ACDG5: The Wardroom

[vyeh]

Go ahead and contact the treaty partners.

I'd suggest we wait until Morgan has discovered Industrial Automation.

The risk in contacting a faction that we have only a truce with is that they may declare vendetta. Let's wait another turn.

FOR 2123:

(1) South (independent) former cultivates farm.

(2) BRCM gun foil moves 1 sq. SE, 2 sq. S, 1 sq. SW

(3) South gun foils move west.

(4) North gun foils move east.

(5) Rush South recon rover for 8 energy credits (3 min).

(6) Change BRCM doctor to worker on square 1 sq. N of BRCM (1-1-0 square). (We don't need doctor if Human Genome Project is built OR colony pod is rushed.)

(7) Partially rush BRCM colony pod for 21 energy credits (8 min).

(8) Rush East plasma sentinel for 19 energy credits (7 min).

Potential issues:

(1) I recommend hurrying the South recon rover.

(2) BRCM colony pod is nice, but it may cost too much to rush. If it is rushed this turn, the forest will just be completed on the turn the new base is built.

(3) East plasma sentinel is more optional. The sooner we build the plasma sentinel the sooner we can start building another colony pod.

The issue is how much energy credits do you want to keep in reserve. Energy credits should be used to speed things up. We're currently earning 10 energy credits per turn. We also gain some energy every time we complete a facility. We will also gain some energy from unity supply pods.

If we have a lot of energy, the AI's will demand more for techs.

On the other hand, it costs 40 ec's to upgrade a 1-1-1 scout to a 1-3-1 plasma sentinel.

A recreation commons costs 40 mins. Assuming we already have 10 mins accumulated, it would cost 60 ec's to rush.

[vyeh]

Re: Deidre's invitation to join her crusade:

We don't want to get involved in any vendettas. If we get involved in a vendetta, then the Hive may sink our gun foils. We'd rather have peace so we can retrieve Unity Supply Pods.

Lt. Bodissey, did you conduct diplomacy with Deidre in MY 2122 or 2123? Perhaps the title of your report should be "2123 Diplomacy."

[Bodissey]

My mistake, it was before the End turn.

[vyeh]

Could you post a 2122_end2 save?

We got Optical Computer from Yang (for High Energy Chemistry).

Now we have sold Optical Computer to Deidre for 25 credits (but we still have it).

Did we also sell High Energy Chemistry to University for 25 ec?

And we got a map showing Spartan and Believer territory from Miriam for High Energy Chemistry.

So it looks like we were able to trade High Energy Chemistry for a map, Optical Computers and 50 ec (when we count in selling Optical Computer to Deidre).

I look on the 25 ec from Deidre for Optical Computers as "free" credits. I've suggested rushing the recon rover and the plasma sentinel for 27 credits; so your trade with Deidre almost pays for those two rushes.

[vyeh]

Once Morgan discovers Industrial Automation, I'd like to go back to him.

He doesn't have High Energy Chemistry or Optical Computers. Maybe we can get him to part with either Planetary Networks or Industrial Automation (he may be reluctant to give us only his most advance tech).

It is too late to check this turn (or even the next turn), but we might want to go back to Deidre and ask her to name her price for Ethical Calculus (we can always say no if the price to too much).

Ethical Calculus would give us Democracy and Children's Creche. Once we have Planetary Networks, we would have Planned Economics. Then we could pop boom.

[vyeh]

I think its time for a vote!

The question in The Voting Booth is:

"Between 2123 and 2124, HQ will complete the Human Genome Project.

Should its next build be a recon rover or Recycling Tanks?"

Reasons for recon rover:

(1) Cost will be 20 mins (2 turns).

(2) Recon rover can take over from HQ scout in guarding crawlers and will also be in a position to travel to North, HQ, BRCM and East in one turn and South in two turns. HQ scout currently guarding crawlers would be assigned to garrison BRCM expansion base.

Reasons for Recycling Tanks:

(1) Increases nutrients, minerals and energy in HQ.

(2) Only 40 mins (4 turns).

We'll hold voting open until the production box in HQ goes over 10 mins.

You may argue your position in this thread; be sure to cast your vote in The Voting Booth (and you may change your vote until the vote closes).

[vyeh]

Some thoughts of where I think we're going based on earlier game decisions and what I think Bodissey wants:

Explore - North and South gun foils (and BRCM gun foil when we've built East expansion base) will explore every sea square and retrieve unity game pods.

Expand - BRCM expansion base, East expansion base, Sunken City

Exploit - After colony pod, BRCM will build sea former.

Exterminate - After gun foils have finished exploring, they'll return to our land mass. We'll be able to upgrade them and use them to keep other factions from landing units on our shores.

Diplomacy - let's try to stay peaceful as long as possible.

Research - with optical computers and industrial base, we can research Superconductors which will give us Gatling Lasers (weapons 5) or Planetary Networks which will allow us to build probe foils and infiltrate the other factions (these choices follows Bodissey's claws and fangs philosophy). Probes might be the key to our survival. With them, we can maintain tech parity with our neighbors.

[vyeh]

We'll need a name for the BRCM expansion base.

Any suggestions?

[vyeh]

After the recon rover and the plasma sentinel, there is nothing else to prototype.

There are no secret projects we can build.

There may be some justification to switch one or two of the crawlers over to North to help build a Recycling Tank, but HQ is behind in development because it has been building a secret project and needs a boost in production to catch up.

2122_endfinal2 is fine. End MY 2122 and follow the previous plan.

[Bodissey]

Just forgot the rushes. This has been corrected.

[vyeh]

One, two or three of the crawlers could be switched from mineral production to energy.

While this would boost our lab production, it will slow building Recycling Tanks.

After Recycling Tanks, useful facilities for HQ include: Network Node, Energy Bank, Command Center, Recreation Commons.

We could also build a colony pod at HQ after we build Recycling Tanks and send it to the other side of the Freshwater Sea (subject to exploration).

[Nahkrinoth]

Let's get planetary networks next if we haven't traded for it by then.

How many turns will we lose on our crawlers getting them in position for North? Will it be worth it?

I hope Morgan doesn't start polluting like crazy any time soon up on his mountain. We'll sink into the ocean.

[vyeh]

BETWEEN 2122 AND 2123:

(1) BRCM will construct CP; change to Sea Formers.

(2) South will construct recon rover; change to Sea Colony Pod.

FOR 2123:

(3) South recon rover moves along road to monolith 1 sq. NE of HQ and investigates monolith.

(4) BRCM CP moves along road to Freshwater Sea peninsula.

(5) BRCM gun foil moves 4 sq. S into East and re-homes.

(6) South (independent) former cultivates farm.

(7) Westernmost North gun foil moves east and south east along our eastern coast.

(8) Other North gun foil moves northeast.

(9) Easternmost South gun foil moves west.

(10) Other South gun foil moves southwest.

(11) Move HQ crawler 1 sq. S of North along road to forest square 1 sq. W of HQ and crawl 2 min (frees up monolith for North's growth in 4 turns).

(12) Move HQ scout guarding crawlers 1 sq. SE and hold.

(13) Rush East plasma sentinel for 19 energy credits (7 min).

Note:

Remember our rules for popping pods.

(1) If the gun foil is less than 80% healthy, rest the gun foil for the turn.

(2) Protect against getting a materials pod by choosing an expensive unit or facility if the nearest base has less than 10 mins in the production box. (Change North to 0-3-2 rover former; South could have a 0-3-4 sea colony pod; BRCM could have a 0-3-4 sea former.) If you don't pop a materials pod, change the production back.

(3) If supply pod is not in xenofungus, make sure gun foil has at least three movement points remaining (it will lose 2 mp if it pops a mind worm).

(4) If supply pod is in xenofungus, you can pop the pod with just one movement point remaining.

[vyeh]

Because of the road, we can switch over crawlers from HQ to North without any turn loss. I don't think it is a good idea to switch over because HQ can better utilize Network Node, Energy Banks because HQ is generating more labs, energy credits than North. Any land unit can be produced at HQ and re-homed to another base.

It might make sense to re-home crawlers to North so North can build a sea colony pod.

If Morgan started polluting, we might have to conquer Morgan Industries to capture the Weather Paradigm so we can raise land.

[dacole]

Originally posted by 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.

Ah thats right I had forgotten the problems with making it 100% in AC. I usually do though play with lossing the energy credits if I can get more labs. 1 lab is worth about three credits the way I have always imagined it. I was talking about the pods that you can build when you get industrial automation not formers sorry for the confusion these pods act like workers except they only bring back 1 type of resource. Very useful. Really if you have defense of 2 lasers won't hurt you much. You may want to eventually get plasma but I would go toward the economic stuff first unless you plan to attack. I forget where defense of three comes from. Also don't forget about the free tech from secrets of the human mind very useful!