ACDG6: Operations

[Hydro]

300 mins for 2 techs seems pretty steep, especially if we steal the tech from the Cult or a submissive Cult gives us the tech. If we can build the SP then by all means. But if there are hard choices this may be one SP we can do without. I'd rather have 4 net nodes (queue an SP, add a crawler, switch to a Net Node and POOF!).

I have to admit I've never been much for a general specialist economy. I've generally preferred vertical growth, with perhaps a few specialist cities. When I've experimented it's always seemed that harvesting 4 or more resources (depending on the tile) is better then an engineer in terms of long term growth, energy, and production.

[vyeh]

At one point, our tech rate was around 16 years. We are producing more minerals in part because we chose to take the research hit. By the way, it is not 300 minerals.

(1) Nexus translator is only 20 rows (200 minerals under +0 industry).

(2) Because we are running planned and taking a research hit, it is currently 160 minerals.

As I understand it, we get to choose the 2 free techs (from what we could normally research). Obviously, we will choose techs that the Cult does not have. If we wait for the Cult to build the nexus node, then we are stuck with the techs it chooses.

Note network node is 8 rows.

We don't have a choice on specialists if the base is larger than 4. With our current secret projects, a base with one recreation commons and one garrison unit can only support 4 workers. After that it has to be either doctors or engineers.

Sands of Time has 7 citizens. Even with 2 doctors, it has only 1 talent, 2 workers and 2 drones, which is a riot.

Once we finish our pop boom, we can turn some of those engineers into productive workers by either building more garrisons or holo theatres.

An engineer producing +1 credit/year and +2 labs/year is preferable to a doctor. And I think a base with 4 workers and 1 or more engineers is preferable to a base with only 4 workers (although the 4 workers have to focus on more nutrient producing squares to support the engineers) since those bases have the potential to switch away from engineers in the future as they build drone control facilities when we might not be in a pop boom situation.

And having specialists and only 4 workers in a nonriot situation is much more preferable to having more workers rioting (since the only thing the base produces in a riot are nutrients).

As we build holo theatres, we can switch engineers to workers.

[vyeh]

The Genesis probe team discovered another materials pod.

[Hydro]

You know, it is almost unnatural that we have gotten so many material pods and other very good results. Based on the limited number of pods we've popped I don't think I've seen anything like it.

We seem to have been singularly lucky, and being so careful to get the radar supply crawler really boosts the game for our faction. Witout it we surely would have lost a few good SPs.

[vyeh]

I was surprised when I saw another materials pod.

[Hydro]

Not that I'm complaining!

[vyeh]

The Cultist mindworm at Psi Consensus attacked the Sands of Time laser speeder. With -3 planet and +25% defense against psi, it is better for the laser speeder to defend.

The Angels built your least favorite secret project and is now working on the supercollider.

We built a radar rover supply. It will take 2 years to reach Mutatio, where we will build the nexus translator. Since the Cult is the only other faction building the nexus translator and we know they are 7 years away, there won't be a problem getting this secret project once we've stolen the tech from the Cult.

We should be thinking which techs we want (its been a long time since we got a new tech). I'd like environmental economics for tree farms and centauri genetics for hybrid forests.

These are the techs that the Cult have: fusion power, know-how: sea power, secrets of the human brain, centauri empathy and progenitor psych. They will get know-how: air power in 2 years.

There are 5 Cult bases. If we probe every base once, we will get 5 of the 6 listed techs. Presumably, we will get the last one when the Cult surrenders.

After our pop boom, we may be able to get the planetary governorship if we get our pactmate's vote and we bribe the Angels. Is planetary governorship worth paying a bribe to the Angels?

Current (2159) power graph:

[Hydro]

The techs you mention are good, with the added benefit of increasing our commerse rating. These are better if other factions don't have the tech. After we get the 6 techs from Cult we should be in much better shape, particularly with Fusion (who did they get this from? Cyborgs? Elevea? I'll have to check based on infiltration).

As for getting tech, probe when we can. Looks like we should have a decent number of probes, but I'd keep some in reserve to defend our sea bases and prevent the Cult from bribing a recently conquered base. If we don't get to probe all bases that's OK. As you mention we'll get their tech when Fungus Boy (girl?) surrenders.

Before the elections we'll need credits to bribe. I've never figured out if there is a formula or rule of thumb on how much we'll need.

[vyeh]

Ghost have fusion. Cyborgs do not.

So we don't trade environmental economics. Is there a problem trading centauri genetics (it doesn't increase commerce)?

[vyeh]

I noticed the Ghost are building conventional missiles. Datalinks say they would attack with strength 6. What do we have to do to counter these? We have AAA. I suppose if we get tube mail, then we can build ships that defend at 1-1 against conventional missiles, right?

[Hydro]

Centauri Genetics allows Locust, Hybrid Forests, and Fungal Gin Brewery. I see no reason not to trade.

But, consider trading the tech we get from the Cult first. Maybe gift a tech to the Cyborgs to improve their opinion of us. Switching out of Anthro will help with her mood. Rose may be a lost cause while we are PS.

With the Cult and Templar brought to heel perhaps it will be time to switch from Hybrid to Builder. If we haven't done so already perhaps we could then go for Governor.

Note that the higher our commerce rating the more valuable allies and submissive will be for trade energy. It may be in our interest to help them grow with bases (PTS will help here) and gifting back some bases we will take from Cult. We'll have to see what makes sense to keep our bases contiguous and productive. We'll want to go vertical as a Builder to capitalize on our infrastructure.

[Hydro]

We'lll need AAA tracking to defend against missiles. I think we get AAA from Mechanical Resonance in SMAniaC. Combined with Fusion, level 3 armor, base, and sensor our defense should be decent. But it will take noticable resources to upgrade, and the AI loves to paste formers and other soft targets. In recent SMAniaC games the AI has done a good job of pasting high-value transports and using multiple missiles to ensure they are dead. Unarmored rovers die like stuck pigs. Unfortunately missiles are very cheap for the AI, so they may be able build them for less than our build cost for the cheaper military or civy unit.

[vyeh]

Besides environmental economics, are there any other techs we shouldn't trade?

We are in a treaty with Roze. If we can bribe her to support us for governor, we can shoot for governor when our current pop boom ends in a year or so (we might have to switch to private/protectionist to make a lot of credits for the bribe).

We should think about SE. We're in planned/plutocrat, so we have +2 industry (Mart's favorite). Our tech rate is 12 years. We're in good shape to steal some good tech from the Cult (sea power, fusion, centauri empathy, secrets of the human brain, air power, progenitor psych.) Plus if we can get centauri empathy in the next few years, we can instabuild the nexus translator (otherwise we'll take two more techs from the Cult).

Our production rate is low as we have been focusing on nutrients. It may make more sense to switch to private/protectionist/plutocrat and get +1 energy per worked square (if we switched now, our income goes from 56 to 110 credits) and hurry facilities and units.

Do you want to go after the Ghost after the Cult and Templar?

We got AAA from Mechanical Resonance. Don't aerospace complexes also help against missile attacks?

I think the solution is to start building a fleet of ships once we have sea power and fusion. If the Ghost starts pasting our formers, we will take away their bases. They only have level 1 armor and no naval yards.

We don't have a treaty (they wouldn't sign one) so there is no reputation loss if we declare vendetta (maybe by probing them for all of their techs as the opening salvo).

[Hydro]

Aerospace Complexes give a 100% bonus, but they are pretty darn expensive and may not be worth it due to maintenence if all you want is defense. A 1-<3>-1*2 sounds like a better deal. Helicopters have limited use early in the air war days.

If go after the Ghosts then we're comitting to long-term hybrid. If we do this we should ensure we probem them, take out their land base, and a few sea bases in one turn. Then rinse and repeat. This is do-able after Fusion since sea probe foils and attack foils are much cheaper.

It is likely to be a decade before we're done with the Cult and Templar, right? Unless the Cult folds very quickly, that is. As to the Templar, I'm still a fan of a land bridge so we don't have to mess with formers and amphibious assaults. If we send one former now the land bridge will be ready by the time the Cult is brought to heel. One or two rovers should do the job.

As to SE, that depends on our intentions. Due to low mineral production it will take a while to get a credible sea force constructed, so I think it makes sense to go to +2 Eco while we're waiting.

More later...

[vyeh]

We have to mess with formers for the land bridge to build a road to the area, clear off the fungus and raise terrain.

Know-how: sea power is required for amphibious assaults. I was thinking of building two transports and loading them with 3 probes, 2 rovers and a jumpsuit garrison. Land the probes. Steal tech and possibly some credits.

Then land the rovers and the jumpsuit garrison.

For the Ghost, we can have forces to take out their land base in one turn and we can have amphibious forces right next to the sea bases that are adjacent to our land.

We have enough ships to take out any base that has those conventional missiles in them in the first year. If our ships have <3> armor, we should only lose half of them and fortunately missiles can only be used once.

We may need to establish another port.

What do you think about moving our capital to Cytosino?