ACDG5: The Wardroom

[vyeh]

I can agree with Centauri Ecology as the first choice for the formers. But ignoring exploration when we may very well be on a small penisula is dangerous. We know that we landed near the South Pole. We cannot expand into the polar area.

Doctrine: Flexibility has the following advantages:
(1) There are two Unity sea supply pods. There may be more. Searching those pods early on could help us get many of the techs you've listed.

(2) There may be fertile areas for colonization a few squares away by ocean. If we get there first, we can exploit it. If someone else gets there, it becomes a place to launch an attack on us.

(3) If there are already hostile factions a few ocean squares away, the sooner we know, the better. It is better to fight on their territory than on ours.

(4) This is a small world. A development strategy, which works well on larger worlds, does not work well. Going to industrial automation without regard to other factors (like a very hostile faction next door) is not always a good strategy. Before the benefits of industrial automation kick in, a faction that has worked on conquest has taken your bases.

(5) Here are the advantages of Centauri Ecology (formers), Doctrine: Mobility (rovers), and Doctrine: Flexibility (foils & transport).
(a) First, we may get to Industrial Automation sooner then if we followed Centauri Ecology, Industrial Base, Information Networks, Industrial economics, planetary networks and industrial automation because we are much more likely to contact the other factions (particularly the peaceful ones) and we can either trade for many of the techs in your path or, after we acquire planetary networks, steal them.
(b) Second, knowing who is near us will help us tailor our research strategy. If they are hostile, we need impact weapons. If they are peaceful, then we can focus on development.
(c) Third, foils, rovers and formers are useful for both vendetta and peace. If it is vendetta, foils mean we can carry the attack to the enemy's land, rovers give us tactical advantage over infantry and formers can build sensors and forests for defensive purposes. If it is peace, foils can carry our colony pods to other lands or create sea colony pods that can colonize the water off our shores, rovers can explore distant lands and formers can develop new bases.

In summary, we can get great benefits for researching two techs. The advantage of industrial automation is somewhat tempered by the fact that we already have three supply droids, so we already have some of the benefits.

[timsup2nothin]

Okay, movement directives have been forwarded to the Logistics Analyst. Because North didn't have its entire worker range revealed on our initial scan I sent their garrison scouts to take a quick look before they cover the base. I expect within the next year our road building units will start clearing the fungus near HQ. I've heard rumors from the workers that there are...things...in the fungus. When our roadbuilders start trying to clear the fungus I want those garrisons in place just in case we get a 'burning cane field' scenario.

[vyeh]

Note: (1) No need for north scout to cover base. Next turn north base will produce scout. No risk to north since supply droid is in base and will act as defender.

(2) For the good of the faction, we need east base to produce CP. We should promise to garrison east and to provide garrison from HQ. Expansion CP is important to provide access to sea near HQ and to exploit Nessus canyon. East former will build road next turn, move into fungus square turn after that and take six turns to clear fungus. If east supply droid is used to harvest nutrients (one nutrient next turn at sq. W of East and two nutrients at monument 2 sq. W of East in subsequent turns), East can provide CP in 8 turns. CP will take 1 or 2 turns to move to expansion site, so site will be ready when CP is.

(3) HQ crawler can crawl monument after its move onto monument. Do you want nutrient, mineral or energy?

(4) Currently, both HQ and north are working monuments in fungus. If Lt. dacole has windows, he will not be able to take care of east. (I will happily volunteer my services.)

[dacole]

((ok going to check the settings but didn't know we were on a small world thought we were at least normal sized. If we are on a small world then that does change things))

I note your concerns and certinly if our scouts report the end of colonizible land before we get to some of the techs I have listed we can change. I do think for now our unity rovers will serve for exploration. Do not underestimate the power of capitalism and the importance of industry. Europe has done so back on earth for a long time to their determent. Many of the things Morgan said during the uprising are true. Just because he is a traitor does not make him any less intelligent. As well I expect that as we increase our industrial base we will see new and unexpected technologies develop. (We get defense 2, which unless someone has impact weapons (6 or above) which is highly unlikly before we get through our first bee line we can defend easily....the best defense is not always an offense).

We MUST try peace first with anyone that we meet. We CAN NOT be the agressors otherwise we become as bad as the traitors. The Spartans need to be brought to justice but even that should be done with as little damage to innocents as possible. The rest we should coexist with peacefully. We MUST not repeat the mistakes of earth. What binds us together is stronger than ANY of the things that drive us apart.

[vyeh]

We're on a 30x60 (note a small planet is 32x64).

We don't have any unity rovers and if the supply pod at Nessus Canyon is the only land pod, we may not get any.

Having colonizible land is not the only issue; finding out who our neighbors are and the map of the world is vital for planning. We're in a better position to get that information early.

Doctrine: Flexibility gives us the ability to meet all the factions early. If you are serious about peace, then getting the commlinks for diplomacy and to call all the factions together is a must.

I think an isolationist stance would be a mistake. That is why we must research the technologies that allow us to meet all six of the other factions. Trade with the more peaceful factions will more than make up for not researching your desired techs early. After all, isn't what count that we minimize the time to achieve IA, not that we minimize the number of techs we acquire before IA? Please ponder this question and tell me if you are objecting to intelligent tech trading. Are we to become a society that won't share the fruits of our research to the betterment of all humanity on this planet?

Are we so near-sighted that we don't realize that if we trade tech A to Morgan for tech B and tech A to the Gaians for tech C, we are far better off than if we had done neither trade?

I never suggested a pre-emptive strike, only that if there is a sneak attack on our forces, it occurs outside our homeland!

By the way, Industrial Base is not available as a second tech choice.

[timsup2nothin]

Originally posted by vyeh
Note: (1) No need for north scout to cover base. Next turn north base will produce scout. No risk to north since supply droid is in base and will act as defender.


(3) HQ crawler can crawl monument after its move onto monument. Do you want nutrient, mineral or energy?

1)noted

3)minerals, I want to get a scout unit off to East as soon as possible.

[vyeh]

Lt. dacole, the ball is in your court

(1) while we continue our stimulating conversation about research, can we take a vote on Centauri Ecology as our first tech? (Let's make it yes/no)

(2) for the good of the faction, will the east base agree to build a CP if the faction agrees to provide it protection while it is producing the CP and HQ will produce a scout and turn over a garrison? (Agreement will prevent long debate about whether faction has right to order bases to produce CP's.)

[dacole]

Ah but I do so love the long debate about my role . Yes I can produce a colony pod for the good of the faction. Thank you for telling how much smaller the size of the planet is than earth. I do not know how I missed this, I must be spending to much time worrying over Lal. I have no problem with tech trading but remaining hidden if we can until we are strong might also be wise.

However as we are on a small planet getting sea foils and rovers (I do not know how I thought we had some) is much more important. Depending on how the map expands as we gain our first techs I may have to revise my procedures. I still vote for formers first however.

[vyeh]

Lt. dacole, didn't you notice the lighter gravity? How is Lal?

I agree on Centauri Ecology as the first tech. Lt. Bodissey also agrees.

Does the Lt. Chairman still favor lasers (Applied Physics)?

[timsup2nothin]

I will support studying the Ecology of the planet, though I have no desire to be outgunned by the mutineers. It does us no good to drill boreholes in territory we cannot defend.

[dacole]

Defense comes not from being able to attack but withstand attack. However if one of the more aggressive traitors is close to our position than preparing an offense might be nessecary. It all depends on information and exploration.

[vyeh]

I believe these are the things we need to discuss:

(1) Continue with the tech discussion. These seem to be the alternatives: IA beeline, D:F beeline and AP. We will need to make our second choice between the third and fourth year.

(2) East former will build road next year. After that it can move to fungus square W or SW to prepare expansion site or it can move S (which currently has supply pod) to build road (and expansion site would be 2 sq. SW of its current location). Should expansion site be square W of its current location (and two squares away from both HQ and East), square SW of its current location (three squares away from HQ and two squares away from East) or 2 squares SW of its current location (three squares away from both HQ and East)?

(3) At the beginning of the fourth year, we will be able to build the Weather Paradigm? Should we start building it? (This will allow us to build boreholes.)

(4) If we decide to build it, should we use the former droids (and possibly former built by Big Rock Candy Mountain) to build forests and use supply droids to produce minerals to build it?

On IA v. D:F v. AP, I believe there are advantage of meeting other factions early. If we are the most advanced faction when we meet them, they may not be so friendly. If they are friendly, they are more likely to have techs we don't have. If they're hostile, it is better that we know where they are and they don't know where we are.

On site for expansion base, I favor 2 squares SW of current location. I don't like packing bases closely.

On Weather Paradigm SP, I favor building it as soon as we can.

On use of supply droids, I would use them to help build Weather Paradigm. Weather Paradigm will help all bases by speeding up terraforming, so governors should turn them over. (If we ask east to build more colony pods, we might want to leave east with supply droid to keep pumping in nutrients.)

Council members, there is an administrative matter that requires a moment of your time.

[timsup2nothin]

I seem to have shot a staple through my neural interface. Could someone give me a report on some time estimates please? Completion of the CP at east being my highest priority. I'm assuming HQ and BRCM completed scout units, but confirmation would be nice, plus a time line for completing another one at HQ.

[vyeh]

If East supply droid takes 1 nutrient this year (1 sq. W of East) and 2 nutrients in subsequent years (monument 2 sq. W of East), CP can be completed in 7 years (it actually will have enough minerals in 6 years, but East won't grow to size 2 until 6 years and production occurs before growth).

Both HQ and BRCM completed scout units. HQ is producing 5 mins per year. It has 5 mins accumulated, so there will be a new scout unit at the beginning of next year.

[vyeh]

I think this year is pretty simple compared to the first year.

(1) HQ is building a scout, which will be completed next year. Only other choices are CP and stockpile energy. Could use CP if you want to save the 10 mins toward a former or WP next turn. Could use stockpile energy to save 5 mins toward a former or WP and produce three additonal energy units in income this year.

(2) Governor Bodissey of BRCM needs to decide what to do with supply droid. Only reason to change production queue is to stockpile energy. If production is left as scout, there will be six mins accumulated for next year. If production is changed to stockpile energy, then three mins will remain accumulated for next year and BRCM will produce an additional two energy units this year in income.

(3) Governor dacole only needs to decide what to do with supply droid. I've made a suggestion.

(4) There are two scouts in HQ: one independent, one newly generated. Based on the Garrison Plus vote and the commitment to send a scout over to East to relieve current garrison, there are two choices: Leave one scout in HQ and move one toward East; or leave one scout in HQ and move one to protect supply droid. I prefer the former choice as I'd like to get some protection for East former.

(5) The scout outside BRCM needs to move. It can explore or it can protect the East supply droid.