You can have all the smart tech and wonder-alloys in the world, but without the ability to make them into something useful, youre essentially a caveman. As we look to make more efficient use of our planet, we need to think about how we lay the groundwork BEFORE we build--to maximise each areas potential. Its the same in Civ. David McDonough, Co-Lead Designer at Firaxis explains: When you land, you have a very interesting problem. You have advanced technology at your disposal, but no way to implement it.

Thats why Pioneering is one of the first things you learn in the game. We today take for granted how easy it is to get steel from city A and coal from city B and turn it into something in city C. On a new planet, on turn one, you dont have any of that. You have a lot of technology, but none of the machinery to implement it.