Best (and worst) artifact planet finds?

[haphazard1]

What are the best techs you have ever pulled from an artifacts planet? On the other side, what are the worst?

I am curious because I have been watching Sullla's Let's Play, and was amazed by the Controlled Dead he got. I didn't realize you could get something that advanced. What are the limits on free techs?

My personal best was Duralloy -- very nice reduction in early colony ship costs. But I would think the best results would probably be either hostile planet techs or maybe propulsion. Either range or faster engines would be very helpful during the land grab phase. Waste clean up would also be big early, at least if you aren't the Silicoids. IIT would also be pretty nice that early to speed factory construction.

My personal worst was in my latest game -- ECM I. Yes, it is a free tech and at least opens the next rung (this was before I had even opened tech). But ECM I has to be about the least useful tech possible that early -- only tech level 2, no benefit to economy or expansion. Weapons would probably be the next worst category early, but anything there is at least slightly useful for potential early conflict. Even hand lasers gives you a bit of gropo bonus and opens the next rung.

Still, a free tech is a free tech. And the artifacts planet itself was far more important long term than the free tech.

[Sullla]

I believe that you can pull any techs from the first 12 tech levels out of the Artifacts planets. Controlled Dead is tech level 10, almost the highest that you can get in Planetology. That was indeed a fabulous prize; other really good techs that I've gotten include Improved Eco, Warp 3 engines, and Scatter Pack V missiles.

Worst prize: Controlled Robotics III in the first five turns of the game. Increase all of your factory costs by 50% and cripple your early game growth curve. Not exactly what you want.

[marasai]

I've pulled range 6 before which was extreemly useful.

Does the cost go up on all factories, or just those pre-refit for robotic controls tech?

[haphazard1]

I've pulled range 6 before which was extreemly useful.

That would be very handy for the early land grab. Any range tech would be great, but 6...very nice.

Does the cost go up on all factories, or just those pre-refit for robotic controls tech?

I have wondered about this. I am playing the GOG version of MoO, no patches or other changes. And I have consistently been seeing planets that were not maxed out on factories still building factories normally after a robotic controls upgrade, and then only when they hit the previous limit (2x, 3x, etc.) for their current pop do I see 'Refit' show up on the industry slider display. This seems to imply that I am not paying refit costs until the planet hits the previous maximum, but I don't know if this means I am still paying the previous price per factory before refit appears. Anyone know for sure?

[Cyneheard]

I believe that you can pull any techs from the first 12 tech levels out of the Artifacts planets. Controlled Dead is tech level 10, almost the highest that you can get in Planetology. That was indeed a fabulous prize; other really good techs that I've gotten include Improved Eco, Warp 3 engines, and Scatter Pack V missiles.

Worst prize: Controlled Robotics III in the first five turns of the game. Increase all of your factory costs by 50% and cripple your early game growth curve. Not exactly what you want.

I've gotten a Lvl 17 tech from an Artifacts world (it was 2381). I know I had a 2nd tier (level 6-10) tech finished, not sure if I had a 3rd tier finished at the time.

Robotics III for non-Meklar is very painful if it happens before the homeworld is filled out (and even for some time afterwards).

[RefSteel]

Best Artifacts pull I've ever gotten was during OSG 22, when I managed to scout an Artifacts world more than three decades into the game. Sargon (who played before me) had already landed a range tech, so I was able to pull Dotomite Crystals (Range 7!) -- just enough range to claim the same ART world I'd just scouted!

I believe the rule is that you can nab anything up to two tiers above your current tech level, although it may be "up to your current tech level + 11" or something like that; I don't know the exact rule.

Robotics 3 I do know about. With or without the patch (kyrub tried to fix this, but was unable to do so at the time the patch was under development) once you get improved RC as non-Meklar, all new factories have the new (higher) factory cost, even if you have a much greater population than you need to work them at the new tech level. Moreover, there is no refit cost for old factories! They automatically start working at the new RC level without any further investment needed. This bug is the reason landing RC3 early is so painful for the economy: RC is actually better than it's supposed to be for built-up worlds, but much worse than it's supposed to be for those still low on infrastructure.

[Zieman]

I got Controlled Radiated Environment recently. That was 97 turns into the game & I possessed Controlled Inferno Environment already.

[Dwedit]

I think the best possible two techs to get at the beginning of the game are Scatter Pack V rockets, or Death Spores. Regardless of whether you want to use death spores or not, getting planetology technology up to such a high tech level has dramatic effects on worker productivity.

[Ianus]

I once scouted TWO artifact planets on two consecutive turns in the early game and got Controlled Dead followed by Controlled Radiated. I suddenly became proto-Silicoids. I don't remember the game being especially challenging after that...