Expansive HQ

Basic Benefits

 * One extra claim with each HQ upgrade
 * Needs half as much Steel for buildings
 * Expansive units move 50% faster (reducing fuel costs by one-third)

Overview
Of the benefits given to the expansive player, the one most notable is the extra claim awarded on each level of HQ upgrade. This does not include the level 1 HQ upon founding, an expansive player starts with 3 tiles like everyone else.

Expansive player's reduced dependence on steel does NOT mean that the expansive player should not build steel. Steel should just be regarded as more efficient when it is placed, as the player will not be consuming as much of it when they attempt to expand.

Expansive players can take advantage of numerous high deposit tiles of different raw resources around the map, and utilizing their extra claims to keep a large amount of manufacturing facilities next to their HQ.

Openings
A standard opening for an expansive player involves either building one iron mine and two steel mills or one iron mine, one aluminum mine, and one steel mill. The latter opening will often be slower, but if aluminum starts out expensive or if aluminum is scarce nearby, claiming the aluminum early can be beneficial. If the map is generally lacking in valuable iron deposits it can be wise to claim two iron deposits for easier Steel production following an upgrade.

Useful Patents
Virtual Reality - Because expansive HQs raise Pleasure Dome revenue significantly, the Pleasure Dome can be a very powerful building when you are playing an expansive HQ. Adding an extra 50% to that income adds to that power, but it is still important to consider that you alone being expansive may not be enough to make the Pleasure Dome worthwhile.

Thinking Machines - Due to the increased number of tiles and production expansive players hold near their base, they represent a large target for black market effects as players hope to shut down 10 or more production facilities. In addition to this, expansive players' halved steel costs often makes moving into Offworld Markets easier, and having the extra protection from Thinking Machines can help them stay online more effectively.

Nanotech - Even with halved steel costs, the costs of transitions between production buildings you'll want to make in the late game can still add up, especially with how many tiles you have. The extra tiles you have should also allow you to gather more primary resources and thus safely participate in more markets, so frequent transitions should be a part of expansive play and Nanotech can help make those transitions smoother.

Weaknesses
Expansive players often get off to a slower start than players using other HQ types because they lack the lower upgrade costs of robots, the efficiency bonuses of scientists, and the easy access to base resources of scavengers. In 1v1 especially, the slow start can mean that your opponent can afford to access valuable markets first and freeze you constantly. More generally, you will have to be flexible if your usual source of income at level 2, steel, has crashed out before you can make much money on it.

Expansive players represent a tasty option to buyout, since their extra claims make their subsidiary more likely to be profitable.

Expansive players who don't spread their production out well can be easy targets for large black market attacks. Look for large groupings of claims to hit with Power Surges and EMPs.

Expansive players are generally not as vulnerable to Filthy Pirates and Magnetic Storms as Scientific Players, but are still good targets if their resource production is spread out.