Base Spacing

[smacksim]

Base spacing for our bases?

[Net Warrior]

Chaos Theory has figured out that with this map and our current efficiency, our bdrone count is 9. However, if we switch to Planned, which should be possible in about 10 turns, then the efficiency hit brings our bdrone count down to 6. A latter switch to Democracy will take us back up to 9 but that's pretty far into the future.
So, are we going ICS or not? It's too early to tell. We need to explore a lot more before we'll know what is best. For now, let's just place our based as opportunistically as we are can.

Here's a quote from a Poly thread I located that sums it up nicely:

"you can expand more without drones due to +2 efficiency and these additional bases offset your lack of early FM and give you more vital production centers. You are also 'deeper' if things get nasty, and losing one or two bases isn't that critical."

[smacksim]

That is the question: Are we going to ICS or not. And how much. I vote for base-space-space-base, as in our planned spot for base-2. I think we have plenty of space for 9 base. Certainly 6. And I'm not a huge fan of base-space-base ICSing, even though that is quite useful sometimes.

And true, we have some time to scout more.

[Net Warrior]

Since we will most likely be pop booming at some point in the game, I think base-space-space-base is the minimium.

[binTravkin]

pop booming is highly effective also on base-space-base!

[Illuminatus]

This thread needs a little bump.

[Chaos Theory]

Well, I suppose I can repeat what I've said in other threads.

Tight = good.
We don't need strict closest-packing ICS (4 tiles/base), since we aren't Yang, but we should be placing bases in every possible spot, as fast as we can reasonably produce CPs. Strict base-space-space-base yields 9 tiles/base, and Sikander spacing yields 8. That's more than enough for any base once we get some formers going and condensor-farming/boreholing everything.

We should not be afraid to have bases within other bases' production radii.

Unlike most factions, when we pop boom, we're in our best SE settings - Demo/Planned/something (preferably Wealth). We can exploit this perpetual pop boom only if we produce plenty of food, and have a large factional maximum population (= per-base max * base count).

Reference my saves posted for Googlie's challenge for how I like to play Dee, or I can dig them up and post them in this forum.

[smacksim]

The poll reports 2 votes for base-space-base, yet we are playing a base-space-space-base game so far.

I know a lot of us are in the US, but that doesn't mean that 20% should show up for the polls. Where is the participation? I will vote now, for base-space-space-base. This is fast, yet allows our terraforming to concentrate on territory, rather than condensors. Er, and it's what I like to play.

[Illuminatus]

I think the poll should be invalidated, and only posts in this thread should count. Twas a long time

[Chaos Theory]

I voted for base-space-base, but I don't have a problem with our current spacing, since it was driven by the terrain. I'd much rather have looser, early bases than tight, later bases.

[Net Warrior]

I like base-space-space-base.

As noted above, base-space-base is ok at times depending on terrain and circumstances. I always prefer my bases on river or near monoliths (ideally including both of these) and will trade spacing for this placement every time.

So, basically, I can live with base-space-base if there is some favorable terrain involved. I don't like tight placement if all we get is a 2-1-1 base plus a 1-2-1 forest to work.

[Chaos Theory]

The thing about tight base spacing is, once you have a few formers going, you get a 2-1-1 base (3-2-3 with rec tanks + wealth) and a borehole to work, plus a condendor-farm or two from crawlers. With maximum packing, that's
3-2-3
0-6-6
4-0-0
4-0-0
=
11-8-9 per base, which is per 4 tiles, and that's before satellites, and with just 1 worker actually working. The other 4 can be specialists (and the base can pop boom large enough to support them).

Before restrictions are lifted, you can still get the base size, just not the mins/raw energy from the borehole, if you get the WP. Without the WP, you can gradually ramp up to this level by first making farms and forests, then putting condensors on the farms and some forests, then replacing the rest of the forests with boreholes.

Further keep in mind that early in the game, even closest-packed bases will have more than 3 workable tiles, since almost every base will be on the perimeter.

[Net Warrior]

I usually play the Peacekeepers and go vertical and cross the bdrone limit much later on. I've heard of the tight spacing-borehole-condensor scheme before but have never tried it. Since the Gaians seem perfect for it, I'm ready to give it a try.

[Chaos Theory]

Here are reasons why some factions do well at tight base packing:

Hive: police, inability to pop boom
Morgan: high base energy, low hab limit, low support, difficulty pop booming
Uni with Virtual World: drone-free size 2 bases, regardless of bureaucracy
PKs: drone-free size 1 bases, regardless of bureaucracy, low effic
Gaians: Forced ability to use police, inability to use FM and therefore need to get energy from boreholes or specialists
Drones: Very high industry means cheap rec commons for drone-free size 2 bases
Believers: Ease of getting lots of formers and immediate ability to build rec commons, lack of anything else to build besides an army

Factions that don't do so well:
CyCon - just begging for Demo/FM/Wealth
Angels - nothing for or against
Pirates - expensive bases at sea, defeats-the-point to pack bases on land, inability to reach boreholes from much of the sea

Not enough experience:
Spartans - could try Planned or Police/Planned for drone control, but couldn't add Police until specialists got going
Aliens
Cult

[smacksim]

spartans: I spent awhile trying to play Spartans as builders. I will add them to the list of factions that are good to ICS-tightly with. Low industry means more build queues == more built == only way past industry penalty (other than Planned).

Another thing to consider: How early will conflict occur? This affects base spacing for me.

Net Warrior has brought up the b-drone limit too. What's our strategy to go to the second b-drone limit and beyond? Even with base-space-space-base, we have enough space to pass this limit, especially in Planned....