Posted by: Father Tim
« on: May 02, 2020, 06:16:40 AM »I understand that civilians are useful for moving populations and contributing to the net wealth of your imperial economy through taxes, financial centers, etc. However, my question is about competition. Are civilians competing with your empire for resources? In other words...lets say I have a shortage of a mineral, but there is a large deposit of it located on Pluto. The civilian sector sets up a mining operation there before I am able to create a colony of my own.
In this scenario, I know I am able to tax their mining operation. I also know I am able to purchase minerals from them. However, if I still set up my own mining colony, will we be competing over the finite mineral deposit. Do I benefit in anyway by mining it directly, or is it just more cost effective to tax and buy? Fundamentally, when, if ever, is it a good idea to restrict civilian access to certain worlds/moons/asteroids, etc.?
Thanks.
Yes.
Civilian Mining Complexes are theft. They remove existing minerals from the body, and if you don't buy them immediately (each and every production cycle), they disappear from the game forever. Short of SpaceMaster, there is no way to ever get them back.
And CMCs (eventually) cost more than the 'free stuff' they come with is worth. What's worse, buying their minerals simply funds their expansion -- requiring you to spend even more wealth to buy even more of your own minerals in a vicious cycle.
You should 'claim' every worthwhile mining site immediately by placing your own colony on it, to prevent CMCs from ever sprouting up. The only tolerable use for CMCs is to let them have a body you are certain you are never going to develop, in order to tax their miserable output from that two-mineral body with lousy accessibility (though CMCs won't spawn anywhere too terrible -- they have rules for what's "profitable").