Gaming the System: Useful Profile/Sponsor Combos

[Reteo]

So far, I've found a couple useful sponsor+profile combinations that can provide a surprising net benefit.

• Astrogeologist + Blue Sun Corporation = Early-game deep scanning and mining
• Politician + Europe = Early-game Research expansion (with decent funding for each tech researched)
  
• Inventor + SpaceY = Early-game drone maximization + cheap advanced resources

What about you guys? Any other surprisingly-powerful combinations you suggest?

 

[MagicCuboid]

If you want to go with a harder start, Russian Oligarchs are pretty symbiotic (lol...) . Russia gives free Fueled Extractors and cheap Fuel Refineries, while Oligarchs make Fuel Refineries work 25% faster!

 

[perafilozof]

I have done a video about this, mentioned some of the combos you missed:

 

[Reteo]

Very nice video. To answer your doubt, however: "cheaper advanced resources" simply means that they (Polymers, machine parts, and electronics) cost less $$$ when you purchase them using the cargo rocket. When you're starting a game with a limited budget and no production of advanced resources, this can be a godsend.

 

[perafilozof]

Yeah, once I reread that and played a bit, I figured it out myself but it was too late

 

[starkaos]

Personally, I base the synergies off of the Sol 100 achievements for each sponsor which seems to fit with perafilozof's recommendations.

Building a Better Future - Export 500 Rare Metals as Blue Sun Corporation. Astrogeologist for the Deep Scanning, 1 Rare metals deposit instantly discovered, and 10% Extractor production.
Interesting Times - Reach 200 population as China.
The New Ark - Reach 100 Martianborn as Church of the New Ark. Doctor for both China and Church of the New Ark due to the minimum comfort for Birth Control lowered. Although Oligarch could work for China with the Arcology spire and +25% Fuel production or Rocket Scientist could work for China for the additional rocket assuming that someone wants to rely on Earth colonists rather than Martianborns.
In the Service of Humankind - Build 5 domes as India. Astrogeologist could work due to the +10% Extractor production to build the domes, but it seems like a lousy reason to pick it.
Because we Care - Research 5 Breakthroughs as Europe. Futurist for the 30% faster Breakthroughs and Autonomous Sensors.
Aren't They Cute - Control 200 Drones as SpaceY. Inventor for the Autonomous Hubs.
Gagarin's Legacy - 10,000 resource units as Russia. Astrogeologist for the +10% Extractor production and 1 Rare Metals instantly discovered or Oligarch for the +25% Fuel Production.
For the Benefit of All - Research all Engineering research as USA. Oligarch for the Arcology since it is the only Engineering research for Mission Commanders.

 

[KDubya]

Personally, I base the synergies off of the Sol 100 achievements for each sponsor which seems to fit with perafilozof's recommendations.

Building a Better Future - Export 500 Rare Metals as Blue Sun Corporation. Astrogeologist for the Deep Scanning, 1 Rare metals deposit instantly discovered, and 10% Extractor production.
Interesting Times - Reach 200 population as China.
The New Ark - Reach 100 Martianborn as Church of the New Ark. Doctor for both China and Church of the New Ark due to the minimum comfort for Birth Control lowered. Although Oligarch could work for China with the Arcology spire and +25% Fuel production or Rocket Scientist could work for China for the additional rocket assuming that someone wants to rely on Earth colonists rather than Martianborns.
In the Service of Humankind - Build 5 domes as India. Astrogeologist could work due to the +10% Extractor production to build the domes, but it seems like a lousy reason to pick it.
Because we Care - Research 5 Breakthroughs as Europe. Futurist for the 30% faster Breakthroughs and Autonomous Sensors.
Aren't They Cute - Control 200 Drones as SpaceY. Inventor for the Autonomous Hubs.
Gagarin's Legacy - 10,000 resource units as Russia. Astrogeologist for the +10% Extractor production and 1 Rare Metals instantly discovered or Oligarch for the +25% Fuel Production.
For the Benefit of All - Research all Engineering research as USA. Oligarch for the Arcology since it is the only Engineering research for Mission Commanders.

Instead of using Doctor to lower the comfort level needed for babies you can go with Ecologist and build Hanging Gardens which raise comfort by 30 for housing. Apartments then get you to 65 comfort which is really good . I'd rather have more comfortable colonists who then have more babies rather than allowing unhappy people to breed more.

 

[Gilmund]

In my late one i made a Europe + astrogeologist (until it freezed at last...)
The purpose was to get a lot of sponsor research to get the deep scan asap using my starting probes to scan best areas and have the best landing sites asap. Then continuig with regular scan doing directly a deep scan.
Result is at sol 30 i've already deep scanned half the map and it's great to know where to go.

 

[arc2611]

Although Oligarch could work for China with the Arcology spire and +25% Fuel production or Rocket Scientist could work for China for the additional rocket assuming that someone wants to rely on Earth colonists rather than Martianborns.
In the Service of Humankind - Build 5 domes as India. Astrogeologist could work due to the +10% Extractor production to build the domes, but it seems like a lousy reason to pick it.
Because we Care - Research 5 Breakthroughs as Europe. Futurist for the 30% faster Breakthroughs and Autonomous Sensors.

Bunch of things:

Futurist is kind of a crappy pick. Autonomous Sensors is almost always one of the first few techs to pop up and the 30% bonus to breakthroughs only really comes into play in the later part when research gets really expensive, so it's better to get, say, a Rocket Scientist for the extra rocket and just grab Autonomous Sensors normally, or use Politician to further abuse the loop of outsource tech->get funding back on completion.

Haven't actually tried Doctor, but Oligarch is probably better overall, since getting early access to arcologies allows for fast pop growth because of the high comfort rating provided, on top of the other advantages.

Astrogeologist + Blue Sun is a good combination, yeah.

 

[gjc8]

The New Ark - Reach 100 Martianborn as Church of the New Ark. Doctor for both China and Church of the New Ark due to the minimum comfort for Birth Control lowered. Although Oligarch could work for China with the Arcology spire and +25% Fuel production or Rocket Scientist could work for China for the additional rocket assuming that someone wants to rely on Earth colonists rather than Martianborns.

With the way colonists breed, hitting the 100 Martianborn target is quite easy even without Doctor, provided you can get your colony functioning properly and make space for the babies. I'd recommend a founder that helps with getting your colony off the ground and expanding (I found the extra rocket from Rocket Scientist really useful just for cargo rockets, given that you only start with one otherwise).

 

[sterrius]

futurist is only worth with paradox sponsor.

You start the game with 5 eletronics, and spread those around the map using a RC Rover + Transport. Later you add +5 eletronics for a total of 10 around the map .

Scans will go crazy fast as everything will have 150-250% bonus, if you're going for score you will get it super fast.

The extra anomalies make sure you will be able to plan ahead research as you discover the next ones and also being able to get some free research points that can make you rush important techs. Also a good breaktrough can change your game.

 

[MagicCuboid]

futurist is only worth with paradox sponsor.

I love futurist just because I enjoy the startup game of setting up all those sensor towers to discover science. It's really fun how one of the lower tier commanders actually goes quite nicely with one of the hardest sponsors!

 

[Uhlume]

Ecologist is a powerful commander in my opinion, Hanging Gardens appear to be quite late game tech, and that +30 comfort will have your colonists multiplying like bunnies in well equipped domes.

In my current game with International Mars Mission sponsor and Ecologist Commander the colonists are basically out-breeding my ability to get domes built.
I get huge Homeless penalties (highest I noticed was 86%), but nothing seems to slow down the breeding rate.

 

[Tyrberg]

For getting to end of milestones I guess the "Doctor" is a bit OP

At least for me population have hindered me in both cases - and doctor should at least make them more fertile.
Doctor should work great with China / Ark of the new Covenant also.

To thoose saying that hitting 100 colonist is easy - of course it is - but at least I have understood it as you get higher score the more you pass the evaluation score

 

[DominusNovus]

Politician and USA. I keep forgetting to check if the bonus applies to the US funding perk, but it does apply to patents, and the two early income sources helped me to afford 100 deep scan probes and 8 explorers super early in the game.

 

[Balkri]

Can confirm that europe + the politician is almost to much for the repeatable tech. You can do the 2000 M tech, you get almost 3000 M with the combo. You can immediately buy the 2000 M outsource and repeat the same tech over and over...

Or at least feel broken in my current colony. I got a breakthrough that revealed the presence of alien relics in mars, a total of 9, each analised relic gave me a 5% discount in all my technology....

 

[DominusNovus]

Can confirm that europe + the politician is almost to much for the repeatable tech. You can do the 2000 M tech, you get almost 3000 M with the combo. You can immediately buy the 2000 M outsource and repeat the same tech over and over...

Or at least feel broken in my current colony. I got a breakthrough that revealed the presence of alien relics in mars, a total of 9, each analised relic gave me a 5% discount in all my technology....

Martian Patents varies on where it appears, unless you're running Politician. Then, it seems to always land so that its base is 4500 research points (until you get any bonuses to lower the cost). You need it to be under 3000 research points to break even and gain speed. I don't think you get the European funding bonus from researching the two repeatable techs (but I've been bouncing around trying out different sponsors so I could be wrong on that)

PS, Politician does boost the US funding perk, so thats 600 funding instead of 500 every 6 (?) Sols. That commander really synergizes well with both sponsors. I'm running a US colony right now, strictly on the grounds of patriotism and my European run had terrible breakthroughs. Luckily, Mars clearly likes America, because this playthrough gave me both Superconducting Computing and Eternal Fusion. AKA: the 'I win' button of the research game no matter who your sponsor and commander is.

 

[Pointyearedgit]

I would recommend inventor for new players, it saves a good amount of electronics and allows perfect placement of drone hubs.

IIRC Politician helps with exports too no? It's just the best commander profile, as the game indicates. Blue Sun just flies off the rails with that nonsense.

Blue sun does not need Astrogeologist, they need probes. Their probes come with deep scan for the *initial landing* and you have tons of $$ to start with. Bring a bunch of probes and at least one explorer rover. Use the anomalies from all the initial probes to get the probe tech, use your $$ to buy even more probes and get more anomalies soon you have GG deepscanned the map. Honestly you don't even need the deep scan tech with them normally, that research could go towards patents, which would give you more probes. The entire map takes 100 probes to deepscan, that's only 5000 with the probe tech, lets say 6000 considering early probes. You get 900 per full rocket, that's only 5 rockets to scan the whole freaking map.

Doctor makes your population grow insanely fast, sure the births are good but you start with stem reconstruction which meant my sol 7 founder finally died at like sol 70. I had a baby pop out as my Lost Ark founders *entered the dome*.

Oligarch is amazing unless you happen to get prefab spires, then it is better to buy them and save your concrete and research IMO.

 

[DominusNovus]

Pretty sure Blue Sun only gets the tech to deep scan with sensors, not probes.

 

[Zinegata]

futurist is only worth with paradox sponsor.

I would argue it works well for everyone especially if you're the Ironman/No Restart type. The towers and scan basically cost nothing to reveal the map.

There are instead better commanders if you are looking for specific combos and don't mind re-rolling your start several times.