Lordship of Development

[Net Warrior]

If it wasn't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all. We really have one heck of a miserable starting position.

At this point I'd like to move the former north and road the rocky square and then north again and road that rainy rolling square, with possibly a solar to follow, depending on the circumstances. That will explore 1 square, connect our bases, and give us a bit of a start on roading for the CP. Maybe we'll get lucky in the south and pop something good so we won't need our former there right away.

I still want to build 2 scout patrols now and then a CP in Fallow Time. I hate to sound like a broken record but I want some scouts.

[smacksim]

Not at all. Thanks for clarifying. Your previous suggestion was quantum-entangled building.

Anyways, Obstructor convinced me in the Chat room yesterday that we should be putting the next CP in the Southwest. Even so, that's not a reason, of necessity to build a road in that direction. It would save two turns though, which is pretty significant.

Typically I don't connect my bases for some time, if other things are pressing, such as turn-advantage in another direction, or getting a 2-nut square going for a weak base site. I would never road that rocky square first unless I was positive that all future CPs should be going north. In that case, definately. It would explore 2-squares, btw.

So we disagree. This is good. But we need a third to break the deadlock. I'll PM a few Gaians right now.

-S

[Hydro]

Just got smacksim's PM. My theory on terraforming priorities:

1) increase nutrients to 2/sector (no problem here since everywhere is rainy)
2) built roads to speed expansion
3) build forests in flat or arid tiles, or moist tiles if have enough +2 tiles (at least 2/base)
4) optimize specials (nut/energy/mins) by removing fungus or rocky, then build improvement
5) selectively build special improvements, such as solar collectors (may be further down the list early)
6) build sensors to defend existing bases
7) build sensors in tile of new bases

So, I’m in the road camp. Early connectiveness = turn advantage.

As to building, I typically do:
former (rush)
scout
CP

But, I'll defer to others if a decision has already been made.

Hydro

[Net Warrior]

I've had my say and I've got to sign off. I'll defer to the acting Lord Of Development.

[smacksim]

It's 23:00, so I'm going to play the turn. and post the pre-end save to our forums and the post-end-turn save to the ACDG forums.

I'll work out a probably schedule for our upcoming turns so we don't have to feel rushed.

-Smack

[Drogue]

Originally posted by smacksim
The pod had: An earthquake! bad bad. But, at least it wasn't in the jungle, or connecting us to enemies. Maybe now our luck will start improving:

Earthquakes aren't all bad. They raise the terrain for better solars, and being on the western side of the earthquake, it makes your terrain more rainy. Not a great pop, but not as bad as some think, IMHO.

[Net Warrior]

Good idea about setting a schedule for upcomming turns. Next turn doesn't seem too complicated. We'll have to decide where to move our 2 scouts, what to do with the former, and what to build at Fallow Times. Also, be sure to remember to move the worker to the rainy rolling square in Fallow Times next turn.

I suggest, while moving through as much fungus as possible, exploring with the Independent Scout Patrol (ISP) and popping that southern pod with the Fallow Times Scout Patrol (FTSP). Build a CP at Fallow times.

I guess the plan is to road with the former, although solar-road would be ok by me. We are energy starved. At 15 turns to build a CP, we need to get to Planned SE ASAP to shave some time off our builds (another form of turn advantage).

[Net Warrior]

I wonder if other factions will be notified that "rainfall patterns have been altered near Fallow Times"? Maybe a CMN can enlighten us?

[Drogue]

I'll have a look at the turns when I get home and see.

[Chaos Theory]

I'm in favor of a solar panel, maybe with a road before or after. CPs as fast as possible are good, but a scout is probably best in base #2 now. I hope we get some energy, from worms or pods, by the time we get Planned.

[smacksim]

Well, we shouldn't be informed if they get the message or not. Often you can 'see' that worldwide rainfall has changed as the game engine updates every tile to the new pattern, even far away.

Agree that we are desparately energy starved.

In some ways I like being 'behind' in tech for awhile. It keeps our opportunities open for stealing/trading to various plateaus. We have formers. That is the big thing. Just think. Some factions don't have formers yet. Another thing(s) about building a solar:
population speed is more important than tech speed, this early in the game, in general. Planned will help, so:

Tech in 3 infonets. That's pretty much that.
PlaNets in ?. We could finish a solar on the first turn of this, doubling our energy output, but, we lack the EC's to switch to Planned, and we give up a 1 or 2 turn advantage with the new CP, possibly, depending on how far we need to road.

What really needs to be calculated then is

• How long to CP build currently (I've forgotten)
• How many former turns, including moving will it take to road to a proper base site
• Do we therefore have enough time to solar and road

-S

[Net Warrior]

One more thing to consider: Gaia's Landing will be size 2 in 8 turns but a CP there will not be completed for 14 turns. That's not a probelm because we have a rainy rolling square to work. OTOH, Fallow Times becomes size 2 in 11 turns and the CP we start next turn will also take 14 turns to complete. Here we don't have a good square to work, a 2-0-0 or a 1-1-0 IIRC. So that's 5 turns with an underutilized worker. We need a forest!

I'm toying with the heretic idea of building another former instead of 2 CP's. That allows 1 base to grow to size 2 and if we forest there we can build a CP at that base next, twice as fast.

[smacksim]

In SP I often build lots of formers like that, ie, instead of CPs or scouts. But consider the Gaians mindworm capturing. This is a faction that should always keep that in mind. I'm starting to lean towards trying to rush the upcoming CP so we can afford a new scout somewhere.

-S

[Net Warrior]

I've been advocating for scouts all along. I'm glad to get some more support. What I'd really like is to build a scout at Gaia's landing immediately which should take 4 more turns and then a CP. During the CP build the base will grow to size 2 and with a forest in place the build should be relatively quick. During this time we would solar immediately and then move the former NW to forest (no time for roads). I'd also like to build a former at Fallow Times immediately (10 turns) and then have our formers work together to road for the CP we'll be building. In the mean time we'll be exploring with our scouts and hoping for a good pod pop south.

I don't expect complete agreement but if you do disagree then please outline your plan in at least as much detail.

[smacksim]

Well, let's debate the issues before trying to outline our
Plan of Action for 2105

I'm for CP at Gaia's. Population turn advantage is the most important. Secondly, building a scout first will mean the CP, when it's born, will cause 1 support for Gaias. Not much, but a 'waste'. If we build the scout second, it'll be born after the CP has established a new base, so no support issues there. The new scout can go re-home if Gaia's builds yet another CP. Keep the support issues = 0 if possible.

I did hear ya the two other times you brought up building scouts. Like I said before, we are early into the game yet, security wise. The main thrust of scouts is to find a worm or pop pods this early. After 2115, that's another story.

Former: solar then road. We have a bit of a cushion on getting any road to a new base site done, hence the solar first, but it is a bit of turn-unadvantage to leave a square un-roaded with a former. The forest idea seems good, but is NW fungus? I'll have to look at the pic again. On the other hand, as Obs pointed out, the forest can wait. The turn advantage of roading into the new base site seems much more important to me now.
Fallow Time: I think we have time to make a former there and then a CP and not 'waste' too many turns at size 2.

What we really need are some ECs for rushing the GL colony pod and the FT former. Hopefully our new FT-scout will find one.

Our independent scout. Agree that NE is a good direction? Into the fungus we go.

After we debate a little I'll post 2 alternate 'Plans of Action' for voting. Not that anyone else is here Net I really appreciate you posting. It's getting awefully lonely here in Gaia without Obstructor.

-Smack