I finally finished my test game. Unfortunately my notetaking was a little lackluster, but i think it was a useful enough test to post the results. I started with prod focus, played the first 100 turns, then loaded from turn 1 and started with res focus to compare:
Game Settings (best guess):
Systems: 180
Galaxy Shape: Random (? - Irregular or Cluster probably)
Galaxy Age: Random (Young)
Starlane Frequency: Random (Medium)
Planet Density: Random (Low)
Monster Frequency: Low
Native Frequency: Random (High)
AI opponents: 7 (all set to Human -- my first test was a smaller game vs Egassem and Trith, and it just didn't feel like a good test, since the research-focused Egassem got stomped and the Self-Sustaining Trith were out producing me even with them on res. focus and me on prod. focus)
I'm also playing Human.
Analysis: The random settings turned out to be quite favorable for the industrialists, with High Natives and low planet density. I would break the game down into 3 segments:
Early early game (turns 1-18)
Mid early game (18-61)
Late early game (61-)
Here's a picture of the map at around turn 18:
- ProdResEarlyGeography.jpg (172.71 KiB) Viewed 1667 times
Early-early:
At turn 18, the industrialists have a third scout, their AHA, a warship (Large hull), Robotic Production, Fusion Generation, Planetary Ecology, and Subterranean Habitation.
The techers have an outpost ship, their AHA, Algorithmic Elegance, Nascent AI, Planetary Ecology, and Subterranean Habitation.
Aurora and Whitefall both have high tech natives. Zyrgon is guarded by a Sentry, but is a pretty attractive target. The only other adequate+ world is at Slipher (a tiny desert world), on the border of the Blue Empire. The industrialists, thanks to their extra scout, have also managed to identify an unprotected native world (Yoyo-beta) just past Slipher. Soon after this, i learn that Green has a terran (with a prod special) and an adequate world in their home system. If this were a real game i'd be getting blown out.
As the industrialists, i decide to amass ships, colonize Slipher and Yoyo-beta, and try to move against blue, whose borders i've noticed expanding.
As the techers, i adopt a more conservative approach and go for Zyrgon.
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Mid-early comparison:
Both industrialists and techers do some basic military tech (zortrium and organic hull) and then work towards Adaptive Automation.
The industrialists take a colony from Blue, as well as capturing Slipher, Yoyo-beta, and eventually Zyrgon.
The techers take Zyrgon, and eventually start building some exobot colonies on the barren worlds in their home system and adjacent system.
I believe the end of this phase, when the industrialists research Adaptive Automation, is the best point of comparison. At this point the techers advantage consists of Exobots, Active Radar, Orbital Generator, and, if memory serves, Symbiotic Biology. The industrialists, however, have a much larger fleet -- 16 ships with attack/defense totalling 96/421 compared to just 6 ships with 36/184. If the two empires came into conflict, it's clear who would be losing territory. Researching Adaptive Automation 15 turns earlier gave the techers a slight advantage during that time, but they still ended up with a considerably smaller fleet.
The result is the Industrialists are poised to expand now, while the techers have to be content with their current territory (there are hardly even any Poor Environment planets to colonize). At turn 61 the (research+production) of the two empires is nearly equal.
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Late Early game:
The industrialists are able to rapidly expand, capturing the blue homeworld on turn 76, with minimal losses to their fleet. The techers still are amassing their fleet to expand with.
At turn 100, the industrialists have 19 colonies to the techers' just 7, doubling them in both PP and RP. However, the techers have amassed a considerably stronger fleet, largely due to researching Rock Armor, and since their PP weren't being diverted to colonization. At this point the techers are ready to expand, but there is a pretty big gap to close.
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Conclusions:
I made loads of mistakes in these games to be sure; i didn't feel like i was playing very close to optimally in either game.
Still, i feel like i'm convinced that at least in certain galactic conditions, and even in a largish map (180 systems/8 players), and even on an industry-tech-neutral species like humans, that a production start is a viable, and probably superior focus.
I look forward to testing in multiplayer after i've honed my strategy. Until then, my next test (when i have some time) will be similar conditions, but with Low Natives and High Planet Density. I expect this to be consdierably more favorably to a research focused-start.
Notes:
Production Focus:
Turn 1: 8.5 PP 7.4 RP
Turn 2: High tech beige goo natives scouted. (1pop/30shld/30def/50troop)
Turn 3: The Physcial Brain res., Scout prod.
Turn 5: Sslith scouted (10pop/0shld/0def/6troop) guarded by Sentry
Turn 7: Robotic Production res., high tech Ourbools natives scouted (14pop/30shld/30def/43troop)
Turn 8: Blue Empire discovered. Desert (adequate) planet scouted (in supply, on border with Blue)
Turn 9: Derthrean natives discovered, across Blue border. (19pop/14 troops, no defenses). Same system has terran (good) and
ocean (adequate/good for Sslith) 16PP, 5 RP
Turn 10: Blue expansion visible
Turn 11: Automated History Analyser prod., Yellow Empire sighted, common border with Blue
Turn 12: further Blue expansion
Turn 14: Fusion generation res., Warship prod.
Turn 15: Planetary Ecology res.
Turn 16: Green home star system identified, with 3(!) inhabited worlds.
Turn 18: 20.9 PP, 10RP, Subt. Hab. res., Warship prod.
Turn 42 25.6 PP, 14 RP
Turn 61 Adaptive Automation res.
Fleet: 17 ships: 1 troop ship, 16 combat vessels (~96/421)
Colonies/Outposts: 5 Colonies (2 colonized 2 captured)
45.3 PP 19.0 RP
Turn 76: Blue HW captured, 106 PP 24.3 RP
Turn 100: 220 PP, 93.7 RP
19 Colonies
5 Outposts building colonies
24 Mass Drivers with 735 structure
8 Lasers with 220 structure
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Res Focus:
Turn 1:8.5 PP, 8.4 RP9:06 PM
Turn 3: Planetary Ecology res
Turn 5: Algorithmic Elegance res
Turn 7: Subterranean Habitation res
Turn 12: Naxcent AI res
Turn 15: 12.5 PP, 14.5 RP
Turn 18: AHA completed
Turn 20: Org Hull res
Turn 27: Symbiotic Biology res
Turn 40: Native colony captured
Turn 46: Adaptive Automation res
16 PP, 26.3 RP
2 Colonies (1 captured)
Fleet: 4 ships plus outpost ship and colony ship (24/120)
Turn 61: 4 Colonies (2 colonized/1captured) + 1 in queue.
Fleet: 6 combat ships (36/184) + 2 scouts
33 PP, 31.5 RP (already has exobots, active radar, orbital generator at least)
Turn 100: 111PP, 41.7 RP
7 Colonies
7 Mass Drivers with 224 Structure
18 Lasers with 1163 Structure