Base layout is key to maximising base happiness. A poorly planned base can make your colonists upset - this is extremely noticeable in missions where base happiness is a factor.

When creating a base, it's important to think about how your colonists will be moving around. Most colonists are quite slow, so you'll want to reduce the amount of time they spend walking.

I like to categorise each colonist by whether or not they are 'base-bound', that is, do they ever leave the base when going to work?

A base-bound colonist is a colonist who has any one of the following jobs:

• Power
  
• Oxygen
  
• Medi-Prep
  
• Cleaning
  
• Maintenance
  
• Repair
  
• Pharmaceuticals
  
• Bio-research
  
• Cybernetics

These jobs are either localised within the base, or are located just outside the base. As a result, you should plan your base layout around people who perform these jobs. For example, place a cleaning post right next to Tami's bed, so she doesn't have to walk very far to work.

If a colonist isn't base-bound (for instance, colonists who are miners or argon extractors), then they'll need their bed placed next to an airlock. There should also be a space bike post next to the airlock, as well as next to their place of work, as this maximises both efficiency and safety.

Pro tip: Place job structures, (such as the repair facility or bio lab) right next to a bio-dome. This way, a colonist can jump straight into the structure without having to leave the base!

You should also take into consideration a colonist's bed position. You see, when a colonist is off-duty, they'll walk towards their bed and sit down on it to relax. From there, they'll decide their next move (usually attending to one of their low motives, such as food, hygiene, etc.)

For this reason, you'll need to place their bed in a centralised position, which is close to an entertainment facility, a shower, a mess hall and a cash machine. You'll be surprised at the amount of difference a well designed base makes - the more a colonist has to walk, the less time they spend working, and the higher the chance they have to walk through litter.

Let's look at an example of a base with a good layout, and a base with a poor layout:

The above image looks like a good base at first glance. However, it's quite a poor base for several reasons:

• All beds are located in a single bio-dome. This is fine for smaller crews, but for a large base like this one it's very inefficient.
  
  
• All the beds have been assigned in order of the crew. This means their placement is arbitrary, and not tailored to the needs of a colonist.
  
  
• The base isn't centralised - it takes a long time for a colonist to walk from their bed on the far left side of the base to the showers on the right side of the base.
  
  
• There's not enough facilities - twenty people have to share a single shower and mess hall. There's going to be a lot of queuing!
  
  
• Slower colonists, like Mr. Zhang and Tami have their beds in a poor location. Remember, colonists spend most of their free time at their beds, so slow colonists need to have their bed near facilities, while fast colonists can have their beds anywhere.
  
  
• There's not many airlocks or space bikes - colonists have a long walk to work.

This, by contrast is a far more efficient base. Colonists who are sleeping at their beds in this bio-dome might find it hard to fall asleep right away due to noise pollution, however I've found that a layout like this maximises base happiness and efficiency regardless of the noise pollution.

Observe:

• In the top right corner are beds belonging to three slow colonists: Daisy, Zhang and Bhoomi. They all require a lot of sleep, so their beds are isolated away from the rest of the crew to reduce the chance of noise pollution. They all have easy access to a shower, as well as their personal mess hall and relaxation pod (which all three of them enjoy). Mr. Zhang also has easy access to a cash machine, which is important for him.
  
  
• If we move south, we see a large bio-dome half filled with a collection of beds. Tami and Greg have their beds near social areas, as they cause a lot of arguments in the base. They also have easy access to a bar/jacuzzi. Candy and Dean are both base-bound colonists, so they need their beds relatively close to the bridge. Nailer's bed is close to a mess hall and bar, so he has his needs fulfilled. Slim and Charles both have their beds on the far side of the bio-dome, but this is irrelevant as they move very quickly. Vasilios' bed is also here, but his bed placement matters less since he rarely needs sleep or any other activity.
  
  
• Moving west, we find Barbara and Babette's room. These colonists also cause a lot of arguments, so their beds are in the vicinity of the social areas. They're also base-bound, so they need beds relatively close to the bridge. Since they have esoteric interests (the piano), they get their own room near the piano. Barbara moves quickly, so her bed can be further away, while Babette is somewhat useless, so her proximity to the bridge doesn't matter all that much. They also have access to their own shower and mess-hall.
  
  
• The second large bio-dome on the far left of the screen belongs to the worker colonists who often need to leave the base. These colonists tend to be more agreeable, so access to a social area is less important. Hoshi and Kita need access to a social area, although this is less of a priority as they move somewhat quickly. All colonists here enjoy the disco or jacuzzi, with the exception of Nikolai, who has easy access to an observatory. There's also a cash machine close to Venus and Barbara's bed.
  
  
• The base also has many airlocks, each flanked by a space bike post to provide easy access to and from the base. Any mining plants away from the base should also have a space bike post.
  
  
• There are several plants situated near each airlock. This is a precaution to slow down any space gremlins who happen to be prowling around the planet. Some colonists also gain a slight entertainment boost from plants.
  
  
• Candy, Tami and Nailer's beds are all located near a cleaning post, since they are all proficient in cleaning.

As you can see, this base is far from perfect, but it's much more efficient than the other base. Each colonist has their needs tailored to, which will greatly boost their overall happiness and efficiency. No single base archetype will be perfect for every situation - you'll just have to use your intuition based on the circumstance. For example, if you train Tami to do mining, her bed will be better suited placed near an airlock for easy access.

Pro tip: If you move a building from one bio-dome to another, you can temporarily reduce the size that the facility takes up. The facility will return to its previous size once you place an object in the same bio-dome as it. This glitch is most useful with the personnel hygiene pod, as it allows you to squeeze in additional objects:




Also, you should take into consideration that the following colonists NEVER produce any base litter:

• Dean
  
• Billybob
  
• Daisy
  
• Vasilios
  
• Mr. Zhang
  
• Bhoomi
  
• Barbara

These colonists are therefore more suited to base-bound duties, as they won't messy up your biodomes when performing their tasks (Bhoomi and Zhang aren't great for base-bound work due to their very slow movement speeds).

I've categorised each colonist by their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses and other factors. Below is a brief explanation of each category:

This is a list of any facilities that refill at least 70% of the colonist's entertainment motive. Some facilities may still provide a small entertainment boost to the colonist, so this list is by no means exhaustive. For complete information on entertainment values, consult this guide:

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1285798805


A complete list of all facilities which drain entertainment for that colonist. For more information on entertainment values, consult the above guide.

Most colonists have certain strengths which make them invaluable to your base.

These are aspects of a colonist which make them more challenging to deal with. This usually takes the form of a 'special motive'. A 'special motive' can be identified by a star next to the icon - this motive usually drains faster than normal, and will cause greater emotional distress when it's empty.

This is the approximate rate at which a colonist learns at the library. This number is used to compare colonists to one another.

For instance, a colonist with a value of 8 takes twice as long to learn as a colonist with a value of 4.
The lower this number, the faster the colonist learns. Ranges from 1-11.

For more information on library training times, consult this guide:

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1285623935


Colonist's walking speeds can be categorised into six groups:

• 5 tiles per second (Fast)
  
• 2.5 tiles per second (Above Average)
  
• 1.66 tiles per second (Average)
  
• 1.25 tiles per second (Below Average)
  
• 1 tile per second (Slow)

• Cash Requirements - how much money a colonist is happy being paid
  
• Detention - how long it takes for a detention facility to calm down an insane colonist
  
• Counsellor - how long it takes for a counselling robot to calm down an insane colonist
  
• Points - how many points a colonist costs at the selection screen

A colonist's money motive seems to drain faster if their paycheck is below their cash requirement.

To determine how long it takes (in seconds) for an insane colonist to be deprogrammed, multiply their detention or counsellor number by 1.22.

Some characters have unique traits which differentiate them from other colonists. For instance, Daisy is a pacifist and will not attack aliens within the base.



This overview does NOT feature a colonist's skills, as you can easily find that out in-game (by clicking on the 'mind' icon on the colonist's info-screen.)

For in-depth detail about badges and skills, please consult this guide:

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1800051559

• Sauna
  
• Jacuzzi
  
• Exercise Machines
  
• Disco
  
• Combat Arena
  
• Restaurant
  
• Bar
  
• Luxury Bar
  
• Meditation Room
  
• Relaxation Pod
  
• Golf
  
• Plants

• Casino

• Excels at nutrient/argon extraction, power and oxygen
  
• Gets on well with many colonists
  
• Easy to entertain
  
• Has no special motives
  
• Cannot go insane from low mood
  
• Produces less litter than normal

• Money motive drops slightly faster than normal
  
• Sleep motive drops slightly faster than normal

• 4.5

• 1.66 (Average)

• Cash Requirements - 20
  
• Detention - 44
  
• Counsellor - 22
  
• Points - 5

• Is the most skilled colonist
  
• Is only colonist who can do military/industrial robotics by default
  
• Is the best at oxygen, power, argon and nutrient extraction

Venus is the protagonist, and easily the best character by a long shot. She's stable, easy to please and friendly. Her main problem is that she's too good - you'll want her to be on power, argon extraction and nutrient extraction all at the same time.

Venus is highly skilled in nutrient extraction, argon extraction, power and oxygen. She is also the only character who can work at a military or industrial robotics factory. I'll usually assign her to power, unless base defense is a priority, in which case she'll be producing argon.

She's a relatively fast learner, although there isn't much point in training her at a library. The only reason I could think to train her would be to improve her skills at power or argon extraction - if that's the case, then a library would be much too slow.

She gets on well with many people, but there are a few bad eggs. Greg and Barbara spring to mind - it may be worth making them friends to prevent any fights from breaking out.

Venus is highly motivated by cash and sleep, so make sure she has easy access to a cash machine. I find that the meditation room is best for Venus, as the disco and jacuzzi take a long time to bring her to full entertainment.

She is one of three colonists who cannot be driven insane by low mood (the other two being Bhoomi and Billybob). She can still be driven insane by the Host's mental attack, however.
Additionally, she produces litter at a vastly reduced rate compared to other colonists - about 5x less than Stig or Tami.

On a typical mission, I will assign her to nutrient extraction to get some food. Then, I will assign her to power or oxygen duty if there are no other personnel available, or if there aren't many power plants available. Once the base has settled, she usually spends the rest of the time at the argon extractor, or scavenging. If it's a multi-stage mission, I usually try to train her to 3 or 4 stars argon gas extraction to make dealing with bugs easier.
If there are any missing military units, I will also get her to repair them once the necessary resources have been gathered.

• Sauna
  
• Zero Gravity Playroom
  
• Virtuality Chair
  
• Combat Arena
  
• Bar
  
• Relaxation Pod

• None

• Excels at mining, power
  
• Easy to entertain

• Food motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Causes arguments with some colonists, especially Tami
  
• Slow learner

• 7.66

• 1.66 (Average)

• Cash Requirements - 20
  
• Detention - 22
  
• Counsellor - 111
  
• Points - 4

• Is the best at mining

The unquestioned mining king, Stig Svensson will really help you rake in some extra cash with his wide variety of skills.

Stig has three stars on his mining badge, making him the best at mining by a long shot. He is also proficient in power, maintenance and electronics to name a few. His other skills don't really matter too much, as he'll usually be mining ore.

Stig is happiest on a full stomach. If he doesn't have access to a stocked mess hall or restaurant, he'll become really unhappy and may even go insane. Keep a mess hall near his bed and he'll be fine. He also is relatively easy-going as far as entertainment goes - there's no facility that he hates (although some facilities will not change his mood at all).

Keep an eye on his relationships, as he is prone to arguments (especially with Tami and Daisy).

If there's ore on the map, Stig should be mining. Training is less of a concern with Stig, since his skill set is pretty top notch as-is.

At the start of a mission, I'll usually assign Stig to mining iron straight away. If there's nothing for him to mine, I'll assign him to repair, power, or electronics. I rarely train Stig, since there's little point.

• Virtual Shop
  
• Bar
  
• Luxury Bar
  
• Relaxation Pod
  
• Casino

• Exercise Machines
  
• Zero Gravity Playroom
  
• Virtuality Chair
  
• Training
  
• Golf

• Excels at cleaning
  
• Has a low cash requirement

• Social motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Causes arguments with many colonists, especially Stig and Dean
  
• Relationships decay faster than normal
  
• Slow learner; hates learning
  
• Slow movement speed

• 10

• 1.25 (Below Average)

• Cash Requirements - 10
  
• Detention - 27
  
• Counsellor - 37
  
• Points - 1

• Is the best at cleaning
  
• Will run towards a bar / luxury bar

Tami is kind of a pain to deal with. Her skill in cleaning is countered by her low movement speed, and her slow training time and confrontational attitude makes her a drain on the base's efficiency.

Tami only knows basic bridge controls and cleaning. Despite having two stars in cleaning skill, she's not very good at it due to her slow speed, specifically on large bases. On small bases, she performs her tasks adequately, but on larger bases, you're better off assigning Charles to cleaning duty.

She gets lonely very easily, but she's enemies with a lot of people, especially Stig and Dean. Get a social area down pronto and improve her relationships at the start of a mission. It's also useful for her to be friends with Candy, who she'll often interact with.

Tami can be easily placated with a bar or luxury bar (luxury bars are a greater drain on your base nutrients, so I recommend a regular bar). She will run towards a bar. This might seem like a funny quirk of her character, but it actually has serious benefits. If you place two bars on either side of a large base, you can get her to quickly move from one location to another. Hooray for alcoholism!

Her poor learning speed, combined with her disdain for learning makes her a bad choice for a library. Use a training pod if possible, and get her some better skills. I recommend a job away from the base, such as mining or chicken extraction, then she won't have to walk very far.

On a typical mission, I usually assign Tami to cleaning and power duty. If the base is very large, I often train her up to be more useful away from the base.

• Jacuzzi
  
• Zero Gravity Playroom
  
• Virtuality Chair
  
• Disco
  
• Bar

• Training
  
• Exercise Machines
  
• Golf

• Excels at laser
  
• Fastest movement speed in the game (when skateboarding)
  
• Has a low cash requirement

• Has a limited skill set
  
• Causes arguments with many colonists
  
• Relationships decay faster than normal
  
• Entertainment motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Sleep motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• More prone to insanity
  
• Slow learner; hates learning
  
• Produces a lot of litter

• 7.66

• 5 (Fast)

• Cash Requirements - 10
  
• Detention -27
  
• Counsellor - 27
  
• Points - 1

• Randomly skateboards to gain a huge speed boost
  
• Produces more litter than any other colonist.

Slim is an annoying bratty kid, but he can become an invaluable member of your crew if trained correctly.

Slim's main use is his skill at the manual laser. He's very similar to Charles, in that they're both fast colonists who are good at base defence. His high movement speed makes him able to defend the base at a moment's notice. That being said, the manual laser isn't all that great to begin with, which makes this skill somewhat lacking. He can also weed and maintain oxygen, just not very well.

Slim needs access to a disco or jacuzzi very early on, or he'll quickly become upset. He also requires access to a bed, as sleep is essential to him. Bed position doesn't matter too much for Slim, since he can quickly skate from one location to another. This means that even an inefficient bed placement doesn't have a huge impact on Slim's mood.

He is disliked by many colonists, but not really outright hated by anyone. Still, it pays to have him go to a social area to boost his relationships. I recently discovered that Slim is always friends with Stig and Bhoomi - their relationships will decay, but they'll never become outright enemies with him. This is something to keep in mind over long missions, as everyone else will eventually hate him.

One thing I've noticed with Slim, is that female colonists (especially Candy) have a much higher success rate when flirting with him. Candy's base success rate for romance is 25%, which is quite high - it may be worth making him fall in love, as this maximises the happiness for both colonists.

After a lot of testing, I've determined that Slim produces much more litter than any other colonist. Without anybody assigned to cleaning, Slim can produce around 40 pieces of litter in 10 days, which is at least 4 times as much as any other colonist. I would highly recommend training him in cleaning, so he can tidy up after himself!

Despite Slim's lack of skill, I still like him as a colonist, as he becomes very useful once trained. I recommend training him in cleaning - this is a very basic skill for him to learn, and his high speed really pays off. Fully training Slim in cleaning is often great for keeping a large base clean due to his high speed. (Just make sure there's a disco nearby, as Slim hates learning)

At the start of a mission, I usually assign Slim to weed patrol, then either train him or place him on oxygen duty.

• Sauna
  
• Jacuzzi
  
• Exercise Machines
  
• Meditation Room
  
• Training
  
• Plants
  
• Golf

• Bar
  
• Luxury Bar

• Excels at medi-prep
  
• Fast learner
  
• Fast movement speed
  
• Has a low cash requirement
  
• Produces no base litter whatsoever

• Shower motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive

• 3.33

• 2.5 (Above Average)

• Cash Requirements - 10
  
• Detention - 55
  
• Counsellor - 27
  
• Points - 3

• Is the best at medi-prep

Dean is fantastic colonist to have, solely for his skills in medi-prep. He's also one of the fastest learners in the game, and an overall pleasing person to have in the base.

His proficiency in medicine means he can quickly prep a wide range of medi-bays, which can be a literal life-saver in certain missions. If you're on a mission where colonists frequently get infected with rodent disease, Dean is invaluable. He can also extract pharmaceuticals, but not very quickly. You're better off with Nikolai or Hoshi and Kita if you are in desperate need of pharmaceuticals.

He also has basic skills in the other bridge terminals, as well as weeding. It's a somewhat limited skill set if you have no access to medi-bays. Fortunately, Dean learns very quickly and even gets a kick out of it.

He gets on okay with most colonists. The big exception is Tami - make sure Dean is friends with her, especially if they're both working at the Bridge consoles!

Dean's obsession with cleanliness isn't that big of a deal - just make sure the base is clean and he will do fine. The hygiene motive usually remains static, and drops significantly when the character walks over litter. This means that hygiene only drops quickly when in bio-domes. You can prevent this by training Dean in skills that are outside the base, such as mining.

Dean is one of seven colonists who never produces any litter whatsoever. This, combined with his high movement speed, makes him an excellent choice for base-bound work.

I usually get Dean to prep a selection of medi-bays at the beginning of a mission. Then, I'll usually either train him in mining, argon gas or repair, or send him to work at the power desk. I also find him to be great at cleaning, due to his high movement speed, and preference for cleanliness.

• Jacuzzi
  
• Zero Gravity Playroom
  
• Virtuality Chair
  
• Disco
  
• Virtual Shop
  
• Restaurant
  
• Bar
  
• Luxury Bar
  
• Relaxation Pod
  
• Plant
  
• Golf

• None

• Gets on well with many colonists
  
• Easy to entertain
  
• Has a low cash requirement

• Has a limited skill set
  
• Entertainment motive drops slightly faster than normal
  
• Social motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Slow learner

• 10

• 1.66 (Average)

• Cash Requirements - 10
  
• Detention - 55
  
• Counsellor - 37
  
• Points - 3

• Knows only one skill

Candy is a cheery, low maintenance colonist who doesn't really offer much. She often gets lonely, but since many people like her, this isn't too much of a hassle. Just make sure that she befriends Tami, as these two will often talk to each other due to their respective needs/skills.

She only knows how to clean, and is an extremely slow learner. This means that a training pod is her best friend. I'd recommend training her in base-bound skills, such as power, medi-prep or repair since her social and entertainment motives drop faster than normal, and she will often interrupt work to entertain herself. Her wide variety of interests means that she's easy to handle when she gets upset.

I usually don't bother training her until much later in a campaign, since cleaning will usually occupy most of her time. Later on, I'll usually train her in repair or power to pick up the slack of other colonists.

• Zero Gravity Playroom
  
• Virtuality Chair
  
• Plant
  
• Golf

• Combat Arena

• Excels at chicken extraction
  
• Gets on well with many colonists
  
• Cannot go insane from low mood
  
• Has a low cash requirement
  
• Produces no base litter whatsoever

• Food motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Slow learner

• 11

• 1.66 (Average)

• Cash Requirements - 10
  
• Detention - 27
  
• Counsellor - 111
  
• Points - 3

• Is only colonist who can do chicken extraction by default
  
• Is the best at chicken extraction
  
• Slowest learner in the game

Billybob is kind of a one-trick pony. He's great at chicken extraction, and if you have him in a mission, chances are he'll do that and nothing else. This is fine, honestly, since he'll often rake in a significant amount of space chickens to sell for a profit.

He does have other skills, most notably nutrient extraction and cleaning. If there's no access to a chicken extractor, he'll probably be assigned one of those duties. You should be aware that Billybob cannot use the power or oxygen desk, so don't rely solely on him for base-bound duties.

Many people get on well with Billybob, and those who dislike him don't hate him that much, which makes him nice to have around the base.

Billybob is one of seven colonists who never produces any litter whatsoever, making him a somewhat decent choice for base-bound work.

On a typical mission, I send him to chicken/nutrient production or weed patrol. He isn't really worth training, even with a training pod, since he's pretty great with the skills he already has.

• Observatory
  
• Training
  
• Casino
  
• Plant
  
• Golf

• Virtual Shop

• Excels at power, oxygen, scavenging, electronics, pharmaceuticals and bio-research
  
• Gets on well with many colonists
  
• Has no special motives
  
• Fast learner
  
• Fast movement speed

• Hard to entertain
  
• More prone to insanity

• 2.33

• 2.5 (Above Average)

• Cash Requirements - 15
  
• Detention - 55
  
• Counsellor - 55
  
• Points - 3

• Seems to go insane much faster than any other character

Nikolai is an outstanding colonist due to his wide range of advanced skills, as well as his quick learning time. He's the best at pharmaceuticals and electronics, two skills which will net you a lot of profit, and is one of two colonists who can build androids (although you're much better off using Mr. Zhang for that, if he's available). He lacks many basic skills, however, most notably cleaning and mining. This can be quickly overcome by assigning him to a library - he's tied with Barbara as the second fastest learner in the game.

The main challenge with Nikolai is his niche interests. If no libraries are available, you'll have to resort to using an observatory or casino, two relatively uncommon entertainment facilities. Despite this, Nikolai's motives drop quite slowly, making him a very consistent colonist.

Despite not having any special motives, I've noticed that Nikolai is usually the first person to go insane when deprived of mood. This seems to be an inherent quirk of his character, as hinted at by his counsellor's report.

I usually assign Nikolai to power at the start of the mission, since he's very good at getting the base power levels to a high level. Then, once the base is set up, either train him or send him to work with his strong skill set.

• Observatory
  
• Meditation Room
  
• Relaxation Pod
  
• Plant

• Zero Gravity Playroom
  
• Virtuality Chair
  
• Combat Arena
  
• Virtual Shop
  
• Golf

• Excels at bio-research
  
• Has no special motives
  
• Doesn't care about money
  
• Produces no base litter whatsoever

• Causes arguments with many colonists, especially Babette and Barbara
  
• Sleep motive drops faster than normal
  
• Slow learner

• 7.66

• 1.66 (Average)

• Cash Requirements - 5
  
• Detention - 111
  
• Counsellor - 22
  
• Points - 3

• Never attacks aliens in the base (can still use manual laser/guard duty)

Daisy is an often overlooked character, as she doesn't really excel in any particular skill. She's good at bio-research, but many other characters are better at it than her.

Despite her lack of specialisation, she's a pretty decent colonist. Her lack of care for money means she often picks up the slack of the other colonist when you're on an economy drive. Daisy has no special motives, but she often gets very tired. You'll need to place her bed somewhere central, preferably near to the bridge.

She's highly political, which often causes her to clash with other colonists, notably Charles, Stig, Babette and Barbara. Make sure she has access to a social area before she gets injured in a fight.

She will not harm any life-forms with her laser. This doesn't really have a huge impact, as other colonists will often be in the base. Just remember to have adequate defences if Daisy is the only one on base duties.
Note that she can still shoot at aliens when on guard duty, and can even be trained in laser. I wouldn't recommend either of these, since her talents are better utilised elsewhere.

Daisy is one of seven colonists who never produces any litter whatsoever, which when combined with her skill set, makes her a great base-bound colonist.

On a typical mission, I usually assign Daisy to cleaning, maintenance, power, oxygen or nutrient extraction. I don't normally bother training her unless I have access to a training pod, due to her poor training times. If there's a training pod available, I usually train her in mining to help bring in some extra cash.

• Sauna
  
• Jacuzzi
  
• Exercise Machines
  
• Restaurant
  
• Bar
  
• Luxury Bar
  
• Casino
  
• Plant
  
• Golf

• Virtual Shop

• Excels at laser
  
• Has no special motives
  
• Fastest movement speed in the game

• Causes arguments with some colonists

• 5.5

• 5 (Fast)

• Cash Requirements - 20
  
• Detention - 31
  
• Counsellor - 31
  
• Points - 3

• Is the best at laser
  
• Fastest consistent movement speed in the game

Charles is one of the best colonists solely for his ludicrous walking speed. He walks faster than most colonists can run, and is therefore highly efficient.

Skill-wise, he is very similar to Vasilios (see below), except he is skilled in laser, rather than repair.
I rarely find myself using the manual laser, even when I have Charles as a colonist since it is usually outclassed by the auto-laser. Charles is usually better spent either mining or on base cleaning. I find that he works best when fully trained in cleaning, as his walking speed can easily catch up to the relatively fast cleaning droid.

His mood is usually stable, especially if there's a sauna anywhere in the base. You don't have to worry about base layout with Charles, since he moves so quickly that he can easily get to it no matter how far away it is.

Keep an eye on his relationships, though, as he'll often be seen butting heads with the more extreme members of your crew (usually Daisy).

I usually assign Charles to mining duty, or train him up in cleaning if there's a training pod available. Like Vasilios, he's good for long tasks, such as electronics and argon since his mood is very consistent.

• Observatory
  
• Plant

• None

• Has no special motives
  
• All motives drop at an extremely slow rate
  
• Doesn't care about money
  
• Produces no base litter whatsoever

• Hard to entertain
  
• Extremely long time to calm down from insanity

• 4.5

• 1.66 (Average)

• Cash Requirements - 5
  
• Detention - 222
  
• Counsellor - 222
  
• Points - 2

• Only entertained by the observatory
  
• Has the slowest motive drop rate of any colonist; sometimes can complete an entire campaign without using any facilities.

Vasilios is by far one of the most valuable crew members you'll come across. He has a somewhat large, albeit basic skillset, but will work tirelessly and seemingly forever. When his shift ends, he'll usually just stand around near his bed doing nothing, since all his motives will probably be full. Don't send him straight back to work, as all colonists get a happiness drain from being overworked.

An overlooked flaw of Vasilios is that he won't use the base facilities unless one of his motives is severely lacking. This often results in him being only half-happy (and therefore half-productive) when most of his motives are half-full. To rectify this, make sure you send him to the various base facilities yourself.
He is only entertained by the observatory, so make sure he has access to one! If no observatory is available, you'll have to resort to placing a lot of plants near his bed. He'll gain a small boost to his entertainment whenever he walks near one.
Vasilios seems unconcerned by money. His money motive will be replenished easily, even when credits are set to the minimum amount.

Vasilios is one of seven colonists who never produces any litter whatsoever, making him a pretty top-notch colonist.

He can go insane from low mood, but it takes a high amount of effort to accomplish this. If driven insane by a Host, it takes an extremely long time for him to calm down (more than two in-game days in a detention facility / counselling robot).

He is best trained for menial tasks which require constant use, such as argon extraction, electronics fabrication or repair. When Vasilios is fully trained in argon extraction, you'll get one new argon gas produced every few seconds.

I usually train up, then assign Vasilios to argon gas. Since he works almost constantly, you'll get a consistent stream of argon for your lasers, or to sell.

• Zero Gravity Playroom
  
• Virtuality Chair
  
• Disco
  
• Plant
  
• Golf

• Exercise Machines
  
• Observatory

• Excel at scavenging
  
• Permanently friends with each other
  
• Fast movement speed

• Cause arguments with many colonists
  
• Relationships decay faster than normal
  
• Social motives drop faster than normal
  
• Entertainment motives are special motives

• 5.5

• 2.5 (Above Average)

• Cash Requirements - 15
  
• Detention - 22
  
• Counsellor - 222
  
• Points - 3

• Hoshi and Kita are almost completely identical to each other
  
• Hoshi and Kita are always friends

I've grouped these two together, since they're basically the same person. The only notable differences between Hoshi and Kita are the slight variations in relationships (Kita seems slightly more agreeable) and how Hoshi doesn't enjoy certain facilities as much as Kita does.

Skill-wise, these two are pretty great. They are competent at many basic duties, and are decent scavengers. I usually assign them to both repair and oxygen/power, as their close proximity to one another really boosts productivity. I usually won't assign them to scavenging (despite their skill,) since they function much better when in the base. When they're away from the base, one or both of them will usually get lonely, often causing them to talk to other colonists and cause arguments.

By far the biggest problem with these two is their caustic personalities. Their relationships decay faster than normal, and are usually responsible for the most arguments/assaults in the base (They really seem to detest Mr. Zhang for some reason). Make sure you have an excess of social areas, since you'll definitely need them with these two.
Despite entertainment being a special motive, it doesn't seem to drop particularly fast. Instead, their social motive drops faster than normal which will be the driving concern.

They both take an extremely long time to counsel when insane - use a detention facility instead.

I usually assign Hoshi and Kita to repair, with power and oxygen being their secondary tasks. If I require electronics or pharmaceuticals, I'll assign them to that instead.

• Sauna
  
• Jacuzzi
  
• Exercise Machines
  
• Meditation Room
  
• Plants

• Golf

• Excels at cybernetics and bio-research
  
• Fast learner
  
• Produces no base litter whatsoever

• Has a limited skill set
  
• Causes arguments with many colonists, especially Hoshi and Kita
  
• Money motive drops slightly faster than normal
  
• Sleep motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Slow movement speed
  
• Has a high cash requirement

• 1

• 1 (Slow)

• Cash Requirements - 25
  
• Detention - 27
  
• Counsellor - 111
  
• Points - 3

• Is the best at cybernetics
  
• Fastest learner in the game
  
• Slowest movement speed in the game

Mr. Zhang can be a difficult colonist to handle, due to his esoteric skill set and demanding needs. He is one of only two colonists who can build androids (the other being Nikolai), and is the unquestioned master of it. His androids have two stars in all skills and a longer lifespan. He can also use the bio-research lab, although this doesn't come up as much.

Despite this, I don't necessarily think that Mr. Zhang should solely be used for androids. He is the fastest learner in the game, and can learn any skill within 30-900 seconds - I usually get him trained up at the library as soon as possible. Due to his terrible internal movement speed, he is best used outside the base, such as at a mining or scavenging plant. Make sure you place his bed next to an airlock and a space bike post.

The position of your base really matters when dealing with Mr. Zhang, as he'll often become upset if he has to travel too far. You'll want his bed to be localised near a shower, entertainment facility and cash machine (very important, as otherwise he'll try to walk all the way to the bridge very frequently). It may be worth placing his bed away from everyone else's if necessary. Note that Mr. Zhang can run if the bridge runs out of power/oxygen and he's on duty, although it's best not to rely on this.

He'll often get into arguments, since he's not the most friendly colonist. Make sure that there's a social area near his bed.

Mr. Zhang is one of seven colonists who never produces any litter whatsoever. This doesn't really matter much though, since he shouldn't spend much time moving through the base anyway, due to his slow movement speed.

At the start of the mission, there's usually no need for androids or bio-research, so I usually train him up in mining, repair, electronics or even bridge consoles. I always make sure to build the base with his needs in mind - his quarters come first and are usually close to the bridge. Then, I'll build the rest of the base around that.

• Sauna
  
• Jacuzzi
  
• Restaurant
  
• Bar
  
• Luxury Bar
  
• Relaxation Pod
  
• Golf

• Virtual Shop

• None

• Has a limited skill set
  
• Causes arguments with many colonists, especially Venus
  
• Relationships decay faster than normal
  
• Entertainment motive drops faster than normal
  
• Social motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• More prone to insanity

• 6.66

• 1.66 (Average)

• Cash Requirements - 15
  
• Detention - 44
  
• Counsellor - 44
  
• Points - 2

Ugh, this guy. Greg is probably my least favourite colonist in the game, and arguably the worst colonist in general. He has a mediocre skill set, and is extremely needy.

He mainly excels at mining, although he's not great at it. I usually send him to work on an argon gas rig if he's unable to mine.

Greg's two main problems are his entertainment and relationships. These two motives drop astonishingly quickly, and he'll spend most of his time trying to fill these instead of working. He can only be easily placated by a jacuzzi or luxury bar. Discos will fill half his entertainment motive, but I wouldn't recommend this since he'll spend so much time there.
As for relationships, you'll definitely need access to a social area. He gets lonely very quickly, and many colonists hate him. This often results him getting into arguments or fights, causing his social motive to drop further. If left unattended, Greg can easily go insane from this cycle.

Greg is always friends with Tami and Bhoomi. Tami is especially beneficial for Greg, as she gets lonely too, making it more likely that they'll both talk to each other.

I wouldn't bother training this guy, since his schedule is so unpredictable that he'll probably suck at whatever skill you train him.

Notice how Greg has no unique character traits - he is exceedingly mediocre, despite his claims to the contrary.

On a typical mission, I'll set Greg on a mining or argon plant, but only if there's one spare (never rely on Greg solely for income - it'll end in tears). I'll only send him to the social area when he inevitably becomes lonely. If possible, try to get him to befriend colonists who are on their break - otherwise they'll have to quit their current task and head all the way back to the base.

• Disco
  
• Piano
  
• Virtual Shop
  
• Restaurant
  
• Luxury Bar
  
• Relaxation Pod

• Exercise Machines
  
• Golf

• None

• Has a limited skill set
  
• Causes arguments with many colonists, especially Daisy and Venus
  
• Hygiene motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Health motive is a special motive
  
• Slow movement speed

• 6.66

• 1.25 (Below Average)

• Cash Requirements - 20
  
• Detention - 55
  
• Counsellor - 27
  
• Points - 4

• Knows only one skill

Babette is tied with Greg for the worst colonist in the game. She's needy, annoying and pretty useless. While Greg lacks consistency, Babette lacks skill.

Her only skill is oxygen, and she's not very good at it. Her training time is also pretty poor, so I'd recommend using a training pod to give her some more useful skills. Despite having two special motives and being a pain, I find her to be quite consistent. If you keep her healthy, and the base clean, she'll work like a normal colonist.
Her health isn't really an issue (despite being a special motive), since she's rarely in any danger (except with rodent disease).

Babette causes strife in the base, although she's far from the worst colonist for this. Similar to Greg, I'd send her to the social area when other people are on their break.
She is always friends with Candy. They both have similar interests, and both require constant training, so it's beneficial to have them station near one another.

On a typical mission, I'll normally train Babette in a training pod. Whatever skill I need at the time, I'll give her. She's essentially a blank space that you can train to do whatever you want. I'd recommend giving her some skill away from the base (such as mining), as her slow movement speed and hygiene preference makes her a poor choice for base-bound activities.

• Exercise Machines
  
• Zero Gravity Playroom
  
• Virtuality Chair
  
• Combat Arena
  
• Bar
  
• Training

• Piano

• Excels at weeding
  
• Doesn't care about money

• Causes arguments with many colonists
  
• Relationships decay faster than normal
  
• Food motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Sleep motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• More prone to insanity
  
• Slow learner

• 10

• 1.66 (Average)

• Cash Requirements - 5
  
• Detention - 22
  
• Counsellor - 222
  
• Points - 2

• Is the best at weeding

Nailer is a controversial character, but I much prefer him to Greg or Babette. Despite being more high-maintenance than either of those characters, he has more to offer than those two.

His proficiency in weeding makes him a great character in the early-game. Weeding isn't a very practical skill to train colonists in, as it diminishes in usefulness as the game progresses. Since Nailer already has three stars weeding at the start of any mission, he is imminently useful. Once the weeds have been cleared, he is useful as either a cleaner or miner. Unfortunately, that's where his skill around the base usually ends.

Nailer is probably the character with highest maintenance in the entire game. He needs constant access to a bed and food, or he'll go insane very easily. If you have Nailer on your crew roster, make sure there's easy access to a detention facility, as he often goes insane if you are unprepared for him.
If Nailer is unhappy and about to go insane, send him to detention preemptively, as this will calm him down.

Worse still is his toxic attitude. He often gets into arguments and fights with other crew members, so you'll also need to send him to a social area very frequently. Keep an eye on his interactions, as if he hates a colonist enough, he'll likely attack them, causing injury.
Billybob is the only colonist that Nailer will never fall out with; it may be worth stationing these two colonists near each other if you are able.

Fortunately, Nailer doesn't seem to care much about cash. He will not complain, even when you pay him the minimum amount. This makes him a valuable asset when he's mining, as productivity will not suffer as much if you reduce pay.

On a typical mission, I send Nailer to clear away any vegetation. If no vegetation is present, I usually have him cleaning as a primary duty, and mining as a secondary duty. Training is a poor choice for Nailer, as his mood (and therefore work output) is inconsistent. However, if there's some spare training programmes at the training pod, I usually boost his skill in mining (provided I have excess cash).

• Exercise Machines
  
• Disco
  
• Training
  
• Plants
  
• Golf

• None

• Fast movement speed

• Health motive is a special motive

• 6.66

• 2.5 (Above Average)

• Cash Requirements - 15
  
• Detention - 37
  
• Counsellor - 22
  
• Points - 3

Ashia is kind of an oddball character, in that she doesn't really stand out at all. Her skills set is very basic, but useful both in the base and away from the base.

Like Babette, her health is a special motive, but this doesn't really affect her performance too much.

She has adequate skills in nutrient extraction, mining, cleaning and power. In this respect, she's kind of a jack of all trades, master of none. I'd compare her to Vasilios and Charles, but both of those colonists have attributes which make them more distinct, while I'm genuinely struggling to find anything to say about Ashia. If she's kept happy, she's a great worker, that's basically all there is to say on the matter.

She is not present in the loading screen, nor does she appear as a playable character in the main Space Colony campaign, which leads me to believe that her character was finished much later in development compared to the other colonists.

On a typical mission, I usually make her do basic jobs that other colonists are unable to perform, such as cleaning or power. If there's already someone doing those jobs, I'll make her do mining or nutrient extraction. Her consistent mood makes her a great candidate for training - she can work for a long time like Charles and Vasilios, meaning argon extraction, electronics fabrication or pharmaceuticals are good skills for her to learn.

• Relaxation Pod
  
• Training
  
• Plants
  
• Golf

• Combat Arena
  
• Bar

• Friends with every colonist in the game
  
• Relationships decay much slower than normal
  
• Cannot go insane from low mood
  
• Has a low cash requirement
  
• Produces no base litter whatsoever

• Sleep motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Hard to entertain
  
• Slow learner
  
• Slow movement speed

• 7.66

• 1.25 (Below Average)

• Cash Requirements - 10
  
• Detention - 37
  
• Counsellor - 27
  
• Points - 4

• Friends with everyone, stays friends for extremely long time

Bhoomi is a sweet old lady whom everyone loves. She's valuable due to her friendliness and medi-prep skill, but that's about it.

She has a small range of skills - all bridge consoles, as well as cleaning and maintenance. If not for her ability to prep medi-bays, she would only be marginally better than Candy. She's basically the ultimate base-bound colonist, as she almost never leaves the base. This is a detriment, not a positive, as she really isn't suited to base-bound work.

For starters, her slow movement speed makes her a poor choice for both cleaning and maintenance, as she'll spend forever walking to and from the cleaning/maintenance posts. Worse still is her need for sleep. Like Mr. Zhang, Bhoomi needs constant access to a bed. Plan your base around Bhoomi, much like how you'd plan a base around Mr. Zhang.

Bhoomi is also hard to entertain - many facilities will entertain her, just not very much. For best results, use a relaxation pod.

You don't need to worry about Bhoomi's relationship status. It can take over 100 in-game days for a colonist to become enemies with Bhoomi (for those curious, Stig and Barbara are usually the first ones to fall out with her).
In fact, most colonists seem incapable of becoming enemies with her; if the game is left running for hundreds of days, she will remain friends with everyone except Stig, Nailer, Babette and Barbara.

One problem I have with this is when I have a many crew members during a single mission. Bhoomi will often be run ragged, trying to move around the base to talk to lonely colonists. If possible, try to have her bed and workstation as central as possible.

Bhoomi is one of seven colonists who never produces any litter whatsoever. This is good, since she'll normally spend much of her time inside the base, unless trained.

I would recommend training her at a training pod. Like Zhang, make sure the skill is away from the base (like mining), and that she has access to a space bike.

Typically, I send Bhoomi to prep Medi-Bays if Dean is not available. If he is available, I usually send her to Oxygen or Power. I only make her clean as a last resort, and if there are no training pods available.

• Piano
  
• Combat Arena
  
• Restaurant
  
• Luxury Bar
  
• Relaxation Pod
  
• Golf

• Disco

• Fast learner
  
• Fast movement speed
  
• Produces no base litter whatsoever

• Causes arguments with many colonists, especially Venus and Daisy.
  
• Relationships decay faster than normal
  
• Money motive drops faster than normal, is a special motive
  
• Has a high cash requirement

• 2.33

• 2.5 (Above Average)

• Cash Requirements - 30
  
• Detention - 44
  
• Counsellor - 44
  
• Points - 3

• Only character to have a special money motive
  
• Only character to hate the disco
  
• Has the highest cash requirement in the game

Barbara's a very controversial character, but I really like her. She's competent, a fast learner, and very good for bridge work.

She's similar to Bhoomi in terms of skills, however she can scavenge, extract pharmaceuticals and use the laser in stead of cleaning or maintenance. She's tied with Nikolai as the second fastest learner in the game, making her an excellent choice for training.

Many colonists despise her, especially Venus, Stig and Daisy. Additionally, she has the fastest relationship decay of any colonist, and is usually the first colonist to become enemies with everyone. Make sure there's a social area near the bridge.
Her dependency on cash machines is a huge problem, meaning she's better suited for base-bound work, especially work on the bridge. Cash only stops being a concern for Barbara if you pay her at least 30 credits. This option isn't often feasible, meaning she'll require frequent trips to the cash machine.
If Barbara isn't set to work on the bridge, make sure you place many cash machines in the base for her to use, as she often takes up a lot of time, causing queues.

Barbara is one of seven colonists who never produces any litter whatsoever. This, combined with her high movement and learning speed, makes her a really great base-bound colonist.

Do NOT pay Barbara less than 10 credits, as she will become very unhappy; her money motive will drop very quickly and frequently, and will be slow to fill.

I usually get Barbara working on the bridge. She's a great candidate to train to 4-stars power due to her fast learning times. If you get the chance, you should always have a high-skill operative working the power desk, as you'll need less solar panels this way. If there's already someone skilled working the bridge, I usually train her to do repairs.

• Disco

• Jacuzzi
  
• Personnel Hygiene Pod

• Excels at everything
  
• Works endlessly without a break
  
• Produces no base litter whatsoever

• Very low health
  
• Limited lifespan

• Cannot learn new skills

• 1.66 (Average)

• Health - 10 (regular colonists have 100 health)

Androids are short-lived colonists which can be created by the cybernetics lab. They have no happiness, and will endlessly work at whatever skill you assign them to. The skill level and lifespan of each android is dependant on their creator's cybernetics skill:


(For reference, a full in-game day lasts 120 seconds. Each level of skill adds ~37.5 seconds onto an android's lifespan).

Androids are not permitted to harm life-forms, and are unable to use the manual laser. They also will not attack any aliens in the base, so don't rely on them for this!
They have ten times less health than a regular colonist, and are consequently very fragile. I would avoid sending them to perform weeding, as even weak insects can easily destroy an android. Make sure you have enough space-bike posts for each android - they can easily get picked off by a stray alien, or from walking on lava!

Androids are unable to interact with any other colonist, and have no mood. Despite this, they can dance at the disco (has no effect), or use the showers/jacuzzi (will instantly kill them). They can also adopt ooma as pets, however the resulting pet will be grey and often turns invisible.

Some in-game sources claim that androids can go insane, however this is an unimplemented/removed feature. Androids also have unused animations for using the counsellor pod.
Androids are also immune to both rodent disease and nirvana virus.

If androids have not been given/unable to perform a task, they will stand in the bridge near the power console. Keep an eye on the amount of androids you produce, as Mr. Zhang can easily create a bunch of superfluous droids if he's given enough input material!

On a typical mission, I will assign a droid to whatever task is necessary (usually mining or resource extraction). I avoid assigning them tasks which require them to walk about the planet's surface (such as weeding, and occasionally cleaning).
If their skill is low, (i.e, if they were created by Nikolai, or another Android), I'll only assign them to mining if there's a spare mining plant.

• Everything

• Leaving your colonists alone

• Occasionally performs skills for free

• Unskilled worker; cannot be told to stop working
  
• Shift is extremely unpredictable
  
• Uses internal base facilities at an excessive rate
  
• Frequently interrupts colonist's work to talk
  
• Causes excessive amounts of fights

• Cannot learn new skills

• 2.5 (Above Average)

• Health - 100
  
• Can occasionally be targeted by military systems
  
• Like all Fribulan, they are immune to forcefields
  
• Cannot use space-bikes

Fribulan tourists are a huge detriment to your base, and should be killed if possible. They have a limited skillset, which they occasionally utilise, but the downsides far outweigh any potential benefits (see above).

Fribulan Tourists are classed as an alien, and will usually be targeted by military systems. They do not attack directly, however they can non-fatally injure your colonists in fights (colonists are able to fatally injure the Fribulan).
If military systems do not target them, they can still occasionally be killed off when a colonist punches them.

The Fribulan skillset is identical to Bhoomi's skillset, except without skill in maintenance. They are worse than regular colonists at cleaning, as their cleaning animation takes a very long time. They cannot be assigned jobs, and will instead randomly pick a job whenever they feel like it, making them very unreliable workers.
If they are on a bridge console, your colonists will not be able to use that console until the Fribulan gets bored and leaves. They are able to prep medi-bays, which is their one useful skill.

The worst aspect of these tourists is their desire to bother your personnel. They frequently interrupt a colonist's job to talk to them. If there are enough Fribulan tourists on the map, they will constantly harass your staff, preventing them from using any facilities and often driving them literally insane (they can still pester unstable colonists). Interestingly, every single social interaction with a Fribulan will be positive, and max out a colonist's social motive (even if they attacked them).
They can also adopt ooma as pets, however the resulting pet will be glitchy and often turns invisible.
They also produce no litter. This isn't really surprising since they're technically aliens, not colonists.

I do occasionally put these guys to work on the bridge. If you manage to lock these tourists into your bridge (by deleting any corridors/airlocks away from the bridge), you'll have captured yourself a free worker. Since they can't path to any base facilities other than the power/oxygen/medi-prep consoles, they'll spend most of their time working.
You won't need to worry about their happiness, since these guys are always happy. I don't often utilise this strategy, since they're unreliable, and it's much easier to just kill them, but it's nice to know they at least have some use.

Fribulan tourists are immune to rodent disease, nirvana virus and insanity.

On a typical mission, I will kill all Fribulan tourists on sight. Good riddance.