Originally
posted by
p1co:
The techer strategy is pretty fun, especially the times when oil and food is really expensive, so I'm forced to work through it while still remaining technologically productive. The hidden gem I've found this set is how building military bases saved my ass, even though most techer guides I've read through suggest a pure research base approach.
Always build all-labs (other than the CSes, and a bit of Indies to produce spies). The reason is that Tech-Per-Turn is calculated as
Tech Per Turn = 0.17 * Labs * (1 + Labs/Land)
Look at the Labs/Land part of the formula. This means that the lower % of your land that is labs, the less Tech per turn you get. Example:
10000 acres, 4500 are labs: 0.17*4500*(1+4500/10000) = 1109 tech per turn
10000 acres, 9000 are labs: 0.17*9000*(1+9000/10000) = 2907 tech per turn
The value of additional tech you get from having higher Labs% on your land (you're teching them to sell) far exceeds the value of lowered upkeep from having *any* Military Bases. In fact, mathematically, MBs are only good at 0% of your land. The only other time MBs are good is if you are no longer intending to spend any turns for the remainder of the reset and are preparing to destock a massive stockpile; you want to be at 99% MBs in this scenario. This is because MBs generate no income, and every other building type generates more income than MBs can, unless you are not spending turns.