[ISPG] Interactive SinglePlayer Game

[Mart]

You mean like directly north of the scout in the above screenshot? 

One tile NE from there, which is "builder location."

That would give it a few moist tiles overlapping with MM to work, and MM can concentrate on the tiles south of it, which are better quality.  Then raise the coast where the pod is? 

Yes, somewhere there. I have impression, this is just a 1-tile channel. However, I would not rise a sea tile with bonus, unless necessary. The reason is, that often a unity pod results, that is not giving you back that specific resource.

It makes me nervous having the border so close to our headquarters, but I guess there's nothing to be done about it. 

The former makes road on that rocky tile. This is good place for defensive post blocking access to AH. And we can have a sensor somewhere there.

Could we bring the copter back east to scout along the border? 

That can be the mission after facilitating colony pod to the west travel.

...

Edit:  it looks like we'll end up crossing their territory to colonize east without a transport foil.  Can we do it without angering them?

The chance is that with 1/3 move our cp will enter fungus tile under the copter...
[Edit]
I mean, the chance of not stopping in Colonial territory.
One turn should not anger them that much. And if in near future we trade technologies again, this would bring relations again to better state.

[Mart]

Unless their territory expands I think an eastward expansion can cheat around their borders using diagonals.

We will see in what way that planned eastern base will move Colonial borders. We could have access to that spot near energy bonus you once mentioned.
However, I think Colonials may push the border again, as there is this second base, maybe doing a cp...

Regarding spacing, given the difficulty level and native life I would favor caution. Especially now, as Apollo does not have a large military and if there's a surge of native life or foreign aggression the further away the endangered base is the more likely it is to just get swarmed under. In particular because base three is either going to have to spend time and production building its own garrison, unless we're willing to station the Mining Laser there and give up a mobile offensive force.

Mining Laser probably would stay near MM base. At least, somewhere there.
We should have some time before troubles begin. Yet it is difficult predict from where Colonials would attack. Maybe it is too early to tell.

[Artemis]

Oh, I see, I misunderstood where you wanted to raise the land.  I was thinking east of the wreckage site, north of HQ, to get more land there in case the next base by the river is too close.  You meant around where the channel is.  I agree, I would not close off the channel because my experience is that you generally lose the bonus square (although I find mineral bonuses on water disappointing).  A base there would be nice since it is a choke point.  I'm not sure if looking at distortions in the grid in unexplored territory is kosher or not. . .  In any case I can't tell, it may be there is nothing east of there but water, or there may be an expanse of flat land.  We'll have to explore and see. 

I am not sure about colony pod speed on fungus with no modifiers.  I was trying to read online today and didn't find any specifics.  I can't test in my current game because I have Xenoempathy Dome.  I have a feeling they only can go one square at a time, which means while heading east to colonize we would spend one turn in their territory at (36,60), assuming the borders do not change. 

[Buster's Uncle]

It is one square a turn.

[Mart]

When that road on rocky tile is completed:
1st turn along road and river, this is still our territory
2nd turn, 2 tiles along river on Colonial land + 1 tile on fungus, but this is with 1/3 move point only.

Yes, chances are well over 67% ? that our colony pod will have to stay one turn on Colonial land.

[Mart]

Oh, I see, I misunderstood where you wanted to raise the land.  I was thinking east of the wreckage site, north of HQ, to get more land there in case the next base by the river is too close.  ...

I think you were initially correct. That area is not all scouted, so we do not see if there are any bonus tiles. And I think there is a channel based on coastal tile shades of blue. We do not see the opposite bank yet. It is east of the wreckage and north of AH base.
Sorry, I was not precise.

[Artemis]

We should name some terrain features, like the channel and the bay north of HQ.

I was looking at the map and I think the base south of HQ is quite close, based on comparison of the southern border with borders in the game I'm playing right now.  I think it is two squares southeast of the former we could see in their territory.  They do have room to expand east and push the borders, then.  They will probably do this soon.  We probably should move quickly on the proposed eastern base.  I will try looking back to see when they last made a colony pod.

[Mart]

2120 Report

After 20 years on Planet:

Apollo = Olympians
Colonials = Authority



We research 5 labs/turn
Income 3 EC/turn
Energy reserves are: 148 EC
Loan (Colonials) 64 EC in 1/turn payments.

Tech every 14 turns, 3 remaining to have a build technology.

We have currently 5 technologies, all level 1.

- - - = = = * * * = = = - - -
Marshal Basque is now the strongest militarily.
I think we should switch to Conquer research goal, and conquer only. We need laser technology, the sooner the better.

[Akritedes]

Might be worth it, yes. Depends on what's likely to come up in the Build tech queue, I suppose, since if there's a major milestone in Build it might be worth delaying.

[Mart]

We will get that build tech anyway. In fact, the game has already selected it, so it is already determined. But it will not be Industrial Automation yet.
Switching to conquer is safe to do before we finally research that build tech, because the game not always asks for new selections.
So I do it now then.

[Mart]

2121

Some actions were taken.
Crawler now brings 2 minerals for this turn only to AH.
Colony pod travels west.



Proposals:
- Copter will be needed next turn for helping colony pod. It can scout south this turn only.
- Hurrying Recycling tanks in MM for 44 EC, full.
- It seems without events this time.

... One more thing:
- Any idea/proposal for where to put a sensor for AH, and also that rocky-river tile south of monolith could be in range too?

Reminder, password is a single key:
<SPACE>

[Artemis]

Will load this up later today and take a closer look.  What is the crawler's next task?

Stupid question:  what's the range on sensor arrays? Is it just adjacent squares or a cross?

[Mart]

it is radius of 2, so effectively 5x5 tiles.

Crawler will get resources from a tile, preferably not influencing workers. In 2122, that forest-river will be for a worker.

[Artemis]

I really really really want to know what's at (26,60)/(28,60).  I think there is another enemy base right in that area.  The copter should be able to take a peek and make it back to MM. 

A sensor array at (34,56) would cover both locations and not be immediately vulnerable to being overrun and destroyed as long as we have someone on that rocky square.  However, it only provides vision one square beyond the border, where our border patrol would have vision anyway. 

(32,56) would give better vision but be more vulnerable.  (31,55) would waste some vision on our own territory but also provide a little cover for MM.  And right on the rocky square is a possibility, although I think at some point we'll want to put a mine here and crawl the minerals, since AH is a little short on rocky squares (MM however has rocky terrain coming out its ears).  We could potentially put one at any of these locations and add a second one at (34,52) to cover AH in case the first is destroyed.  A complicating factor is that (34,56) is currently covered by fungus. . . 

All in all I'm leaning toward (32,56) (one square northwest of the rocky square).  Of course with all that fungus they could sneak up no matter where it is! 

The crawler could go to (34,52) for one mineral or nutrient.  We need to get a couple more squares improved for workers and crawlers, right now we have no other +2 squares.

MM has growth in 5 turns, with completion of a recycling tank next turn that will bump nutrients a little.  Will it build a colony pod next? 

[Mart]

Copter performed its scouting mission. We can see the second Colonial base. Also, where it is now, there is rocky tile with mineral bonus.
Colonial units are:
- unity rover 1-1-2
- scout patrol 1-1-1

(32,56) can be covered with forest and given road, which will be good place for defense. My vote will go there too.
Later we could schedule another sensor in the area, especially to cover AH from other direction.

Yes, MM starts colony pod next turn, as we hurrying recycling tanks.