OP's Guide
Shores of Hazeron is a complicated game, but I have attempted to make it simpler. This guide is meant for players in our SB Empires - Iriki-In Dynasty and Medved Union - starting an Empire on your own is MUCH harder.
Helpful Links
Making A Custom Race When Joining An Empire
Start by joining the game as an Emperor, or as a player in an empire who has a race you like. Then just contact Andronicus (Iriki-In Meren) or Silence (Vultan) so that you can switch empires. There is a button in the (F12) Policy Menu - use it to leave your current Empire and choose one you like. It is very strongly recommended that you avoid natural weapons and make sure to be able to jump or fly, as they are very, very useful. It is also important to look reasonably presentable, as all of the citizens in colonies you found will look like you.
Quality / Tech Level
The quality level, or QL, of an object is a measure of how pure/well refined/etc. that good is. A low QL will cause failures when attempting to fetch to a building. Higher QL goods are needed for production of higher tech level items, at a rate of 8 QL per TL (247 QL is required for TL 32, the current cap). Tech level is vital for building space craft, as all components must be of the spacecraft's tech level minimum to build the craft. Check the spreadsheet I provided for info on tech and QL.
Quality levels are expressed as both a number between 1 and 255, and a descriptor:
- Flawed (1-34)
- Bad (35-74)
- Poor (75-114)
- Fair (115-154)
- Good (155-194)
- Fine (195-224)
- Superb (225-255)
Colonization
So, you want to set up a colony. The first thing you need is a ship. I recommend using a basic design, but sensors are key. Good sensor coverage will give you the knowledge to plan your colony. There are three main types of colonies:
Garden Colony
Easiest to set up - you can build a colony like this with just a flag to start. On a habitable world (in the inner, habitable, or outer range, with a standard/tainted atmosphere) you need only build farms and a stone mine, and the rest can be built up naturally. Even power is something you can delay here. Hydroelectric is the best here, followed by nuclear if you have good radioactives.
Independent Colony
These are colonies meant to stand on their own without exterior support, despite a harsh environment. Harsh environments add 1 electronic part, 3 metal, and 2 plastic to the construction of every building level, and they have a dome over the flag square. These planets need access to water for farms on-site, as well as local resources for oil/plastic and metal. All of the farms need to be set on irrigation mode for production.
Dependent Colony
These colonies are the basic moonbase or mining colony - no local production of necessities, meaning you have to rely on off-site production to supply the colony The colony needs to have on-site power generation and air production to provide life support.
Resource Management =
All colonists need the following resources to survive
- Life Support - Power is needed in harsh environments to keep the vent fans blowing. Power can be generated a lot of ways - wind is best on frigid planets, solar is good on inferno planets but you need more back up to cover you at night. If you can make tongs and have good quality radioactives, nuclear is very good
- Air - Air needs to be refined if the atmosphere isn't breathable or does not exist. This requires a refinery, power, and either an atmosphere or a source of water. Water can be melted from ice mined on frozen areas or imported.
- Food - Food needs to be available. Make a large variety available and you will receive a bonus to morale.