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(revised last edit)
(→‎3500 RP: Cybertechnics: Here's an attempt to better organize it. I separated the android facts from the strategy. Revert if you don't like it.)
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Robotic "colonist" that can only do research but generates three more RP than a normal colonist in the same environment. Its productivity is not influenced by racial, government or morale bonuses or penalties, but is enhanced by research buildings (but not by the Heightened Intelligence Achievement, see [[../Biology|Biology]]). It does not contribute to a colony's cash income. All Androids are Tolerant (see note below).  
Robotic "colonist" that can only do research but generates three more RP than a normal colonist in the same environment. Its productivity is not influenced by racial, government or morale bonuses or penalties, but is enhanced by research buildings (but not by the Heightened Intelligence Achievement, see [[../Biology|Biology]]). It does not contribute to a colony's cash income. All Androids are Tolerant (see note below).  


Using Androids is a complex business, because they have these properties:
Androids all share the following properties:
*They cost PP to build and to maintain, so you need to consider whether the benefits outweight the costs. The 1 PP maintenance per turn per Android can cause a significant reduction of effective production on Poor planets or if you have poor pollution-control technology.
*They cost 60 PP to build, and 1 PP per turn to maintain.
*They don't contribute to your income, so normal colonists are better if you're short on cash, especially if your race has a BC bonus.
*They do not contribute BC to the treasury.
*The fact that they are Tolerant is a mixed blessing. You can transfer Androids just like normal colonists (and with the usual [[../Freight training|Freighter costs]]), so in theory you create an all-Android colony with does not need pollution-control buildings and has a large "population". you can also build Androids in or import them into colonies that are full from the point of view of normal colonists - provided these colonists are not Tolerant. But if you then increase the colony's maximum population (e.g. by terraforming or by researching Advanced City Planning), you may not be able to take full advantage of this except by making more Androids - there may be reduced or zero scope for increasing the number of normal colonists, who contribute to your income.
*They don't suffer from any gravity penalty.
*They don't suffer from the gravity penalty.
*They don't create credits.
*They don't create pollution.
*They don't create pollution.
*They are not affected by morale. This means that in the middle stages of the game you will be skipping about seven structures. It's most efficient to keep androids separate from the "normal" population because planets can only be designed to be optimal with either kind of population in mind. When all is said and done normal population is ideal for medium and larger planets because of morale bonuses and credits (which are multiplied by spaceports etc., especially on larger planets), but toxic and radiated (if you're lacking the radiation shield) planets that can never be terraformed are best handled by androids. In addition, since credit and morale multipliers are ineffective on tiny planets, androids excel there as well. For small planets, it's a judgement call on whether or not to use them. Of course, you can also use Tolerant (or better yet, Sub Tolerant) captured races for small or larger non-terraformable planets as well.
*They create 3 more production units than is standard for a race with no bonuses.
*They are not affected by morale.
*They do not (slowly) reproduce.
*They are Tolerant, i.e. they can have a higher population than usual for a planet class and size, as well as supplement other populations above their limit, up to the androids' limit.


Best choice for non-Creatives: the one that strengthens your greatest weakness. For example most Unification empires, especially [[../Some effective race designs|UniTol]], will usually prefer Android Scientists. On the other hand most research-oriented races will prefer Android Workers; and cash-rich Democracies can afford to populate small Rich or Ultra-rich planets entirely with Androids, turning them into very powerful shipyards. Android Farmers seem the least useful option in most cases, but cannot be completely ruled out. On the other hand, where you should be putting the Androids isn't going to be farmable anyway!
Because of these properties the following strategic uses apply:
*Because they are not affected by pollution, gravity, morale and don't make credits, the buildings specific to those if present on an android-only colony will only cost credits to maintain without providing any benefit. Because of androids' production bonus (net of their credit loss) they will easily outperform organic populations without credit and morale multipliers such as Spaceports and Holo Simulators respectively. However these multipliers cost production to make and credits to maintain, and only with an organic population of around 8 or higher are they worth building. Populations of this size can't occur on toxic and radiated (if you're lacking the radiation shield) as well as Tiny planets, so it follows that they are best populated solely by androids and with only buildings suitable for them. It is generally an either-or situation, a planet should be either designed for androids or for organics. Of course, you can also use Tolerant (or better yet, Sub Tolerant) captured races for small or larger non-terraformable planets as well, as for terraformed medium or larger planets organics are the clear winners with their morale bonuses and credit multipliers. Small planets can go either way depending on your situation.
*Of course, if a planet is not terraformed to Gaia level then the androids' population capacity is still higher than the organics' capacity and they can supplement the organics to fill whatever space they won't fill, although the planet should still be treated as an organic planet with morale, pollution control, credit and gravity structures.
*Since Unification gives a massive 50% bonus to production (not applicable to androids), it's optimal on ALL planets to have the maximum organic population with the rest supplemented by androids for races with Unification.
*Since Androids can be transferred just like organics, "completed" planets with their full complement of buildings can send androids to new colonies to spur their growth. In addition, this can give you quick population growth if your meatbag population is not breeding fast enough.
 
Best choice for non-Creatives: the one that strengthens your greatest weakness. For example most Unification empires, especially [[../Some effective race designs|UniTol]], will usually prefer Android Scientists. On the other hand most research-oriented races will prefer Android Workers; and cash-rich Democracies can afford to populate small Rich or Ultra-rich planets entirely with Androids, turning them into very powerful shipyards. Android Farmers seem the least useful option in most cases, but cannot be completely ruled out as food is the hardest resource to produce. On the other hand, where Androids shine the most isn't going to be farmable anyway!


==4500 RP: Galactic Networking==
==4500 RP: Galactic Networking==
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