SDI (SAM) I Am

[SCG]

The question has been raised about building SDIs. When we get laser, are we going to be proactive and build them all round before the AI can be a threat, possibly spending quite a lot of extra resources and time protecting against a threat that may never materialize? Or are we going to be reactive, building them only once the AI gets nuclear fission and starts building the Manhattan Project? Or perhaps something in between - build a few of them right away and then others if the threat becomes real. Right now the AI are 9 researched techs, or 1 stolen tech away from nuclear fission. Tech theft has been mainly a one way road this game so far, hense our atrocious reputation. My instict is to protect CAPITOL - build a SDI there right away, and then in some of the other high production cities surrounding it - Cordoba is key, as it is supporting a large portion of the navy. Other cities have decreasing importance, although would definitely be worth considering.

and for those who are completely confused by my Ode to Dr Seuss, here is what i was originally going to use

a) Only CAPITOL - only city that matters
b) Most of CAPITOL's continent - protect the main core cities
c) Most cities with strategic value - wonders, border cities etc
d) All - we didn't play all this time to get nuked out of victory
e) Other - please specify
f) None - wait till there is a need
g) Banana - fried bananas are good when nuked

[rjmatsleepers]

I'd rush build them if one of the AI civs completes the Manhattan Project, but otherwise I wouldn't build any until we launch. Up till then keep the caravans rolling.

RJM at Sleepers

[mrboo123]

Very nice ode SCG

[cavebear]

I want the last survivor of a nuked city to say about building SDI "If I coulda, I woulda". Our mission is to send our colonists to AC, but after that, we can look to our own defense in a still-hostile world where most of us will continue to live.

"D"

[cavebear]

BTW - Adapting "Sam I Am" to "surface-to-air missiles" is just about the cleverest theme I've seen on the polls (and there have been lots of really good ones). One might even say "Superb Coding Guy".

[H Tower]

build one in capitol once we get laser, but no where else until the AI gets at least a little closer.

[cavebear]

Originally posted by H Tower
build one in capitol once we get laser, but no where else until the AI gets at least a little closer.

Why not build them in many cities? Is there something else really important to do after the SS is launched. Besides, when we launch a good ship, it should land in a single playing session... Why drag it out?

[H Tower]

i was talking about right now, after we launch the SS we should be pumping out SDI and armor. But right now we need to be working on SS parts

[cavebear]

Agreed. I assumed the poll was for after the SS launch.

[Ben Kenobi]

Give the Mongols a nuke trap on Kazan continent.

Give the Chinese and Japanese likewise.

That way they will waste the vast majority of their nuclear missiles.

Otherwise, build them everywhere.

I assume this means 'build them where they show.

[SCG]

Originally posted by obiwan18
Otherwise, build them everywhere.

I assume this means 'build them where they show.

Build them where they'd show implies the border and wonder cities - idea being, where would the foreign tourists most likely visit - thereby being on show for the world to see

I included the key in my first post, and actually, "Would you build them everywhere?" was the build them everywhere option

[cavebear]

"Nuke Trap"? You mean deliberately not shielding a few sacrificial cities to attract nuke attacks?

[SCG]

Originally posted by cavebear
"Nuke Trap"? You mean deliberately not shielding a few sacrificial cities to attract nuke attacks?

what he means is building a city within 3 spaces of another city and putting an SDI in only one of the 2 cities. Since the SDI has a protective range of 3, neither city would be damaged, but the AI will continually try and nuke the "unprotected" city, only to be shot down.

[CannonFodder]

That's a great technique in certain scenarios. The AI uses up all their nukes on one city that doesn't have SDI but they get shot down anyway.

[cavebear]

Interesting. But how many cities do we have that are 3 spaces away from another city?