| abstract
| - The following guide to choosing the right astro to build a base on was taken from the posting of two experienced AE players from Alpha. It gives two good opinions on the subject. Soon, this will be consolidated and re-written for ease of use, and more articles in the Advice Center are on their way. First off, some general notes. Planets are slightly larger than Moons, so if you will stay a free account, go for the planet because of the extra area. If you get upgraded every now and again, go for the moon, The discount for Planetary Rings and Shields are worth the more credits you have to fork out for terraforming and multilevel platforms. Also, the orbit (position) that an astro is in affects how good it is. The closer an astro is to the sun, the more solar energy it gets (so an astro in position 1 gets 4 energy, while an astro in position 5 gets 0 energy). Astros in positions 2 and 3 get an extra fertility, which can be very useful with some types. And finally, astros in positions 4 and 5 get an extra gas, which helps to compensate for their lack of solar energy.
* Arid - This astro type is pretty much average except in area (where it excels), so it's a good choice for a base, though other astro types are better. It is worth noting that Arids have exactly the same stats as Tundras
* Asteroid - This astro type has a low fertility and area, but it has a high metal, and more importantly, it is the only astro type with 2 crystals, thus meaning that it will have access to crystal mines, which means it will provide a relatively high economy. Very good choice for a base, the terraforming and multilevel platforms may bite you, but then there are the discounted Planetary Rings and Shields will sweeten it.
* Craters - This astro type has a high metal rating, but a low fertility and relatively low area, and the crystals there are more of a red herring than anything. Avoid for the most part, you'd be much better off getting a rocky.
* Crystalline - The "Holy Grail" of astro types, since despite its average area and low fertility, it has the best crystal rating of all. However, most of these have been claimed already...but a few are available still. It's usefulness has been questioned, as older players would prefer 3 metal rather than 3 crystal.
* Earthly - This astro type has a high fertility and a decent amount of metal and area, so it's a very good site for a base. It is advisable to get a Gaia instead though, because the only difference is Gaias have more area.
* Gaia - This astro type is identical to Earthly except that it has more area, and thus is even better for a base.
* Glacial - Low metal and only average fertility make this into one of the poorer choices for a base, but the high area helps to redeem it at least a little bit. But you could always get an Arid/Tundra with the only difference being Arids and Tundras have +1 metal.
* Magma - Average metal and fertility, but low area. However, it has a very high gas rating, meaning it is an alright choice for a base.
* Metallic - Virtually identical to the Crater astro type except for a useless +1 gas, you'd be better off getting a rocky still.
* Oceanic - Don't let the high fertility fool you; with a low metal and low area, this is quite possibly the worst astro type of all.
* Radioactive - Average metal, low fertility, but good area and gas. This isn't quite as good a choice as some, but it's better than it might seem at first glance.
* Rocky - With a high metal, decent fertility and average area, this is quite possibly the best overall astro type for ship production. This to one of the best astro types because of that.
* Toxic - Low fertility, average metal, but good area and gas make this into a surprisingly good choice for a base. The extra area makes it worth turning into a research base.
* Tundra - Average in just about everything except area, where it is one of the highest. Just like the Toxic astro type, this is worth turning into a research base. It is worth noting that Tundras have exactly the same stats as Arids
* Volcanic - Average fertility and metal, but low area. Not the worst, but there are several choices which are better.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)