Free Market on the front-end versus Planned on the back end

[Grail Quest]

I know a lot of people talk about cash being supreme, but I was wondering if running an aggressive high-Growth high-Industry rating, building faster doesn't win out on the back end?

The options are:
(a) run Free Market - I can clearly see cash and boost in research on the front end, sometimes with the research time almost halving.

If you run 70% or 80% Research to minimize research time, then there really isn't that much cash going around to hurry builds, and you can't hurry builds by more than a few turns anyway, because of the prohibitive cost.

(b) run Democracy - Planned - Wealth for a net +1 Economy, +2 Industry, and +4 Growth.

Assuming that you are NOT pop-booming (which requires a front-end load cost of building a Children's Creche at each base you want to pop-boom), the +2 industry allows you to build everything about 20% faster (depending on your faction).

This translates into squeezing in an infrastructure build while waiting for your Nutrient Box to nearly fill and then timing a Colony Pod to go out.
In turn, this means more bases going out, more population gathering minerals.
There is, however, a delay while the Colony Pod reaches its destination.

It also translates to being able to Hurry builds quicker and for reduced cost.

*

Aside: What is the optimal way to hurry builds? I usually wait for the cost to be reduced to Mins x 2 before I do a JIT-buy (that is, if 40 minerals are left, but the base is producing 30, I buy 10).
I am more aggressive with crunching out Formers--I try to get a former out at a new base quickly, and have bought minerals at x10 to do it.

[Minute Mirage]

I find that FM is vastly superior in both tech and cash, when you run a 50/50 allocation. I usually only ever use Planned for pop booming or in the very early game if I get lucky and pop a lot of cash from a pod. Then again, if I have the HGP, I'd much rather have a GA pop boom.

[jtsisyoda]

edit I'll re-post this alternative after I beat Minute Mirage with it. (just a little trash talk )

[Jac de Molay]

I use FM with Morgan, Zak, and Lal. All others I stay away from it. Not worth the trouble, especially after crawlers are in play.

[CEO Aaron]

First of all, I play Morgan primarily, so I'm accustomed to hitting the midgame running Fundy/Green/Wealth, for +1 energy per square, +1 industry and only -1 morale. My allocation typically favors cash over research, with a moderate amount of psych.

This setup allows me to crank out Commando ground units, assuming I have Command Centers and Bioenhancement Centers, which are easily upgraded via the nearest Monolith. Cash is used for probe actions, unit upgrades (very efficient) and the occasional rush build.

My energy income is usually such that I can out-tech my rivals, even with a poor allocation and research penalty, and if they happen to beat me to a particular tech, I'm generally well-positioned to steal it.

With most factions Planned is going to out-perform Free Market in the long game, due to a couple of factors: First, the Police penalty pretty much makes you incapable of offensive campaigns, and more importantly, makes building a sizable air-force impractical. Second, careful use of specialists can generate either cash or research or both with no efficiency problems, and also conveniently circumvent drone issues.

[Jamski]

Early game Planned rules, then FM rules, then Green late game. That's the way I always see it. Late game FM can really hurt, and even produce less cash compared to Green.

-Jam

[jtsisyoda]

Now that my game with Minute Mirage is past year 2110, he is completely lost, so I can re-post my "devastating secret" (yeah right).

I usually go with Market, but I make exceptions based on circumstances. If you have lots of monoliths, river-forests, etc., an extra drone-free citizen (Planned with a garrison) can sometimes provide equal energy and more minerals, compared to FM. In certain situations, one lousy police can make a big difference. All that's usually only valid before restriction-lifting or pop-booms, though.