Covert Operations - General (2101 - 2124)

[Kody]

Because I think starting techs aren't counted when calculating the tech lead.

[Googlie]

You could be right, although the formula doesn't seem to differentiate between starting techs and researched techs (nor between starting units and built units) when calculating overall faction might:

Extracted from conceptsx.txt
#ADVCONCEPT11
The formula used to compute a faction's might is as follows:
^
^4 points for each point of population
^4 points for each $LINK
^?? points for each $LINK (sum of Explore, Discover, Build, Conquer values)
^10 points for each $LINK
^
^For each non-combat unit, add Cost/40 (technically MineralRows/4)
^For each psi unit, add Cost/20 (MineralRows/2)
^For each planet buster, add Cost/10 (MineralRows)
^For combat units, add Cost/10 in ratio of weapon strength to best
^ weapon of any unit currently in the game.
^
^So a 2-1-2 unit is only worth half value if "4" weapons are the best available.

Although, later on in conceptsx, it says (my bolding):

#ADVCONCEPT4
Your Alpha Centauri Score is computed as follows:
^
^(1) 1 point for each citizen of each base.
^(2) If you have won a $LINK or $LINK victory, score:
^ (a) 1 point for each citizen of a $LINK base.
^ (b) 1/2 point for each citizen of any other faction's base.
^(3) 1 point for each citizen of a surrendered base.
^(4) 1 point for each unit of $LINK your bases are receiving.
^(5) 1 point for each $LINK discovered.
^(6) 10 points for each $LINK advance.
^(7) 25 points for each $LINK.
^(8) A $LINK bonus if you have won the game.

[Googlie]

2111 report

• University has taken the tech lead from us, as well as the overall lead from Yang
• All 4 human factions still at 2 pop size (we go to 3 next turn)
• Morgan still the only faction not to be running Frontier/Simple/Survival (they're running Frontier/Free market/Survival)
• No other human faction has yet discovered either Doc Mobility or Doc Flex (and neither Angels nor Morgan have Cent Ecol yet either)

[Googlie]

2112 report (turn opened, but nothing moved)

Population sizes:

• Angels at size 4
• Gaians at size 3
• Sparta at size 3
• Morgan at size 2

Morgan has researched (or traded/popped) Cent Ecol

[Maniac]

Weird. One would expect that, if Morgan had some recycling tanks, that they too would grow a bit faster than normal.

[Googlie]

Next turn will be interesting - if Angels and Gaians are building CP's like us - and if they have the ec's to rush production - we'll see their pops back at 2 next turn (as ours will be)

[Googlie]

Hmm - one other thing re the 2112 turn. I notice that Morgan has ceded the reserves lead to Lal, suggesting that they've rushed something (I doubt that it's a colony pod, as they have enough veteran players to realize that completion and pop increasing in the same turn delays completion, so ec's would be wasted in rushing)

Perhaps a former?

G.

[Skanky Burns]

According to their magazine they build an energy bank.

As a milestone of economic development within the Morganite faction, the first Morgan Industries Stock Exchange has been opened this morning at the capital.

Not sure if that is just roleplay or if it is actually possible.

[Zeiter]

But wouldn't they have to be bringing in over 12 energy in that base for them to just break even due to the maintenance cost of the energy bank? With +3 ECON, They'd get 6 energy in the base square, and then AT MOST 4 energy in other squares (river + energy bounus). Otherwise, just 2 energy (due to energy restrictions). So, they would be making anywhere between 8 and 14 energy in that base, and either losing 1 EC/year (worst case scenario), breaking even, or gaining 1 EC/year (best case scenario). I hardly think that would be a good investment at this point in the game. There are so many other things they could invest their money in besides an energy bank.

[Googlie]

2113 report

(turn opened, but nothing moved)

Population sizes:

• Angels still at size 4
• Gaians at size 2(so they've got a Colony Pod in transit to a base site)
• Sparta at size 2 (as do we)
• Morgan at size 4

No change in tech status (at least re our 2 "proprietary" ones - Doc Mobility and Doc Flexibility - and Roze still doesn't have Centauri Ecology)

No change in SE choices - we're all running Fronteir/Simple/Survival except for Morgan who changed from Simple to Free Market a few turns ago

Here are the power charts:

[Zeiter]

I wonder, did the Gaians get some unlucky pod pops early on? Because they've been consistently behind the pack for most of the game so far.

[Googlie]

I know - it's hard to fathom.

They didn't establish their second base until 2104, so lost a couple of years to us (and we lost a year to both the Angels and Morgan who founded both bases on their first turn) - that might have had something to do with their standing

And they didn't keep up with us or Morgan as regards that first tech (2104) - and neither did the Angels (as they play before Morgan, if they had discovered in 2104, they'd have been listed as the first)

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Andemagne
someone should be appointed to update this thread reculary(Chief Intelligence Officer or something. I don't know), or is the turn player doing it allready?

That's pretty much my job:

Originally posted by Googlie in the Command Center thread
Junta Officers (so far)

(Rank somewhat arbitrarily assigned as per the Spartan Information Screens

Chairman of the Junta (pro-tem, during Santiago's indisposition) - and turnplayer: Lt. Colonel Maniac

Head of Diplomacy: Captain "General"Tacticus

Minister of Defense: Major Jamski

Quartermaster: Major Skanky Burns

Minister of Information: Captain Kassiopeia

Head of Covert Ops: Captain Googlie

[Googlie]

Covert Ops report - 2115

Here's what we've gleaned from the current turn:

• Gaians have founded a 3rd base (or else their other base has grown to size 3)
• Angels have completed a colony pod (pop dropped from 4 to 3)
• Morgan has completed 2 colony pods (pop dropped from 4 to 2) - we don't know if they were rushed, as Lal had the ec lead in 2114 and still has it in 2115
• no observable change in tech status

Here are the graphics:

[Googlie]

Covert Operations Report - 2116

No change to Gaians status - 3 bases, 3 pops

Angels have founded their 3rd base (too soon for another pop addition at one of their first 2 bases) - 3 bases, 4 pops

Morgan has founded 2 new bases - 4 bases, 4 pops

No observable change in tech status, but we seem to have snuck ahead of morgan in the barchart compared to last year (for all their extra 2 population count)