clean reactors

[Skanderbeg]

OO and Gregurabi: You're right of course, but Big C. brings it on the point.

I think I use those AAA/trance and other combinations of two special abilities because I am safety-mad, like the guy who wears belt and a pair of braces at the same time. ;-)

quote: Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe on 01-24-2001 11:52 AM So if you need 10 units from a base (assuming you have the energy to handle it) it would take 11 turns to build said units. Og

10 Units from a single base? You really do this often?

Perhaps this is this reason why I don't rely on clean units. I don't build so much units, because I always rely on quality, not on quantity.
For defense, my basic crew is 3 or 4 units (one or two best armor AAA/trance, one best weapon/empath+something else rover or needeljet, one probe (needs no support)).
In this way, my normal base had only to support 3 to 5 units (included 1 or 2 formers), which wouldn't hurt me very much.
The attack crews (not 10, but only 3 or 4 units, but only of the best) are produced in specialised bases with high mineral production. And of course, when they have do their duty, they conquer a base and can be rehomed to this base, or they get lost and need no support any more.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Skand,

THe example of 10 units may be a tad extreme on average but yes I would definitely say there are bases that I have well over 20 or more units from all but one or two being formers.

Military units probably not more than 4-6 on average 'cept if I do a PS base in FM. Then the # of units supported may be approaching the 10+ number.

Og

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

One other hidden not often talked about benefit of clean reactors is the ability to rehome to any base without issue.

Just as an example say your Dee in the midst of a conquer fest. Your 8 or so 'dirty' X- soporific missile rovers are taking out Alien after Alien base. You've decide to capture and hold an alien base in the meantime for heal up purposes. Out of the blue your home base for these 'dirty' x-soporifc speeders get subverted by Morgan or Rose. All those units in the field rehome themselves to the nearest base. In this case that puny size 1 taken fromthe aliens. All of sudden that measly size 1 base supports but 4 units and the other go poof. Your offensive grinds to halt.
(Same holds true for needlejets, choppers what have you.)

Jus' some more rambling on clean.

Og

[Misotu]

Clean units have their place - I build quite a lot of them under certain circumstances. In MP, the role of clean is less important - you can rarely be sure that units will survive long enough to repay the additional cost. Depends on the map.

In SP, garrisons and formers are invaluable clean. I have had games with 60 or 70 formers, the majority of which survive indefinitely.

Similarly, almost all garrison units will survive forever in SP, if you are playing a builder game In fact, I'm often forced to upgrade garrisons simply to free up slots in the workshop, otherwise those original 1-2-1 chappies would be there to the end of the game

I'm surprised at the importance placed on trance. By the time you have clean, you are also close to very decent armour and decent defences. If your ecodamage is ridiculous, then trance may become an issue. In my games, trance has rarely been required, since I have an energy focus and minerals in the later game are provided by non-polluting satellites. Native life attacks are rare, and the only ones worth worrying about are locusts. In which case, AAA will do the job ... In any event, I would simply build an additional clean, best armour, trance defender if it were absolutely necessary. The attack will be countered by the defender best-equipped to handle it.

The game in which clean reactors are indispensable though, is the One City Challenge. Without it, you simply cannot support the number of units that will be required to survive and prosper in the mid to late game.

[Travathian]

(to Ogie post) I %&%^? hate it when that happens!

Oh, and another reason to have more than one defender . . . That 1-1-1 scout patrol maybe the difference between that rover destroying the patrol, or rolling into his new city.


[This message has been edited by Travathian (edited January 25, 2001).]