Best TERRAFORMING strategy...

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Archaic


Just wondering then, what's your opinion on using it to create talents to offset drones created by aircraft and troops out of territory under Free Market before punishment spheres?

I generally create a "poor man's punishment sphere". Its a smaller base with a pop of maybe 1 to 5 with just crawled minerals and maybe a crawled condensor or two. I will typically have 2-3 of these types of bases (often 5 or 6 if I forsee widespread warmongering while in FM) and the only improvements they get are the morale enhancing ones. These bases will create the bulk of my airforce. There is no drone issue as the single citizen (or two or 5) will be a specialist. I expect no real energy out of these bases and never add any facilities other than morale ones. If not warmongering, they build formers, and crawlers and maybe Special projects

Note that my regular bases can contribute ground troops since in the drop era they rarely ever leave my territory. They simply move into areas my air forces have cleared. They can contribute air forces as well. They get priority on interceptors and other air forces can be either rehomed, or perhaps the base can handle one or two aircraft. ( The specialist that gives +1 psych and +3 Labs is quite nice here)

I won't say I NEVER use psych for drone control. BUt if I have a bigegr empire, I often find it easier to control the drones base by base than a blanket psych allocation.

Oh . . I hate using doctors too but do end up using them a fair bit

[livid imp]

Hey.....that "poor man's punishment sphere" is my entire ICS strategy.

Except for my Super Science City(s), all my towns crawl 2-3 Condensor farms which support 5-7 population. All of which I make specialists, with one worker on a borehole. Even if that one worker goes drone because of pacifism, I can either change a specialist to a doctor, or turn that worker into a specialist. This ensures all of my bases can have bombers and offensive units at all times, even when running a -5 or -6 Police.

[Archaic]

Originally posted by Flubber


I generally create a "poor man's punishment sphere". Its a smaller base with a pop of maybe 1 to 5 with just crawled minerals and maybe a crawled condensor or two. I will typically have 2-3 of these types of bases (often 5 or 6 if I forsee widespread warmongering while in FM) and the only improvements they get are the morale enhancing ones. These bases will create the bulk of my airforce. There is no drone issue as the single citizen (or two or 5) will be a specialist. I expect no real energy out of these bases and never add any facilities other than morale ones. If not warmongering, they build formers, and crawlers and maybe Special projects

The problem I see with this though is that to get enough crawlers to really support enough planes (And still be able to build them in that base at a decent rate), would take too much time to produce. Not to mention the extra terraforming time you'd have to spend to get condensors up, time you really should be spending at that point on boreholes.

[Ka Plewy]

Originally posted by Archaic


The problem I see with this though is that to get enough crawlers to really support enough planes (And still be able to build them in that base at a decent rate), would take too much time to produce. Not to mention the extra terraforming time you'd have to spend to get condensors up, time you really should be spending at that point on boreholes.

Why create the crawlers from this city? Create them elsewhere, rehome in the Poor-Man's P-Sphere, and voila. If you've prepped the site well enough, that city can be supporting tens of units on the first turn it's built.

EDIT:grammar adjustment.

[Archaic]

Because if I use crawlers I've created elsewhere, I'm not only wasting turns of production moving the things to this city, but I'm hampering my infrastructure and SP building efforts more so than I would by simply putting money into Psych.

[Ka Plewy]

Mag tubes.
And generally, I have a place nearby major production centers where I can plop a city, so that I have easy reach to the cities.

[Dis]

How do you guys deal with the extra drones when you exceed your base limit?

I still can't tear myself away from the perfectionist bases.

[BlackCat]

Build the TM

Seriously, HGP, VW (and networknodes), Rec Comms, Research and Nano Hospitals, Longevity Vacc., Ascetic virtues all do a good job.

Tree farm and HF to minimize energy use on psych if it should be needed - popboom or CV can make it nesssecary.

Paradise gardens could be useful, but they come just before TM, so they doesn't really count.

Keep poulation down through CP building.

Of course, PS and a little nerve stapling also works, but the downsides make it a no option for me (haven't ever build a PS and haven't stapled for years )

[Dis]

I've been having a lot of problems getting virtual world in my past few games.

and for some reason I can't think what TM stands for. I can usually get HGP though.

[Petek]

Originally posted by Dissident

and for some reason I can't think what TM stands for. I can usually get HGP though.

TM = Telepathic Matrix

[BlackCat]

Here is a reciept that works fine for me as Aki (actually it also works fine for several other factions, even Svensgaard) :

Research should be maximized in SE (Check when pop grow and new colonies) and the path :

Cent Eco
Biogen
Soc Psy
Sec Hum Br 1 - choose Plan Net

But of course thats only half of it - there are also the building thingie.

Alpha prime starts building net node - but switches to former when CE hits, starts build NN again, switch to recycle tanks when Biogen; NN again and rec comm when Soc Psy. Ignore min losses - at the switches. The former plants forests in three tiles - preferrably on bonus tiles (min bonus first, nut sec, energy last) - ignore fungus infested bonus tiles at first. When Rec Comm are ready, start WP.

The free CP build of course a second colony and do the same regarding former, rec tank and a single CP. After that it builds formers that are fed into whatever project are active in Alpha Prime.

Do the same for the third colony but let it build two CP's for further expansion (my strategy for expansion is to let each new colony build two CP's but if a base has lots of nut bonuses I use that as a primary CP feeder).

Using this strat you end up with at least 16-18 mins for SP building each round before you get SC's. Of course, when SC's get available you switch to that

Oh, and beware of pods - they may contain something you don't want such as Synthmet armour - I just hate when I pop such one.

Damn, where is my TF hat ??? - I feel counterposts in the neighbourhood