What tech should we research initially?

[AdamTG02]

Since the turn is approaching, and there still isn't a consensus on what technology we want to research, I'm taking it on myself to post a poll on the alternatives. Hopefully that'll be all right with everyone.

The only thing that needs explanation above is GeoModder's option. This means that we will scout around with our starting units, and if we find coast on the first turn, we will research Doctrine: Mobility. If we don't find coast, we will research Industrial Base.

So as not to split the votes for the various options, the "Geomodder's option" votes will be added to those of Mobility should we find coast, and to those of IndBase should we not.

Given the time constraints of the upcoming deadline, I am setting this poll to 24 hours.

[Enigma_Nova]

The reasons we need IA are pretty obvious.
Here are my arguments against getting there by infiltech:
1. We'll be AT MOST 4th to get IA.
We could get it 2nd with our tech
2. We're trusting the others to go down the beeline
We're not; Spartans could go Impact, Gaians Green, and the AI - who knows?!
3. We can't get to Flex fast without forgetting CentEco
And as a result, won't build a boat fast enough to infiltrate
4. What's wrong with rover probe teams?
5. There's more Flexibility in Crawlers than there is in Doc:Flexibility

Flex is such an old PEACE way. We're not playing PEACE anymore - we should adapt our tactics to the present.
(an explaination of 1-5 is below)

[GeoModder]

Darn you, AdamTG02, now I'm forced to follow my own option off course!!

Just kiddin', but I choose for it naturally.

Since I won't suspect to see a sea in our turn, this is more or less a vote for the IndBase choice.

And Enigma sums it up pretty good, it comes down to if we're goin' purely for the Angel Way from the beginning or take a more carefull approach, getting settled first before sneaking around.

[shiny]

While a beeline to flex is probably the right thing to do, RP-wise, IA offers too much to be passed up...

Voted IB...

[Enigma_Nova]

Points:
We're waiting on the Spartans to get IA when Morgan has already had it for (god knows) turns.
We're losing the advantage of having IA's prerequisite techs.
Might as well lead with the techs we start with - more sense playing a line best suited to our faction.

For the mods, we can't select mod 0 as our starting tech.
So we can get Doc:Mob (csmod 0)
Then CentEco (csmod2)
Then Doc:Flex (csmod1)
A probe foil takes 40 minerals. At 4 minerals per turn (even that's a stretch) it will take us 10 turns from when we get our 3rd tech.
Seeing as we're ona huge map, I'll bet that 3rd tech isn't in before MY 2115.
So, we're waiting until 2125 to send out a foil.
It will take us maybe 10 years to find others... infil in 2135
What's the good of infiltrating people for a fast IA when the others have had IA for 8 years?!

Also note that the Spartans could go Impact Rovers
The Gaians could go Green
Morgan might even go PEG.
We're opting for an exotic path, and it's a LOT more likely that sparta plays impact than Angels play Flex.
We're relying on something which probably won't happen - which is a bad thing.

We can already infiltrate them. We can get rover probes up by 2110 if they're the first build in a base, and infiltrate by 2130. We're getting infiltration faster with landprobes than seaprobes, so why bother with seaprobes in the first place?
We didn't start at the ocean, so our enemies probably aren't there either.
They might go a 'no ocean' approach, and screw us completely.

And, of course, Crawlers can be used to accelerate EVERYTHING. Flex just accelerates tech, and what use is it to have a crapload of tech when you don't have the mins/ecs to build its stuff?

[Hercules]

I tried the tech spreadsheet. We're Faction 7 but player 2. Going for the Ind: Auto route looked relatively fast. But as Enigma and other have said before we can always go overland with the probes.

Ok Leave back the water skis 002.

[FlameFlash]

Er... we're still going Cent: Eco as #1 though... right?

[GeoModder]

As soon as we can research it, yes. We didn't had the choice as first tech.

[FlameFlash]

Ah, that's too bad.

Now I'm starting to feel caught up...

[Hercules]

We discover Ind Base next turn. So what's after that again Cent Ecol.

[GeoModder]

naturally!

[FlameFlash]