ACDG6: Operations

[vyeh]

Solar collectors at anything higher than 2000 meters doesn't make sense until the energy restrictions are lifted. Neither do boreholes.

Why does recreation commons plus hologram theatre commit us to go builder?

I think we should consider building the weather paradigm at Cytosino. The bonus mineral on rocky square can produce 1-7-0 with the proper terraforming. There are a couple of rocky river jungles that can produce 1-4-1 with proper terraforming.

[vyeh]

Following the consensus, we're building more formers.

Uracil has built formers and Purini and Cytosino are set to build formers.

Another Templar jumpsuit garrison attacked the battle ogre. I guess they get slightly better odds attacking (the -33% hasty is made up by the 25% offensive bonus and 25% downhill bonus) but it does save us a turn.

As Hydro mentioned, the 4-1-2 laser rover prototype will be enough to take the jumpsuit garrison at Aurora.

The Templar capital, Illuminatus, has a jumpsuit garrison and a (2)-1-2 recon battery. We can move the battle ogre next to it, with minimal risk.

In contrast, Sands of Time has a 4-2r-1 laser squad. We'll wait until we have a transport until we attack Sands of Time. Then we can move the battle ogre or a 4-1-1 laser squad next to Sands of Time and take out the Templar 4-2r-1 laser squad without giving it a chance to attack first.

Once we've taken out Illuminatus (and the HQ), the Templars will have terrible inefficiency problems and will not be able to complete their research on mechanical resonance.

There is an AI probe due to be completed at Illuminatus next year. Since Illuminatus only has an HQ (which can't be sabotaged), we can release a sabotage virus in Illuminatus. If we're successful, it will terminate the AI probe.

If we fail, the Templars will be able to steal tech or credits from us (I'm not sure if they have enough credits to subvert a base or the ogre). There is no other immediate use for our probe team, so sabotage is a better option than hoping the AI probe team chooses the base our probe team is in (50%).

If we move the ogre next to Illuminatus this year and take out the jumpsuit garrison next year, we will need a scout to occupy Illuminatus. Since we don't want to leave Adonia or Faralia without protection, we need to switch Adonia to a scout (which will be completed next year).

Of the 5 Templar combat units (2 jumpsuit garrisons, 1 laser squad, 1 recon battery and 1 laser battery), 4 are in bases (a jumpsuit garrison in Aurora, a jumpsuit garrison and recon battery in Illuminatus and a laser squad in Sands of Time).

This leaves the laser battery outside the bases. Why did it leave Sands of Time? Is it reinforcing Aurora? There is a road extending two squares south west from Sands of Time. Then there is fungus between the end of the road and Aurora.

Aurora has switched production to a laser squad which is due in 2 years. It will take only 1 year to move the laser rover prototype to the river 2 squares north east of Aurora. So we will be able to attack just before the laser squad is produced.

For safety, we will send the Mutatio (southern) probe team close to Aurora in case we need to sabotage production of the laser squad next year.

[Mart]

A few thoughts after looking at 2135 start save.
Templars have research points:
46/54 to get Mechanical Resonance.
They need 8 and make:
Illuminatus - 3
Sands... - 1
Aurora - 1

If they do not change engineering, theoretically we should still be able to probe them for the tech in 2137 after leaving only hq, Illuminatus to Templars.

Aurora seems necessary to be taken, as in 2 turns they gonna have laser infantry and we have no armor units in vicinity.

Templar probe actions, the most harmful might be:
- base mindcontrol. but with 21 EC, they may not have enough
- tech probe they later trade/sell to other faction
Other actions would have less impact, I think.

[Hydro]

Don't count on the AI not being able to mind control with only 21 credits. The AI seems to get special consideration.

RC and holo theatres are builder or at least hybrid to me due to the construction and maintenence cost.

[vyeh]

I don't know how much it will cost the Templar to conduct a probe operation. They're in unitary democracy/planned/junta/frontier, which means they have +2 probe. I'd also be concerned about their ability to mind control the ogre in addition to mind control a base.

If the Templars have enough credits to mind control the ogre, than the ogre needs to be stacked with a scout.

We don't want to leave Adonia uncovered.

Hydro said we need to be in total war; waiting a year would give the Templars a little breathing room.

Once the Templars get mechanical resonance, Sands of Time can switch from producing a laser speeder to a resonance laser speeder or squad. We were able to rush a prototype of a laser speeder because we had 54 credits.

Now we have only 14 credits. Most likely, we'll build a transport at Adonia (there is a bonus mineral rocky square) and a laser squad at Illuminatus to take Sands of Time (there is a monolith there). Faralia with only 2 minerals per year production is pretty pathetic.

We probably have enough credits to rush the laser squad once there is ten minerals, but it will be at least 4 or 5 years before we can take Sands of Time.

We can also move the laser rover prototype up from Aurora, but it first has to take out Aurora and the road between Aurora and Cytosino won't be completed for 4 years and it will be a lot longer for the road from Cytosino to Faralia, even if the formers from Uracil is used for building a road instead of constructing a mine.

The Templar laser speeder made a hasty attack on an almost undamaged ogre within a base, so the odds were 3.33 to 3.79 (after taking into account the 10% damage for the ogre.

Now the ogre is 50% damaged and our best armor is jumpsuit (2r). If a resonance laser unit did a hasty attack (and Illuminatus is only 2 squares away from Sands of Time) against a base with a jumpsuit garrison, the odds would be 5 to 2.8. If it did a non hasty attack, the odds would be 7.5 to 2.8.

Hydro has said that we must engaged in total war. I believe that we can still build formers and recreation commons at our original bases, but I don't think we can afford to give the Templars any breathing room by waiting a year to take Illuminatus because we didn't want to risk losing the probe team.

If we lose the probe team, we can move the southern probe team up (assuming we don't need it at Aurora) or build an infantry probe team at Adonia (as you noted before, they only cost 2 mineral rows and Sands of Time is only 3 squares away from Adonia).

This is our most optimistic schedule:

2135 (current year): ogre moved to monolith south west of Illuminatus (it is higher than Illuminatus giving us a 25% bonus on attack and a 10% bonus on defense)

2136: ogre takes out jumpsuit garrison; Adonia scout moved to (or next to) monolith; Illuminatus still has recon battery

2137: ogre takes out recon battery; scout occupies Illuminatus.

Does anyone know the formula for calculating probe team actions?

[Mart]

Spoils of war are off, if i'm not mistaken. Maybe letting Adonia go until we can assembly sufficient attack force for taking all Templar bases is not that bad.

Sands of time have 4-2r-1 infantry, they can threaten both Fralia and Adonia, if not this turn, then next.

We are kinda stretched a bit too much.

[Mart]

We could empty Adonia and sell Hatchery

[Hydro]

Yes, we are stretched. A single 4-1-2 or probe team can swing the entire war. Spending production on RCs and formers may be a mistake.

Also, if the best armor we'll see is 2r then we may be better off going for a rover rush.

I'm trying to remember, if the Templar mind control the base are they recapturing the base or taking it from us? If the latter then it's icon will change to the Genesis icon, and if we recapture it then we won't have any captured-base disorder.

[Mart]

I would consider the following:
- Take Aurora in 2136, so 4-1-1 infantry (if they do not rush it) does not create a new problem.
- Empty Adonia, sell Hatchery, let Templars retake it. We will give them advantage of either tech or energy, or possibly more units.
- Create line of defense in Fralia, then build military to make a quick offensive and take all Templar bases.

[vyeh]

Spoils of war is off.

No reason not to leave scout in Adonia. Losing a scout is not a big deal.

If we're stretched out, the Templars are also stretched out. Of the five combat units, two are artillery. There are three bases. The only base that has more than one defender is Illuminatus, with a jumpsuit garrison and a recon battery.

Aurora doesn't count as far as Illuminatus and Sand of Mars is concerned and we will have a laser rover prototype, scout and probe team to deal with a jumpsuit garrison and a laser squad 2 years away.

If the 4-2r-1 threatens Faralia or Adonia, that will leave Sands of Time vacant unless the laser battery returns or the recon battery moves from Illuminatus to Sands of Time.

The whole point of the ogre task force was to keep the Templars away from Cytosino and Aurora while we conquer Aurora. It has been successful. Even if we lose Adonia, we win if we keep the Templars occupied until we can send a force up from Cytosino and Uracil.

We've got to spend production on recreation commons. If we didn't, we would either have drone riots or have to create doctors that put us in a nutrient deficit situation.

Formers build roads, which have a military use. We've only built one recent former at Uracil. The ones being built at Purini and Cytosino can be changed.

No reason to give up Adonia. If we leave a scout there, we can wait. If the Templar move up the laser squad, we still have time to sell the hatchery. Even if the laser squad makes a hasty assault at - 67%, the Templars would have to wait a turn or move up another unit. If they move up another unit, they will leave either Illuminatus or Sands of Time vacant and we will be able to occupy the undefended base with the ogre.

Let's do this:
(1) Take Aurora in 2136
(2) Leave scout in Adonia. Consider selling hatchery if Templar moves laser squad next to it (since the laser squad is the only combat unit in Sands of Time, it is unlikely to happen). If the Templars take Adonia, we will also lose some credits (not many since we have few credits at the moment). Furthermore, Adonia has a bonus mineral forest river (1-4-2). Do we really want to turn over a production powerhouse if we don't have to?
(3) Continue building road to Faralia, so we can move units there.

It doesn't make sense for the ogre to retreat. It is better as an offensive unit than a defender. At half strength, it is only 50% more effective than a scout and 25% less effective than a jumpsuit garrison. If we can keep the fight at the Templar's bases rather than our bases, we will be better off. So:

(4) Move the ogre next to Illuminatus (maybe another jumpsuit garrison will destroy itself attacking the ogre). Then if the laser squad attacks Adonia, the ogre's zone of control will keep Illuminatus units from occupying Adonia.

(5) Build another scout at Adonia. If the laser squad does attack at -67%, then the second scout may be able to take out a severely damaged laser squad.

[vyeh]

We sabotaged the production of the Templar probe.

We destroyed the Templar formers near Adonia.

Our laser rover prototype is in position to attack Aurora in 2136.

[vyeh]

Templar formers moved into Aurora giving it another defender.

Templar artillery (the recon battery at Illuminatus) destroyed the sensor array near Adonia; however, the laser squad stayed put.

There is another reason for moving the ogre on top of the monolith: it prevents the Templars from using the monolith for either promotion or resources.

[Hydro]

The AI can be unpredictable with its units. Purely attack units tend to go out ad hoc, but an armored attack unit may be used a defender. If so this is to our advantage since we have better production.

Good point on the monolith. At this point in the game a monolith is a huge source of resources.

[vyeh]

It is not so much that we should depend on the laser squad remaining in Sands of Time, but we should have a plan if the laser squad leaves.

In this case, the ogre can occupy Sands of Time if it is left undefended.

The only reason that the laser squad is the last remaining unit is that the AI chose to attack our ogre twice with jumpsuit garrisons. Totally illogical to make a hasty attack on a defender with 3t armor with units with weapons 1 when there was a unit with weapons 4 available.

By the way, the monolith did not promote the ogre. I was expecting the monolith not to heal the ogre, but I thought we might have gotten a promotion.

[Hydro]

If the ogre was 50% damaged wouldn't the armor be 1.5 (half of 3)? If so then the attack wasn't completely illogical (if it wasn't hasty). As it is we should thank our lucky stars.