ACDG5: The Wardroom

[Nahkrinoth]

Good point. We're probably covered from worms then.

We might not need the rover depending on the geography of the rest of our land mass. Wait until we explore with our gun foil. Even if we are on a small island we can still use the rover to head north.

[vyeh]

Election Day:

The vote currently stands 26-13 with us holding 7 votes.

We can't affect the outcome.

I prefer Deirdre to Miriam if I had to choose between the two. Deirdre is more likely to have techs and she's a pacifist.

Miriam is probably a lost cause. She is aggressive. And she is not likely to have any techs we want.

Let's vote for Deirdre. Maybe it will put us on her good side. Alternatively, abstain.

[vyeh]

Need for rover:

We should build at least one rover.

(1) It will prototype the speeder chassis, lowering production cost in the future (which can be very important in an emergency).

(2) If we build a 2-1-2 recon rover, it will also prototype laser for the same price as a 1-1-2 scout rover.

(3) There is a dark area south of South that can't be uncovered by a gun foil.

(4) We should have at least one fast counter attacker, which can move and fight in the same turn without penalty.

(5) In smooth or rolling terrain, a rover gets a 25% attack bonus.

(6) A rover could take over guarding the crawlers from mindworms, while the existing scout is used to garrison an expansion base. So even if there is no threat on our land mass, the rover wouldn't be wasted.

(7) A prototype gets a morale bonus.

The issue is whether we should build a second rover. If we don't build a second rover, there are other things HQ could build: recycling center (gives an additional nutrient, mineral and energy), network node (gives an additional two labs at the cost of one energy credit), energy bank (gives a net gain of 1 energy credit), command center (boost morale by 25% at a cost of one energy credit), former or colony pod.

[vyeh]

Let's contact each faction. We're willing to trade tech, maps on a 1-1 basis (no point trying to withhold High Energy Chemistry; they'll get it from someone else).

I think we should be willing to sell a tech for 25 ec. Again, they'll get it from someone else.

We're willing to buy a tech for 25 ec.

See if you can get a treaty. If you get a treaty, see if you can get a pact. The map from a pact would be worth a tech or 25 ec.

We won't declare vendetta on anyone.

If you have no problems with the above, implement it and post a 2120 end2 save.

Also:

(1) Rush South Recycling Tanks for 8 ec (South will get Recycling Tanks anyway; we're purchasing 4 minerals, which will save us money when we rush the recon rover in the future).

(2) Rush North gun foil for 19 ec (full payment).

[vyeh]

Be careful not to contact Morgan too often.

Maybe next turn try to contact our treaty partners. Sometimes treaty partners will become pact brothers on the second contact.

Note how slow our research rate is. The more techs you have, the more lab points it takes to research the next tech.

We need to think about ways to increase our lab production.

It is too bad we dont have Planetary Networks. Then we could build probe units and steal tech.

BEFORE ENDING 2121:

(1) In Social Engineering, change labs to 60% and economy to 40% (this will increase the number of labs being produced by one and reduce the number of energy credits by one)

BETWEEN 2120 AND 2121

(2) East builds Recycling Tanks. Change to 1-3-1 Plasma Sentinels.

(3) South builds Recycling Tanks. Change to 2-1-2 Recon Rovers.

(4) North builds gun foil. Change to Recycling Tanks.

FOR 2121:

(5) North gun foil (in North) moves to Sunken City (for the promotion).

(6) The other North gun foil moves NE.

(7) BRCM gun foil moves 2 sq. NE.

(8) BRCM former builds road.

(9) East (independent) former (the one east of East) moves 3 sq. W to monolith 1 sq. NE of HQ along road.

(10) South (independent) former builds road.

(11) HQ (independent) former moves 1 sq. NE, 1 sq. E, 1 sq. SE along road.

(12) Undamaged South gun foil moves toward damaged South gun foil.

(13) Damaged South gun foil moves toward Sunken City.

(14) Turn BRCM worker into a doctor (otherwise BRCM will go into drone riots).

[vyeh]

How anxious are you to build military units? I have no problems rushing the last 10 minerals (25 ec). Do you want to rush the last 20 minerals (60 ec) of the recon rover and/or plasma sentinel?

Note that we got the best deal from Miriam. A map showing Spartan territory, Believer territory and one Gaian base.

[Nahkrinoth]

Let's get the rover before the sentinel. You just gave about 10 good reasons to get one soon.

What are we going to do about research? We're behind and we can only trade for so much.

[vyeh]

We're starting both rover and sentinel in 2121. The rover is being produced at a base that is generating 7 min/turn and would be completed in 4 turns without rushing. The sentinel is being built at a base that is generating 6 min/turn and would be completed in 5 turns without rushing. In 2122, it would cost 48 ec to fully rush the rover and 56 ec to fully rush the sentinel. Do we want to fully rush either of these units. If we wait until 2123, it would only cost 25 ec to fully rush the rover and 34 to fully rush the sentinel. How much do we want to spend?

I don't know what you mean by behind in tech. We have 12 techs and Morgan has 11 techs. Morgan will discover Industrial Automation in 2 years. Maybe he'll be willing to part with it or Planetary Networks at that time.

These are the options for increasing our tech rate: we're currently producing 13 labs and 10 energy credits per turn. If we increase labs to 60%, we would produce 14 labs and 9 energy credits per turn.

Network Nodes at HQ, BRCM and North would produce 2 more labs per turn while costing one energy credit. Network Nodes at South and East would produce 1 more lab per turn while costing one energy credit.

We can build new bases. Each new base will produce an least one more lab per turn. Sunken City will produce two more labs per turn if we don't lose energy to inefficiency.

Terraforming the moist rolling canyon square at East by adding a farm and a solar collector and moving the worker from the 2-2-0 square to a 2-2-1 square will add a lab.

I've changed the instructions to move the social engineering slider. Nahkrinoth gets credit for that one by asking the right question.

[Bodissey]

Fellow lieutenants,

As two other powers have nearly completed the Merchant Exchange, I believe we should rush the Human Genome as soon as possible.

[vyeh]

At the beginning of the next turn (2122), we will be 21 mins short of the Human Genome Project. HQ is producing 11 mins per turn, so we need to rush 10 mins. That will cost 40 credits.

We haven't received any warning about the Gaians being close to completing the Human Genome Project.

Since we are pacted with Morgan, we can see that Morgan will complete the Merchant Exchange between 2121 and 2122.

If the power that does not complete the Merchant Exchange switches to the Human Genome Exchange, then let's rush the Human Genome Exchange for 40 energy credits (partial payment).

I think this protects us (those 40 energy credits would go a long way to rushing a recon rover as soon as ten minerals are accumulated).

[vyeh]

BETWEEN 2121 AND 2122:

(1) Believers or Morgan will complete Merchant Exchange. Switch HQ to Human Genome Project. If the faction that does not complete the Merchant Exchange switches to the Human Genome Project, do a partial rush of the Human Genome Project for 40 energy credits.

FOR 2122:

(2) East (independent) former (next to HQ) moves 1 sq. SW, 1 sq. W and plants forest.

(3) HQ (independent) former moves 1 sq. S (joining other former) and plants forest.

(4) BRCM former moves along road 1 sq. SW, 1 sq. S and plants forest (we will prepare this square for BRCM expansion first worker).

(5) BRCM gun foil moves 1 sq. N, 1 sq. E, 2 sq. SE (we want to explore the two black squares NE of East).

(6) Disciplined North gun foil (the one further east) moves in an easterly direction.

(7) Green North gun foil investigates nearest monolith.

(8) Damaged South gun foil investigates nearest monolith.

(9) The other South gun foil moves in westerly direction.

(10) Rush South Recon Rover (full cost is 48 energy credits, but I think you should only purchase 10 of the 17 minerals for 29 energy credits).

(11) Rush BRCM Colony Pod (full cost is 48 energy credits, but I think you should only purchase 12 of the 17 minerals for 34 energy credits) and change the doctor to a worker and put the worker on the moist rolling square N of BRCM (production occurs before drone status is checked. When the colony pod is built, the base will lose a population point).

Potential issues:

(1) You may want to hurry the Human Genome Project regardless of whether the faction that doesn't build the Merchant Exchange switches to the Human Genome Project. We know Morgan has Biogenetics and can switch to the Human Genome Project (but Morgan can also switch to The Virtual World), but we don't know Miriam has Biogenetics. Miriam is a tech lagger and is more likely to research and trade for conquer and explore techs than for discover techs (which includes Biogenetics). If you feel the expenditure of 40 energy credits is justified by the insurance factor, you can either go ahead or ask Lt. Nakrinoth for his opinion.

(2) Partially rushing recon rover. If you don't want to spend the energy credits, wait.

(3) Partially rushing the colony pod. If you don't want to spend the energy credits, wait.

[Nahkrinoth]

(1) Just make sure we don't lose the musical chairs match for the human genome project. That is such a sweet secret project. I'd rather feel bad for wasting 40 credits to get it than feel bad for NOT doing it.

(2) Let's wait until 2123 to rush the rover.

Maybe I'm overreacting about research. Those new bases will help.

Looks like sea power is going to be a major factor in this game.

[vyeh]

I think the AI factions play in the same order as they are listed in the Comm section. So Morgan will get the Merchant Exchange and Miriam will be left out in the cold.

[dacole]

I know I'm not playing anymore but wow you were only on 50% research? I put myself on 100% research for as long as possible. Also make sure you build those units that go out and work squares the more of those you have the better. If a city can't build any thing else it can always build one of those.

Really always better in the early game to focus on infastructure and expansion rather than millitary IMO.

[vyeh]

I checked with the 2101 end save.

At 50%/50%, we were producing 6 labs/3 ec
60/40 6/3
70/30 6/2
80/20 6/2
90/10 6/0
100/0 6/0

I did check the slider early on and got results similar to the above. Because of the inefficiency penalties the number of labs did not increase above 50% and the number of energy credits went down.

So 50/50 early on produced the most labs. Anything above that produced the same labs and less energy credits.

I checked for 2121 with the following results:
50/50 13/10
60/40 14/9 (where we are)
70/30 14/5
80/20 15/4
90/10 14/0
100/0 14/0

We are currently producing 14 labs. We could produce 1 more lab at 80/20, but it would cost us 5 energy credits. We gained 6 techs through gun foils (all of which were rushed), 3 from unity supply pods, 3 from Morgan, whose comm frequency was in a supply pod.

While 100% labs works for Civ 2, it doesn't work with SMAC. You lose all energy credits for little or no gain.

As far as having more formers, while it might have helped, it would have come at the expense of colony pods or recycling tanks which also increase production.

I don't consider the gun foils to be military. They are the cheapest scout units that can travel over the sea. They have been used to retrieve supply pods -- call it exploration.

As far as infrastructure goes, we have been building recycling tanks. Although Network Nodes and Energy Banks would be nice, we have acquired more tech and more energy through retrieving supply pods than if we had built Network Nodes and Energy Banks at the earliest opportunity. Even those mindworms helped. Each one contributed 10 ec's. An Energy Bank at one of our bases would have taken 5 or 10 turns to make that contribution.

Regarding expansion, it has been limited by population growth.

Since this is a small map and we know now that the Spartans and Believers are close, we certainly need to prototype plasma and lasers; otherwise, we're in real trouble if either of these parties lands a couple of laser units and declare vendetta. Whether we need more will depend on the situation.