Colonisation: Understanding Strong And Weak Links

[Greasetrap42]

This post is intended to explain the concepts of strong and weak links. I will try to expand this with examples.

This is not intended as a comprehensive guide to building a colony.
The Full Explanation From Frontier can be seen here.

Colony assets built by a cmdr are associated with the body it is built on or orbiting. This could be a planet, moon, asteroid cluster, or a sun it is directly orbiting. I am simply going to refer to it as the planetary body because my examples are going to use planets.

Basic Concepts

1. Planetary Overrides
If a colony asset is originally “colony” economy, this will be overridden by the planetary body. This is based on the planetary type.

Examples:
Rocky – Refinery
Icey – Industrial
High Metal Content – Extraction

2. Strong Links
Powerful economic links between assets of the same planetary body.
Strong Links are not established to assets belonging to other planetary bodies.

3. Strong Link Modifiers ( +ve and -ve)
Caused by the type of planetary body that an asset is tied to.

4. Weak Links
Weak economic links from the assets of one planetary body to another.
Weak links are not established between assets sharing the same planetary body.

Basic Diagram

Strong and Weak Links: Summary of Rules

Asset types:

• There are two types of asset - facilities (settlements, installations, hubs) and ports (outposts and up).
• Each asset may or may not have an economic type (e.g. a Coriolis or a Satellite Installation doesn't ; a Military Outpost or a Research Settlement does)

Most Important Port

• The port on a body that is highest tier. If multiple ports of the same tier, then its the first built.
• The most important port can change if higher tiered ports are built.
• The most important port will be the receiver of strong and weak links.
• The highest tier port on the surface will be an important port. It will strong link to the orbital most important port.

Planetary Influence

• Ports that are built with the default "colony" economic type will have this overridden by the influence of the local planetary body.
• Planetary features such as bio, geo, volcanism, etc will give boosts to the strong links of certain economy types.

Strong links:

• Facilities and ports generate strong links to other assets associated with the same body. Strong links never go further away to other bodies.
• If the body only has orbital or surface ports but not both, strong links are received by the most important port on the same body.
• If the body has both surface and orbital ports, surface structures give strong links to the most important surface port, and orbital structures to the most important orbital port. Then an additional strong link is created from the most important surface port to the most important orbital port. (This additional strong link appears even if the most important surface port did not originally have an economic type)

Weak links:

• All facilities with an economic type generate weak links to every other body in the system.
• If that body has a port, it will receive the weak links.
• The most important orbital port will receive weak links. Also, the most important surface port will receive weak links.
• If that body has multiple surface or orbital ports, only the most important ports will receive weak links.
• A port that is designated to receive weak links will not generate weak links. Even if its not receiving any links at all.
• If that body has no ports, nothing happens. Facilities never receive any sort of link, weak or strong.

Planetary Body Converts "Colony" Type Economies

Constructions which have a Colony economy will have this overridden depending on the body it is on or orbiting.

Strong Links: Surface Ports and Orbital Ports

• Strong links will only be formed between assets of the same body.
• Planetary facilities will create strong links with the highest tier planetary port.
• If both a surface and orbital port exist, the strong links from the surface port will be passed on to the highest tier orbital port.

Strong Links: Multiple Orbital Ports

- In the event multiple ports are present, the highest tier port will be linked to. If ports are of the same tier, the port which was built first will be selected.

Weak Links: Multiple Planetary Bodies

• Weak links are only formed between assets from different bodies.
• If a body has multiple ports, only the highest tier (or first built) port will receive the weak links.
• If an asset is a receiver of weak links it will not generate weak links.

Weak Links: Limiting Weak Links

• The highest tier port on a body will not generate weak links.
• If a body has only one port no weak links will be generated.
• If a second port is added weak links will be generated from the lower tier port (or newest)

More Complicated Example

Adding Up Strong Links
Strong Links can be stronger than others. Simply adding the number of strong links does not indicate influence magnitude.
The strength of multiple facilities can pass through a single strong link.
Example: The Ocellus with 3 Strong Links is not "better".

 

[Greasetrap42]

Info and graphics moved into Original Post.

 

[PhoenixFire074]

So, you're saying an Ice planet is only good for Industrial? Sorry for the newbie question, but most of the systems I've run across have mostly Ice planets with a few HMC or Rocky worlds thrown in.

 

[Greasetrap42]

So, you're saying an Ice planet is only good for Industrial? Sorry for the newbie question, but most of the systems I've run across have mostly Ice planets with a few HMC or Rocky worlds thrown in.

• It depends on how many slots there are and what you intend. If you place lots of refinery hubs and a surface port with an orbiting corilis you will likely get lots of refinery output. Maybe not as good as a rocky world, but it might not matter once desired market quantities become large. (I havn't tried putting refineries on an icey planet, but I'm sure output isn't zero).
• An ice planet can also be a good place to place facilities intended to increase overall system values. Like security.

 

[pvaljann]

So, you're saying an Ice planet is only good for Industrial? Sorry for the newbie question, but most of the systems I've run across have mostly Ice planets with a few HMC or Rocky worlds thrown in.

Not quite - Icy's primary influence will be Industrial (from Fdev update 3,) so you will see always see some industrial, but given enough slots, you can push it harder it in another direction.

I have a 4 slot Icy planetoid with organics in one of my systems to provide a boost to the High Tech I built on it. Although I don't get a High Tech boost from the planetoid itself, just the organics, it still works quite well. The markets are High Tech, although there may be a slight reduction in High Tech goods, with a random smattering of Industrial goods, as expected.

Basic Diagram

Nice - draw.io might save you a some time

 

[Ian Doncaster]

If you're placing Colony-type ports on an ice planet, they're going to end up heavily Industrial, so it's generally easier to just go along with that.

If you're placing things with a different economy type - criminal, military or high-tech orbital outposts, high-tech surface outposts, asteroid bases if it's ringed - then you can ignore the planet type.

 

[Greasetrap42]

Info and graphics moved into Original Post.

 

[MadiraNofo]

Incredibly useful- thankyou so much, helps a lot!

 

[yoyar]

think all of this is great, but.....in an open beta, stuff can and will change

as an example, i built a tier 3 station around the sun before all of this info became available - it had no links at all to start with and then there was an update and now it has 1x strong and about 15 weak

just an observation

 

[pvaljann]

think all of this is great, but.....in an open beta, stuff can and will change

I'm sure GreaseTrap knows, as they have been present on other threads, and like many of us are trying to get a grasp of things, but our thanks to them for trying and putting things into words and pictures.
Really all one has do is edit the post and put as "as of Trailblazers update 3.2" in capitals at the top. Partly why I suggested using draw.io for diagrams as it'll make changing them less hassle when those changes arrive

 

[Greasetrap42]

I updated my Original Post with more information and example graphics.

If there are questions or corrections please let me know.

 

[Raedawn]

Thanks for all the great visuals, it helps me understand these things better !

 

[SergMx]

This post is intended to explain the concepts of strong and weak links. I will try to expand this with examples.

This is not intended as a comprehensive guide to building a colony.
The Full Explanation From Frontier can be seen here.

Colony assets built by a cmdr are associated with the body it is built on or orbiting. This could be a planet, moon, asteroid cluster, or a sun it is directly orbiting. I am simply going to refer to it as the planetary body because my examples are going to use planets.

Basic Concepts

1. Planetary Overrides
If a colony asset is originally “colony” economy, this will be overridden by the planetary body. This is based on the planetary type.

Examples:
Rocky – Refinery
Icey – Industrial
High Metal Content – Extraction

2. Strong Links
Powerful economic links between assets of the same planetary body.
Strong Links are not established to assets belonging to other planetary bodies.

3. Strong Link Modifiers ( +ve and -ve)
Caused by the type of planetary body that an asset is tied to.

4. Weak Links
Weak economic links from the assets of one planetary body to another.
Weak links are not established between assets sharing the same planetary body.

Basic Diagram

View attachment 430247

Strong and Weak Links: Summary of Rules

Asset types:

• There are two types of asset - facilities (settlements, installations, hubs) and ports (outposts and up).
• Each asset may or may not have an economic type (e.g. a Coriolis or a Satellite Installation doesn't ; a Military Outpost or a Research Settlement does)

Most Important Port

• The port on a body that is highest tier. If multiple ports of the same tier, then its the first built.
• The most important port can change if higher tiered ports are built.
• The most important port will be the receiver of strong and weak links.
• The highest tier port on the surface will be an important port. It will strong link to the orbital most important port.

Planetary Influence

• Ports that are built with the default "colony" economic type will have this overridden by the influence of the local planetary body.
• Planetary features such as bio, geo, volcanism, etc will give boosts to the strong links of certain economy types.

Strong links:

• Facilities and ports generate strong links to other assets associated with the same body. Strong links never go further away to other bodies.
• If the body only has orbital or surface ports but not both, strong links are received by the most important port on the same body.
• If the body has both surface and orbital ports, surface structures give strong links to the most important surface port, and orbital structures to the most important orbital port. Then an additional strong link is created from the most important surface port to the most important orbital port. (This additional strong link appears even if the most important surface port did not originally have an economic type)

Weak links:

• All facilities with an economic type generate weak links to every other body in the system.
• If that body has a port, it will receive the weak links.
• The most important orbital port will receive weak links. Also, the most important surface port will receive weak links.
• If that body has multiple surface or orbital ports, only the most important ports will receive weak links.
• A port that is designated to receive weak links will not generate weak links. Even if its not receiving any links at all.
• If that body has no ports, nothing happens. Facilities never receive any sort of link, weak or strong.

Planetary Body Converts "Colony" Type Economies

Constructions which have a Colony economy will have this overridden depending on the body it is on or orbiting.

View attachment 430272


Strong Links: Surface Ports and Orbital Ports

• Strong links will only be formed between assets of the same body.
• Planetary facilities will create strong links with the highest tier planetary port.
• If both a surface and orbital port exist, the strong links from the surface port will be passed on to the highest tier orbital port.

View attachment 430273


Strong Links: Multiple Orbital Ports

- In the event multiple ports are present, the highest tier port will be linked to. If ports are of the same tier, the port which was built first will be selected.

View attachment 430253

Weak Links: Multiple Planetary Bodies

• Weak links are only formed between assets from different bodies.
• If a body has multiple ports, only the highest tier (or first built) port will receive the weak links.
• If an asset is a receiver of weak links it will not generate weak links.

View attachment 430278

Weak Links: Limiting Weak Links

• The highest tier port on a body will not generate weak links.
• If a body has only one port no weak links will be generated.
• If a second port is added weak links will be generated from the lower tier port (or newest)

View attachment 431190


More Complicated Example
View attachment 430246

Adding Up Strong Links
Strong Links can be stronger than others. Simply adding the number of strong links does not indicate influence magnitude.
The strength of multiple facilities can pass through a single strong link.
Example: The Ocellus with 3 Strong Links is not "better".

View attachment 430263

Thank you so much for the great instructions.
I want to clarify, am I right: Strangely enough, the start of a colony, if it is a point on a planet that has slots for construction, should start with an object like Colony? Is that correct?

 

[ArcherS]

Thank you so much for the great instructions.
I want to clarify, am I right: Strangely enough, the start of a colony, if it is a point on a planet that has slots for construction, should start with an object like Colony? Is that correct?

Not necessarily: you really need to decide what you want to do at that body based on the body's features, and possibly what bodies and slots are available in the rest of the system.

For instance, if the body is a featureless Rocky body, you may want to put a T2 or T3 Colony over it so that you have a source for metal in-system. If it's a featureless Icy body, you'd start with an Industrial economy, which could give some Machinery for building other constructions.

Or, if the body is Rocky with Geological and Biological features, you're going to get mush in a Colony economy. In this case, you might want to put a Military, Industrial, or Science outpost, so that you start with either some Security or have a source for some industrial or technology commodities, respectively. (If you go with an Industrial or Science outpost, you can boost the orbital economy by putting an Industrial Outpost Planetary Port or Research Outpost Planetary Port on the body, which won't cause weak links. If you go Military, you could boost that economy by putting a Military settlement on the surface, but that will create weak links when you build other ports.) Or, since that body has Biological features, you could put a Colony T1 over it and build a large Agriculture settlement, so that you have a source of food for other constructions. (The Agriculture settlement will create weak links to other ports, but Agriculture isn't as damaging to other economies.)

All of that being said, you also need to pay attention to the rules for which constructions start with a Commodity Market. If you build an orbital Science Outpost, that won't necessarily have a market until you build other stuff in the system. Easiest is a Comm Station orbiting the same body, but that only works if the body has a second orbital slot.

So, it really comes back to learning the colonisation rules so that you can plan out your system.