The Economic Planning Agency

[Googlie]

resurrecting this thread, and veering slightly to discussion on Specialty bases

I suggest the following for consideration:

Science & Research

Arcadia University

Has the Merchant Exchange there, plus a Hab Complex, so can grow to size 14. Also has a Rec Commons and a Holotheater. Will have its Tree Farm in 2179. I suggest the next build be a Research Hospital, followed by a Hybrid Forest, then a Biology Lab after we get Centauri Empathy

Air Force Academies

we have 3 bases with Aerospace Centers. I suggest that we take 2 of them - they don't need to be one on each continent as we're talking aircraft here - and build Bioenhancement Centers, and have them produce our aircraft as needed:

Fort Superiority

Currently produces 24 minerals, with the potential for around 40. But with its 2 boreholes is also a good research base, and perhaps with Arcadia University, Argos (2 energy specials!!) and Ironholm maybe should form our Research nexus rather than be an Air Academy

Fort Buster

Currently producing 15 minerals, with the potential of growing to 30 with forestation, or beyond with a borehole or two

Olympus Academy

Currently 10 minerals. Needs some terraforming - or imaginative crawler deployment - to get to that critical mas of 25 or so for churning out aircraft

Military Academies

As all bases have a Command Center, the only criteria should be inland (so as not to waste a potential naval base), not have an Aerospace Center (obviously) and good mineral output. One on each continent would be ideal. Candidates are:

Santiago Citadel

Currently stalled at size 7, so needs a Hab Complex to grow and a Holotheater, possibly a Tree Farm and Research Hospital as well, to handle drones. Would need a Bioenhancement center to produce instant Elites. Is a good minerals base, currently producing 17 per.

Rio Grande

Currently size 3, and will be size 4 in 20 turns, so no foreseeable drones. Currently produces 15 minerals, with quick (crawler) potential to 20, or mega with a borehole or two.

This is a strong candidate, but needs a Bioenhancement Center (100 minerals), so I suggest that we produce another crawler then either MM one or let one build naturally in three or four turns.

UN Headquarters (Kassiopeia's Citadel?)

Will be a great minerals-producing base with 4 mines. I suggest that after we stabilize the drones we get crawlers working those mines, get it to size 7 (with 2 cdf's, a rec commons and a Librarian), then focus on a Bioenhancement Center and maintain it as our Arcadian Military Headquarters

Naval Academies

As all bases also have Naval Yards (even the landlocked inland bases!!), maybe our decision where to build BioCenters and produce naval craft is more strategic than minerals-driven.

Candidates would be

• Messena, for our Northern Fleet HQ
• Gythium Harbour or Minas Tirith for our Buster Ocean Fleet
• Vladivostok ot 2 Nuts Strand for our western Arcadian Ocean Fleet
• Argos (see Research topic), Tegea Harbour, Iaci Base, Bunker 112, or Kel Harbour for our eastern Arcadian Ocean Fleet HQ
• UN High Commission or UN Aid Station for our eastern Arcadian fleet (that ocean still to be named)

I suggest we pare the list to 4. One northern (Messena), one Buster Ocean (Gythium Harbour - nice little defnsible bay), one Arcadia westcoast (Kel Harbour - again, a little defensible bay) and one Arcadia east coast (UN Aid Station - better minerals than High Commission, although the latter has a fabulous harbour)

They'd need their minerals ramped up, as well as Bioenhancement Centers built in each base (again, for the instant Elites). Current minerals - and short term potential - are

• Messena - 3 (12 with mines and farms/mines; 18 with a borehole)
• Gythium Harbour (11, then 13 with next citizen, potential around 20 or so with little terraforming effort)
• Kel Harbour (3, but 5 when the cdf is built and the citizens take to working the forest and 9 to 13 with crawler deployment)
• UN Aid Station (currently 4, but would have been 6 if we hadn't had the flying ginfreighter instabuild. Can grow to 18 minerals with population growth and/or crawler deployment)

Comments and counter-suggestions?

[Zeiter]

We also need to think about where we want to have aerospace complexes for defensive purposes (protecting against air attacks and air drops). We might want a few in southern Arcadia because of that risk from the Data Angels.

Also, why would we want a biology lab at AU? Biology labs don't give +50% research, as far as I know. They only give +2 lab points at that base. Theoretically, they could be built anywhere and have the same effect on research.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Zeiter
Also, why would we want a biology lab at AU? Biology labs don't give +50% research, as far as I know. They only give +2 lab points at that base. Theoretically, they could be built anywhere and have the same effect on research.

That's true, but it's +2 lab points pre any facilities multipliers. We have a network node there already, so that 2 becomes 3, then if we do put in a research hospital, it becomes 4.5, and if a fusion lab, then 6.75 and so on. Right now the base produces 20 lab points. If we had a BioLab, it'd be 23, a 15% increase. And even if it just means that somewhere down the line we get a tech 1 turn earlier than we otherwise would have, wouldn't it be worthwhile then?

By itself it's not very costly (2 crawlers, or 60 minerals), but in terms of protecting against a random event (they are activated in this game) at our science base, plus the contribution to research, IMO it's worth it

But of course, I'll bow to the will of the majority opinion

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Zeiter
We also need to think about where we want to have aerospace complexes for defensive purposes (protecting against air attacks and air drops). We might want a few in southern Arcadia because of that risk from the Data Angels.

Very true. And the Angels have drop capability now, with MMI.

So an early build of an Aerospace at UN Aid Station (which is the only base within 8 tiles of a possible Angels staging area) makes sense

(Temple of Sol is within range - for them - of their MartPact base, and could be used to launch against us - but of course, with PK infiltration, we'd see the build up)

[Zeiter]

That's true, but it's +2 lab points pre any facilities multipliers.

Ah, didn't know that. Well, it sounds like a good deal, then.

(Temple of Sol is within range - for them - of their MartPact base, and could be used to launch against us - but of course, with PK infiltration, we'd see the build up)

But wait, wouldn't the Angels be able to air drop into Temple of Sol, but then move out of the base? And wouldn't we be unable to detect them if they did that? We could always station some units around there, I guess.

[Googlie]

If lal ever does submit, we could just keep a pair of old B-4's on indefinite shuttle between UNHQ and temple - that'd show up anything on their route.

But it does beg a question:

Do we want to enslave lal, or eradicate him?

I ask, cos if we enslave him then we are pacted, and the Angels will then see the kind of data on us as we currently see on them (thru their Lal-pact and our Lal-infiltration). It's not as much as their having full infiltration on us, but still a lot more than they currently have on us (it'd give them our bases, names and populations, all techs and current tech being researched and energy reserves)

Eradicatibg lal would leave them blind (assuming we have adequate Crypteia defences) plus remove that possibility of airdrops onto the Arcadian Continent

[Zeiter]

Hmmm, yes, considering those questions, I'd say eradicate him.

[wuy3]

eradication looks good to me

[Modo44]

Buh-bye Lal.

[vishniac]

Lal had his chance to surrender... He decided not to! Finish him!

Considering the suggestions:

-- At AU, I'd build the HF before the Hospital. Equal psych bonus but, with so many forest tiles, the energy surplus would benefit both labs and economy, + the economy bonus.

-- When you say Fort Sup should be part of the research nexus instead of be an air academy, it's not exclusive. To maximize the research, we just have to build the HF (with the flying crawler, it can be this week) and an Hospital. After that, a Bioenhancement Center can make it an air academy. It depends when we want the military infrastructure ready.

-- Do we really need 4 naval bases, at least short-term?

More general, it goes down to "so much to do, so little resources to share".
If we're not in a hurry concerning the next war, the more we improve our bases now, the faster we'll be able to build bio-centers and units later. By analyzing the trends, we should know 'where we can go too far' in postponing a big military build-up to promote industrial power. With so huge a territory and so many bases, the current investment should put us well ahead of the others...but that's to be discussed in The Council of War.
Anyway, we need at least two bio-enhanced bases of each kind kind (sea, air and land).

[Snoddasmannen]

Don't forget that eliminating Lal would leave us blind without Angel infiltration data.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Snoddasmannen
Don't forget that eliminating Lal would leave us blind without Angel infiltration data.

This is true.

And there is another option other than enslavement or annihilation. We can always accept his "Allow me to make amends" plea and sign a truce - even a Treaty. That wouldn't give the Angels any data on us and would maintain our partial "third party" infiltration on them (so long as they remained pacted with Lal)

[Googlie]

Here's a minimap of the southern freshwater sea area - I've hilited where i think new bases might rock (black on purple) due to abundance of specials (yellow circles)

[Modo44]

Add one at Arcadia Regional Command 111. I would even suggest starting there, as that base would not require such serious defensive preparations, while still providing access to the two pods.

[vishniac]

To not waste valuable time, I suggest (shouldn't be too expensive) that we 'buy' (mc) Lal's colony pod and formers next turns.
Let's put these assets in responsible hands!