The #1 reason I frequent this forum now is looking for strategy, so I'll try one strategy: I'm still working on a good build order for a research world; and, for that matter, selecting the research world. A few of the challenges I am facing:
- You can't build the Galactic core on your home world, but your home world's capital improvement has extra research. You can crank up the core's output pretty good with a bonus tile and adjacency bonuses.
- Building Brindle's, Hyperspace, and the Eyes. Those are awesome for research, but they are in a race for galactic wonders, and that needs fast social construction. Plus, Brindles and Hyperspace serve other critical purposes besides research.
- How long to wait for a good research world, if one simply isn't turning up?
- Sooner research means more research, and that means building social construction instead of research, at first.
- What are your high-priority tiles for soil improvement, terraforming, etc.?
- The tech capital comes late, and the 25% isn't much compared to a well levelled-up research lab. Plus it takes a lot of social construction to build, and it's a research world. However, it does come with a nice influence bonus.
- Re-route your asteroids to the research world?
- If I have twin tiles, I can throw up twin entertainment centers really quick, which gives +4 morale and ultimately a 25% bonus to both research and social construction. Then tear them down as the tech capital comes up. But I am not SURE if that is a good strategy.
- No city. I can't justify it when so many buildings give +3 research adjacency already. And I need the morale, because of the twin 25% research+social construction bonus.
- Planets in two-planet systems seem to work out better, because I can throw up an economy starbase. That starbase can start influencing asteroids, which I can re-route to the research planet without too much penalty.
- Sometimes I prioritize mining starbases in a system neighboring my research world, just to get the asteroids. Not sure if that is right. Sure seems to be easier tactically than starbasing a faraway black hole.