Post MMI

[Enigma_Nova]

Judging by the Tech screen, it looks pretty certain that the CyCon are going to get D:AP, and possibly MMI if they get Neural from the Uni.

We need another attack chip. Even though MMI and our industrial might will aid us it does not guarantee victory against an enemy also with MMI.

As I see it, we have a few desired destinations:
1. Fusion Power
A small window of hope when our own forces will posess strength sufficient to overpower those with fission.
2. Biomachinery
The Cloning Vats will ensure our faction rises straight to the top of the might chart, and damn well stays there
3. Orbital Spacecraft
Planetbusters are da bomb, and throwing up some sats never hurt anyone.

Fusion is also on the way to Adv. Eco Eng, Super formers, and Fusion laser, A10.
Fusion and Orbital are on the way to Adv. Spaceflight, with Power orbys and Plasma shards, not to mention the living refinery which will solve many support woes (especially after the Cloning Vats).

But powerful as these things are, we can only aim effectively for a few of them.

By virtue of Fusion and Orbitals requiring Pre-Sentient algoritms they require Knowledge, Intellectual Integrity and HEY Doctrine: Loyalty!
We can safely 'hoard' those until later.
Knowledge would be good for war, though, which I advocate.
BioMachinery should be high on our list of priorities, as it has The Cloning Vats, and we retain a small 'jump start' on anyone trying to go knowledge.

Biomachinery
Here are the techs we need:
Retroviral Engineering
Adv. Military Algorithms
Adaptive Doctrine || Optical Computers
Polymorphic Software

BioMach is 6 techs down the track, and the drones can only help us with a leapfrog at one point.

This will get us the all-powerful Cloning Vats, Land Artillery, Genejack Factories (yay) and Power.
Pulse 3 armor ain't bad...
Note that with Cloning Vats, Power becomes a possibility for a wartime stance, as the negative effects are eliminated.

Orbital Spacecraft
DA BOMB (busters) would be our reason for walking this path, though skyfarms are powerful pieces of kit.

We would need the following techs:
Pre-Sentient Algorithms
Cyberethics || Advanced military Algorithms
Intellectual Integrity |||| Optical computers || Adaptive Doctrine
NIL |||| Polymorphic software

Plenty of opportunity to leapfrog, right until the end.
This nets us Knowledge, Artie, Police, Pulse 3 armor, and most importantly...
DA BOMB! (Busters)
It's 8 techs away, so a little further than the vats.
If we get the vats first, we already have AMA, so it is only 4 techs away.

Fusion Power
Will require everything Orbital spaceflight requires, plus Superconductor.

It is almost certain that Fusion and Orbys will be obtained in close time to one another.
It gets us engineers, Fusion labs, and the fusion reactor.

From here we can get Adv. Eco Eng, or Adv. Spaceflight.
Combine Orbitals, with Cloning Vats, with The Living Refinery, and we have ourselves a serious machine!

---

So where do we first go?
Biomachinery, or Orby Spaceflight, or Orby+Fusion (and onto the choice techs like Adv. Spaceflight and Adv. Eco Eng)

Do we want the vats first, or that other stuff?
I'd go straight to the vats. Less tech in the beeline, and as no-one else has DocLoy we can 'hoard' the second beeline for a little while.

[Kody]

At this time I would want to see Bioengineering as our first tech after MMI. Clean reactors will mean we'll be able to support a larger army and churn out clean formers allowing us to raise land and continue the growth of our faction when others will be limited by the land available to them.

If possible get PEG as it will effectively solve the problems the hive has with money in the late game.

After that I was considering going for the SP astetic virtures. However, to tell the truth I hadn't thought as far ahead, so this thread is fairly useful for me.

I wouldn't mind seeing Vats first.

Of the techs that we would need for Vats the following two should be sought after first.

Retroviral Engineering
Adv. Military Algorithms

Advanced military algorithms will give us AAA very useful when the others get air units. Gene Jack factories will be useful for the hive as we're not really effected much by drones, and it will help us increase our industrial advantage.

[Jamski]

Clean Units, AAA, Genejacks and the Vats - the perfect route for me. The vats are soooooo good.

-Jam

[Micha]

Same goes for me. Although we must make sure to excessively use the clean reactors, couldn´t hurt to build a dozen clean attack units and land on University´s coasts. Remember, both CyCon and Drones will double their territory by then

[Snowflake]

Comrade Enigma, I would like to recommend you to lead the science and research department before we are able to formally set up an official government.

I am no way close to your guys when it comes to mid to late game for I don't have a zil of experience. The only thing I would like to mention is that perhaps we could look at what we would be facing at that point of time. Will be largely at war with other factions, or will we be building and reseaching like mad. I think if we will be at war then Fusion may be useful. And vats seems to me the best thing to go after for peaceful development. Just my 2cents.

[Jamski]

Will be largely at war with other factions, or will we be building and reseaching like mad.

We're the Hive, so we should probably play to our strengths - we'll hopefully be at war.
In a research race vs CyCon and Uni we will lose in the long run.
Building race we lose to the Drones. We can compete with our police, support and military though

-Jam

[Snowflake]

I would like more detailed analysis than this. Say how long will it take us to get Vats or Fusion, and by that time will we likely be fighting CC, or AIs or will we be facing a three Kindom balance where everybody are tired from war and tries to breath and recover, or something else?

Also you say we should compete with our support and military strength, are you supporting going to Fusion?

This is a good discussion. Maybe we could do a poll later.

[Enigma_Nova]

In my vision for the hive, there will be NO science department.

All hive members are equal in their ability to ask about future tech. I highly favor a system where each person must think about how all this stuff ties in together, rather than splitting it up into distinct regions.

By the time we get the Vats, we will have conquered Roze and the PUT. PEACE will be conquered by the CyCon.
Drones, us and the CyCon will probably be in a war against Miriam.

I think that Vats are a good way to go for us. The CyCon will probably try for the same thing but provided we can keep MMI and neural out of their hands we'll be firmly in the lead.

As for our labs rate, I DON'T KNOW how that will be.

[Snowflake]

I agree with you Enigma that everybody can ask about future tech. And everybody who wants to contribute to the game should attempt to think about the big picture. However I do believe everybody can have different focus so that each and every aspect of the game does not get to be ignored.

[Enigma_Nova]

When I'm around, nothing gets ignored.
Voltaire pokes Enigma
Tassadar pokes Enigma
Alright... nothing IN GAME.

[Snowflake]

Most of us are all competent enough to take care of everything in a SP game or even a MP game, dear Enigma. However that doesn't say that one person is enough for a demo game.

[Frankychan]

.........Just posting to say that I've read the posts and agree that we should go "Clean" ASAP.

[Jamski]

We really need to thing about our long-term-plan. Our lead is being eroded as we as staying "builder". With our -2 econ, we CANNOT compete with the Uni or CyCon running FM and reseaching. We have to attack at a time when the tech is abut level, but our numbers/morale are better. If we wait, then we will get swamped with Shard hover-tanks before you can say "Boo!"

-Jam

[Snowflake]

We are already preparing attacking uni, or are we?

[Jamski]

Are we? We seem to be making nice facs and formers...

-Jam