Science and Society Committee (SSC)

[Mead]

Although I have been working the Jamski trial and waiting to see the turn to see how Peace is faring against CyCon, I have been thinking about our chances for getting Cloudbase and Cyborg Factory.

I am thinking that so long as we get the techs first we have (or at least by then should have enough crawlers to rush build both).

I am worried about whether we can get the tech in time.

The last time I looked, we were running 40/20/40. I think that this was so we could Pop Boom.

Will reducing this for the next few turns to 50/0/50 be enough to make a difference in the Tech race?

I know we are planning to benefit from a tech probe of Uni. Can we maintain good relations we them to keep some commerce income? Will that make enough difference?

Once I get to see the new turn I'll start to think a lot more about it and try to project where we and the others will be.


Mead

[Enigma_Nova]

For those who haven't been paying attention...

Drones are on their way to rob the Uni of EnvEco and SoftHB.
They'll send these to us.
We'll accept, then change from EnvEco to Neural.
We slam down Neural.

After that we start researching Clean, until drones get Doc:Air, and then we get Doc:Air and research MMI.
Upon getting MMI, we build the Cloudbase academy.
The turn we start going for MMI, I'll see about negotiating either PEACE or the CyCon for Adaptive Econ.

At the risk of being Kodyfied, who here knows how to negotiate?

[Kody]

We not after adaptive economics, we're after the PEG. So have to be careful that we don't get sent adaptive economics after someone else already built it.

We might not even have to research clean first. Apparently the drones will be able to finish air power earlier than expected.

[Jamski]

If PEACE are really getting hammered they may give us Adaptive Econ to aid them. Worth a gamble? Who knows?

Longevity Vacccine is pretty useful for the Hive, and Cloudbase is good for everyone. I really suggest we have everything ready to grap CBA as soon as we get the tech.

-Jam

[Kody]

Peace will probably offer us adaptive econ for aid. However, from the looks of things the cycon have started to prepare crawlers to build the PEG. I estimate they're 4-6 turns away from building it.

This next turn we build alot of extra crawlers. So we'll be ready to build any SP's that come our way.

[Enigma_Nova]

I'll see what I can do about getting that tech

Will we still be able to research MMI if we get that extra tech before Drones send us cloudbase?
*Enigma loads his tech tester

Awww megacrap!
Us getting Adaptive will not allow us to research MMI (once we get Air Power from the drones).
We'd need ANOTHER tech...
Doc: Init would be acceptable, but what's that do to our tech cost?

741? Is my simulator BSing me?
629 without the new techs
While I'm sure my tester is BSing me on that one, you can see we have quite a spike.
I'd try to delay getting Adaptive 'till after we have started MMI.

[Kody]

If things go well turn 2154 we should be able to start MMI. Otherwise turn 2157 possibly.

[Enigma_Nova]

It is imperative that we get Cloudbase before the Drones, right?

[Kody]

Not imperative if we don't mind being a bystander. It's got to do with how important we will be to the drones. Having the cloudbase first means the hive won't be made a sideline faction in our permi-pact. The drones will want us to provide air support and it'll make taking over the data angels easier.

People have expressed concerns on the drones overtaking us in power and the hive becoming a bystander. My answer to that is if we get the cloudbase the drones will be eager to run joint wars with the hive.

Without the cloudbase the hive will have to struggle to match buster's SMAX skill otherwise we'll become a bystander. Okay I admit that if I continue running all the turns the hive won't have any problems becoming a bystander in future wars. However, I would like to see other people playing the turns too and that means the hive needs an military advantage (cloudbase) to offset the fact buster is a really good player.

[Enigma_Nova]

Buster is by no means unbeatable. SMAX is yet to see its Bobby Fischer.

What makes me worry is that he has a boom-compatible faction and we don't. That's my greatest worry.

[Kody]

We're currently ahead in power compared to buster, and we've boomed a couple of our bases. I felt those two things offset the fact that the drones are a boom compatible faction.

Assuming that the turn player can play just as well as buster then we'll stay ahead of the drones simply due to turn advantage. The drones have only been catching up recently, because we have been managing things badly. We had a period of negative power growth and the recent hive chaos prevented us from spending the time securing pirate votes are the two major examples.

I never said that buster is unbeatable. However, he has years of experience that is not present in the Hive. He also has veteran advisors. For a suitable anology a laser very green infantry still finds it difficult competing with a commando scout patrol.

[Enigma_Nova]

I'll laser very green infantry you.

[Mead]

ALL COMMENTS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO WAR PREPARATIONS THREAD
[Posted here as a courtesy since it involves suggested SE Changes]


When do we (Will we?) change from Wealth? Support Apolyton


Usually,

When I decide to go to war I change from Wealth to something else.

Right now, it looks like we only have Survival to go to.

Wealth, although it gives us +3 industry and -1 Economy, also sticks us with -2 Morale. This is something I do not want to have to build a military with.

Consider:

With Wealth Settings:

and our military unit cities creating combat units; will will get units that are disciplined.

This is because: very green + ((+2 command nexus or cloudbase +2 bioenhancment center))/2 which is [-1 morale, morale enhancers halved]

With Survival settings we get green +2 command nexus or cloudbase +2 bioenhancement = commando.

Additionally, there are nice monoliths just outside Meadopolis (we need a road built there, on the monolith), and Rokossovkygrad (which already has a road built there) that will give our land (Drop) units a top off to Elite morale.

I do not think we should make the change from Wealth just yet, but we should strongly consider it just before we rush build a bunch of military units.

I have not run the numbers. I know the costs of making the commando/elite units (Survival SE units) is greater than the disciplined (Wealth SE units), but I think that the additional costs of the substantially stronger (and faster) units are worth it.

Mead


PS

Please enlighten me on the morale properties of units based/made at bases that have children's creches, when they are away from their bases.


ALL COMMENTS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO WAR PREPARATIONS THREAD
[Posted here as a courtesy since it involves suggested SE Changes]

[Snowflake]

Future beeline:

Hive: Planetary economics
Drones: AMA/fusion

Would like to get your thoughts. Also could somebody check which tech PEACE is offering would we need? I don't want all of them since it will increase our tech cost and slow our tech rate.

[Snowflake]

We will finish Intell Integrity this turn. I believe the next available tech are the following:

Polymorphic Software
Bio-Engineering
Cyberethics
Nonlinear Mathematics

Suggest reseach Bio-Eng. I would appreciate if somebody can double check if I am correct.