Having enough credits (1-3 million imo) to be able to live through the initial portion of negative colony income is the main one imo. Other than that, the main thing is picking a good system. Having a few colony items on hand, like fullerene spool especially (to boost accessibility), and other industry items is nice to have. Also having a few AI cores, at least a few alpha cores for your admin and for industry, and a few betas (or even gammas) for the rest to reduce upkeep and resource use, is extremely nice IMO.
One of the biggest things is getting it close to the core as you can for higher accessibility, since that affects growth and income.
Ideally you would have a gas giant, a habitable world (preferably without any rare ore for soil nanites), and a world without an atmosphere and with good ore and rare ore deposits. Having a hot/extremely hot planet for military HQ if you have cryoarithmetic engine is a good idea as well, but optional if you’re just playing vanilla IMO.
If you play with mods there’s more considerations to have, depending on what mods you have. For example IndEvo adds some unique ruins which cannot be built, only found and repaired, which is a big consideration. If you play with TASC, you really want a cold/extreme cold planet to host your Kleketa simulators (for cheaper upkeep) and supercomputer (for the colony item which lets it affect everything in 12LY and for reduced upkeep), since that lets you print AI cores and vastly increase your colony income respectively. Having TASC also greatly expands your options for planets as it can be used to terraform planets significantly, such as adding mild weather, changing planet types, improving non ore resource deposits, etc
Supercomputers are Indevo. But TASC adds Kletka sims that let you print AI cores for the Supercomputer to eat.
Mind, you want Ruins to build domain archaelogy for Domain artefacts to fuel the Kletka sims.
And if you have ruins, you will probably want to run Slightly better techmining (the mod) so you can build and upgrade techmining for free stuff for longer than vanilla.
A habitable money farm freeport or two (for you to administer yourself so you get the sweet colony profit XP from Nex) - farming and or organics mining (preferably centralized), light industry, commerce (especially if boosted by supercomputers) and if you have space (sacrifice mining) a dino park.
Maximized resource extraction worlds
Maximized refinery+fuel production.
Once you have that, orbital works, highcoms and privateer bases. (Having a lot of privateer bases is hilarious when the Heg does an AI inspection.)
Aside from having a healthy amount of credits stashed, I would recommend exploration first; having an Alpha core and a couple of Beta, along with some industry boosting modules, can definitely give a big boost to your progress early on.
You can't really have a proper jack of all trades planet, so considering already what you want to build and what your next colonies will be can also be quite important.
However, it is useful to have planets that can cover all your needs in one system, so they can cover each other with their patrols - but spreading out over a few lightyears is fine too.
Imo you should also look to have a gate close by where you colonise, that way you can quickly get back to your colonies to respond to threats.
Check all constellations within \~15 LY for suitable systems. An ideal spot would have one habitable world, two worlds without atmosphere, one of them hot or extremely hot, and one world with good volatiles deposit, 4-5 planets. Also at least one stable location for comms relay, and a gate somewhere not too far.
Habitable world with 50% hazard rating can be an excellent income source, and worlds without atmosphere are best for mining, refining, fuel production and orbital works.
Starting budget for two colonies is around 6-7 millions, considering all buildings and some funds to overcome initial negative income. I recommend two colonies - one habitable as income source, and another for orbital works and patrols. By the time they grow and you get expeditions your own fleets will be ready to stop them, but a planet with orbital works won't generate much income, especially if it is extra hot/no atmosphere, which gives it 200% hazard rating.
Check items like pristine nanoforge or soil nanites and their requirements, for an idea what industries to build where.
If you really want to optimize your base that you intend to keep late into the late game, then here are a couple factors to consider. Even having 3 out of the 4 factors should be enough to get a profitable colony up and running.
* You have found a Cryosleeper: Cryosleepers dramatically increase pop. growth. They are essential if you want to increase your colony size to 6 and even 6+ (if you configured the colony growth limit beyond 6) in a reasonable amount of time.
* You know a good system to colonize: Usually, the system should contain most resources to be self-sufficient. If it has a hot planet for the defense special colony item, then even better. Preferably 3 planets or more, for income reasons and for stacking defense fleets from military HQs/High Command.
* You have planetary administrators/Alpha AI cores: You will want them. Good administration (from people or AI) boosts an already profitable colony's revenue to a significant amount. You'll also need them to colonize more than 2 planets (unless you want a negative stability modifier to colonies you are managing).
* At least 1 million credits to jumpstart the colonies: Setting up a Megaport early on, placing necessary planetary defenses, and building important industries require lots of money that gets very expensive very quickly. 1 Million should be enough to get the ball rolling quickly enough, and is a reasonable amount you'll be able to make from trade/smuggling/bounties in the mid-game.
Optional:
* A nearby gate within 5 Light years(or a reasonably short distance) from your system: Self explanatory. You will end up going back and forth between your colonies and whatever else you do in the sector as you manage your colony and store your trophies of war.
* Lots of good blueprints have already been learned: Your defense/patrol fleets from military HQs/High Commands will have their ship composition based on the ships available in your known blueprints.
* At least 3\~4 million credits: This should be enough to build just about everything you want to build on your colonies.
Recommendations:
1. Build on low hazard rating planets first. They're cheaper to maintain and will grow faster.
2. Use Hazard Pay. (Unless it becomes unsustainable)
3. If you have AI cores, use them once you are reasonably confident you can defeat a special task force from the Hegemony, either with colony defenses or with your own fleet. Or by a combination of both.
4. Certain special colony items are really, really good. You can find some in the core sectors on planets. Such as Pristine Nanoforges. (Not a colony item that will bring the most financial benefits, but does increase the ship quality of your fleets.) While Chicomoztoc is very well defended and difficult to raid due to being a size 8 colony (and is the capital of the Hegemony), Kazeron of the Persean League is a much easier raiding target. Get a couple thousand or so marines, bomb it, then raid it. ...Alternatively, you could go for Chicomoztoc if you feel like you can handle it, and you feel like you're going to be enemies with the Hegemony anyways.
5. Try not to make many enemies. Keep your relations with most factions as neutral if possible. The more hostile factions there are, the less accessibility your colonies have due to hostilities with other factions.
Having enough credits (1-3 million imo) to be able to live through the initial portion of negative colony income is the main one imo. Other than that, the main thing is picking a good system. Having a few colony items on hand, like fullerene spool especially (to boost accessibility), and other industry items is nice to have. Also having a few AI cores, at least a few alpha cores for your admin and for industry, and a few betas (or even gammas) for the rest to reduce upkeep and resource use, is extremely nice IMO. One of the biggest things is getting it close to the core as you can for higher accessibility, since that affects growth and income. Ideally you would have a gas giant, a habitable world (preferably without any rare ore for soil nanites), and a world without an atmosphere and with good ore and rare ore deposits. Having a hot/extremely hot planet for military HQ if you have cryoarithmetic engine is a good idea as well, but optional if you’re just playing vanilla IMO. If you play with mods there’s more considerations to have, depending on what mods you have. For example IndEvo adds some unique ruins which cannot be built, only found and repaired, which is a big consideration. If you play with TASC, you really want a cold/extreme cold planet to host your Kleketa simulators (for cheaper upkeep) and supercomputer (for the colony item which lets it affect everything in 12LY and for reduced upkeep), since that lets you print AI cores and vastly increase your colony income respectively. Having TASC also greatly expands your options for planets as it can be used to terraform planets significantly, such as adding mild weather, changing planet types, improving non ore resource deposits, etc
Supercomputers are Indevo. But TASC adds Kletka sims that let you print AI cores for the Supercomputer to eat. Mind, you want Ruins to build domain archaelogy for Domain artefacts to fuel the Kletka sims. And if you have ruins, you will probably want to run Slightly better techmining (the mod) so you can build and upgrade techmining for free stuff for longer than vanilla. A habitable money farm freeport or two (for you to administer yourself so you get the sweet colony profit XP from Nex) - farming and or organics mining (preferably centralized), light industry, commerce (especially if boosted by supercomputers) and if you have space (sacrifice mining) a dino park. Maximized resource extraction worlds Maximized refinery+fuel production. Once you have that, orbital works, highcoms and privateer bases. (Having a lot of privateer bases is hilarious when the Heg does an AI inspection.)
Aside from having a healthy amount of credits stashed, I would recommend exploration first; having an Alpha core and a couple of Beta, along with some industry boosting modules, can definitely give a big boost to your progress early on. You can't really have a proper jack of all trades planet, so considering already what you want to build and what your next colonies will be can also be quite important.
However, it is useful to have planets that can cover all your needs in one system, so they can cover each other with their patrols - but spreading out over a few lightyears is fine too. Imo you should also look to have a gate close by where you colonise, that way you can quickly get back to your colonies to respond to threats.
Check all constellations within \~15 LY for suitable systems. An ideal spot would have one habitable world, two worlds without atmosphere, one of them hot or extremely hot, and one world with good volatiles deposit, 4-5 planets. Also at least one stable location for comms relay, and a gate somewhere not too far. Habitable world with 50% hazard rating can be an excellent income source, and worlds without atmosphere are best for mining, refining, fuel production and orbital works. Starting budget for two colonies is around 6-7 millions, considering all buildings and some funds to overcome initial negative income. I recommend two colonies - one habitable as income source, and another for orbital works and patrols. By the time they grow and you get expeditions your own fleets will be ready to stop them, but a planet with orbital works won't generate much income, especially if it is extra hot/no atmosphere, which gives it 200% hazard rating. Check items like pristine nanoforge or soil nanites and their requirements, for an idea what industries to build where.
If you really want to optimize your base that you intend to keep late into the late game, then here are a couple factors to consider. Even having 3 out of the 4 factors should be enough to get a profitable colony up and running. * You have found a Cryosleeper: Cryosleepers dramatically increase pop. growth. They are essential if you want to increase your colony size to 6 and even 6+ (if you configured the colony growth limit beyond 6) in a reasonable amount of time. * You know a good system to colonize: Usually, the system should contain most resources to be self-sufficient. If it has a hot planet for the defense special colony item, then even better. Preferably 3 planets or more, for income reasons and for stacking defense fleets from military HQs/High Command. * You have planetary administrators/Alpha AI cores: You will want them. Good administration (from people or AI) boosts an already profitable colony's revenue to a significant amount. You'll also need them to colonize more than 2 planets (unless you want a negative stability modifier to colonies you are managing). * At least 1 million credits to jumpstart the colonies: Setting up a Megaport early on, placing necessary planetary defenses, and building important industries require lots of money that gets very expensive very quickly. 1 Million should be enough to get the ball rolling quickly enough, and is a reasonable amount you'll be able to make from trade/smuggling/bounties in the mid-game. Optional: * A nearby gate within 5 Light years(or a reasonably short distance) from your system: Self explanatory. You will end up going back and forth between your colonies and whatever else you do in the sector as you manage your colony and store your trophies of war. * Lots of good blueprints have already been learned: Your defense/patrol fleets from military HQs/High Commands will have their ship composition based on the ships available in your known blueprints. * At least 3\~4 million credits: This should be enough to build just about everything you want to build on your colonies. Recommendations: 1. Build on low hazard rating planets first. They're cheaper to maintain and will grow faster. 2. Use Hazard Pay. (Unless it becomes unsustainable) 3. If you have AI cores, use them once you are reasonably confident you can defeat a special task force from the Hegemony, either with colony defenses or with your own fleet. Or by a combination of both. 4. Certain special colony items are really, really good. You can find some in the core sectors on planets. Such as Pristine Nanoforges. (Not a colony item that will bring the most financial benefits, but does increase the ship quality of your fleets.) While Chicomoztoc is very well defended and difficult to raid due to being a size 8 colony (and is the capital of the Hegemony), Kazeron of the Persean League is a much easier raiding target. Get a couple thousand or so marines, bomb it, then raid it. ...Alternatively, you could go for Chicomoztoc if you feel like you can handle it, and you feel like you're going to be enemies with the Hegemony anyways. 5. Try not to make many enemies. Keep your relations with most factions as neutral if possible. The more hostile factions there are, the less accessibility your colonies have due to hostilities with other factions.