Return on mineral investment

[kt_butts]

It occurs to me that once Industrial Automation has been researched, you should almost never spend time building anything else. Instead of building a base improvement (tree farm, Fusion lab, etc.) for 120 minerals (just a round number, I have no idea how many minerals it takes to build either off the top of my head), build 4 supply crawlers. After each one is built move it to a square adjacent to the base and convoy whatever factors of production you want. When you build your 4th crawler move the other 3 back into the base, set the base to produce whatever you want and disband all of the crawlers.
I figure this will make better use of materials and time. It has the added benefit of keeping our opponent in MP from knowing to much about your game plan (assuming your datalinks have been infiltrated). Until you actually build something, all he knows is you're building supply crawlers.
Has anyone tried this? I'm curious as to how effective it might be.

[VoodooChild]

I have thought about a version of this, but reserved for buildings such as tree farms or hab domes when I'm poised for a pop boom. Usually when I gain the tech for one of these structures, I'm knee deep in other builds, but desire these structures buildt as quickly as possible. So, I will disband some crawlers that I have been using to haul energy to my captial to get whatever I'm building to 50% complete, then purchase the rest with my energy reserves, then repeat the next round with my important building.

In these special circumstances it is worth the loss of 50% of your crawler's mineral investment to rush a pop boom, but otherwise I save them for SPs and Protos.

[Simpson II]

I have argue that it isn't worth loosing half the minerals you produce. The ROI on crawlers is so good that I will usually just keep them out harvesting minerals, so that my bases are just on the limit for eco-damage. It doesn't take long to build a 120 mineral improvement, that way, nor even the early SPs.

[Simpson II]

Crawlers are only disbanded for their whole mineral value towards SPs and prototypes. Disband them towards facilities or normal units, and you will loose half of their value, just like any other unit.

However, you can do the trick with needlejets, providing they aren't prototyped. Use crawlers to get each base up to the 'normal' cost for the unit, then add enough to one of them to complete it next turn. I think this one needs to be at your HQ, but it could be the last base you built; I'm not sure. It's the first base the program deals with in the upkeep phase, anyway.

IMHO a better method is to have sufficient production to churn out needlejets in one turn anyway. Then it doesn't matter if someone has infiltrated your datalinks.

[kt_butts]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I believe that crawlers are disbanded for their full mineral value. I think you only get half minerals for non-crawler units.

Also, the idea came to me as more of a way to prevent your opponent from knowing too much about your production when he has infiltrated your datalinks. If you follow this srategy, your opponent would only have one turn to prepare for a rush of, say x-njet penetrators. The extra production from crawler convoys is ice-cream.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Simpson II,

Same strat can be applied to builds of PB's if so inclined. Moral of the story is beware the player that has crawlers lying around as they can instantly be applied to prototype build and normal builds in a single turn allowing a surprise you'ld rather not deal with. (1 turn response ouch!! Not that many games last until Space flight tho')

[MariOne]

"...beware the player that has crawlers lying around..."

Thanks OO! This makes me remember of a game... JAMiAM should be able to tell you more about 10 PBs built overnight with the same tactic mentioned above (and my HQ had skunkworks too!).

What, that's an old story? Gloating it's not polite? What do you mean? i don't understand...

[Sarxis]

Gosh darn!$&#*$& I totally forgot about using crawlers to build prototypes! I could have really used that in a game....

[for a PB, or course] ;¬D

[Skanderbeg]

I think, on long terms a good mix of crawlers and base enhancements will pay better then crawlers only.

If You only build crawlers, You will ADD something to Your production. Say for example, if Your crawler harvests two energy, it ADDS two energy to your income.

If You build enhancements, they will MULTIPLICATE Your production in some way. If You have built an energy bank, it enhances Your income about 50%. Every crawler harvesting two energy now adds you three energy!

It's the same with many other base enhancements.

Additionally, if You only build crawlers, You have to space your bases very far to get enough place for those hordes of crawlers, and this will make the bases and as well the crawlers more vulnerable.
You would have to protect them, by giving them armor or a accompanying military unit. And this will reduce your benefit of the crawler, because an armored crawlers doesn't harvest more FOPs than an unarmored.