Colonization strategies?

[bamjo (OP)]

I'm at a point in my campaign where I'm not sure what to do next. I have set up about 5 colonies on some good planets, a couple with 100+ ruins. So far I've just been shuttling population from Earth in hopes of getting more population growth and therefore more revenue. Resources aren't a problem, I've gotten lucky and have enough minerals in the Sol system for about the next 10 years at current production rates. I have all of my industry still on Earth, and see no real reason to move any offworld. The major thing holding me back is income. About half of my shipyards and factories are idle right now as I can't afford to operate them.

What do you guys use your colonies for? Do they just sit there and grow population? At what point do you start moving industries around?

[James Patten]

Even though I figure my homeworld will eventually run out of minerals, I try to keep it well stocked with minerals and installations.  I then use the homeworld's installations as seed stock for the colonies.  It means I have to keep building installations on the homeworld.  Eventually I theorize I'll reach a point where the inner layer of colonies are large enough to start their own seeding.  I've only had one game where I got large enough that I was reaching that point on one of my colonies.

[UnLimiTeD]

So far, I've always moved all my automines to somewhere else, and move some mines to colonies so they are busy.
Other things they can do is run maintenance facilities for forward fleet bases, and replicate.
Send them a few dozen factories, and they can build more.
If you have the required minerals (important), you can also build a lot of financial centers for higher tax income.
And don't forget to get atleast one level of civilian spaceport on every planet, that boosts trade and creates more income aswell.
If you don't have a reasonable civilian shipping line, you can subside them to boost that economy.
Once you produce enough wealth, research is a good way to burn work power without burning resources aswell.

[James Patten]

I think that the magic point of self sufficiency is somewhere around 300-400 factories, plus all the mines to provide the minerals.  At that point you shouldn't need to keep sending infrastructure to that colony.

[AtomikKrab]

I'm at a point in my campaign where I'm not sure what to do next. I have set up about 5 colonies on some good planets, a couple with 100+ ruins. So far I've just been shuttling population from Earth in hopes of getting more population growth and therefore more revenue. Resources aren't a problem, I've gotten lucky and have enough minerals in the Sol system for about the next 10 years at current production rates. I have all of my industry still on Earth, and see no real reason to move any offworld. The major thing holding me back is income. About half of my shipyards and factories are idle right now as I can't afford to operate them.

What do you guys use your colonies for? Do they just sit there and grow population? At what point do you start moving industries around?

I colonize the inner planets of the solar system and the reccommended moons, this has two effects, first it boosts my overall population, and secondly it gives a jump start to the merchant fleet. Once I get an outsystem source of minerals I generally turn all civilian mining complexes to the civilian sector to boost my income since I don't need any minerals from them anymore.