Go for the Neural Amplifier?

[Maniac]

The question whether to go for the Neural Amplifier (+50% to psi defence) has been posed a while ago in the Emergency military plan, but not definitely answered. Therefore this thread and poll. The voting time limit is five days.

As you may know from the military emergence plan thread, I'm in favour of building/researching the neural amplifier. I'll try to present my case here again.

The labs production of PUT is currently 230 labs. That of CyCon around 90. But everyone including me seems in favour of maximizing credit production with the Consciousness, so it will become less than 90 in the near future. Compare that to the Hive who has about 220 labs per year around now. From this Drone screenshot buster was so friendly to provide us, we know the Drone credit production is 104. Assuming he's running 50-0-50 econ-psych-labs, this means he'll probably have 100 labs per year, but possibly more if he copies the librarian specialist base tactic of the Hive. And that's without running FM, in which case it would be more. Added together, this means the Hive-Drones produce 50% more labs than us. They also have double our population. And the Hive alone surpasses the combined CPU mineral production IIRC. Assuming Drone mineral production is comparable to the Hive, a reasonable assumption as they have near equal population and he has +4 Industry, this means the Hive-Drones probably have more than double CPU production.

SMAC is a game where due the game mechanics the powerful tend to become more powerful and the weak weaker, so unless something drastic and unexpected happens, it is unlikely that this gap in population/production/research can be decreased. As a consequence the Hive-Drones will most likely be able to research Fusion Power far before us, and thus build a very powerful convential arms military to which we could impossibly resist with conventional means. Especially since they will be able to grab all the good military SPs such as CBA, CDF and cyborg factory. So IMHO, besides of course building a convential naval and air fleet, our chance lies in focusing on psi combat (Isles of the Deep, later perhaps Locusts), as psi combat ignores the reactor type and defensive facilities such as aerospace complexes and perimeter defences. With the Neural Amplifier 50% defence bonus the enemy would face a 2:3 disadvantage on sea and in air, and equal odds on land. These are much better odds than we can achieve with normal weapons, especially when facing fusion reactors.

So what is your opinion on this matter? Please discuss and vote ahead!

Edit: I've had a look at the CyCon MY 2155 presend. I think we could build another secret project fastest at Boolean Bay, as that's the only place where there are already a few crawlers in the neighbourhood. Have a look at this:
MY 2156:
New Auroran crawler: go to (72.78) and harvest minerals
Crawler (70.80)->(70.78)
Crawler (71.81)->(70.80)
Hurry crawler production at Boolean Bay
MY 2157:
Provided we have 330 credits in reserve, upgrade the crawlers on (72.78), (70.78) and in Boolean Bay to Supply Mk9. Move crawler (70.80) to (70.78).
MY 2158: cash in the crawlers at Boolean Bay that starts production on the Neural Amplifier.
MY 2159: We got it!

[GeoModder]

Let's build it. I suppose we have to change the used crawlers as well? Already 6 then for those two projects.

Btw, you're saying that our lab rate would decrease, but with the PEG we collect more energy, so more available for research then?

[Maniac]

Originally posted by GeoModder
Btw, you're saying that our lab rate would decrease, but with the PEG we collect more energy, so more available for research then?

Doing that, decreasing our credit production because we have the PEG, would be a very inefficient use of that secret project. After all, we have only one network node but will have energy banks in all bases. This means that one energy that goes into research is converted into 1.2 labs (due to +2 Research SE). However one energy that is converted into credits becomes 1.5 credits due to energy banks. So converting our energy into credits instead of labs is 30% more lucrative, and thus it would be most efficient for the CyCon to maximize credit production and go to 60-0-40 or 70-0-30 econ-psych-labs next turn. And perhaps even higher when we go FM, get +4 efficiency, and can thus set our energy allocations to any position we want without a penalty.

[Impaler[WrG]]

Nural Amplifier might be as usefull project but currently no one else is going to be trying for it so we dont need to build it right now.

I favor a heavy Econ based strategy with Probe attacks againt our enemies to keep tec ahead in tecnology (along with Uni doing lots of reserch).

So my vote is NO for the imediate future but maybe later if we start to fall further behind in Tec.

[Illuminatus]

it should be a mid priority - we must get it, but I am not sure if it is needed immediately

[Impaler[WrG]]

ok Maniac this Poll needs more options

Create a "Not Yet" option as the simple Yes/No is not sufficiently detiled.

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Impaler[WrG]
Nural Amplifier might be as usefull project but currently no one else is going to be trying for it

How do you know? If I had such a large mineral production as the Hive or Drones, I would probably try to get every SP availabe.

Create a "Not Yet" option as the simple Yes/No is not sufficiently detiled.

Tass, are you in the neighbourhood?

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Velociryx
If you are weaker than your opponent, use Mind Worms. If you are stronger, use Technology.

We need to prepare ourselves for the reality of the end-game. A focus of psi may just give us the edge we need.

[Drogue]

I'd go for that. Go green and MW them. However we may need FM with PUT to keep tech production high. But use the CC to MW, IoD and Locust the others

[Maniac]

Looks good. Btw, does the SE Morale factor have effect on psi unit morale? I was considering if we could stay in Wealth or not while building up a psi army.

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by Maniac
Looks good. Btw, does the SE Morale factor have effect on psi unit morale? I was considering if we could stay in Wealth or not while building up a psi army.

I think it does.

[Drogue]

It does. We cannot use Wealth while building seriously building military, especially psi military.

[GeoModder]

I think we better stay at Planned as well for CyCon, gives extra population 'till we can gather CV. *bump for the vote, only 6 so far*

[Maniac]

A pity. This means we'll have to miss the industry and economy bonuses. And Knowledge Value for the future isn't very useful if we'll try to maximize credit production.

[MrWhereItsAt]

Am not so sure.... this is a daring strategy, yet very risky. I think we may not have enough of a handle on what is happening and how to best manage the two halves of CPU to make such a dramatic call - either we built the Neural Amp at expense where we could not afford to not use it, or we hold on to see whether it would be the best move.

I am going to vote no for the time being. Situations change, but surely there are better things to spend our efforts on right now....

[Impaler[WrG]]

I realy think we should move out of Planned and into FreeMarket for a time to generate a large sum of Credits, with FreeMarket and 80% Econ we can produce more then 200 Credits a turn. With a few well placed TreeFarms even more.

The Childrens Chreeches that we can buy with that kind of cash will easily compensate for the 2 growth we give up.

[Maniac]

I'll check the advantages and disadvantages of FM when we get our MY 2156 turn, and post a poll. That poll will only be be able last for one day though before the turn needs to be sent on. Hopefully enough people will vote.

As for the main topic of this poll, the proposal to build the NG seems to be accepted with a 5 PRO 3 CONTRA vote, assuming obstructor voted no and the poll was already finished when MWIA voiced his opinion (thus counting +1 for CONTRA).

[Illuminatus]

Well it was not a contra voet, actuall yes but not immediately - we needed more vote options.