dev planning, anyone done it?

[vmxa1]

I have not seen much on this topic and I have not played much, so I was wondering if others are using it and hpw.

[Inverse Icarus]

i ran a test that is by no means extensive.

i set up a dev plan for "New" planets (newly colonzied ones), in this order: Production, Minerals, Bioharvesting.

it didn't preform like i would have liked it to, but it DID preform better than it usually does with no dev plan.

[vmxa1]

So you can use it to sort of guide the Vicroy?

[Inverse Icarus]

that's my understanding, although i prefer a hands-on approach myself.

[vmxa1]

That seems to be fowned on in this game.

[Inverse Icarus]

yea, i'm working on using them more and more. devplanning seems to work.

[Ankh]

Uberkrux: Actually I did the same first but later figured out that is wasnt such a great idea to set "Production, Minerals, Bioharvesting".

Becuase with this setting AI will build Factories FIRST then mines.

To get production on a planet a priority, set them like this:

Classification 1: Priority: Manufacturing
Classification 2: Priority: Mining


Now you'll get the planet going faster. Since Factories and Mines are being constructed at the same time.

[Inverse Icarus]

i've recently noticed that myself. it built 2 industries before starting the mines. good note.

[vmxa1]

Ok are you saying that
Planet Class = New
Dev Policy = Manufactor
Emphasis = Primary
add this pland and then make a second wherethe Policy is Mining? do you have the Emphasis = Secondary in that case?

[billybaruch1]

dev planning, anyone done it?

Whaa?

How can you NOT do it?

Well, I guess if you just loaded the game disks without reading all about it FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS you might want to try and click on each planet each turn.

I'm just learning the game today.

I started as the Klackons and set up ALL PLANETS: Research - Primary, something else - Secondary, and Military - Tertiary. My spies are sometimes captured and killed, but recently have stolen some tech from the Grendarl. I've colonized some planets but am still struggling with the ship names and task force creations. I set up a starvation dev plan (just in case) with FARM. Also, mining rich gets MINING. (Duh!) There're many more things to play with. This game looks like it's a keeper.

[ChaotikVisions]

Only recently have I started using it, I was afraid of just giving control over to the AI like so many were saying. But I find its useful to guide development without ending up knee deep in it. I prefer to turn econ AI off after a colony is developed though, so it no longer slightly adjusts that planets budget/build queues. It seems like a pretty good tool though, i've been getting the balanced worlds I like.

[Ianpolaris]

Guys,

I hate to break it to you but there is literally no point in Dev-planning because:

1. The AI ignores you anyway.

2. In order to devplan correctly and change those plans as the game progresses correctly requires just as much work as altering the individual planets by hand. Just micromanage the planets and preplan all the DEAs when you first colonize the planet. You will get much better results in the long run.

And yes, I think MOO III is a wretched game, but that is another topic.

-Polaris

[Inverse Icarus]

1. the AI doesn't ignore you. it listens to your specifications.

2. you dont have to change the dev plans, as your "new" planets at the end of the game are pretty close to your "new" planets early on.

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Ianpolaris
Guys,

I hate to break it to you but there is literally no point in Dev-planning because:

1. The AI ignores you anyway.

2. In order to devplan correctly and change those plans as the game progresses correctly requires just as much work as altering the individual planets by hand. Just micromanage the planets and preplan all the DEAs when you first colonize the planet. You will get much better results in the long run.

And yes, I think MOO III is a wretched game, but that is another topic.

-Polaris

I don't think you even know what dev planing is.

[Ianpolaris]

Guys,

I know precisely what Dev Planning is. I played games with them on and changing and with them off. I found no real difference.....I STILL had to build a lot of my DEAs manually and I certainly had to readjust my ques...especially the military ones....manually (unless you think 10,000 troop ships are actually useful....and you can't obsolete it because you *do* need a few).

The problem is that you have about a dozen different types of planets and each requires (for max efficiency) a different Dev Plan. A yellow frontier world is not the same as a green one....and is certainly not the same as a red one. By the time your frontier world is developed, it likely is no longer a frontier world which means you have to relabel the planet (something that is NOT explained well in the manual).

Even worse, the AI is completely confused if you have a DEV plan for a general Green world, mineral rich world, and a frontier world, and your world happens to fit into each category. Having to label each planet as I discover them and relabel them frequently as I expand (and occasionally retract) is not macromanagement. It is just a pain.

Worse, when you have conflicting Dev plans (or even just one), the computer does often simply ignore you.

The point is that I know perfectly well what Dev plans are. Just preplann all your DEAs on colonization and save yourself a ton of grief. You will be much more efficient in the long run. Better yet, uninstall the game and fob it off to others (who have fobbed it off to yet other friends) and save yourself the grief.

I predict that MooIII will be in the bargin basement bin in a month or two (at the longest).

-Polaris