So, noobie here!

Depending on who you ask, the maximum pop that you can 'reasonably' maintain is 20 billion, so a farm of any sort on the homeworld (base 16 billion) is probably a mistake. I'm pretty sure that the only thing people do with 40b-cap worlds is make tax farms and/or cannon fodder for transports (sometimes produced on other worlds if you need every tile you can get for morale buildings).

that is... lame =P

Figured it'd be beneficial to have a nice pop >.>

It also seems trade is better than taxes...?

It may seem lame, however, think of it like you. You have a planet like Earth. Now, on this planet, there are 40 billion people, rather than the 7?8? billion people on here currently.

Could you imagine the commute to work each day in your hovercar?

But really, the idea of having a population cap is because people get unhappy when there are too many people.

lol I hate that because I'm mostly the thalans when playing TA. and the hyperion matrix thingy always puts the homeworld pop to 24b... with all the people it gets really really low on morale and I just make it my eco capital... you can keep the taxes up as long as you have some other low pop planets to average out the approval rating to something more... suitable.

But there are sometimes that you are very lucky and get two tear drop tiles on the planet! w00t. thats where you put alot of farms... where you can keep the people happy.

But you can also research the governments which I always love because you can decrease the taxes when you get the new government and pretty much have the same approval and still get more $$$. (In TA some civs don't get govs... )

Trade is better then taxes because there is no tradoff of morale or really anything... it improves relations and makes money for both sides... trade rules.

Re the Thalan Hyperion Matrix, it is *far* better to place that off your homeworld to effectively create a 'second capital.'

I'll usually hold off on that building until I've had a chance to explore most of the worlds near my homeworld in hopes of finding a good bonus tile to place it on. You get lots more bang from that box if you put it on a new colony with a 300% research tile than by turning your homeworld into a mandible-by-spinnacle superhive. I had one game where I got to place it on a 700% research tile, and that was sweet indeed.

I avoid placing more than one pop cap on a planet unless it has the food tiles and then those usualy become transport fodder. I use my homeworld as a eccanomic/research machine with minor production increases. Far as past 20B pop well i haver had it on my homeworld but you idealy need two or three moral improving structures unless your like Yor in which case morals not your main issues.

ya.. well.. ive grown to love the iconions.. getting a large ship with nice defense + that repair bonus is godlike >.>