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**GeneralTacticus** · May 14, 2003, 05:23

I agree with Archaic's auggestion. However, another question we ened to answer is: What shall we research? We've already got Centauri Ecology, so if we intend to beeline for Ind. Auto (which I'd be in favour of), our next tech should be Industrial Base.

**moomin** · May 14, 2003, 06:13

Re: 2102 [Warning - Includes Large Image]

Originally posted by Archaic
As you can see, this is how we've started out. That Rocky/Mineral is going to give us a great leg up when we get around to building projects,

We shouldn't count on that. This being a CMN map, most factions probably got a nice start position. Let's hope the Hive started w/out a mineral bonus, or they will be pumping prod like crazy.

Move:
Build Base here.
Move CP2 north to build another base 2 tiles away.
Move CP3 south to build another base 2 tiles away.
Use a Scout to pop the pod. Send the other 2 scouts north/south with the pods

I agree. Perhaps we ought to move the scouts first - pop with twho backups if worms, and then move them to check if there's an energy bonus somewhere on that river - building University Base on a EB would give our science a tremendous boost.

A proposal - we rename University Base to something else, like Nauk Science Center upon settling. We then rename some other base to University Base. A little bit of subterfuge that costs us nothing and could prove useful until we're probed. I also think we should avoid settling coastal sqares with more than one or two bases - the Pirates can swoop in from beyond detector range, so coastal bases need big garrisons early.

Build:
Set Uni. Base. to building a Former

Quite.

**moomin** · May 14, 2003, 06:19

Originally posted by GeneralTacticus
What shall we research? We've already got Centauri Ecology, so if we intend to beeline for Ind. Auto (which I'd be in favour of), our next tech should be Industrial Base.

Seeing how we are the intellectual elite of Planet, I'd say it's our duty to beeline for SotHB. Not only do we deny free tech to lesser well-endowed (intellectually speaking, of course

) factions, we lose only one step on the road to Ind. Auto if we be beeline for that immediately on getting SotHB. As added bonus we get tech to make our bases more efficient (rec. tanks) and to upgrade our scouts against natives for free (trance).

**Mr. President** · May 14, 2003, 07:21

Hmm. IndAuto is tempting, but so are the Secrets of the Human Brain. Maybe go for the Secrets. Extra technology can never be a bad thing.

**GeneralTacticus** · May 14, 2003, 07:56

I'm leaning towards SotHB - for the Rec Commons we'd get along the way, if nothing else.

**Archaic** · May 14, 2003, 08:43

I'd be wanting to go to at least Industrial Economics first and hope for a credit pod pop, before going to try for SotHB. Rec. Commons are expensive for the initial startup phase, and in the early game we can survive easily enough with a citizen and a doctor in our size 2 bases anyway until we get around to putting up Commons, simply because that pop's already going to go soon enough with a CP.

In my experience, the Cyborgs can't get to SotHB before the Uni even when the Uni takes the Ind. Auto beline first, simply because they don't have the Network Nodes we do.

**Googlie** · May 14, 2003, 10:03

'grist for the mill' :

Remember who the AI are. Miriam starts with Social Psych, but can't research for 10 years. Have Roze and Miriam exchanged commlinks prior to departing the Unity? Would a cunning CMN do this and start the Angels off with researching Biogenetics? Just asking

And Roze, too already has Planetary Networks, and can start the VW anytime. How important is it for you to get the VW for drone control (remember it's on transcend level)

Just food for thought

Googlie (with just a friendly reminder not to forget the AI in your deliberations)

**Archaic** · May 14, 2003, 11:36

Originally posted by Googlie
'grist for the mill' :

Remember who the AI are. Miriam starts with Social Psych, but can't research for 10 years. Have Roze and Miriam exchanged commlinks prior to departing the Unity? Would a cunning CMN do this and start the Angels off with researching Biogenetics? Just asking

......you evil bastard.

That's just deviously sneaky.

How much have you beefed up these AI though? My UoP on Transcend can easily outresearch the PK's to SotHB even when the PK's take the direct route and I take a detour to Ind. Eco. for Free Market and its substantial early game research boost from that lovely energy, but the AI's don't have the PK's efficiency worries, do they?...

Originally posted by Googlie
And Roze, too already has Planetary Networks, and can start the VW anytime. How important is it for you to get the VW for drone control (remember it's on transcend level)

Just food for thought

Googlie (with just a friendly reminder not to forget the AI in your deliberations)

......how many Rocky/Mineral did you give them? ^^;; AI's sometimes steal projects from unalert human players simply by starting them with low mineral production bases and running with them for a long time (Say, 30 turns) while the humans are concentrating on building their crawlers, intending to instabuild. The VW is of course extremely important to us, but how cruel are you going to be to us here? ^^;;;

**History Guy** · May 14, 2003, 11:47

Build here with the minerals and the nutrients around us. I agree with the idea of 'Nauk Science Center' at first. After we've built another base or so we can change it back to University Base. Sounds good to me.

I support all unethical research towards Secrets of the Human Brain. If you want me to chop up a brain or two and find out what's inside (i.e. the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything), I'll see what I can do.

Googlie, you're too kind to those vile, evil piglets who shot poor Capt. Garland.

**moomin** · May 14, 2003, 15:02

So... decision time. Where do we beeline? I agree we'd be safe to jump for Ind. Eco and then go SotHB normally, but given the CMN warning above, I get a feeling we should really not ignore SotHB if we're going for it.

**AdamTG02** · May 14, 2003, 15:14

On the other hand, the Virtual World will be far more advantageous for us in the long run than Secrets. While I agree that we should try for Secrets if at all possible, there is the danger that if we neglect Planetary Networks the Data Angels will beat us to the Virtual World.

I'm not totally sure what to do, but if Archaic's experience suggests we'll still have a good chance at Secrets if we beeline to IndAuto first, I'm game.

**Archaic** · May 14, 2003, 20:50

Thing is..that's under normal conditions. When I get home later I'll do a test against the Angels and Cyborgs to see if another human player could do it. I don't expect the other factions to be so disiplined as us with base placement, etc, and I'd expect many of them to be dependant on Planned as well, but I guess we can't count on it.

**Mr. President** · May 14, 2003, 21:32

Yeah, I forgot about the AI.

The Virtual World has a cool video; does that count for anything?

**Googlie** · May 14, 2003, 22:11

Originally posted by Archaic

How much have you beefed up these AI though?

......how many Rocky/Mineral did you give them? ^^;;

I actually had to dumb down the AI after my first playtest (I'd given the Angels and the Believers a monolith right beside their three bases - the B's spawned like rabbits while the A's outresearched the UoP and the Borgs for the first ten to fifteen turns (with the 2 monolith energy per base)

So I tinkered with their monoliths - but of course couldn't stop a monolith being pod-popped (well I could have, by checking off the "pods never produce monoliths" box in the Scenario settings, but eventually we'd be left with the pods just producing native life if we deselected everything else !!!)

Also had started them with a crawler on a forest tile per base for the minerals (lurking, so that the dumb AI doesn't use them for exploration - I've seen that quite often), but had to take them away as well.

So they are AI's with developing muscles, but not on steroids .....

G.

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