Solo Colonization - How To Colonize With Limited Resources

[Fedifensor]

Hello, everyone. Last Thursday morning (03/20), I managed to claim a system and start my colonization journey. In the space of one week, I have built out the system to the point where I have eight completed structures, and received a weekly payment of roughly 150k for my efforts. There are a lot of solo players attempting to colonize and either choosing systems that don't have sufficient colonization spots, or getting stuck by choosing structures beyond their ability to complete. I wanted to offer a few tips based on what I've learned over the past week, in the hopes of helping out others who want to stake a claim and make their mark on the galaxy.

Step 1 - Choose A System
This is the hardest part of colonization. A system is only as good as the available building spots within it. A system with stars but no planetary bodies is going to give you a station or outpost not worth the biowaste it sells. I began my journey the night before the weekly update, going to systems on the edge of currently explored space and looking for places where others had started colonizing in that previous week and completed at least one structure. I then looked for systems within 15 ly of that location that were not currently available for colonization, but would be once the weekly update was complete. I found a good origin system, and found a likely candidate within range of it - Crucis Sector PC-V A2-1. The sector is 2 to 3 jumps away from the nearest Trailblazer, which carries certain commodities that you can't feasibly get anywhere else. That will be important later. The other factor is that it is only two jumps away from Jameson Memorial, where my ships are currently docked.

The next morning, I went through my list of candidates, and found that my chosen system was available for colonization. It is a Brown Dwarf star with six Icy Body planets - not exactly a dream system for resources...but what it does have is a lot of places where structures can be built. I staked a claim, and went to the system.

Step 2 - Choose Initial Port
Many solo players are tempted to choose a Starport for their first structure - a Coriolis, or even an Ocellus or Orbis. While a Coriolis is doable in 28 days if you have a good Large hauling vessel (mine has 704 cargo available), expecting to complete an Ocellus or Orbis in a month as a solo player isn't very feasible. If it IS feasible for you, then you don't need to read any further - this post is not designed for you.

A Coriolis will eliminate the need to build smaller structures later to have enough build points for a starport with a Large landing pad. However, if you want to get started quicker and take advantage of the System Colonization Ship, I recommend building an Outpost instead. You get to use the SCS Large pads to deliver supplies to a structure that otherwise only has Medium pads. That roughly halves the time it takes to complete (my Type-8 has 352 cargo, exactly half of my Large vessel). I chose Military because my primary goal was to get to High Security as quickly as possible, and it is one of two Outposts that offer an Initial Population Increase.

Step 3 - Deliver Commodities
I printed out a list of all commodities needed for the structure, and begin making trips. I started with figuring out which supplies I could get within one jump of my system, and which ones would require going to the Trailblazer. I did the Trailblazer trips first, starting with the commodities that had the smallest number needed. Over time, that made it easier to track what was left. Once I was down to commodities I could get from systems a single jump away, l focused on them, quickly reaching a point where all that was needed was Aluminum and Steel. By Friday afternoon, a day and a half after I started, I finished the last of my trips (28 total, if I remember correctly) and finished the outpost.

Step 4 - Plan Your Next Steps
My system has 14 ground sites and 9 orbital sites (including the initial one) for building. You need to accumulate T2 points to be able to build a Coriolis or a T2 Surface site. I ended up constructing a medium-sized (T1 M) Military settlement for more Security, then a Relay Station. That gave me the T2 points to build a Security Station, which brought my system up to Medium Security. I used the one planet without orbital slots to build two T1 S surface settlements (Agricultural and Industrial) just for T2 points and the minor boosts to Standard of Living and Development Level. At this point, I went ahead and staked the claim for my Coriolis, though I have yet to construct it. Finally, I set up a second T1 M Military settlement to get the system to High Security. My last step was a mistake - I wanted a refinery to supply my Coriolis, but chose the wrong planet by accident. I still built it out, finishing just before the weekly update.

Summary
One week in, I have a High Security system with a Military/High Tech economy. That should reduce the chance of interdiction when I begin delivering supplies for the starport, and as stated earlier my first week's payment was 150k. I don't have to worry about deadlines and I have a good core structure for the system that I can build out further with the remaining 7 orbital and 11 ground sites. I could have probably constructed a Coriolis in the same amount of time, but I wouldn't have the supporting infrastructure. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how things went and my future building options. I will probably take a break after finishing the Coriolis to go back to Powerplay, but I'm planning on adding T2 L Research Bio settlements and Refinery Hubs as I am able to do so, with other structures as needed to get T2 points and balance out system stats.

Quick Tips

• There is no better time to make claims than the morning after the weekly update. My job situation gave me the freedom to do this, but I would have considered taking a day off if absolutely needed. It makes a huge difference on finding a system with enough planetary bodies to make it worth colonizing.
• Take the time to get two good hauling vessels - one Medium, one Large. I'm fortunate enough to have some of the best ships for that purpose fully engineered - an Imperial Cutter and a Type-8.
• Write down the supplies you need for each structure, and check each type of commodity off the list when it is complete. You can do this on the computer if you have a second screen, or go old-school and use paper and pencil.

 

[nepomuk]

Write down the supplies you need for each structure, and check each type of commodity off the list when it is complete. You can do this on the computer if you have a second screen, or go old-school and use paper and pencil.

... or you use the EDMC-ColonisationPlugIn

GitHub - karolnowacki/edmc-colonisation-plugin

Contribute to karolnowacki/edmc-colonisation-plugin development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

 

[Born Free]

i did an ocellus as a primary port in 2 weeks (actually 2 hours before the exact 2 week mark).
full time hauling and nothing else for 2 weeks. it was rough. not recommended for the light of heart.
FC will be mandatory to do an ocellus or orbis if your flagged primary spot is off a secondary star far from the primary star. (mine was 267,000 LS)

 

[Fedifensor]

I've made several mistakes so I can maybe give some advice.

How to pick a system, find one that has:

• Lots of ground slots, more than 30. Bonus if you can find a system with a body that has 5 or more ground slots on one moon.
• One or more ringed gas giants, preferably with moons.
• An asteroid cluster if you want an asteroid base. You can also place these in rings so this is optional.
• A star that can be fueled from (KGBFOAM).
• Optionally something interesting like geology/biological sites, a black hole, a larger than normal star, anomalies, whatever.

This is bad advice for the target audience. As the saying goes, "the perfect is the enemy of the good" - this is a prime example.

This thread is designed for a solo player with limited resources. The player may have limited time due to a job or other responsibilities, and the character is unlikely to have a fleet carrier and several billion to burn. There are numerous groups out there searching for prime systems for colonization, and a system like the one you describe is really hard for a solo player to find and claim. Also, your system needs to be as close as possible to stations with the most commonly used supplies (like Aluminum and Steel) and one of the Trailblazer ships (for the supplies nearly impossible to find anywhere else). A fuel star makes no difference - you want your trips to be short enough that you aren't running out of fuel, and it's much faster to click a single button at a station than to waste cargo capacity and time on scooping. As either a source system or a destination system for your future endeavors, you don't need to worry about refueling from the star.

I played about as much as I could spare last week with a full-time job, building an outpost and seven smaller structures with an estimated shipped commodities totaling a bit over 60k. That's just slightly more than needed to build a single Coriolis, and it was a LOT of work. The solo player doesn't need 30+ ground slots to get a fully functional and satisfying system. Once I complete my Coriolis, the rest of my building will be periodic improvements over the next several weeks, and I have more than enough room left in my system to accomplish everything I have time to do.

You need a system with at least a few planetary bodies, but don't spend all your time looking for the Holy Grail. 10 total ground slots is a good minimum, and anything more than 20 is a luxury. Likewise, more than 10 orbital slots is excessive. If you get lucky, great! If you don't, settle for something workable instead of waiting weeks to start colonization because the perfect system is out of your reach. Really, if you're going to insist on anything, one planet in the system should have a higher number of ground and orbital slots, that you can use as a basis for your (eventual) starport and trading economy.

 

[pvaljann]

I’m a bit confused why you seem to think such systems are in short supply

Not completely fair as it will greatly vary by location. Yes, people need to explore their most local recently established systems for a supply chain, and check back every now and again after the Thursday tick for completed systems, rather than relying purely on Inara.
I'm being patient, and instead helping complete several nearby facilities which will enable me complete mine at a time I feel is right, namely avoiding having to do several jumps.

 

[Shurimal]

There are thousands of such systems I described at the edge of the new bubble and plenty of stations to buy materials from because everyone is making refining stations first. I’m a bit confused why you seem to think such systems are in short supply?

Depends on what other criteria you have for your system. Eg, I wanted a system near my Powerplay area so I can eventually expand my power into it; and I also wanted specific government type controlling it. That set some very narrow frames to work in, and "perfect systems" were already snatched up in the first days of Trailblazers. In the end I managed to find about half a dozen candidates, none of which had gas giants or rocky/high metal content worlds, planetary rings, asteroid belts or anything else interesting. Still managed to claim one of them with all but one landable planets, of which all but one have atmospheres and a total of 26 surface, 17 orbital spots. And I got first footfall on one planet, too

 

[Zador]

Most people seem to think that going for the largest station first is most efficient. Especially with the initial confusion about construction cost increases. The construction cost increase happens after you build two tier 2 or larger stations. This increase affects ALL construction though. With this information, it is highly beneficial for anyone, casual or otherwise, to start with an outpost, unless you are an extremely large player group and know what you're doing. Construction material requirements for stations decrease after you finish your first one. So you see starting with a large station will cost your more materials in the long run, but less construction points (because it seems the first one doesn't count). This is why starting small makes sense except for the most dedicated players or largest organizations.

The increase statement is incorrect. Only Orbis, Ocellus, Coriolis, Asteroid and Tier 3 planetary port construction points increase. No other construction points increase (and no commodity costs increase). They don't make it any harder to build infrastructure, they just require more and more infrastructure to support those 5 ports.

The increase starts after second additional port, if you build a Coriolis first it does not count towards the construction point increase. So there's a benefit there but also a cost as the initial Coriolis requires roughly 20k tons additional commodities over one built later. If you build an outpost first, you'll need 3 tier 2 construction points to be able to build a Coriolis, but you can build 3 things for less than 20k tons so that's not really a factor.

 

[Shurimal]

Ah that stinks you had to settle. I'm sorry if I miscommunicated, my post was more a general "I want to colonize anywhere" kind of advice

Well, it was fully on me—if I jumped into on day 1 I would probably have scored the "perfect" system. An early bird gets the worm and all that Naturally not caring about Powerplay opportunities or BGS specifics gives more freedom to choose, and this is all fine.

 

[Jetreyu]

I've made several mistakes so I can maybe give some advice.

How to pick a system, find one that has:

• Lots of ground slots, more than 30. Bonus if you can find a system with a body that has 5 or more ground slots on one moon.
• One or more ringed gas giants, preferably with moons.
• An asteroid cluster if you want an asteroid base. You can also place these in rings so this is optional.
• A star that can be fueled from (KGBFOAM).
• Optionally something interesting like geology/biological sites, a black hole, a larger than normal star, anomalies, whatever.

Which station to start with:

​

Most people seem to think that going for the largest station first is most efficient. Especially with the initial confusion about construction cost increases. The construction cost increase happens after you build two tier 2 or larger stations. This increase affects tier 3 port construction. With this information, it is highly beneficial for anyone, casual or otherwise, to start with an outpost, unless you are an extremely large player group and know what you're doing. Construction material requirements for stations decrease after you finish your first one. So you see starting with a large station will cost your more materials in the long run, but less construction points, because it seems the first one doesn't count towards the two large station construction increase. So it's a tradeoff, spend more materials for an extra large station before construction point increase, or a small station for reduced materials cost. This is why starting small makes sense except for the most dedicated players or largest organizations.​

​

The ones I recommend are either colony or military outposts. Why? Well, industry economies are useless to colonization, so that one is out. Any of the others I didn't mention will have an economy type that will fight against you when you try to manipulate the market to extraction/refining. Why do you want those? Well because you need the materials those markets produce, but so does an industrial outpost, so it will consume some of its own production if you make a hybrid economy.​

​

With a colony type station market, you can manipulate by placing other constructions in orbit or on the ground that move the market in that direction. However, when you do it to a colony, it won't consume as much (or any in some cases) of your market production. So you can then use your refined goods to continue building your system.​

​

With a security type station, you can eliminate the interdiction that happen quite often after completing your first station.​

​

Which one you chose is up to you, you can't really go wrong with either. The colony one will help you build faster once you push it to refining or extraction, but the security one will help you build faster because you won't be getting interdicted all the time.​

​

What's next?

Once you finish your first station, you have options. The sky is the limit now. I would work on designing your system in the manner you envisioned. Remember to start small and work your way up. Smaller buildings add construction points to make bigger ones ​

​

Enjoy!​

the first port doesn't count towards the building 2 tier 2 or larger stations, so that's why some people are going for larger stations first, it increases the total number of large stations possible. If you have a reasonable amount of time to commit over the 4 weeks, even just one or two full weekends, I'd go for a coriolis (assuming the primary port is in a useful slot)
.

 

[Finn McShane]

Hello, everyone. Last Thursday morning (03/20), I managed to claim a system and start my colonization journey. In the space of one week, I have built out the system to the point where I have eight completed structures, and received a weekly payment of roughly 150k for my efforts. There are a lot of solo players attempting to colonize and either choosing systems that don't have sufficient colonization spots, or getting stuck by choosing structures beyond their ability to complete. I wanted to offer a few tips based on what I've learned over the past week, in the hopes of helping out others who want to stake a claim and make their mark on the galaxy.

Step 1 - Choose A System
This is the hardest part of colonization. A system is only as good as the available building spots within it. A system with stars but no planetary bodies is going to give you a station or outpost not worth the biowaste it sells. I began my journey the night before the weekly update, going to systems on the edge of currently explored space and looking for places where others had started colonizing in that previous week and completed at least one structure. I then looked for systems within 15 ly of that location that were not currently available for colonization, but would be once the weekly update was complete. I found a good origin system, and found a likely candidate within range of it - Crucis Sector PC-V A2-1. The sector is 2 to 3 jumps away from the nearest Trailblazer, which carries certain commodities that you can't feasibly get anywhere else. That will be important later. The other factor is that it is only two jumps away from Jameson Memorial, where my ships are currently docked.

The next morning, I went through my list of candidates, and found that my chosen system was available for colonization. It is a Brown Dwarf star with six Icy Body planets - not exactly a dream system for resources...but what it does have is a lot of places where structures can be built. I staked a claim, and went to the system.

Step 2 - Choose Initial Port
Many solo players are tempted to choose a Starport for their first structure - a Coriolis, or even an Ocellus or Orbis. While a Coriolis is doable in 28 days if you have a good Large hauling vessel (mine has 704 cargo available), expecting to complete an Ocellus or Orbis in a month as a solo player isn't very feasible. If it IS feasible for you, then you don't need to read any further - this post is not designed for you.

A Coriolis will eliminate the need to build smaller structures later to have enough build points for a starport with a Large landing pad. However, if you want to get started quicker and take advantage of the System Colonization Ship, I recommend building an Outpost instead. You get to use the SCS Large pads to deliver supplies to a structure that otherwise only has Medium pads. That roughly halves the time it takes to complete (my Type-8 has 352 cargo, exactly half of my Large vessel). I chose Military because my primary goal was to get to High Security as quickly as possible, and it is one of two Outposts that offer an Initial Population Increase.

Step 3 - Deliver Commodities
I printed out a list of all commodities needed for the structure, and begin making trips. I started with figuring out which supplies I could get within one jump of my system, and which ones would require going to the Trailblazer. I did the Trailblazer trips first, starting with the commodities that had the smallest number needed. Over time, that made it easier to track what was left. Once I was down to commodities I could get from systems a single jump away, l focused on them, quickly reaching a point where all that was needed was Aluminum and Steel. By Friday afternoon, a day and a half after I started, I finished the last of my trips (28 total, if I remember correctly) and finished the outpost.

Step 4 - Plan Your Next Steps
My system has 14 ground sites and 9 orbital sites (including the initial one) for building. You need to accumulate T2 points to be able to build a Coriolis or a T2 Surface site. I ended up constructing a medium-sized (T1 M) Military settlement for more Security, then a Relay Station. That gave me the T2 points to build a Security Station, which brought my system up to Medium Security. I used the one planet without orbital slots to build two T1 S surface settlements (Agricultural and Industrial) just for T2 points and the minor boosts to Standard of Living and Development Level. At this point, I went ahead and staked the claim for my Coriolis, though I have yet to construct it. Finally, I set up a second T1 M Military settlement to get the system to High Security. My last step was a mistake - I wanted a refinery to supply my Coriolis, but chose the wrong planet by accident. I still built it out, finishing just before the weekly update.

Summary
One week in, I have a High Security system with a Military/High Tech economy. That should reduce the chance of interdiction when I begin delivering supplies for the starport, and as stated earlier my first week's payment was 150k. I don't have to worry about deadlines and I have a good core structure for the system that I can build out further with the remaining 7 orbital and 11 ground sites. I could have probably constructed a Coriolis in the same amount of time, but I wouldn't have the supporting infrastructure. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how things went and my future building options. I will probably take a break after finishing the Coriolis to go back to Powerplay, but I'm planning on adding T2 L Research Bio settlements and Refinery Hubs as I am able to do so, with other structures as needed to get T2 points and balance out system stats.

Quick Tips

• There is no better time to make claims than the morning after the weekly update. My job situation gave me the freedom to do this, but I would have considered taking a day off if absolutely needed. It makes a huge difference on finding a system with enough planetary bodies to make it worth colonizing.
• Take the time to get two good hauling vessels - one Medium, one Large. I'm fortunate enough to have some of the best ships for that purpose fully engineered - an Imperial Cutter and a Type-8.
• Write down the supplies you need for each structure, and check each type of commodity off the list when it is complete. You can do this on the computer if you have a second screen, or go old-school and use paper and pencil.

I don't believe that you have to wait for the weekly update for systems to become available. My experience is that as soon as a station is completed, the Colonization Contact is present, and you can claim the next system within 15LY.

 

[SteveWW57]

I believe the things to look out for in a system are planets/moons with 2 ground and 1 orbital slot or no ground and three orbital slots to build economies. Plus spare slots for the installations to boost the system's stats.

And
an asteroid belt is nice.

 

[lionhead]

i have a small question i didn't yet find an answer for although i'm sure there is one somewhere in the game but i have to be sure:

Once your primary port is completed and the system is yours, there is no time limit on the next structure you decide to build is there? Or is it a month for everything you want to build?

 

[SteveWW57]

After the first, everything else has no time limit.

 

[Shir]

You only need a medium ship to land on outposts if you wont be using trailblazers megaships, otherwise you can land a large pad ship in all structures you build.

 

[Galactic Fork]

i have a small question i didn't yet find an answer for although i'm sure there is one somewhere in the game but i have to be sure:

Once your primary port is completed and the system is yours, there is no time limit on the next structure you decide to build is there? Or is it a month for everything you want to build?

No time limit after the initial structure is there. I have an orbis port sitting unfinished in my system I have no intention of completing for months or years.

 

[Tifu]

​

So it's a tradeoff, spend more materials for an extra large station before construction point increase, or a small station for reduced materials cost. This is why starting small makes sense except for the most dedicated players or largest organizations.​

I agree. If you're starting out and have a modest system then start with an outpost first. You actually won't need a second T2 (Coriolis), one will be fine. Start small and find your footing then build up.

 

[Greasetrap42]

Choosing System - Understand Primary Port Concept

It is really important for a player to understand the concept of the first primary port.

• A player does not get to chose the location of their first primary port.
• Of course a player has 4 weeks to complete the first primary port. And all the time in the world to complete the rest of their system.
• Before a system is chosen the location of the first primary port is indicated on the system map by a flag.
• If a system is mediocre, and has the primary port in an awful location (ex: 500,000Ls away orbiting a 0-slot ice planet) its probably best to skip that system.
• If a system is really really fantastic and the player is planning long-term commitment to the system, it might not matter where the first primary port is. Even if the location is awful. Build it (yes its a bit of a waste) just so the rest of the system can be developed.
• If a player decides to chose a system even though the primary port location is awful, I would not recommend building a Coriolis or Orbis stn. That would be a waste of effort. If it is a really fantastic system with lots of slots, you aren't going to have issues collecting T3 points over time and you can build several large orbital ports later.

 

[Ralph Vargr]

I'm just taking what I can get.

 

[Fedifensor]

Here's an update as of 4/3, with detailed system stats:

System Slots
Orbital1 – __________
Orbital2 – __________
Planet1 – Industrial T1 S, Agricultural T1 S, __________
Planet2 – __________, __________
Planet2 Orbital – __________
Planet3 – Military T1 M, Refinery Hub
Planet3 Orbital – Security Station
Planet4 – __________, __________, __________
Planet4 Orbital – __________
Planet5 – __________, __________
Planet5 Orbital – __________
Planet5 Moon1 – Research Bio T2 L, __________
Planet5 Moon1 Orbital – Coriolis Starport
Planet6 – Military T1 M, Refinery Hub
Planet6 Orbital – Relay Station, Military Outpost, Space Farm, __________

Constructed Items
Surface – Industrial Settlement T1 S (DL +2)
Surface – Agricultural Settlement T1 S (SoL +3)
Surface – Military Settlement T1 M (Sec +4) [x2]
Surface – Refinery Hub (Sec -1, TL +3, W +5, SoL -2, DL +7) [x2]
Orbital – Security Station (Sec +8, SoL +3, DL +2)
Surface – Research Bio T2 L (TL +10, DL +2)
Orbital – Coriolis Starport (Sec -2, TL +1, W +2, SoL +3, DL +2, Init Pop +1)
Orbital – Relay Station (Sec +1, DL +1)
Orbital – Military Outpost (Sec +2, Init Pop +1)
Orbital – Space Farm(SoL +5, DL +1)

Totals – Security 15, Tech Level 17, Wealth 12, Standard of Living 10, Development Level 24

Lots of room to grow, though I'm out of T2 points and need to build some small or medium settlements on Planets 1 and 2 to get more. I might also use the Planet2 orbital spot on a Comm Station or another Space Farm. Getting T3 points is a waste, as I'm never going to have the time to ship 300 full loads of cargo to build an Ocellus/Orbis or a Planetary Port. That is probably the strongest argument for making your initial construction a Coriolis.

 

[Linux Kernel]

I found a nice system and built a military outpost for security. After the pain of hauling materials for the first outpost, I decided the best thing I can do is build a refinery and mining system assuming people expanding in the same sector will need aluminum, titanium and steel. But the refinery turned the economy from military into military + colony. Why?

I assume I need more extraction, security, development, and population for everything to run well. Now I'm wondering if I just don't understand how systems work in this game. I'm relatively new and Elite has never been intuitive. Here are some questions I have:

• If I build agriculture and civilian facilities/outposts to grow the population, will it block the system from producing any refinery materials because it reenforces the colony economy? Will building more military facilities for security also block refining and reenforce the military economy?
• Does the refinery need anything else to operate? I built a military settlement on the same planet for more security but I can't land at the refinery (docking disabled for some reason). Does it need an orbital station or outpost to export its goods?
• Does the refinery also require extraction facilities somewhere in the system, or will that change the system to extraction and block refining?
• Is there a good guide on this anywhere or do I need to edit the wiki and write one? I also notice the wiki doesn't list ground facility building requirements.

EDIT: Found answers here

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_zlSZf67E0
and in the follow-up video here

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptbm36DMl9Y


Other funny notes:

• I started an extraction installation near a red dwarf in the system with high metal content rings. I can't get to it because the construction site is ~5Mm inside the emergency stop zone.
• I tried to build a comms station around a moon in co-orbit with another moon. The station moves at about 220m/s so I can't land on it with landing gear out or auto-dock. The construction platform also seems to orbit around the barycenter and go through both moons? Can't quite tell for sure.
• No way to cancel construction, and I'm limited to 5 simultaneous constructions.
• If I land at a completed medium military settlement on one of the moons, it doesn't operate like a normal surface outpost. It still has the "construction services" option but clicking it does nothing.