Are refineries actually useful in the late game?

[dsteve3]

Whilst the above is a good mindset to have in principle, 2.2.4 will still have you drowning in a smorgasbord of minerals. Map generation is just that crazy at the moment.

As for the thread, the answer is yes. Unless the economy balance changes massively in the future, you will typically see building slots as the most limiting factor throughout any particular playthrough. In this case, increasing job density per building slot will be the way forward to maximise economic output and efficiency (of course it's very possible to create more building slots using habitats, ringworlds and conquest, but if you're ever at the point where building slots aren't the limiting factor, something weird has happened).

I confess that I can't survive on difficulties higher than "Commodore," so maybe that's why I'm having late-game issues, but I agree with OP that there is a glut of resources after the initial hump.

Surviving the start of the game is hardest part for me. I get swallowed fairly early if I'm not extremely rigorous. But once I get to turn 2300(~), I slowly drown in resources and a lack of need to build anything.

 

[klingonadmiral]

I build some higher level factories in the actual midgame (meaning 2250-2300), but eventually once my Ecumenopolei come online the need for those buildings completely evaporates and they are slowly (damn pop demotion speed) demolished.

 

[trojan1234]

Mid-late game, I needed more naval cap. I spam fortresses but can't open next building slot only with fortress. So I also build tier2 commerce building(11 job). This way I always used all mote and crystals which used for pre-ecumenopolis factories and build more refineries. Gas? Each tech world needs 28 gas for maintenance.

 

[Dëzaël]

On the other hand, minerals in space are so abundant that I'm overflowing in minerals with zero mining districts built (I actively dismantle them to make room for other districts) - and so is everyone else, judging by the state of the minerals market, which consistently bottoms out at around 0.7/0.4 per mineral and stays there for decades. At least that's the case in the 2.2.4 beta.

Yeah, galaxy map generation is bugged out in 2.2.4. Minerals everywhere. In fact Glavius tried solving it a couple days ago, but then reverted his version of the mod as everyone's save was crashing with the new one.

My current game was started in 2.2.3 so I don't have space minerals abundance bug, but I don't have the extra districts provided by planetary modifiers either, and on average mineral districts are quite rare. I have a single mining planet out of 16. I'm building the matter extractor to offset that, otherwise I'm stuck with my growing unemployed pops and empty slots or basic buildings. I actually need refineries to put buildings everywhere. If I use the minerals for refineries instead of for my oecumenopolis alloy production, I won't be able to field fleets able to tackle the crisis while paying their upkeep, and this Oecumenopolis will be a waste. Mind you energy production is not really in a better shape. Buying instead of refine sounds meh for my game. There's just food being plenty, food everywhere.

 

[LeanneKaos]

Yeah, galaxy map generation is bugged out in 2.2.4. Minerals everywhere. In fact Glavius tried solving it a couple days ago, but then reverted his version of the mod as everyone's save was crashing with the new one.

My current game was started in 2.2.3 so I don't have space minerals abundance bug, but I don't have the extra districts provided by planetary modifiers either,

If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, they're broken anyway. What is currently happening in 2.2.4 is that the modifier wipes out all the districts on the planet before adding in the 'extra' ones, so those are the only ones you get.

Well, that and the city districts.

 

[The Boz]

Not quite that bad. Tier 1 gives 2 jobs, tier 2 and 3 add 3 jobs each. So you do gain more production jobs -- 2+2 < 5+0, 2+2+2 < 8+0+0. I suppose it also makes it easier to pack all the factories onto your forge worlds, etc. But it only works as long as you've got surplus minerals and a shortage of building slots.

A surplus of minerals comes from a surplus of planets, which also brings us a surplus of building slots. Post 2350, building slots are a dime a dozen (although they're HUGELY valuable for a planet, the to-empire worth is low), and mineral income is heavily taxed.

 

[Starisc]

Refineries are definitely worth it. If only to stack more researchers on planets with multipliers, who are then further boosted with high amenities, stability and assist research. I have minerals flowing out of my nose as a wide player and all those rural worlds with lots of mining, food, energy districts have building slots to spare. So larger rural planets become my refinery worlds.

I play with three major types of planets:

1. Alloy/CG Production (supplemented & replaced by Ecumeno-something-something later)
2. Science (Stability, Amenities, Growth buildings, rest filed with science buildings)
3. Rural (focused on one/two resource district depending on deposits, full booster buildings, upgraded with refineries or fortresses for fleet cap once all basic buildings are done)