ACDG6: Operations

[vyeh]

Assuming Cytosino produces 5 minerals per year, you get 10 years of production. Once the mine on the bonus mineral is complete (currently 7 years away), Cytosino can produce 9 minerals per year, so the alien artifact only adds 5 and a half years of production.

However, since we have crawlers, we have a several things that will speed up the secret project.

(1) Other bases can build crawlers.
(2) In SMAniaC, we can hurry crawlers for 2 credits per mineral (by switching to a facility, hurrying minerals and switching back).
(3) I'm not sure if we're at the point where we can upgrade crawlers for less than 2 credits per mineral.
(4) Cytosino builds crawlers toward a secret project. Until the crawler is cashed in, it can be used to harvest a mineral from a rocky or rolling square.

We don't have to make a decision immediately. We can keep the alien artifact in Cytosino until we're 50 minerals short of a secret project. Then we can cash it in or not as the situation warrants.

[vyeh]

We've built a colony pod, which we will send toward the Mutatio (eastern) scout to take advantage of the newly discovered monolith.

Current powergraph:

[Mart]

Question: In addition to scrapping the ogre toward a secret project, how do you feel about applying the alien artifact (or would you prefer to wait until we have a network node and get a tech)?

I would prefer getting a tech. It is worth much more than 50 minerals.
Also in order to benefit the most from this, I try to do it right when my faction is near the top regarding research. E.g. when there are other means of acquiring a tech, like trade, probe, I would wait keeping AA, until it can give research lead.
Sometimes not using AA for SP can cost this SP, but I would rather disband other units.

[Hydro]

My take is that you can always steal or trade for a tech, but a SP is forever (unless you conquer the other faction's base where the SP is located). That said, not all SPs are created equal, and if we can build it normally then so be it.

[vyeh]

We destroyed the last Templar combat unit.

We've withdrawn from the monolith near Illuminatus, so the Templars can discover mechanical resonance next year.

The Mutatio explorer discovered another monolith. It encountered a mindworm and retreated.

[Hydro]

For the SP and artifact, there is also the turn advantage to consider. If getting HGP takes bases out of riot we get more production at all of them. We also get better stability with new bases. The period of better productions is in addition to any other methods (cashing Ogre, crawlers) we might use.

In particular, we can stave off instability associated with establishing a few more bases to take advantage of the monoliths and other specials.

[vyeh]

Our explorer attacked a mindworm that was chasing it.

We stole mechanical resonance from the Templars and took their capital.

High Templar Silvera and her henchmen escaped with two colony pods, a scout rover, a jumpsuit garrison and a former to 12 square island. Maybe we should build a transport foil, load the foil with the laser speeder and laser rover and pay her a visit.

Both of Illuminatus workers had to become doctors. Illuminatus will grow next year, but will be in an immediate starvation or riot situation absent a recreation commons. So we have to hurry 9 minerals at 4 credits/mineral this year and next year, we will hurry the rest of the minerals at 2 credits/mineral to complete a recreation commons.

Three of our captured bases, Illuminatus, Aurora and Faralia did not receive hatcheries (Adonia and Sands of Time received hatcheries after we conquered them).

Current power graph:

[Hydro]

Bummer. It's been a long time since that heppened to me. Maybe now she'll swear a pact to serve us?

[vyeh]

What is the bummer? We've removed her from the immediate neighborhood. We've lost infiltration.

[Mart]

Cycon could exchange 2 techs with us, 2 for 2.
Ghosts seem to be able to trade 1 tech from us and give us 2 techs.

Vyeh, can you see Templars on the map in 2140? I tried to find them, but maybe they are in fog of war. Are they close to our coast?

[vyeh]

Templar colony pod is not visible on the map in 2140.

Templar colony pod moved to (17,23). This observation was made from the end of 2139 (you can see them on the screen shot) and the beginning of 2140. GPS Lucky is close by. We can send them to make contact. At the closest point, their island and our continent are separated by two ocean squares.

Do you really want to contact Cycon (she terminated our last conversation in 2137)? She is noncommittal (because we are pacted with her enemy Roze). We are earning 2 credits per year (our surplus is only 8 credits per year) from commerce income from her. If we lose the pact, we lose a quarter of our income.

Last time we asked for a trade in 2137, Delan refused to trade progenitor psych for field modulation. We've been reluctant to contact him (he has contacted us) because we are worried he will declare vendetta on us before we are ready.

Do you have anything to contribute to the Council of the Decade 2140-2150.

[Mart]

Templar colony pod is not visible on the map in 2140.

Templar colony pod moved to (17,23). This observation was made from the end of 2139 (you can see them on the screen shot) and the beginning of 2140. GPS Lucky is close by. We can send them to make contact. At the closest point, their island and our continent are separated by two ocean squares.

We might do it, there may be already a base, and we could attempt to infiltrate Templars again.
Although, if possible, I would send a rover probe, or maybe marine probe from a transport foil, so we do not loose probe foil.
Are marine probes possible in Smaniac?

Do you really want to contact Cycon (she terminated our last conversation in 2137)? She is noncommittal (because we are pacted with her enemy Roze). We are earning 2 credits per year (our surplus is only 8 credits per year) from commerce income from her. If we lose the pact, we lose a quarter of our income.

I checked relations between Rose and Aki:
Rose is seething towards Aki
Aki is Quarellsome towards Rose.
So there is a chance, it is Rose wishing the vendetta. Maybe we could first contact Rose and ask for Cycon-Angels truce?

Last time we asked for a trade in 2137, Delan refused to trade progenitor psych for field modulation. We've been reluctant to contact him (he has contacted us) because we are worried he will declare vendetta on us before we are ready.

In that case we will wait.

Do you have anything to contribute to the Council of the Decade 2140-2150.

Yes, I'd like to. I should take closer look to the turn 2140 this weekend and write my proposals. We could then shortly discuss our views.

[Mart]

Maybe a short note for 2140.
When we go plutocrat this turn.
In Iluminatus base, we could put 2 workers on both monoliths, this will give us +5 minerals. Total cost to complete rec commons is 44 EC. We could either pay this or 34 EC just to complete it, then no riots will take place in 2141.
Paying 44 EC may be preferred, since the first minerals for the next building item are the most expensive, and we would have already 5 accumulated.
===========
We could upgrade the expensive crawler (now 88 minerals) to radar or AAA, 104 minerals (whem plutocrat)

[vyeh]

Plutocrat moves us from 8 credits/year and breakthroughs every 16 years to 6 credits/year and breakthroughs every 20 years. The only practical redeeming feature is an additional 10% reduction in mineral cost for production.

While the reduction in the mineral cost would allow us to build more facilities and units with our energy reserves, the reduction in research rate more than offsets this advantage.

Once we've established any new bases we want in the immediate future (and have the ten free minerals to use toward recreation commons for the bases), the logical progression is switching first to private/protectionist (14 credits/turn, breakthroughs every 12 years) and then to plutocrat (23 credits/turn, breakthroughs every 11 years).

The current 3-1-0 worker at Illuminatus was automatic when the base grew (if we hadn't switched to 2 doctors, the base would be rioting. There will be two workers on monolith and a doctor. And we will have to buy a recreation commons or else the base will starve or go into riots.

44 credits is not preferred for two reasons:

(1) We can have four new bases (near two monoliths east of Uracil; south of energy bonus 2 squares south of Aurora; between the two energy bonuses east of Faralia; and river near nutrient bonus east of Purini). Each of these new bases needs a recreation commons as the first build taking advantage of the ten free minerals, approximately 50 credits. Sands of Time also needs a recreation commons. Every time we build a recreation commons, we will get some of the credits back through the stockpile energy bug, but with only 215 credits, we probably should be careful about spending the extra 10 credits.

(2) There isn't a vital next build for Illuminatus, so we won't be hurrying it. It can only support two workers (after the two workers, it is either a doctor or drone riot). It doesn't have an immediate need of formers because it has the two monoliths and it is connected to the two nearest base by roads.

The only reason for the expensive crawler was to for popping pods in case there was a materials pod. The nearest base would be switched to the expensive crawler. We will upgrade the expensive crawler when we next pop a pod.

[vyeh]

Silvera contacted us. She won't be swearing a pact.

How do you feel about trading or selling mechanical resonance? Remember, we stole it from Silvera. The Ghost are currently researching it.