PLANET PRODUCTION (CONT.)

If you do not have any new terraforming technology to build and all the waste has been removed, CLEAN will be shown in the construction box. Remaining resources will be used to improve the existing ecology and increase the growth rate of the colony’s population. If sufficient resources have been allocated to increase the normal growth rate, +#POP will displayed indicating the number of additional colonists being born. (For additional details on population growth, see the Colonizing Planets.)

Technology (Tech): Resources allocated to technology are used to fund research projects to develop new and useful devices. Resources are converted to research points that are then combined with the research from all your other planets and are used to achieve higher technology levels.

You will get more benefit from research by investing a few points in technology over several turns than by allocating a large amount in a single turn.

Ships Button: Each planet is allowed to produce only one type of starship at a time. To change the current starship to another design, press this button. You can cycle through the list of starship designs until you find the one you prefer. If you have the technology necessary to build star gates, you will also be given the option to build a star gate instead of a ship.

Relocate Button (Reloc): The relocate button allows you to direct the planet’s newly built ships to another star system that you control. There will be an appropriate delay from production to arrival since the ships must travel to the new destination normally. This allows you to produce starships in a far corner of your empire and then redirect those ships to a system along an enemy border without having to move each ship yourself. A blue line will appear on the star map to indicate those planets which are redirecting ship production to other planets.

Colony Transports Button (Trans): You may transport colonists to any planet where a colony has been established. No more than half of a planet’s population can be transported in a single turn. Before sending colonists to uninhabited planets, you must send a ship with a “Colony Base” Special Device to establish a Base on that planet. Some planets will have hostile environments that require advanced technology to land on. Colonists may also be sent to assault enemy colonies if you have the technology to land there. When your colonists arrive they will battle the enemy population for control of the planet.