Early game terraforming - farms or forests?

[Enigma]

Also you can think that the trees might have an easier time extracting minerals from relatively low mineral content soil, then the minerals are put in a format that they can be more easily extracted from (i.e. trees). These are probably trees chosen expressly for purposes like this. And think about the production times, after five years of harvesting from a large chunk of forest shouldn't a base be able to produce a scout patrol unit (probably a small group of people in spacesuits)?

[Velociryx]

For me, the ONLY question in 2105 that I look at when determining what and how to terraform is: "Do I have some tile (ANY tile) in my first base's radius that brings me two nutrients per turn?" If Yes, then I duly commission the Chironian Forestry Commission and get cracking on that, if No, then a farm (preferably on a river) has to be the top priority, in order to get the base from size one to two as quickly as possible. But then, everybody pretty much knows I'm a big fan of forests....

-=Vel=-
[This message has been edited by Velociryx (edited December 04, 2000).]

[mark13]

Yeah, I think that has to be the main concern. When the base hits size three, of course, production immediately goes on to forests, to leave you with no surplus to take the base to size 4 and the inevitable drone riots. Plus, it leaves you with a minimum of 8 minerals for that base, which is more than enough to be getting by on. Once tree farms become available, and you are confident you can cope with the psych requirements, pop booming becomes an option. The PTs becomes even more valuable under this strategy, as it quells any extra size three drones that may appear, but starts bases working three forests, and an immediate 8 minerals.