When it comes to more difficult planet types, you just have to pay attention to what it is you need. If you need to boost your Industry, go for a lava planet. If you need more Science, colonize a gas giant (Helium).

Gas giants have -20. Its not as bad as it sounds later on when youve researched a lot of happiness techs or are running low taxes. Ive colonised gas giants with a bad anomaly that actually had a -40 to happiness in total.

Thanks guys! Great feedback. I was already postponing the colonisation of lava and other planets with high disapproval effects for last, but now I know when I should colonize them. If I am correct I even saw some type of planets with a disapproval effect of -20. That is quite something to compensate, right?

Marthnn wrote:
... or just colonize better systems and leave the all-lava-asteroid-gas-giant system for last/never. Scarce food and heavy planet disapproval means you need a bigger investment in resources or time for such a system to pay off.



Still, you could prioritize lava planets over barren ones, since industry lets you build useful improvements faster.

Or you could prioritize barren planets for their Science output.

Lava planets make it easier to produce ships, which lets you conquer more systems which can in turn provide more FIDS to your treasury.



The predicaments of 4X games!

... or just colonize better systems and leave the all-lava-asteroid-gas-giant system for last/never. Scarce food and heavy planet disapproval means you need a bigger investment in resources or time for such a system to pay off.



Still, you could prioritize lava planets over barren ones, since industry lets you build useful improvements faster.

Colonize other planets first, if you can. Lava planets produce no food, so you'll need another planet to support population growth.

Lava planets are a great thing to have, since they have such high Industry values, and if you have a solar system with a few of them, it can become a forge world for your empire by producing ships faster than other systems. This is why Sowers are a good race in the early game. Like chromo said, colonize other planets first, and build happiness improvement structures, and also for the Food and population growth.

If you have a system containing all lava planets/asteroid belts/gas giants, you'll have to bite the bullet and colonize the lava planet. Just build a Food exploitation and a happiness improver - use Dust to buyout the product.

Colonize everything once you can deal with the happiness hits. Its worth it. The more population you have the better imo. More pop = more fids.