This is kind of an open question really.



Normally I play on spiral galaxies which means I get my own arm to work on, until wormhole travel is discovered.

Standard operating procedure for me is to just settle most of it, if the systems are marginally useful. Then get Wormhole travel and grab a few more systems in the center. I'm sure that the whole "grab the center early"-move is only possible because I'm playing on normal difficulty, so this is my question to the rest of you, when do you normally stop just settling new systems and start consolidating your forces and preparing for war?

This type of question can't be answered. Everything is situation-dependent. If you are playing the Sophons you need to expand more than if you are United Earth, for instance. Blocking off opponents' expansion is also valuable. Strategic and luxury resources are another consideration. Strategically important chokepoint planets is another. Diplomacy must be considered also - heavy expansion doesn't tend to make friends so Amoeba would particularly suffer. And so on.



What's always valuable to consider is expansion approval. Losing the ability to keep your whole empire at max happiness over a few cruddy worlds is never worth it.

I wasn't looking for an "answer". I was hoping to stir up some valuable discussion.



You mention that you would want more systems as Sophons than as United empire? Any particular reason behind that?



Sticking to fewer systems as Amoeba for diplomatic reasons I can understand.



Where is the "edgecase" for you between settling a mediocre system or just leaving it be?

If you play on spiral galaxies I recommend you the following:



Initially colonize up to 4 systems in your arm. These systems should have easily colonizable planets, such as arid, tundra or easier ones. The planets with approval anomalies are the best to colonize initially.



Meanwhile, you should have researched the casimir effect technology and the one that provides the infinite supermarkets. After that, colonize up to 4 more systems IN your arm, which should be the entirety of it.



After you have own all your arm's systems, research the next technology that reduces expansion disaproval and the one that provides the improvement colonial rights. Then, colonize all the vacant systems that you find usefull and haven't been colonized yet. This is when you stop expanding and give a focus to improving your FIDS value and millitary power.



Then, it is all up to you.

My normal approach is just to spam new systems in my own arm, since I'm not getting expansion unhappiness at the outposts, and my tax will be hovering around 10-15% anyhow, I can usually survive the happiness hit at my home system. Due to the many systems colonized, my science goes up, allowing me to research Casimir Effect, Nonbaryonic Particles and at least the first happiness booster (and build it) before the outposts convert to colonies. While everything is still at the outpost stage, I use Industry to dust to balance my economy.



Getting all 8+ system building the +40 research building so early also means that Improved Colonial Rights normally is next in the pipeline. Once I have +55 happiness and my own arm converted to Colonies, I raise taxes to the ~30% point, which is normally enough to keep most systems ecstatic while leaving we with a positive income. Expansion disapproval tops out at ~40 and then works its way back a bit as Casimir Effect is done.



The one thing I'm asking my self is, would it be better to leave 2-3 of the lesser systems in my arm unsettled for a while, and just focus on building more fleet to go offensive right out of the gate when the wormholes start opening up.

I usually play on a Spiral-8 map, so I first get control of my entire arm, then when I get wormhole travel I expand to any uninhabited arms left over.

I just rush each wormhole chokepoint. I've learned that this usually pays out once outposts become colonies and lockdown the uncolonized constellations behind their borders. Plus this gives you an early sense of security

flipstar wrote:
I just rush each wormhole chokepoint. I've learned that this usually pays out once outposts become colonies and lockdown the uncolonized constellations behind their borders. Plus this gives you an early sense of security

In your own constellation, or in the core? Locking down the core would be very powerful, but i expect it would also be extremely unpopular.

With Amoeba (in an ovoid galaxy), I tried an aggressive way of playing, colonising systems really close to them and blocking, by this way, their expansion.

Even in a peacefull way of gaming, I like to colonize all the systems I can.