Game Discussion, Turn 2121 - 2140

[Maniac]

Midturn Battle Report MY 2138

• OA builds formers and starts on a probe team. FB builds scout patrol and starts on former. SC4 completes CP and starts on scout patrol. Can still be changed of course.
• R-112 detected a spore launcher. How to proceed?
• Transport moves into the direction of Gythium Harbour and SCC Hunter towards a unity pod.
• SC4 CP moves into the direction of GH.
• Warwarg moves to GH, and Shinsengumi moves to SC1 for garrison duty.
• Should Zak be contacted to buy some tech, such as Gene Splicing? How to respond to his probable pact offer?

[Zeiter]

OA builds formers and starts on a probe team. FB builds scout patrol and starts on former. SC4 completes CP and starts on scout patrol. Can still be changed of course.

How about we have that former help the other two with the mine. That way we'll have it finished, what, next turn?

We could have SC4 start on another probe team. If we ever have an over-abundance of probe teams (unlikely), then we can try a risky mission like probing Yang and framing someone else.

R-112 detected a spore launcher. How to proceed?

If R-112 has enough moves left for a full strength attack, I say go for it. If not, then just wait until next turn.

Should Zak be contacted to buy some tech, such as Gene Splicing? How to respond to his probable pact offer?

Sure, call him up. Definitely buy gene splicing, and if he offers NL math as a run-up to offering GS, I'd go ahead and get that as well. We'd be able to switch research priorities to Ecological Engineering, right? (better pre-test that with a simulator or something first), and almost immediately discover it, giving us boreholes, condensors, and min restrictions lifted, not to mention a nice bargaining chip with the other factions. This would put us in a very strong position. I'd wager we could do a one-for-one IA for EcoEng swap with another faction.
And if we go that route, then switch SC4 production to a former.

As for the pact offer...hmmm...it's tempting. Although at this point, I'd rather not disturb the slumbering Hive behemoth. Maybe the Hive will soon propose an alliance against Uni. That would be ideal. So I guess, just say no to Zak's offer at this point.

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Zeiter
How about we have that former help the other two with the mine. That way we'll have it finished, what, next turn?

Ah, I wrote a mistake. OA didn't build a former but a scout patrol, which is now garrisoning OA (allowing Shinsengumi to move to SC1).

We could have SC4 start on another probe team. If we ever have an over-abundance of probe teams (unlikely), then we can try a risky mission like probing Yang and framing someone else.

May I suggest to leave SC4 production at a scout patrol and letting FB build a probe team instead of a former? The reason is we need to have at least 10 scout patrols by MY 2144 or so to counter all the new drones that will appear due to base growth and expanded bureaucracy (b-drones because of new bases). We currently have 5 scout patrols.

With an extra probe team in FB we'd have four probe teams, which I hope should be more than sufficient for a probe rape.

FYI, here are the expected turns until the next growth for all the bases:
SC1: 1 turn
SC2: 2 turns
GH: 1 turn
SC3: 6 turns (is currently size 2, but will shrink to size 1 after CP production, and will quickly after (MY 2144) grow back to size 2)
OA: no growth
SC4: 5 turns
OA: 5 turns

If R-112 has enough moves left for a full strength attack, I say go for it. If not, then just wait until next turn.

Ah, I didn't post the screenie yet. It's attached now to this post. Due to Zones of Control, R-112 is unable to attack the spore launcher.

Sure, call him up. Definitely buy gene splicing, and if he offers NL math as a run-up to offering GS, I'd go ahead and get that as well. We'd be able to switch research priorities to Ecological Engineering, right?

Something else I forgot to tell in the battle report. We researched Nonlinear Mathematics this year. If we had bought NonlMath and Gene Splicing from Zak previous year, we could indeed have had EcoEng by now. But unfortunately Googlie only got back and discovered the possibility a few hours after sent forward the turn.
That's one of the problems with hardly having any active Spartans: besides me, no one else was here with SMAX who could open the turn and check some AI diplomacy. As a consequence we've missed out on a great opportunity.

(better pre-test that with a simulator or something first),

Done with the simulator you can find in the Factional Datalinks.
Choices after trading Gene Splicing would be EcoEng, ProgPsych & Biogen. Easy choice I guess?

I switched to Social Psych after getting NonlMath. Since we've accumulated 10 labs, switching to EcoEng after getting Gene Splicing would cost 5 labs. That's worth it I suppose?

As for the pact offer...hmmm...it's tempting. Although at this point, I'd rather not disturb the slumbering Hive behemoth. Maybe the Hive will soon propose an alliance against Uni. That would be ideal. So I guess, just say no to Zak's offer at this point.

Okay. I contacted Zak and after I refused a pact, he offered a treaty instead. How about accepting that? It'll make Zak more friendly with us I guess if we'd want to trade some more. And if we want to go to war with him later, AIs are easy to provoke into declaring Vendetta, so we should be able to avoid a reputation loss. Simply asking a withdrawal of their troops usually already suffices to get a war.

[Googlie]

I've run the AI simulated diplomacy - we can take the treaty with Zak, and buy GS from him for 100 ec's (and also we can borrow 74 ec's from him as well, to replenish our coffers)

Then we can change from Soc Psych to Ecol Eng (we lose 1/2 of the 8 lab points we have accumulated - big deal)

So I'd say, go for the treaty and get GS and the ec's from Zak

(Edit add: - as a result we also move into first place in the (humans) powerbar charts!!!)

[Maniac]

Googlie!

Attached is the midturn save with the actions you describe.
(Just remembered, didn't switch to EcoEng yet)

(Mid2 was a midturn save from a few hours back where I had already bought Gene Splicing, but hadn't signed a treaty or suggested a loan.)

[Googlie]

Hmm - we can sell Gene Splicing to Yang for 25 ec's if we need more credits (but he won't trade a tech to us for it)

I say we don't sell it - it becomes a bargaining chip for us for later trades as only the Uni, ourselves (and presumably Lal) are the factions that have it (and none of the other 3 teams have the Uni or PK's commlinks yet)

[Googlie]

Some thoughts on the turn before finalizing:

Do we want to rush (for 12 ec;s) the probe team at Citadel so that it can board the trannie next turn?

Why don't we change Craterwest's production to an impact infantryman and rush it this turn (11 ec's), then start on a CP next turn - that way we can upgrade the rovers next turn into instant impact units?

And if we are going to pop the pod at 43:27 with Hunter next turn let's change production beforehand at Cratersouth and Harbour to a research Hoispital in case we get a podpop facs completion goodie

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Googlie
I say we don't sell it

I agree!

Do we want to rush (for 12 ec;s) the probe team at Citadel so that it can board the trannie next turn?

Sounds great! I think it would be 13 credits though as hurry costs are rounded up.
Btw, which trannie would you let it board? The southern one, or a near-future eastern one?

Why don't we change Craterwest's production to an impact infantryman and rush it this turn (11 ec's), then start on a CP next turn - that way we can upgrade the rovers next turn into instant impact units?

Sounds like a plan. A drawback though is that the impact infantry from SC3 would be hardened. While if we'd build eg an impact rover in SC2, it would be commando and could be immediately upgraded to elite near a monolith. So we'd miss out on an extra elite unit.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Maniac
Sounds like a plan. A drawback though is that the impact infantry from SC3 would be hardened. While if we'd build eg an impact rover in SC2, it would be commando and could be immediately upgraded to elite near a monolith. So we'd miss out on an extra elite unit.

Good point - and I guess we don't need impact immediately, so I concur with buiulding the unit at a base with a Command Center

Btw, which trannie would you let it board? The southern one, or a near-future eastern one?

I'd say the southern one (3 tiles away from Harbour), then send it northwest to that 3-mountain landmass where I'm certain Buster would have put another human faction (perhaps with Hunter going first to establish contact and put them at ease and unsuspecting before we slip our probe through the fungus)

(And after thinking about it, perhaps we should delay popping that pod at 43:27 until we get the trannie there in case it's another AA - we can aleways hold back Hunter to take care of an IoD if that should appear as a result of podpopping - we can't have enough AA's for when we do start our SP's. I see that Morgan has again got 3 on the go)

G.

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Googlie
Good point - and I guess we don't need impact immediately, so I concur with buiulding the unit at a base with a Command Center

Okay, SC3 continues to build a CP for now. And an impact unit can be started in SC2 next year, as the probe team there has been hurried.

I'd say the southern one (3 tiles away from Harbour), then send it northwest to that 3-mountain landmass where I'm certain Buster would have put another human faction (perhaps with Hunter going first to establish contact and put them at ease and unsuspecting before we slip our probe through the fungus)

(And after thinking about it, perhaps we should delay popping that pod at 43:27 until we get the trannie there in case it's another AA - we can aleways hold back Hunter to take care of an IoD if that should appear as a result of podpopping - we can't have enough AA's for when we do start our SP's. I see that Morgan has again got 3 on the go)

I like it. So if I understand you correctly, you'd suggest something like on the screenie below? The trannie first completes its CP mission, and then continues to the unity pod. Meanwhile Hunter explores the unknown surroundings a bit and is scheduled to return to the pod on the same time as the trannie will arrive there?

When following such a plan, it would mean the probe team on the transport would spend years on the transport though without a clear purpose. The two probe teams now under production in OA and FB could even be complete by the time the transport has completed its pod popping mission and can move further in the unknown.
That's why I'm wondering what you would think of the following.

The SC2 probe team moves east to be included on the Zak infiltration mission.
The probe teams under training in OA and FB move to the west coast after being completed, where they are picked up by the transport which can move there after its pod popping mission.
That would give us two probe teams for the eastern Zak infiltration mission, and two other teams for the western unknown-human infiltration mission.

[Zeiter]

The SC2 probe team moves east to be included on the Zak infiltration mission. The probe teams under training in OA and FB move to the west coast after being completed, where they are picked up by the transport which can move there after its pod popping mission.
That would give us two probe teams for the eastern Zak infiltration mission, and two other teams for the western unknown-human infiltration mission.

Sounds good.

Also, I guess we need to get farms on those rolling/rainy squares ASAP now that we have Gene Splicing. I wonder if we might need more formers?

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Zeiter
more formers?

Re next year, SC1 will produce a scout patrol, and Fiona the Ogre will reach Gythium Harbour. This leaves Shinsengumi, Warwag and 1st Infantry free for other stuff - they're no longer needed for garrison in those bases. How about moving those three units to Santiago Citadel? From that central position they could quickly react to b-drones appearing as a consequence of the foundation of our east coast base MY 2140.

[Googlie]

2139 midturn report:

• Fiona reached Gythium Harbour
• WarWag, Shinsengumi and 1st Infantry move to SC2 as suggested
• Colony Pod moves adjacent to Harbour
• Trannie moves into bay adjacent to Harbour (if Colony pod can't board directly next turn then trannie can move into Harbour to pick it up then move out again)
• Eastern Colony pod and scout move into position fpor next base founding at 66:12
• Both probe teams move towards that location ready to board trannie when completed next turn (after base founding)
• AA and protecting rover move up peninsula towards Harbour
• SCC Hunter moves west and north on its suggested loop
• R-112 moved east onto the mineral tile
• Changed production at Harbour and SC1 to research Hospitals prior to popping that pod with Invincible - got a sonar map revealing the seaborder of a PK base to its south - headed that way to explore (and changed production
• Started an impact infantryman in SC2, a former in SC1 and a foil probe team at GH (they can always be changed later before the first minerals row is completed)

Comments?

[Maniac]

Things are going great!

Is the turn ready for sending forward?

[Googlie]

Turn sent on