Colony
A colony is a basic therm for a group of buildings that are neither part of a city nor base.
For example a tiny mining colony does not have to be a full city in order to do mining for other cities in a solar system.
Explanation
Buildings can be built anywhere and are not required to be part of a city in order to function or attract population.
When buildings are part of a city or a base, a lot of extra requirements and overhead is added to keep the population happy and alive. For example a city with a population of more than 45 will start to require morale buildings, which will take time and resources to construct.
Advantages
A colony...
- ... does not require morale buildings.
- Especially useful for tiny worlds with tight volume limits.
- ... does not need food or air to keep population alive (needs confirmation).
- ... does not clutter the Cities and bases list.
- ... reduces the visible number of cities lists on the star map.
Disadvantages
A colony...
- ... cannot have a capitol for easy management.
- ... cannot generate a city report.
- ... does not appear on the Cities and bases list, making it easy to forget.
- ... cannot have a bank to mint money.
- ... cannot send shipments.
- ... will not be able to show nearby reveal nearby alien cities on the star map.
Common Colony
A colony normally need the following:
- A trade connection
- A road to a city
- A wharf
- An airport terminal
- Operation buildings
- Power plant
- Enough homes to cover all jobs
The trade connection is critical to allow the colony to get population when in harsh environments and to allow other colonies and cities in the solar system to fetch commodities from the colony.
A power plant might not be required for the colony to work, but it allows the colony to be more efficient and work at night if it is a habitable environment. If a road connection can be established to a power plant elsewhere on the world, the colony will not need a dedicated power plant.