Lordship of Progress

[Illuminatus]

Without IA we cannot establish a true economy -while at least two factions will get IA relatively soon. We won't be able to compete with them if reaching IA takes too long.

[Net Warrior]

I completely agree with IA as our #1 priority. IMHO, the fastest way to IA is to buy Planned ASAP and give Fallow Times a solar panel ASAP. Does anyone see a quicker way?

[Chaos Theory]

Looks fine to me

[Chaos Theory]

Technology Plan

Next turn, we get Industrial Base. Ideally, we would go for Industrial Economics to finish the prereqs for the holy grail that is Industrial Automation. However, what if we cannot research Industrial Economics next turn?

I would say go for Biogenetics if that's available instead, and as a third choice go for Social Psych. Both give extremely useful facilities, the only ones I build in some games. Neither is a waste in builder conditions. I favor Biogenetics because rec tanks are always useful, whereas rec commons are only useful if you have drones. Rec tanks are also free to maintain.

Input?

[Illuminatus]

We could get Biogenetics by probing it from AIs -both Zakharov and Lal have it, and one of them is our eastern neighbour. Rec Tanks are certainly useful, but we should build a probe team soon. Since producing PT and moving it east would take too long, it is probably better to get Biogenetics.

[smacksim]

If we are not going to ICS immediately, which, as you point out, would be silly without some kind of drone control, I say go for rec commons over biogenetics. One or two bases with rec-commons can grow to size 3 and work on SP's while everyone else builds probe teams for disbanding or stealing biogenetics.

Clearly, biogenetics and social psych can be stolen from the AI, but it's going to take us at least a tech-cycle to get a probe team or two in position. Yang will not have either, most likely (unless popped a pod with it, he'll be researching nonlinear now)

All hopes on getting IndEco to research.

Agree that biogenetics is much more useful in general, but, factoring in SProjects, Social Psych can be quite useful in a specific case or two.

[Net Warrior]

Some off the cuff calculations: If we move the slider to 30 Econ and 70 Labs, we complete our research in 8 yrs instead of 10. Howerer, when the new base comes on line and the solar panel is completed I believe we'd complete the rearch in 6 years. This would cost 2 EC's per turn initially and possibly 3 to 4 EC's per turn with the solar panel in place.
Please note that these are rough estimates but I think they'll hold up.

[Illuminatus]

We could cut four years from research? That certainly sounds interesting.

[Net Warrior]

Energy allocation update:

2125: new base comes on line and adds 3 energy to the grid.
2126: solar panel comes on line and adds 2 energy to the grid.
2129: assuming formers moves N 2127 and complete a forest, forest comes on line and adds 1 energy to the grid.
2130: DoG gets to size 2 and monolith adds 2 energy to the grid.

With sliders at 50-50, we complete research with exactly 70 points on 2131.

With the sliders at 30-70, we need 1 point to complete research on 2130. So, we would either have to get the next CP on line by 2129 or gain a research point by popping a pod ( I believe I’ve noticed this phenomenon of having a point of research added to the total accumulated when a pod is popped). Additionally, moving the slider would cost a total of 15 EC’s during this period.

Lord of Progress
M.Y. 2124

[binTravkin]

I think, we should continue the discussion about tech as we are expecting some in the close future from probing Yang and we are going to build an SP..

[binTravkin]

I post a question which has appeared since we're researching IA and approach of contact with other factions:

Situation:
We have these B-lines defined:
1.GeneSplicing(3+ nuts)
2.Ecological Engineering(3+ mins)
3.Environmental Economics(3+ energy)
4.Bio-Engineering(clean reactor ability)

All of them fit together as 1 large b-line, because the 1st ones are prereqs for the latest!

Dilemma:
Are we going to research any off-beeline tech?

Pros:
1.If we research strict b-lines there's a risk that no human faction will have anything to trade with us, an so wont we, because we all will have the same tech!

2.We'll be faster to other crucial techs in late game as NG/D:AP/MMI/OSF/FP, therefore at least militarily stronger!

Cons:
1.If noone wants to trade and the possibility to probe efficently is low, then we'll be disadvantaged after they research those techs

Please post your opinion!

[smacksim]

Been thinking about this a bit. Because we are a little on the slow side, I think it best if we just take what we can get after IA. Perhaps consider taking over Zak or Yang, but certainly probing them for all they are worth. The extra techs have their uses, and we will be free to trade. Obviously we do want to achieve the b-line techs as fast as possible, but a strict diet of research and no probe/trading might be too costly in the mid-game when we might want a few weapons or cannon-fodder techs.

[Chaos Theory]

I say we accept reasonable trades for any useful techs, regardless of beelines.

[binTravkin]

To anyone who does not know what we're b-lining for:

READ THIS THREAD THOROUGHLY!

[Illuminatus]

Hmm Net Warrior is not around, perhaps a replacement?