ACDG5: The Wardroom

[Nahkrinoth]

How do you feel about sea bases adjacent to land owned by our enemies? Some of the sea areas I wanted to settle previously have already been taken. Now we'll need to get creative.

At 51,43 there is a decent spot for another sea base. If we remove the fungus from the nearby nutrient square it'll be fine.

With all of the lab rushing we're doing wouldn't it be beneficial to have more biology and fusion labs? Energy banks would be nice too unless we think we can get the Planetary Energy Grid.

Drydock should build a tree farm after the colony pod to alleviate the eco damage and to spread forests in that area more quickly.

When HQ, BRCM, and Seaview are done building crawlers they should build lab enhancing facilities.

[vyeh]

The Spartans have Doctrine: Initiative, which means they have amphibious ability and would be able to attack (51, 43) from land. If your rationale for that base is that it would serve as a beachhead, then it makes sense. If you want the base to develop, it shouldn't be adjacent to the Spartans.

What lab rushing? We research a new tech every 4 years. The other factions:

Gaians 7
Hive 6
University 2
Morgan 6
Spartans 7
Believers 15

Wasn't your position that you would prefer more minerals to labs? Because we've cashed in supply crawlers, some bases are really struggling with production.

Currently we're at 0% economy/100% lab. Our bases are producing no energy credits. An energy lab would cost 1 credit/turn in maintenance and produce no credits. So how can it be nice to use 80 minerals to build a facility that will result in a drain of one credit per turn for no benefit?

We want a fungal pop before we build a tree farm. As far as I know, tree farms do not cause forests to spread more quickly. They allow forests that are worked or are being crawled for nutrients to produce an additional nutrient. They also give psych and economy bonuses (since Drydock is producing neither psych nor economy, the bonus would be zero).

The reduction in eco-damage is minimal. There are only 5 terraforming improvements (5 roads) in its base radius and the two forest reduce the effective number of improvements to 3.

The ecodamage formula divides this number by 8. Since this value is less than half, the terraforming improvements have no effect on the ecodamage.

So there is no ecodamage caused by terraforming improvement for a tree farm to alleviate.

Since Drydock is only working one forest, a Tree Farm would cost 120 minerals (8 turns of production) and cost 3 credits/turn to produce one additional nutrients. In contrast a crawler could be produced for 30 minerals, would cost 0 credits or minerals per turn and could crawl the unused forest for that same additional mineral. The crawler could be produced by another base. We need to have chaos weapons prototyped. We also need an interceptor to deal with the Spartan Falcon. We assigned the three supply droids to Drydock so that it could support our military operations.

Didn't you want to fill the Freshwater Sea with kelp and tidal harnesses? If so, we would need BRCM and Seaview to contribute sea formers. HQ and Seaview already have Network Nodes.

[Bodissey]

Regarding the rocky squares, I'm for boreholes if possible, mines otherwise to be crawled.

Sea bases are indeed a quick way to expand and to alleviate for our lack of free land.

To grab the remaining sea bases from the Believers is also not to be neglected.

[vyeh]

Should we put boreholes where we already have mines?

We can also consider taking over the Spartan lands.

So we're keeping He Walked on Water if we take it?

[Nahkrinoth]

If we backed off of 100% labs the facilities would be helpful and we'd have a few credits to spend. Otherwise don't build them and stick to 100% labs.

In the datalinks description of tree farms and hybrid forests it says it spreads forests more quickly. I'm not sure how quickly or how useful they'd be because of it. It would be nice to have that information. For every forest that grows on it's own that's 4 turns a former can be doing something else. We can then work or crawl that square.

We need those formers for the freshwater sea more than facilities at those bases. Maybe later.

I do prefer minerals to labs. But once we crawl and work everything we need to slowly turn crawlers in and let the workers have the fields. Obviously it will be awhile for that.

[vyeh]

Try using the slider for various values. We've been moving between 0% economy/100% lab and 10% economy/90% lab. Unless we change to a less efficient social model, I wouldn't expect to go above 20-30% economy in the near future.

If a base is only producing 1 or 2 credits, then the energy banks will only produce 1 credit per turn while costing 1 credit per turn.

Even if the energy bank produces two credits per turn, there would have been more valuable uses of production, e.g. the energy bank costs 80 minerals to produce. We can produce 2 and 2/3 crawlers for 80 minerals. If the crawlers crawl energy from a forest, we could have 2 and 2/3 energy per turn for no cost, which is a definite improvement over the energy bank. Plus the crawlers can be cashed in for secret projects and can crawl nutrients or minerals as our situation changes.

Until we have to subvert units or raise or lower terrain, our main use of credits would be hurrying production. It would take awhile for the additional income from an energy bank to make up for the minerals that went into building the energy bank.

The datalinks says forest square production is increased for bases containing tree farms and hybrid forests. That is referring to the additional nutrient for tree farms and the additional nutrient and energy for hybrid forest.

It doesn't mean that forests will spread more quickly.

Actually, you don't need to turn squares over to workers. Specialists can dramatically increase lab, psych and economy in a base.

[vyeh]

Concerning an attack on Blast Rifle Crag:

Our green missile needlejet would be attacking an elite plasma sentinel that is in a base sitting on top of a sensor array.

Our missile needlejet:
attack strength: 6
green: - 12%
effective strength: 5.25
reactor power: 20 (fusion reactor)

Spartan plasma sentinel:
defense strength: 3
elite: +50%
base: +25%
sensor: +25%
effective strength: 7.03125 (3 * 1.5 * 1.25 * 1.25)
reactor power: 10 (fission)

For each round of combat, the odds would be 28 to 21 or 4 to 3 in favor of the plasma sentinels. The loser would lose a power point.

Multiplying out the power, we have odds of roughly 6 to 4, which means we lose 40% of the time.

So the odds are pretty good that we would end up trading our 30 mineral needlejet for a 24 mineral plasma sentinel (look inside Blast Rifle Crag).

We would have better odds if we create a chaos marine, which investigated a monolith.

It would have a strength of 8 (weapons is 8 and disciplined is a 0% modification), so its odds would be 16-7. So it would make sense to wait on Blast Rifle Crag.

The advantages of attacking Fleet Anchorage is that it is defended by a synthmetal garrison, it is not sitting on top of a sensor array, and it is a sea base. Its effective strength is 2 * 1.5 * 1.25 or 3.75.

The green needlejet would attack it at odds of 10.5 to 3.75 or 42 to 15. Since Fleet Anchorage is a sea base, it can also be attacked by naval units. We'd only have to worry about attacks from naval units, air units and land units with amphibious abilities.

So I think it makes more sense to take Fleet Anchorage first, build a chaos marine and attack Blast Rifle Crag with the chaos marine.

I'm putting the issue to a vote.

[Nahkrinoth]

Fleet Anchorage looks easier to take and is also in the water. If we take a land base, we'd better be prepared to have her western army that's attacking the believers to move on us.

Vyeh, I'm trying to get a good idea how to build and manage really great bases. Are you suggesting 3 or 4 workers and the rest specialists while all of the unworked squares get crawled?

[Nahkrinoth]

The relocated mind worms will definitely help, but I still don't want to attack an elite with worms.

[vyeh]

Could you cast your vote in the Voting Booth?

Assuming we have a population 5 base:

We currently have fusion so we can have engineers, which produce 3 credits and 2 labs. Suppose we had a choice between working a 2-0-2 square or crawling 2 nutrients from that square and having an engineer. If we work the square, we get two nutrients and 2 energy. The two energy can be either two credits; one credit and one lab; or two labs. Here is the kicker: If there is inefficiency, we may only get one or zero energy.

If we crawl the square and have an engineer, then we get two nutrients, 3 credits and 2 labs. There is no inefficiency!

Even if the square was a 2-1-2 square, you would lose one mineral and two energy if you crawled it, but you would gain 3 credits and 2 labs. If you are hurrying a facility and have accumulated 10 minerals, then 2 credits would buy one mineral; the net is a 1 lab gain assuming you have a 50/50 split.

As to the number of workers:

(1) if you had no boreholes, it might make sense to have no workers (conceivably if you had a nutrient bonus on a square at elevation 3500 meters with a solar collector, it would make sense to work it rather than lose either the nutrients or the energy).

(2) if you had six boreholes (the most that will fit in a base radius), you would want to have six workers.

A really great base has the right balance between nutrients, minerals, labs, psych and credits. As the base grows, more nutrients are needed. In the end, you may have to turn forests into farm/soil enrichers/condensor combinations. To have the necessary minerals, you may have to build mineral multipliers, e.g. Genejack Factory, build boreholes and nessus mining stations. To have the necessary labs, psych and credits, you can build facilities, build boreholes, tidal harnesses and orbital power stations and turn workers into specialists.

The two most important tools in building great bases are flormers and crawlers. As new tech is discovered, reterraforming squares is vital.

Crawlers are versatile. Crawlers can start by crawling minerals. Subsequent crawlers take less time to produce as the base;s mineral production goes up.

Later, when pop booming and doctors are necessary because drone reducing facilities haven't been built, crawlers can crawl nutrients to keep the pop boom going.

Once you have enough minerals (you're on the verge of pollution) and enough nutrients (you've reached the habitation limit), you can use crawlers to grab energy that can be used for more research and to hurry and support facilities.

[vyeh]

Actually, the IoD's are much more useful because they are transports. I was thinking the mindworms would make good garrison units because they require no support.

[vyeh]

FOR 2159:

(1) Bay Area and Drydock gun foils move to Ushuaia (these will protect new sea bases from wild IoDs).

(2) Athens former droid 1 sq. E of Athens moves 1 sq. SW, 1 sq. S, 1 sq. W.

(3) Gateway fungicidal former 2 sq. SW of Athens removes fungus.

(4) Pre-boil IoD heads to Sunken City (we're going to take Sunken City colony pod to Manifold Nexus Central).

(5) HQ former in Fungal Fields build road.

(6) HQ fungicidal former in Fungal Fields moves 1 sq. NE.

(7) HQ trance scout in Fungal Fields moves 1 sq. NE.

(8) Gateway former 1 sq. E of Athens moves to Gateway.

(9) Load boil mindworm in Athens.

(10) ETU-125 in Athens moves 1 sq. SE, 1 sq. S, 1 sq. W.

(11) Load both pre-boil mindworms in Athens.

(12) Load Athens plasma sentinels in Athens.

(13) Drydock impact foil in Spartan waters moves 6 sq. NW (putting it in a position to attack Fleet Anchorage; the Spartans currently have no naval combat units and one Falcon, which would attack at about 1-1; the Believers have one impact foil; the Hive has one Gatling foil).

(14) Drydock (30% damaged) missile foil in Spartan waters moves 5 sq. NW into Sea Hive, occupying and destroying it, then moves 1 sq. W.

(15) Sunken City plasma hoverboat near Persepolis moves to Ushuaia (will protect new base until gun foil arrives).

(16) Ushuaia former 2 sq. SW of Ushuaia builds road.

(17) Bay Area former 2 sq. W by SW of Ushuaia moves 1 sq. S (we will build a borehole here).

(18) Ushuaia former 2 sq. W by SW of Ushuaia moves 1 sq. S (eventually we will have three formers working on the borehole).

(19) Syrtis former cultivates farm.

(20) BRCM missile needlejet at Sunken City moves 2 sq. W, 1 sq. SW, 3 sq. W, 2 sq. SW, 2 sq. S, 1 sq. SW (we're going down this waterway to look for the single impact foil remaining in the Believing navy) and attacks He Walked on Water (this will attack the 50% damaged recon rover). The priorities are: (a) sink any Believing sea unit that is a threat to our ships; (b) attack He Walked on Water; (c) protect missile foils in the event movement orders can't be followed because of a Believing unit.

(21) Gibraltar (10% damaged) missile foil near He Walked on Water attacks He Walked on Water (this will attack the 50% damaged transport foil).

(22) Drydock (35% damaged) missile foil near He Walked on Water either occupies He Walked on Water or attacks He Walked on Water (in the highly unlikely event the recon rover or the transport foil survived).

(23) If Miriam contacts us, speak to her. If she asks for blood truce, refuse her.

(24) If Drydock missile foil occupied He Walked on Water, attack Believing sea former (former can destroy kelp farm otherwise).

(25) Drydock missile needlejet near He Walked on Water patrols west (in case the Believing impact foil is there) and then returns to He Walked on Water if it has been occupied or Water Music.

(26) Seaview recon rover at Gateway moves to Athens (freeing up the plasma sentinels to join the invasion).

(27) Gateway trance scout at Suez and Suez scout at Gateway exchange places.

(28) 2 of Water Music workers become doctors.

(29) Persepolis worker moves from 1-3-1 forest canyon square to 1-2-1 forest square.

(30) Suez worker moves from 1-1-0 square to 1-3-1 forest canyon square.

(31) Drydock supply droid 1 sq. E of Bay Area moves to 1 sq. E of Gibraltar and crawls 4 minerals for Drydock.

(32) Drydock supply droid 1 sq. W of East moves to 1 sq. E of Bay Area (do not crawl any resources - minerals would be wasted).

(33) Bay Area worker moves from 1-3-1 square to 1-5-2 bonus mineral square.

(34) East worker moves from 2-2-1 square to 1-3-1 former canyon square 1 sq. S of East.

(35) Sunken City changes production to colony pod mk2 (will be used to colonize Manifold Nexus Central).

IF THE VOTE IS TO ATTACK BLAST RIFLE CRAG FIRST:

(36) Drydock missile needlejet at Athens moves 6 sq. NW (to check on roads from Parade Ground), 1 sq. E, 3 sq. SE and attacks Blast Rifle Crag.

(37) Gateway (50% damaged) missile needlejet at Athens:

(a) If Drydock missile needlejet was destroyed, Gateway missile needlejet flies 1 sq. N, 1 sq. NW and attacks Blast Rifle Crag.

(b) If Drydock missile needlejet was successful and the naval units have discovered an enemy unit they can't handle, Gateway missile needlejet attacks enemy sea unit as long as the odds are better than 1-1.

(c) If neither (a) nor (b) applies, Gateway missile needlejet rests.

If Blast Rifle Crag defender has been destroyed:

(38) Boil IoD at Athens loaded with 3 mindworms and plasma sentinels moves 1 sq. N, 1 sq. NW and waits (don't end IoD's movement).

(39) Plasma sentinels unload from IoD into Blast Rifle Crag.

(40) If Yang and/or Santiago contact us, don't break pacts, give into extortion or end vendetta unless we receive a bribe. Don't return Blast Rifle Crag to Santiago.

(41) Boil IoD moves into Blast Rifle Crag, unloads mindworms and returns to Athens.

(42) Boil mindworm attacks Hive Plasma Garrison.

(43) One of the pre-boil mindworm attacks the Hive Plasma Garrison if the Boil mindworm was unsuccessful. Otherwise it attacks the Spartan former to the NW.

(44) Other pre-boil mindworm attacks Plasma Garrison (if it survived two mindworm attacks) or a Spartan former.

If Blast Rifle Crag defender has not been destroyed:

(38) Boil IoD at Athens holds.

IF THE VOTE IS TO ATTACK FLEET ANCHORAGE FIRST:

(36) Drydock missile needlejet at Athens patrols waters east of Fleet Anchorage, looking for enemy sea units to attack.

(37) Boil IoD at Athens loaded with 3 mindworms and plasma sentinels heads toward Fleet Anchorage.

(38) Gateway missile needlejet at Athens rests.

[vyeh]

BEFORE ENDING 2159:

(1) He Walked on Water doctor becomes 3-0-3 kelp tidal harness worker. (Needlejet acts as garrison; foil does not; shall we rename He Walked on Water?)

(2) Sell command center at He Walked on Water for 20 credits (it costs us 2 credits every turn and has limited usefulness).

(3) Change He Walked on Water production to trance scout infantry.

(4) Re-home Drydock needlejet missile at He Walked on Water.

(5) Persepolis worker moves from 2-1-1 square to 2-2-1 farmed canyon square 2 sq. W by SW of Persepolis.

(6) Hurry Syrtis recycling tanks for 6 credits (partial payment).

(7) Hurry Suez missile needlejet for 8 credits (full payment; this will speed up the next build, chaos marines).

BETWEEN 2159 AND 2160:

(8) East builds missile needlejet. Change to supply.

(9) Drydock builds colony pod mk2. Change to chaos interceptor <8>-1-9*2 SAM.

(10) Suez builds missile needlejet. Change to chaos marines 8~3-1*2 Amphibious.

(11) Syrtis builds recycling tanks. Change to supply.

FOR 2160:

(12) Drydock supply droid 1 sq. E of Bay Area moves 2 sq. SE, 1 sq. SW and crawls 4 minerals for Drydock.

(13) Sunken City plasma hoverboat moves 2 sq. SW and holds.

(14) Bay Area former and Ushuaia former 3 sq. SW of Ushuaia build road.

(15) East formers 2 sq. S by SW of of Persepolis move 1 sq. S.

(16) East missile needlejet at East moves 8 sq. N, 2 sq. NW, 1 sq. N and attacks Hive plasma garrison.

(17) Drydock missile foil in Spartan waters moves 1 sq. W, 2 sq. SW and attacks Fleet Anchorage.

(18) If Santiago contacts us, talk to her. Don't break pact, give into extortion or end vendetta.

(19) Drydock impact foil in Spartan waters moves 1 sq. W and attacks Fleet Anchorage.

(20) Boil IoD in Spartan waters moves into Fleet Anchorage and holds.

(21) Re-home Athens plasma sentinels at Fleet Anchorage. and hold.

(22) Hold all mindworms at Fleet Anchorage.

(23) Drydock missile needlejet in Spartan wates patrols, ending up in Fleet Anchorage.

(24) Seaview reccon rover at Athens holds.

(25) Gateway missile needlejet at Athens re-homes and rests.

(26) Athens former droid and ETU-125 2 sq. S by SW of Athens plant forest.

(27) Athens former droid 2 sq. SW of Athens build road.

(28) Gateway fungicidal former and Gateway trance scout 2 sq. SW of Athens move 1 sq. W (move former first).

(29) HQ fungicidal former in Fungal Fields removes fungus.

(30) HQ trance scout in Fungal Fields holds.

(31) HQ former in Fungal Fields moves 1 sq. NE.

(32) BRCM sea former moves 3 sq. NW and cultivates kelp farm.

(33) Gateway former at Gateway moves 1 sq. SW and cultivates farm.

(34) Suez missile needlejet moves 6 sq. N, 2 sq. NW and attacks Spartan former.

(35) Bay Area gun foil moves 3 sq. SW, 1 sq. S and goes on sentry status (this is expansion site for Persepolis sea colony pod).

(36) Suez former near Suez plants forest.

(37) Drydock gun foil heads to Ushuaia.

(38) Drydock colony pod at Drydock moves 2 sq. NE, 1 sq. N.

(39) Pre-boil IoD between Athens and Drydock moves toward Sunken City.

(40) Gibraltar missile foil near He Walked on Water moves in northeasterly direction.

(41) Drydock missile foil at He Walked on Water moves in northeasterly direction.

(42) He Walked on Water missile needlejet at He Walked on Water moves 5 sq. N, 1 sq. NW. looking for Believing impact foil and returns to He Walked on Water unless an enemy unit is spotted, in which case attack.

(43) BRCM missile needlejet near He Walked on Water moves 6 sq. NE and returns to He Walked on Water.

(44) Hurry Sunken City colony pod for 8 credits (partial payment).

(45) Syrtis worker moves from 3-0-0 square to 1-2-1 forest square.

[Nahkrinoth]

Whose side should we take in this new vendetta? Deirdre or Zak?

[Bodissey]

Zak is more dangerous than Deirdre, techwise. We should prune him as soon as we can.