What manner of pod popper are you?

[Myronides]

ups, triple post! something's wrong

[This message has been edited by Myronides (edited February 19, 2001).]

[Myronides]

sorry, double post
[This message has been edited by Myronides (edited February 19, 2001).]

[Myronides]

Skanderberg:
You don't have to finish a game in a day if you have ironman on. You can allways save an ironman game and continew later. You just can't reload from an old save, you have to reload exactly were you left it.

[Skanderbeg]

quote: Originally posted by Myronides on 02-19-2001 04:06 PM Skanderberg: You don't have to finish a game in a day if you have ironman on. You can allways save an ironman game and continew later. You just can't reload from an old save, you have to reload exactly were you left it.

Myronides!
Thanks for that tip! I thought ironman means "no saving".

[sunchaser3]

I am a maniac pod popper. I just can't resist. I will pop a pod with a colony pod in the early game. This is not as crazy as it sounds really.
Think about those first six or so turns. You have (lets say for argument) three pods on your screen when you land. If you wait to use your scout patrol to get them all, or until your second one is built, it could be 8-10 turns before you can open them all. If one of those pods has a monolith that could be as much as twenty energy wasted just trying to get to the pod. That could be a lot in those early races to get SotHB or something.
If you send your scout in one direction and your colony pod in the other all the pods will be open in half the time. I also have noticed that pods opened by colony pods seem to reap better things, but that may just be my scewed perception.
It is a calculated risk, but for someone as reckless as me (hmm.. my 80% damaged rover could wait one turn before opening that thing, but I can't resist!) it is a risk worth taking.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

No real set pattern for me. Inthe early game I pop as many as possible in the hopes of having an event Your Human Genome Project has been completed or a resource special/monolith or an AA.

Later on 'bout the time I have 6 or so bases built I'll look to be a little more cautios and either build a base next to a pod or send in an empath speeder with two movement points. Since I'm rarely a 'greenie' worms normally don't get used for pod popping detail altho' deep inside I know it would be worthwhile.

What I would like to know tho' is how the program makes decisions as to what will be the outcome of a popped pod. Seems to me at a certain point the likelihood of worms/IOD's becomes much greater than any other outcome. Am I dreaming this or do others think the same way? B/c of this I normally make later pod pops knowing that I will be able to deal witht he consequences.

Og

[Slimehorse]

Ogie: Wait a second... "Your *HUMAN GENOME PROJECT* has been completed"?!? I've never ever seen a pod pop end up rush building a SP. Is this really possible?

[mark13]

Never seen that happen - I will often chose something really expensive to build in my outpost, and rely on it being completed by a pod, but never SPs.

[Misotu]

Wow, no. Like Mark, I change production in the hope but never to an SP ... is that really true Ogie? I didn't think it was possible ...

[Fitz]

quote: Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe on 02-20-2001 05:02 PM What I would like to know tho' is how the program makes decisions as to what will be the outcome of a popped pod. Seems to me at a certain point the likelihood of worms/IOD's becomes much greater than any other outcome. Am I dreaming this or do others think the same way? B/c of this I normally make later pod pops knowing that I will be able to deal witht he consequences.

Are you popping during periods of increased native lifeform activity. i believe this increases the likelyhood of getting worms from a pod.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Naah guys I was just yanking your chain. I've never had an SP completed from a pod pop. But the fable has it that someone out there has at one time. Now if I could only remember who it was. Damn memory loss and early onset of Alzheimers. Seems to me it was someone(s)from the ACOL crowd or maybe even predated to the OWO forum days back when I used to lurk instead of post.

However, it does make you think. Maybe just maybe it will work to have the event finish off an SP.

Anyone have any idea as to what could be the underlying logic as to what the outcome of a pod pop is. Fitz, I think your right but also I think theres more to it. Seems to me if I pop pods in perehelion I almost always guaranteed a worm or two, but also since I run a lot of FM, I seem to get more than my fair share of worms. Do you think your planet rating might have an effect as well?
[This message has been edited by Ogie Oglethorpe (edited February 20, 2001).]

[Basil]

I've had a popped pod complete a planetbuster (which had just been started) a cool 250 minerals or so!

[Killjoy]

The further away you are from your headquarters when you pop a pod, the more likely you are to get a mind worm instead of something beneficial. IIRC its in the Prima guide.

I also believe your planet rating has an effect on the resulting 'pop' but I'd have to double check.

[RedFred]

Ogie, I seem to recall somebody here at 'Poly that claimed to have pod popped a SP, but he claimed that it could only happen in OCC. I haven't seen it myself though. Another wild rumour methinks.

You can call me an ironman. I will not reload after a pop. As I don't have a cat, I only reload if the game crashes.

For me worms are often a good outcome. Cash or maybe even a "free" native unit. I'll lose a unit here or there if I don't have backup but I use mainly expendible units, preferrably worms of my own anyhow. Early pod pops of fungus are worse but not as bad as the evil earthquake in the jungle, which can wipe most of it out. Earthquakes have a nasty habit of wiping out my sea transport when popping on islands as well.