"Chiron's One Ocean" turn tracking thread

[Kirov]

I'm fine with changes as long as they don't change anything 'backwards' - for example I rush for crawlers to IA only to learn they've just been moved to Adaptive Economics.

Of course, the current changes are fine for me. If the rest agree, we go for it.

Don't forget to update your sig, anyway.

[GeoModder]

Let's go for it then. Doesn't sound to change anything radical for this PBEM anyway, except perhaps for the AI drone faction.

[Maniac]

Even that not, as faction info is stored in the save file and can't be changed anymore after the game has started.

[Maniac]

Okay, I just learned yesterday that fungus production isn't hindered at all by the usual restrictions. Eg the Cult doesn't need to research Industrial Base to get three minerals from fungus, so there was no real need to change it. But blah, I guess I'll just leave it as is. It's not like it makes that much difference.

[Kirov]

on.

[GeoModder]

2119 onwards to Maniac. Btw, I played the turn with the 8/1/06 SManiAC update.

[Maniac]

Turn downloaded. Will play it and then forward it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, are you guys aware of the 'Maniac Manoeuvre' mentioned at the end of this treatise? I'd like to actively encourage the use of this.

Personally I think crawler-hurrying would improve all games, but I'd say it counts even more for this game. I think using this will better ensure this will be an aquatic game, and not a jump-onto-land-as-quick-as-possible game, as is usually the case with the Pirates in standard SMAC. The problem with sea colonization is that it takes a massive 7 mineral rows to build a sea colony pod. Sure, that's just the cost of a rec tanks and colony pod together, but the problem is you're losing comparative turn advantage during the long turns that the sea CP is in mid-production. That's why due to the fast-paced nature of SMAC (every turn matters) you're forced to stick to building very cheap units until the mid-game.

Using crawler-hurrying can fix this. Once you have crawlers, you could for example build two crawlers in different bases, and build the sea colony pod in a third base. No loss of comparative turn advantage anymore. This seems especially important for the Gaians and Cyborgs who have growth penalties and thus would have to focus more on ICS instead of popbooming. But of course it's also useful for the Spartans (upgrading crawlers to circumvent the Industry penalty) and the Hive (low energy - using crawlers as an alternative to hurry).

[GeoModder]

I prefer to call this "manoeuvre" the Maniacal Rush.

[Maniac]

It has the advantage of not having to think hard every time how Manoeuvre is spelled again.

[Kirov]

All right, who's holding the turn? :P

I hope I'm finally back for a longer time.

[Kirov]

By the way, I'm not sure if you all know that we don't have to keep separate copies of SMAX for SMAniaC and other mods;

ModMan by #endgame does it all! I can't think of a more useful tool for SMAX.

[Maniac]

I forwarded it to Hobbes the 25th.

[H0bbes]

Humble Apologies. Turn finally played & forwarded.

[Kirov]

2120 to Geo.

[GeoModder]

Played and transmitted;