Specialist Limit During Pod Boom?

[Livid_Imp]

I was pod-booming my capitol/SSC past the hab limit of 14 in order to turn as many workers into engineers as possible. I had all the workable tiles worked so new pods would create empaths, which I would then switch to engineers. Once I hit pop number 34 (or 35, I can't remember) I could no longer turn the empaths into engineers.
Any one else hear of this?

[Chaos Theory]

Yep, that's a "feature". Race for Secrets of Alpha Centauri and Transcendi!

[Livid_Imp]

I don't suppose building a hab dome will help this any will it?

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Livid_Imp
I don't suppose building a hab dome will help this any will it?

The problem actually is that you are only allowed 16 (iirc) specialists which you can set, all others after that will be chosen by the game. Also iirc they seem to come in sets, so say you have 16 engineers the game will next give you 16 empaths, and then 16 thinkers. I believe that it alternates sets of 16 between psych, econ and lab producers, and it only uses the most advanced of each type. Once you get transcends this shouldn't be a problem, as it will set all specialists after the first 16 automatically to transcends, again iirc. Usually by the time I'm in this position the game is already won and becoming a management nightmare, so I haven't spent much time playing the late game.

Again, if anyone knows any differently I'd like to hear from you.

[Illuminatus]

Wow - I didn`t know that - I guess going for Transceds is the only option.

[Livid_Imp]

I am now in the late game so going for Transcendi is an option, but I started the moment my capitol size had just hit 14, so it was too far off at that point. Nice strategy btw. You build up a size 30ish SSC years before you get hab domes.....towards the end of a pop boom state, and have all your cities produce a couple pods each. Make sure your SSC is crawling some extra nuts to cover the extra incoming pop. One other thing, this actually make using a Aquafarm practical on a costal base

[GeoModder]

a sea OCC.

[Livid_Imp]

Don't know if this is relevent to your idea of a sea OCC, but you really can't pod boom with only one city

Besides, a sea base OCC sounds like an exercise in masochism It would be one hell of a challenge though.

[Chaunk]

Not really. Try it on a huge world, and just hide around a pole. Easiest occ I've done

[Commy]

Not to mention you don't have to use hybrid forests and tree farms to make any crappy squares really good. And the free recycling tanks are a big bonus early on. AND, the AI will tend to not attack you as much if you are on the sea, just watch out for needlejets picking off those formers, but anyway...

Once my population is above, oh, 30 or so, I don't even worry about what specialists there are. Honestly, I don't see the point.

[Livid_Imp]

Well of course it would be easy if you built at the pole, there is a load of rocky tiles to mine that the AI would never step foot on. All those mins negates the one big problem with sea bases. To me a "sea base" is really a base that is all or mostly ocean tiles. Parking sea CP next to a large chunk of land is pointless unless it is to be a invasion portal. If you are going to park a sea base next to a large coast then you might as well build it ON land and get the benefit of territory (not to mention foils and cruisers can not capture your base then)

Do a OCC sea base with nothing but sea tiles.
Still very doable. Just trawl every min bonus+sea mine (4 min) you can. It leaves your trawlers spread out and vulnerable, but it is better than crappy production. Plus the extra cash from all the energy raked in helps with production.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Chaunk
Not really. Try it on a huge world, and just hide around a pole. Easiest occ I've done

Same here - I OCC'd as the Pirates - cosied (coseyed?)up to Yang (by happenstance he was the power on the nearest continent) - he gifted me airpower and then fusion, which was a lifesaver as Sparta kept coming at me. I ran the 3P strategy (Police, Planned, Power) and just waited out the researchers to steal transcendence (hand in hand with good ol' Sheng-Ji) - trawlers are awesome to upgrade for an SP

Originally posted by Livid_Imp
It leaves your trawlers spread out and vulnerable, but it is better than crappy production

They're remarkably resilient if they have good morale and armor. the Pirates Naval Yard gives +2 and Power another +2, and plop 3-res or even better, 8-res armor on them and they'll survive many a worm attack and anything up to shard (with 8-res). They are vulnerable to mind control, though - that's where I tend to lose most of mine

[Commy]

See bases are ultimately cheaper, but harder to defend, since naval units move faster, and bunkers can't be built.