Secret Projects - building and research (early game)

[arginine]

A side question: Would it be worth it to get 'secrets of the human brain' so we can upgrade crawlers with our energy (synth, trance)? For 90 EC, a 3 row crawler becomes an 8 row crawler....
We could use 2 upgraded, and 1 regular crawler to build HGP, and 4 upgraded crawlers for PTS, or PEG.

Ideally, we'd be able to trade (or steal) it. I'd see us trying to get it right after IA. We have to get biogenics anyways, and social psych is needed to get ethical calc (creche, demo). I guess the big question is can the SPs wait until we have reached secrets of human brain?

[Archaic]

I'd say that depends on just how soon we want to get the Planetary Energy Grid. It might be worth going for it before lifting restrictions.

[jtsisyoda]

I think we get more in the early game by building the SP's ASAP, rush-building more crawlers, instead of waiting for SotHB for upgrading.

I think PEG is worth getting soon after IA.

[Vander]

How possible is it that the other team(s) will try to build the PEG or ME just to deny it to us? I tend to get the VW just to deny it against the Uni; and if I were the other teams, I do anything I could to stop us from getting more money.

[Archaic]

Assuming we went directly for the PEG directly after IA, they would have needed to do the same thing to even have a hope. We have the best research out of all the Human factions in this game, without a doubt. It's only the whims of fate, pod pops, trade, and the mod3 rule which might stand against us.

Which makes the question, is the PEG important enough that we should go for it before any other project, or should we bet on them going for the restriction lifting techs first and instead grab for ourselves the other earlier projects first? While the PEG might speed up our gaining of other projects, by the time we complete it, it may be too late to make the attempt on the others.

[Chaunk]

HGP->VW (Invaluable in GA- pop booms IMO)->PEG to my mind. The HGP is essential to our plans (Well not quite essential, but it's certainly much harder to pop boom sans HGP as I'm sure the other factions know.) and the VW practically gives a gaurateed GA with the HGP.

The PEG comes after, but to my mind before the PTS. By the time the PEG is built, many of our bases will already be size 3, and the extra few pop it presents may not be so useful. Of course, if we can get the PTS earlier than I'd usually get it, then it'll be invaluable, but it may not be. We shall see!

[AndiD]

Secret Projects - building and research (early game)

(I split thread from the "Map Room")

So you are thinking about: HGP->VW->PEG->PTS?

If we build the PTS that late how will the chance be that the Angels (or anyone else beelining to IA) will snatch it before us?

The PTS early (as 2nd project) OTOH boosts everything afterwards and allows our "private WP" in building a second former at each base (and maybe rushing RTs ASAP before or after that)

PEG late has the "advantage" that you would have to research 2 extra techs and chances are fewer that anyone will snatch it...

[Archaic]

The VW does certainly help a GA pop boom, and I wouldn't be against it as the 2nd project, however if we're still able to expand, or if our bases are for the most part below size 3, when we are ready to begin our 2nd project, then the PTS could be well worth it.

[-SafaN-]

SotHB can also be valuable for the defence against the worms: 10 ec to upgrade from flat scout to trance scout
it will depend on the number of worms though

[jtsisyoda]

I prefer HGP, PTS, PEG, VW. If we build in that sequence, we might be powerful enough to snag one other, like ME or WP.

The PTS is basically free. It's so powerful, I wouldn't dare not building it right away.

If it looks like we can get HGP, then we should be expanding to at least the 2nd b-limit (assuming Demo, even if we don't switch right away). This means all our cities will be size one, which means PTS will triple our population from 18 to 54. Other factions will have to put more effort into expanding. They'll probably have to go planned and use their 10 mins for a scout.

[Impaler[WrG]]

I think PTS is an excelent progect to go after, we can get ICS going and our expantion will be excelent. With HGP and PTS its almost impossible to Riot a small base no matter how many you have.

As for SotHB I would put it as a low priority, if no one else has picked it up after we have IA we might go for it and take BioGen as the freebee tec. That atleast denies everyone else the free tec and bairly slows us down.

[jtsisyoda]

We should stay under the 3rd b-limit if we want to GA boom with the HGP. However, I'm not opposed to ICS'ing with HGP, PTS, ad infinitum, not booming, and going momentum after that. With HGP, PTS, Green econ, 1 garrison, there are no riots, no matter how many bases we build. A borehole for every base and we're ready to rock.

SotHB is on the way to Cent Emp if the Gaians want to go Green.

[CEO Aaron]

Typically in my play, I execute in this order: HGP, PTS, VW, then I begin collecting any other projects I can grab. Granted, this is an outlook geared toward single player play, nevertheless, I feel that grabbing the PTS asap is a spectacular way to vault foward in production and research power.

I would not place a premium on being first to SotHB. The primary utility of that tech to us is a) Empath garrisons, critical for prolonged stays in Market. b) It's a lead-in tech for clean reactors, critical for allowing us to field a large former army and sufficient garrisons.

[arginine]

HGP - We can go to b limit 2 instead of 1 without psych. Also, lets us build to b limit 3 instead of 1 for pop booming.

PTS - poof! all of your cities are now size 3. In addition, one drone is taken care of. This will double our faction size and production instantly.

PEG - Effectively increases energy production of entire faction by 50%. A biggie for us cash dependent factions.

VW - gives holo theaters in bases with network nodes. I think that if we can build a net node in a city, we can also build a holo theater in there as well.

I hoped that we'd be able to find someone with secrets of the human brain, then steal or trade for it, so we could use it in time. In single player, a bar will come up saying xxx discovers "secrets of the human brain", and it sparks research, but I don't know if it does in multiplayer.

[Archaic]

Just how far away was Yang again? 10 tiles? Do we have the space to ICS with the PTS?