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Author Topic:   speeding secret projects

Johnny V posted 04-21-99 08:43 AM ET
I want to get Ascent before the caps melt so I have to rush it. Am I better off having all bases generate credits to buy it, or building crawlers to send to the base to add to production. Or sending crawlers to the base building ascent, make it there home base and then set them on a fungus square and send minerals home (that sounds like it would speed global warming though).
ffujita posted 04-21-99 09:43 AM ET
You are better off building supply crawlers and having them disband in the city you are building the SP in. If time is really critical, then look at the city that is building the supply crawler -- and make sure that the crawler can get to the target city in one turn. Usually that means drop pods (you *do* have orbital insertion right?) upgraded supply crawlers cost more to create, but also release more minerals when disbanded, so there is no net loss (but it might take an extra turn to create).
Schoop posted 04-21-99 11:36 AM ET
In addition, I'd hike the rate going to Econ a little bit, check the progress on Ascent every turn, and buy the rest as soon as you can.
Travathian posted 04-22-99 12:21 AM ET
I'd disagree. I usually turn labs off, turn economy up, and psych up a litle. Try to get as many talents working on economy off of squares which only produce food, or not much energy or minerals. Then go to energy production. Also, change SE choice to reflect the best increase in economy for your faction.
I can usually do this with Morgan, and buy the damned thing the same round I am able to build it, makes it nice and easy. Then you dont have to worry about retaliation from opposing factions. Have plenty of defensive pods ready though, cause I guarantee the PB will be flying.
Johnny V posted 04-22-99 08:24 AM ET
Well I bought Transcendence and won the game, just in time the water was coming up. I don't understand where the eco damage was coming from, I was the Gaians and the only base with any eco damage was the one building transcendence. Everyone else except University had been bombed into the stone age. University just had the southern piece of one continent. Almost all the gaian bases had forests, hybrid forest, centaur preserves, and many had that last green improvement temple something, I sure wish I understood where the ecodamage came from.
JAMiAM posted 04-22-99 12:25 PM ET
Johnny V,
Please tell me that you're joking. "Everyone else...had been bombed into the stone age." That is where your eco-damage is coming from! Planet does not like PB's. Think about it. Planet...Planet Buster...Planet...Planet Buster...Planet thinks and goes after you, Buster. BTW, congratulations on the victory.
JAMiAM
Johnny V posted 04-22-99 01:17 PM ET
Oh, sorry, poor choice of words. I had taken over most enemy bases and the remainder I had killed all but a couple of units with neddlejets or copters, I had also taken out a lot of enemy mines with neddlejets so the biggest enemy city had a population of 4. I never build any PBs, but I had to micro manage like 80 cities because everytime a city finished something it seemed the governor wanted to build a PB, I guess I should have had less bloodthirsty governors. Anyway no PB's were used in the game.
szabfer posted 04-23-99 03:16 AM ET
But (if i know well), you can "say" to the governor: "don't build military units".
There is a detailed governor settings, and there are several options....
(i'm sorry because i can't tell you the exact option, because i don't remember well, and i don't want to say fake things...)
Anyway: you can use governor which don't build military units -> he won't build PB.
SzabFer
Corvus Corax posted 04-23-99 03:54 PM ET
A side note on supply crawlers: if you have a city with a really huge production output, it can be more beneficial to directly conver porduction into money & use it directly to make partial payments. I do this with every city that has a production higher than two times the amount you need to build a (standard) supply crawler.
ApcJK posted 04-24-99 04:30 AM ET
So why not build a rover supply with some armor?
eNo posted 04-24-99 12:59 PM ET
Get a high industry rating! Even +1 Industry creates a noticable difference, since 10% of a Secret Project is a lot of minerals.
Earwicker posted 04-26-99 10:02 AM ET
Use Drop Supply Crawlers! They cost about 50 minerals, can arrive that turn, used the next. Joy.
If that's not enough, slap some other special features on them to maximize the use of other bases' mineral production.
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Author	Topic: speeding secret projects
Johnny V	posted 04-21-99 08:43 AM ET I want to get Ascent before the caps melt so I have to rush it. Am I better off having all bases generate credits to buy it, or building crawlers to send to the base to add to production. Or sending crawlers to the base building ascent, make it there home base and then set them on a fungus square and send minerals home (that sounds like it would speed global warming though).
ffujita	posted 04-21-99 09:43 AM ET You are better off building supply crawlers and having them disband in the city you are building the SP in. If time is really critical, then look at the city that is building the supply crawler -- and make sure that the crawler can get to the target city in one turn. Usually that means drop pods (you do have orbital insertion right?) upgraded supply crawlers cost more to create, but also release more minerals when disbanded, so there is no net loss (but it might take an extra turn to create).
Schoop	posted 04-21-99 11:36 AM ET In addition, I'd hike the rate going to Econ a little bit, check the progress on Ascent every turn, and buy the rest as soon as you can.
Travathian	posted 04-22-99 12:21 AM ET I'd disagree. I usually turn labs off, turn economy up, and psych up a litle. Try to get as many talents working on economy off of squares which only produce food, or not much energy or minerals. Then go to energy production. Also, change SE choice to reflect the best increase in economy for your faction. I can usually do this with Morgan, and buy the damned thing the same round I am able to build it, makes it nice and easy. Then you dont have to worry about retaliation from opposing factions. Have plenty of defensive pods ready though, cause I guarantee the PB will be flying.
Johnny V	posted 04-22-99 08:24 AM ET Well I bought Transcendence and won the game, just in time the water was coming up. I don't understand where the eco damage was coming from, I was the Gaians and the only base with any eco damage was the one building transcendence. Everyone else except University had been bombed into the stone age. University just had the southern piece of one continent. Almost all the gaian bases had forests, hybrid forest, centaur preserves, and many had that last green improvement temple something, I sure wish I understood where the ecodamage came from.
JAMiAM	posted 04-22-99 12:25 PM ET Johnny V, Please tell me that you're joking. "Everyone else...had been bombed into the stone age." That is where your eco-damage is coming from! Planet does not like PB's. Think about it. Planet...Planet Buster...Planet...Planet Buster...Planet thinks and goes after you, Buster. BTW, congratulations on the victory. JAMiAM
Johnny V	posted 04-22-99 01:17 PM ET Oh, sorry, poor choice of words. I had taken over most enemy bases and the remainder I had killed all but a couple of units with neddlejets or copters, I had also taken out a lot of enemy mines with neddlejets so the biggest enemy city had a population of 4. I never build any PBs, but I had to micro manage like 80 cities because everytime a city finished something it seemed the governor wanted to build a PB, I guess I should have had less bloodthirsty governors. Anyway no PB's were used in the game.
szabfer	posted 04-23-99 03:16 AM ET But (if i know well), you can "say" to the governor: "don't build military units". There is a detailed governor settings, and there are several options.... (i'm sorry because i can't tell you the exact option, because i don't remember well, and i don't want to say fake things...) Anyway: you can use governor which don't build military units -> he won't build PB. SzabFer
Corvus Corax	posted 04-23-99 03:54 PM ET A side note on supply crawlers: if you have a city with a really huge production output, it can be more beneficial to directly conver porduction into money & use it directly to make partial payments. I do this with every city that has a production higher than two times the amount you need to build a (standard) supply crawler.
ApcJK	posted 04-24-99 04:30 AM ET So why not build a rover supply with some armor?
eNo	posted 04-24-99 12:59 PM ET Get a high industry rating! Even +1 Industry creates a noticable difference, since 10% of a Secret Project is a lot of minerals.
Earwicker	posted 04-26-99 10:02 AM ET Use Drop Supply Crawlers! They cost about 50 minerals, can arrive that turn, used the next. Joy. If that's not enough, slap some other special features on them to maximize the use of other bases' mineral production.