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Author Topic:   Water World game

Geof posted 06-18-99 04:27 PM ET
Has anyone tried a Water World game?
I mean after you get Doctrine:Flexibility,
build all your colonies in the sea.
Why?
* Kelp farm and Wave generator are
3 nutrient and 3 energy each square,
with no eco damage or pesky mindworms.
* Put a perimeter on a sea colony and
only ground units can take it, that means
the AI has to send a sea transport
with land units on aboard out to get you.
* There is no restriction on what sea
colonies can build, you can do all the
research, build aero and space stuff.
* Before air power sea units are fastest.
My next game will be University at Sea.
Fast growth with plenty of nutrients,
fast tech with plenty of energy, and a
strategic position by surrounding the
land without being attacked all the time.
So what is the down side?
Thanks,
Geof the Wicked

sandals posted 06-18-99 04:45 PM ET
The downside is minerals. You need to work a lot harder to get minerals from sea bases. It can of course be done - with supply crawlers, coastal boreholes, working the poles, ... but I would say it is harder. If your economy is supercharged enough, you could just buy everything. Sea mines only get 1 mineral until later-mid game.
The AI probably won't recognize your strat, so it won't make a determined effort to cut off your coasts like a human could, so you'll probably do fine.
frankc posted 06-18-99 04:49 PM ET
No downside if you like the play. However I do not believe that PD prevents capture by foil or cruiser. I have seen some Water world scenarios in the various DL's available at SMAC sites
laurens posted 06-18-99 08:53 PM ET
Downside:
Compare the relative costs needed to build sea units then to land units. We know that an early and good start makes for half a battle won in SMAC (that's why the popularity with Weather Paradigm), so the costs of sea offensive units or sea formers tend to be a disadvantage.
Though not significant, but you will still be missing the tree farms/hybrid forests.
Drago Sinio posted 06-18-99 11:14 PM ET
I would think this is an interesting problem to solve, how to match the production of your enemies with only sea bases. You could use sea crawlers on mineral resource squares, but they would be vulnerable to attack. I suspect in the long run the computer factions would outproduce you to death. However you could always try probe activities and dirty tricks to keep the other guys busy fighting each other while you quietly built up. And of course you would want to melt the polar caps as soon as possible, you could destroy many enemy bases without firing a shot that way. Interesting.
K posted 06-19-99 12:17 AM ET
Raising sea levels might take out a few coastal cities, but it will aslo jackmup all your sea terraforming. you only get the benifits if your enhancements are on ocean shelf.
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Author	Topic: Water World game
Geof	posted 06-18-99 04:27 PM ET Has anyone tried a Water World game? I mean after you get Doctrine:Flexibility, build all your colonies in the sea. Why? * Kelp farm and Wave generator are 3 nutrient and 3 energy each square, with no eco damage or pesky mindworms. * Put a perimeter on a sea colony and only ground units can take it, that means the AI has to send a sea transport with land units on aboard out to get you. * There is no restriction on what sea colonies can build, you can do all the research, build aero and space stuff. * Before air power sea units are fastest. My next game will be University at Sea. Fast growth with plenty of nutrients, fast tech with plenty of energy, and a strategic position by surrounding the land without being attacked all the time. So what is the down side? Thanks, Geof the Wicked
sandals	posted 06-18-99 04:45 PM ET The downside is minerals. You need to work a lot harder to get minerals from sea bases. It can of course be done - with supply crawlers, coastal boreholes, working the poles, ... but I would say it is harder. If your economy is supercharged enough, you could just buy everything. Sea mines only get 1 mineral until later-mid game. The AI probably won't recognize your strat, so it won't make a determined effort to cut off your coasts like a human could, so you'll probably do fine.
frankc	posted 06-18-99 04:49 PM ET No downside if you like the play. However I do not believe that PD prevents capture by foil or cruiser. I have seen some Water world scenarios in the various DL's available at SMAC sites
laurens	posted 06-18-99 08:53 PM ET Downside: Compare the relative costs needed to build sea units then to land units. We know that an early and good start makes for half a battle won in SMAC (that's why the popularity with Weather Paradigm), so the costs of sea offensive units or sea formers tend to be a disadvantage. Though not significant, but you will still be missing the tree farms/hybrid forests.
Drago Sinio	posted 06-18-99 11:14 PM ET I would think this is an interesting problem to solve, how to match the production of your enemies with only sea bases. You could use sea crawlers on mineral resource squares, but they would be vulnerable to attack. I suspect in the long run the computer factions would outproduce you to death. However you could always try probe activities and dirty tricks to keep the other guys busy fighting each other while you quietly built up. And of course you would want to melt the polar caps as soon as possible, you could destroy many enemy bases without firing a shot that way. Interesting.
K	posted 06-19-99 12:17 AM ET Raising sea levels might take out a few coastal cities, but it will aslo jackmup all your sea terraforming. you only get the benifits if your enhancements are on ocean shelf.