some observations on colony consumption mechanics

[Data]

I've started a new game and dropped every mining ship, mining station, space port, freighters and left only my initial colony. This had three strategic resources to mine from and a reserve of a luxury resource (not clear from where but it's origin is not that relevant at this point).

Based on this setup, my colony could not get or consume additional resources than the ones it already had so I could observe it's behavior during scarcity times. I've monitored the colony for a few months on a month by month basis and these are the findings:

1) Strategic resources are not consumed and their reserved amount remains also the same, I belive this is expected as these resources are used only when building

2) At start the colony reserved 10 additional luxury resources in addition to the one it already had. After a couple of months it added 5 additional luxury resources to the reserved column (all 15 by now were always with 0 on the amt column, as expected).

3) The luxury resource it already had (falajian spice) was consumed by an amount of 8 each month (from 440 to 432 for example). The reserved amount for it was higher than for the other 15 and the newest 5 had in turn a higher rsvd amount than the initial 10.

4) All 11 luxury resources dropped in the rsvd amount by 8 each month also so it seems that having a luxury resource only determines a higher rsvd amount but not a slower rate of demand, they are all demanded on the same basis.

5) After 4 or 5 more months no additional luxury resources were added to the rsvd column (at that time i had 16 rsvd out of a 22 of possible luxury resources).

6) The rate of consumption for the falajian spice doubled after a few more months and the rate with which the rest of the 15 rsvd luxury resources dimished in demand doubled also. This I think relates to the increase in my population (about 100M during the timeframe of the test). Btw, development remained at the same level so luxury resource consumption I speculate it's related only to pop.

It's clear why more of falajian was consumed with the incresed pop but it's not clear why the rsvd amounts for the rest dropped faster, with more pop I would believe they should increase. I think that the scarcity makes the AI drop them faster so it can age them out and make room for an additional set of 5 new resources that could be available.

Since I've made no luxury resource available to my colony I think that the 10+5 were chosen randomly; if i make some resources available they will surely hit the list as they can be provided. In the begining I dropped only the stations but the sources (moons, planets, etc) remained known / explored so the AI choses the resources on this list by that knowledge also.

To make a long story short, two additional things I've learned:

1) this demand system is very soundly designed and robust, if it behaves like this during scarcity imagine what it can do with all the expanding we do from the get go.

2) this complexity makes understanding the way the AI works in expansion planner an utopic dream.

As I've said in another thread this game makes you let go of the compulsion to control everything while at the same time remains very attractive to the player who wants to understand everything (if even possible).

I would only compare it to chess: a few very simple starting rules but higly complex strategical potential. In the end, very
replayable and fun.

[BlueTemplar]

As of 1.9.5.2 I see a different picture :
- all 19 luxury resources my homeworld starts with are being consumed, without being reserved
- some strategic resources are being consumed as well. The Galactopedia says :

Essential Strategic Resources

Colonies require certain strategic resources to grow at full speed. These strategic resources are consumed by the colony as it grows and develops. When one or more of these essential strategic resources is not present, colony growth will be slower and the population will be less satisfied.

Strategic resources required for growth at colonies are: Steel, Lead, Carbon Fibre, Polymer, Silicon, Hydrogen, Caslon.

Lead, Hydrogen and Caslon are being consumed indeed, while Silicon isn't. Couldn't test for Steel, Carbon Fibre and Polymer as my colony is extracting them.

[Bingeling]

Even good studies are no longer valid when there has been 3 years of expansions and patches since the study was made.

You seem interested, the Universe is ready for a proper study on mining rates and resource usage

[BlueTemplar]

Maybe, if I find the time...

Never mind about Silicon - it actually decreased the second time I looked at it.

[Timotheus]

"As I've said in another thread this game makes you let go of the compulsion to control everything"

[:@]