Is it worth doing a tech start for indy?

Indy start is the fastest start. Why would you do a different start and convert to indy?

Not sure, I ddint realize it was just for speed. I thought one might do it for a long term benefit. ..Avoiding early high tech prices, but that's why I'm asking

You might do a tech phase. But that is much more common for a casher.

By and large playing Commy Indy I would have thought you would want to get as much advantage as possible from the early part of the set when a Commy Indy has the chance to be dominant.

I am lousy at Commy Indy though, so you need some comments from more skilled people.

Tech phase is ok for indy. I prefer not to do it but I've seen people do it and come out about the same as the indy start player.

I prefer the tech start indy. I have never, and will never, tech start a casher or farmer.

I have won many tourney rounds as indy, and have had some quite nice sets in Alliance with commie as well. Tech start is the wrong move generally. A player with enough understanding and "outside the box" thinking can pull off nearly anything, and it's more about having fun than anything else, so do what you want, but the fast start and ability to "play from ahead" is a major advantage in going indy and one that is very exploitable. Indy needs less tech compared to other strats to be competitive.

I like to indy start when I tech, actually.

I think you have some major misunderstandings about this game

Whether you prefer to tech start or not with an indy is a judgment call, but you're saying you prefer to tech start when running an indy, the strat LEAST helped by a tech start, but that you NEVER will tech start with strats where tech starting is objectively more useful.

Yep. I have never tech started with a casher or farmer, and I do just fine, thanks.

Indy - haven't run one since tech allies were removed so maybe things have changed, but I always had a full ring w/ ingle and others.

but the basic math of it, the indy already gets a 35% boost from commie bonus and then the tech boost is only about 50% more, while with agricultural you're taking a demo with no in-built bonus but a tech bonus up to 240% or something, and with a casher you've got it going up to 180% or so for each of bus and res which are multiplicative bonuses, and what this all means id say is that tech levels are far far more crucial with a casher or farmer, and therefore tech starts on those gov types are superior comparatively to tech starts with an indy. that you will tech start ONLY as an indy is backward...

Welp, maybe it has to do w/ the fact that I generally grab as an indy and I don't as a casher or farmer.

"phases" and non-pure starts can work with any strategy. Indies with tech will outperform indies without quite well. Bus, res, mil and mil strat all make a big difference to an indy. "Less optimal" =/= "ineffective." Many of us have things that we do that are against conventional wisdom but work fine for us.

Hm, im not saying tech start indy doesn't work. i said earlier that it does. what i am arguing is that when choosing WHICH strats to tech start with, it's very odd to choose indy but NOT casher or farmer.

CX saying now he only grabs with the indy, well, that makes it make sense, but that's not really due to the strat (farmer/idny/casher), it's due to the playstyle. but yeah, if you're doing a tech start that's a turn investment that leaves less turns for exploring, but thanks to your increased production you can fill in land and buy military more quickly, therefore allowing fast growth thru grabs.

I have done tech start up, only seems ok when you have a few tech allies ;)

In express I dont think it is worth the thought personally.