small solars you ask?

That is why:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1339570684

 

[Kexessa]

Any other early game quirks you use?

I always build a 3 tile size electric cable and a large solar panel off on the edge. It's the first thing I build. It's "home base" for my Explorer & Rovers. Go to an anomaly, go back and charge. If they are close together I can sometimes get 2 anomalies in 1 charge. That little solar panel & cable stay my whole game.I use it to charge all my vehicles and nothing else. I don't know, it's just a thing I do I always have a machine parts factory in my first dome because so much depends on them. I use wind, not solar, so I need the parts for repairs.

 

[Promethian]

If you do your energy with solar panels and batteries you can keep your machine parts and electronics maintenance very low for a very long time. The batteries want polymers and I like to use polymer maintenance buildings in my domes. Especially the Arcology. So I go for the polymer factory after getting the rare metals flowing. Place your drone hubs right and you can be very efficient with your maintenance costs. It makes playing as the church or PDX much smoother.

 

[Shadeseraph]

If you do your energy with solar panels and batteries you can keep your machine parts and electronics maintenance very low for a very long time. The batteries want polymers and I like to use polymer maintenance buildings in my domes. Especially the Arcology. So I go for the polymer factory after getting the rare metals flowing. Place your drone hubs right and you can be very efficient with your maintenance costs. It makes playing as the church or PDX much smoother.

Yeah, same experience - generally the trick with PDX at least is to try to focus on buildings with only concrete/metal/polymer maintenances for most of the early and mid game.
The problem is trying to push those education and science domes in the mid-to-late-game. They require crazy amount of electronics unless you abuse scrubbers, and factories are insanely power hungry.
Gotta say, the biggest problem with PDX is that rockets tie way too many drones down due to the increased fuel consumption. I usually end sending a rocket with nothing but drones at some point (I never have the personel or resources to build a drone factory).

 

[Miravlix]

Paradox Sponsor.

Rover, Explorer, Moisture, Fuel Extractor , Stirling. 4 drones, Pol 10, MaP 20, Elec 5.

Landing:
No depots! They are a waste of time this early. The drones can grab and build from the rocket inventory.
Stirling + Concrete planned before rocket lands. Nothing much can beat 10 maintenance free power close to instant build due to being prefab.

Scan Tower connected to the Stirling.

Water, Fuel , 2 wind turbines, since I need to make 100 fuel to get the rocket off the ground. (Wish I could use the Stirling open, but I think the game is more entertaining with 4/4/4/4 disaster maps, not that it seem to exist, so I usually have to settle for less.)

Now spend 9 days getting 100 fuel, while exploring and hopeful finding the Dome spot.

Dome - Farm, Grocery, Dinner, Infirmary, Statue and housing. (Dinner and Infirmary with two work slots but limited to 1 worker pr. shift.)

Next priority is Rare Metals.

Research, Nursery, Education has higher priority than production facilities, it's way better to buy them from earth, until you have way more colonists.

 

[spannbeton]

I'd replace the sterling+explorer with a second refinery+moisture. But then I pretty much have to. Because I modded traveltime to be 5 times as much

 

[Shadeseraph]

I'd replace the sterling+explorer with a second refinery+moisture. But then I pretty much have to. Because I modded traveltime to be 5 times as much

I've played with paradox enough to feel I have a good grasp on how it plays in vanilla, and in addition to that you need enough polymers for a basic dome AND some batteries, unless you don't mind waiting for colonists until sun 2X or so, even with 2 refineries. Especially early on PDX has a lot of trouble with rockets having doubled fuel cost that you cannot afford to have a large machine part dependency.
In that sense, a sterling is an interesting alternative because it eases the need for a battery. On the other side, I still feel it is way too expensive...
Also, with PDX I tend to priorize Advanced Martian Engines for reduced fuel requirements.

 

[Miravlix]

I don't know why you think you need a battery early.

Dust Storms make the base create more power. Cold Waves might take more windmills to get past.

Dust Devils, Electric Dust Storms and Meteors that crash the power is something you can't guard against and a battery won't matter (Especially since I've had those problems kill the battery on one side of the base and the power on the other, I can't predict where it will hit, I can kinda predict the rate and that tells me I just can't effort enough backup that early to 100% safeguard against them, but then I don't need to, the colony can survive loosing power.).

Later sure, when I can have batteries and power in way more locations than disasters can hit, but early MP's is the only advanced maintenance I will suffer, so I don't have to buy Elec or Pol.

Most of the time Elec is the second maintenance resource in my build. Pol require Water, Fuel and is an outdoor building, so I avoid it at all cost.

Batteries seems fairly awful, I can support 20 energy for 5 hours with one battery, the dome alone will drain that, so I can't just build a single one, now the Atomic Accumulator though, that one is well worth it, one AA pr. dome and I don't think even the RNGod can't disrupt power to the base.

 

[EyeofMobius]

Awesome that so many people contributed. We all do it slightly or drastically different.