Paradise Dome + Generators vs Commerce Megaplex + City

[Acheron]

My apologies if this has been covered before, if so, please direct me there.

Today, I had the revelation that, in order to get both housing and energy, one could either build a Paradise Dome (upgraded Luxury Residence) and a Generator District or a Commerce Megaplex (upgraded Commercial Zone) and a City District.

Wondering which is better, I opened up my Grimoire and duly engaged in the Dark Arts (=I checked the Paradox wiki for Stellaris and did some math. I got the following result:

Paradise Dome + Generator District: 13 Energy - 6 Housing
(Housing from Paradise Dome which also costs 2 Energy, the two Technicians from the District ought to give 8 energy each, with the district consuming one itself).

Commerce Megaplex: 11 Energy - 5 Housing - 7.5 Consumer Goods (assuming Consumer Benefits Trade Policy)
(Housing from City District which also costs 2 Energy, 11 Clerks (1 from the City) providing 22 Trade Value, Merchant another 8, for (22+8)*0,5= 15 Energy, with the Megaplex consuming 2 itself.)

Both setups also require one unit of Crystals for Maintenance.

Considerations:
1st: The Dome-Generator setup provides more Energy and Housing.
2nd: AFAIK, there are techs improving Housing from City Districts, improving the Plex-City performance there (aren't there also Techs for more Clerks from City Districts?).
3rd: The Plex-City setup also provides 7 consumer goods. It could alternatively provide 4.2 Unity or 14 more Energy.
4th: The Plex-City setup assumes that the Trade Value is fully collected and converted, keep the Piracy in mind!
5th: The Dome-Generator Setup requires 2 Jobs, the Plex-City 12.

For me, the last point seems the most important one.
Large planet with people idling? Dismantle your Generator Districts, replace them with City Districts and build those Megaplexes (alternatively of course Civilian Industry and Foundries or Research Labs if that is what you need more).
Small Planet with just too few people fitting on it? Build those Luxury Residences and upgrade them.

Again, sorry if this is common knowledge by now.

 

[Thinkamancer]

I would guess 2.2 is far too new for this to be common knowledge. First I hear of it, anyway. Great analysis, have my vote!

 

[Acheron]

I would guess 2.2 is far too new for this to be common knowledge. First I hear of it, anyway. Great analysis, have my vote!

Thank you, but be careful, I just rushed this out with the Stellaris Wiki and Libre Office Calc and I usually don't do math in/for my games (I check the internet for the best ship design still), so beware!

 

[Thinkamancer]

I math my games A LOT and I've added it to my list of tricks. Thanks.

 

[Nakkivene]

8 is the yield for the generator district, that is, for both of the technicians.

 

[Olterin]

8 is the base yield for the generator district, with 4 energy per technician job. There are 5 techs that improve the job output by 10% each, in physics, plus the repeatable also does another 5% per level. There are no such techs for clerks.

 

[TheGrouch91]

Uhm maybe I'm blind but did you miss the most obvious fact that you can't just plant generators wherever you please? If so my apologies. If not then that seems to be a big point. I usually like trade in the late game because it basically "summons" resources out of thin air. Especially consumer goods which are essentially minerals.

 

[Thinkamancer]

Uhm maybe I'm blind but did you miss the most obvious fact that you can't just plant generators wherever you please? If so my apologies. If not then that seems to be a big point. I usually like trade in the late game because it basically "summons" resources out of thin air. Especially consumer goods which are essentially minerals.

Yeah, that's the great part about this: it makes cgs and energy out of thin air, anywhere, freeing your minerals for alloys, and reducing your need for artisans.

 

[Acheron]

Uhm maybe I'm blind but did you miss the most obvious fact that you can't just plant generators wherever you please? If so my apologies. If not then that seems to be a big point. I usually like trade in the late game because it basically "summons" resources out of thin air. Especially consumer goods which are essentially minerals.

Perfectly true. But, energy can also be "made" from the commerce buildings. The alternatives from getting minerals and food are considerably more rare. Therefor, my assumption, that one would/should first use up a planet's mineral and food districts (except where there are only one or two, then it probably isn't worth it). That leaves the City and the Generator Districts, and I simply wondered if I'd be better of destroying generators for cities and building a production building (like a commerce building for energy) or if I should keep the generators and solve the housing crisis with Luxury Residences and Paradise Domes.

I still try to figure out how to plan out my planets long term. So far, I gathered that the important stats are the number of districts, particularly the number of districts remaining for cities after building food, minerals and (optionally) generators. On a large planet, you probably ought to go for production, be it commerce, industry or research, to utilize the large workforce you place there. On a smaller one though, building slots will probably be needed for housings. It is here though, that the whole "City or Generator Districts?" issue pops up.

On a side note, that Precursor Event of the First League that nets you an Ecumenopolis, seems to me, that you can use the building slots mostly for refineries, the districts will absorb a huge workforce themselves.

 

[Thinkamancer]

Worth mentioning: this makes complexes great pop-sinks for Idyll playthroughs, able to concentrate planets on mining/agriculture.

 

[AlanC9]

I still try to figure out how to plan out my planets long term. So far, I gathered that the important stats are the number of districts, particularly the number of districts remaining for cities after building food, minerals and (optionally) generators. On a large planet, you probably ought to go for production, be it commerce, industry or research, to utilize the large workforce you place there. On a smaller one though, building slots will probably be needed for housings. It is here though, that the whole "City or Generator Districts?" issue pops up.

You'll probably want some of those small worlds as refineries, right?

 

[Beyond Disbelief]

I keep feeling the fact the City-Plex option is reliant on trade value is significant, not just for the benefits you've outlined but I think there must be some kind of risk?

Does anyone know what happens if:

1) You have a strictly internal economy and trade with no foreign empires?
2) Trade value are not earned unless there's an uninterrupted trade route back to your capital, and must be your capital, right? (i.e. no pirates)

So being City-plex dependent at least means being better at piracy management (hangers/patrols) so there's also that hidden cost of starbase placement/upkeep. You'd build them anyway, but your strategy may still vary between the two options.

I really didn't do much investigation on question #1 though.

In my last game I realize had sections of my empire with massive trade value that even rerouting them all my lanes were in the red piracy range, it was easier to just centralize them into one high risk route and manage one route only while I rebuild my starbase/hangers/patrols.

Once a pirate spawns you would lose all that trade value for several months until you build/fly a fleet there. If i was at war often times that's a 300-400 day flight (of course realistically i'd just build new corvettes in that case) Trade is good, but when you rebuild your strategy to specialize in it, it starts getting hard to manage.

Edit: Typos

 

[Acheron]

You'll probably want some of those small worlds as refineries, right?

Exactly, refineries are VERY much needed.

@Beyond Disbelief very true, I have yet to figure out the finer details or piracy. I got the impression that with big trade values being moved, it might just be better to have corvette fleets for each star system in need and just patrol this one. Though that was after I had let piracy grow out of control, I am not sure if you need significantly less ships for keeping piracy down then bringing it down and keeping it there.

 

[Thinkamancer]

Exactly, refineries are VERY much needed.

@Beyond Disbelief very true, I have yet to figure out the finer details or piracy. I got the impression that with big trade values being moved, it might just be better to have corvette fleets for each star system in need and just patrol this one. Though that was after I had let piracy grow out of control, I am not sure if you need significantly less ships for keeping piracy down then bringing it down and keeping it there.

One of the best tricks that I use with piracy is that pirates never spawn if there is a station in the system. I dot the highest value trade routes with anchorages.

Another good one is that protection is additive. Two stations will in fact double protection.

 

[Acheron]

One of the best tricks that I use with piracy is that pirates never spawn if there is a station in the system. I dot the highest value trade routes with anchorages.

Another good one is that protection is additive. Two stations will in fact double protection.

AFAIK, stations not only prevent pirate stations from spawning, piracy just doesn't happen in that system. Problem is though, the number of stations is limited, dotting the trade routes with them might entitle sacrificing the one or other Deep Black Site. Hmmm, I wonder, how far does the trade route protection provided by a station "shine out"? Hangar Bays seem to provide the most protection, might a hangar station be worth it for that task?

 

[Sayakus]

Well if planet is fairly close to capitol or in range of multiple hangar starbases i usually go for clerk spam, otherwise its better to use techs or just make those planets mining/tech/farm worlds.

 

[Tisifoni12]

You can dismantle districts ?

I've been trying to work out how to do that; dismantling buildings yes, but not districts !

Have become quite wary of building any but ag and city districts.

 

[Thinkamancer]

You can dismantle districts ?

I've been trying to work out how to do that; dismantling buildings yes, but not districts !

Have become quite wary of building any but ag and city districts.

The options are right beside the "Build" button

 

[Tisifoni12]

The options are right beside the "Build" button

For buildings yes; I didn't see that you can do that with districts too.

 

[Badesumofu]

Paradise Dome? What is that? My Utopian Communal Housing grants 10 housing and 6 amenities, comrades!