Game Discussion, Turn 2101 - 2120

[ChairmanSlick]

sorry to double post, but also - i think that naming the pass isn't that great an idea since we have already named the wall and overall our land looks somewhat unattractive due to the excess in landmarks. just my opinion tho.

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Googlie
The Game manual says:

Shall we include this in "Planet: A Survivalist's Guide"?

Originally posted by ChairmanSlick
sorry to double post, but also - i think that naming the pass isn't that great an idea since we have already named the wall and overall our land looks somewhat unattractive due to the excess in landmarks. just my opinion tho.

We could always invent a name we use for referring to the passage in roleplay or combat manoeuvres, without actually naming it on the map. Or make a one-time screenie with the landmark on it, and post it in the map thread, but then erase the landmark.

[Googlie]

On popping seapods:

If an IoD, it will always seek to drop off its cargo on the nearest land, except that if a unit is interposed, it will attack that unit.

So always approach the pod from the seaward side before popping - that gives you the chance to either attack, if your psi odds are favorable, retreat seaward with any remaining movement points (the IoD never follows), or sit still and do nothing (when the IoD moves away from you to the nearest land about 50% of the time)

Edit: (Just looked at the midturn map)

• I suggest moving the foil (name?) to 54:26, and popping that pod next turn (if an IoD, and we don't attack it, then if it drops its cargo ashore on the south slopes of the crater, Rolling Thunder can deal with it)
• move Chiron Knights up river to 61:31, then next turn use it to pop the adjacent pod. If a baddie, then R-112 CRV is there to deal with the repercussions. If a monolith, then whoopee.
• But I'd change Gythium Harbour's production to a network node before popping, just in case
• Change Placeholder's former to a speeder former before popping that pod with Rlling Thunder (change back if we don't get a completion bonus)
• I'd change Gythium Harbour's production to another gunfoil - so far it's our only naval base so is the only one that can produce foils.

[Googlie]

For those without the game up and running, here's SCC Invincible:

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Maniac
In the meanwhile here's some explanation about Ogres for non-SMAXers.

The game manual extract(my bolded italics):

Extracted from the SMAX Manual
These ancient mechanical devices were possibly used by the Progenitor race to wage war. Each Ogre is a self-contained battle unit that relies on long-lost technologies for their power and movement.

Ogres come in three varieties:

• Mark I Ogres: 6r-3r-1 units (resonance attack and defense). They count double for police duty.
• Mark II Ogres: 12r-8r-1, with police powers and dissociative wave. They possess the equivalent of a level 2 reactor.
• Mark III Ogres: 30-12-3 Elite units with police powers and dissociative wave. They possess the equivalent of a level 3 reactor.

The Ogre’s main downfall is combat damage can never be repaired, not even at a monolith. Guard them carefully!

[Snoddasmannen]

Originally posted by Maniac
In the meanwhile here's some explanation about Ogres for non-SMAXers.

Thanks Maniac!

Our Ogre will make a fine addition next to the abandoned grain silos in SC

Seriously, how are we going to get it in action? Seems too slow to march cross country and too valuable to ship on our tin foil designs.

But hey - we have the most powerful navy in the world - Go Sparta!

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Googlie
If an IoD, it will always seek to drop off its cargo on the nearest land, except that if a unit is interposed, it will attack that unit.

So always approach the pod from the seaward side before popping - that gives you the chance to either attack, if your psi odds are favorable, retreat seaward with any remaining movement points (the IoD never follows), or sit still and do nothing (when the IoD moves away from you to the nearest land about 50% of the time)

Thanks for the tip! I put it to the test, and it seems that indeed an IoD will always move to the nearest shore, even if there's a foil two tiles away. However if there's a unit on a tile right next to the IoD, it seems it will always be attacked, even if the unit is on the seaward side.

move Chiron Knights up river to 61:31, then next turn use it to pop the adjacent pod. If a baddie, then R-112 CRV is there to deal with the repercussions. If a monolith, then whoopee.

That means together with Dissident, there's a majority for moving up river.

Therefore I continued playing the turn. Ogre and foil moved as suggested.
When I tried to move the Chiron Knights upriver, immediately a worm appeared on (62.32). I attacked. The theoretical battle odds were close (81 to 70 or something), but the Chiron Knights performed remarkably well and only took 10% additional damage. This brings the unit on a total of 50% damage, meaning it'll only have one MP next turn. On the positive side, it has upgraded to veteran (+).

After those annoying fungal blooms and worm, things are once again going splendid for Sparta!

Anyway, as a consequence, we got 10 credits worth of planetpearls, bringing our total reserves to 28 credits.

That's why I am posting yet another midturn save.
We have the ability this turn to hurry the western crater base former with 24 credits and get the former next year. Or we could save our cash for a later date for one of three other base productions. What to do?

New midturn save

Edit:
Screenie with base productions

[ChairmanSlick]

i vote to buy the former == aggregately we will benefit from the early former.

[Googlie]

Rush the former. We can put a NN in production next turn before we pop that crater pod, and might get lucky

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Snoddasmannen
Seriously, how are we going to get it in action? Seems too slow to march cross country and too valuable to ship on our tin foil designs.

If we do use it offensively, and plod it overland, or send it on a trannie, we must ensure that there's an infantry probeteam with it at all times. Too valuable to be subverted.

Right now it's our best defensive unit (as well as best offensive) but the extra police rating it has is great for garrison duty. They do deteriorate with fending off mindworm attacks, etc, until they - as Maniac says - become useful only for their minerals contribution to an SP

But hey - we have the most powerful navy in the world - Go Sparta!

Well - we don't know if Yang, Zak or Lal have discovered Flex yet!!

(one neat thing about being last in turn order is that we see the end-of-turns messages, etc. So we'll see when Secrets gets discovered, for example (and promptly send our probefoil there to extract that information)

Unfortunately we also have to tell the others what's contained in these end-of-turn messages - global warming, etc etc

[Googlie]

Next turn I suggest we move Chiron Knights upriver thru that fungus patch - it might be able with 2/3rds of that 1 mp left to hang a left into 60:32, then have R-112 CRV pop that pod and hope for a monolith (it's not in fungus). If a baddie, it will still have 1 mp left to deal with it, and if the worst happens (whatever that might be - a sporelauncher just out of range maybe) then it can move to stack-cover Chiron Knights

But, as before, I'd change production at Harbour to a NN just in case we get a completion goodie - I think a Network Node would be more valuable in the long haul than another foil (similarly with popping the seapod with the foil next turn - get NN's in the nearest base just in case)

[Googlie]

After Rolling Thunder has popped the pod southeast of "Placeholder Base" - and assuming no deleterious results from the SCC Invincible's seapod pop requiring RT to hang around - I'd move it due east 2 tiles to that branch of the Eurotas River then barrel upriver to Mount Olympus to get exploring north and east

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Googlie
(one neat thing about being last in turn order is that we see the end-of-turns messages, etc. So we'll see when Secrets gets discovered, for example (and promptly send our probefoil there to extract that information)

Only today I discovered this message in the turn tracking thread:

"For what it's worth, the Uni has discovered SotHB."

So it apparently are the first in turnorder (the Gaians) who get to see the general messages. Note that Chaos Theory only added this message twenty hours after posting the turn. As a consequence I assume we all missed it.

To avoid such a thing in the future, especially for something important like global warming, how about the Gaians have to tell such general messages to Drogue or Method, who could post them in each private forum?


Anyway, here's a copy of the Battle Report:

Battle Report MY 2118

• Informations Networks researched. Next choices were as predicted. Applied Physics selected. Our tech cost has risen to 75 labs.
• Lieutenant Dissident, Founder of the Spartans Naval Corps, christens the first combat ship on Planet. Production in Gythium Harbour temporarily set to a Speeder Former.
• Placeholder (temporary name ) base founded.
• Rolling Thunder moves to the unity pod in the Crater Lakes and discovers a... Battle Ogre Mk1!!! (production in Placeholder then changed from speeder former to normal former)
• R-112 CRV moved E-S through the passage between the fungal walls. (Should we give this passage a name?) Unity pod discovered SW of its location.
• Ogre moving east.
• Gun skimship moved next to a unity pod. Should be popped next year.
• The Chiron Knights attempted to move up the river, but encountered yet another worm. It was flamed and we got 10 credits worth of planetpearls. The Knights are now 50% damaged and have veteran (+) morale.
• The former in our new base has been hurried and will be complete next year. 24 credits spent. 4 left in our reserves.

Sparta MY 2118 presend

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Maniac
The former in our new base has been hurried and will be complete next year. 24 credits spent. 4 left in our reserves.

Hmm - I make it 25 ec's - if the worker is left on the 3-1-1- nut, or 23 ec's if that worker is moved to a 1-2-1 crater tile.

I don't get an even number under any circumstances (31 - [2 x mins] to rush the last row of a unit)

G.

[Andemagne]

Originally posted by Kassiopeia
Short and to the point, the Spartan way.

yes, the Laconic Way.