How much bases do you want?

[Maniac]

I want to know what the general public thinks about colonization, in case I get elected Director of Terraformation and Colonization.

[Wojit]

This really depends on too many things to be answerable... Unless you're just looking at it from an effeciency point of view.

[Maniac]

We know we are playing on the Huge Map of Planet. For examples, on huge maps my personal goal would be 20 bases, no matter the circumstances. Others just keep expanding until the end of the game in every game they play.

My policy as possible future D of T&C will be influenced by this poll.

[Main_Brain]

Others just keep expanding until the end of the game in every game they play.

Hey u talking about me?
Expand all the Way man all the Way!

[Kassiopeia]

Where's the Abstain option? Way too many variables.

[Method]

Originally posted by Main_Brain
Expand all the Way man all the Way!

eventually you run out of room, or new bases just aren't useful. whats the point of having a size 1 base with no facilities or terraforming in 2300? that's right, none.

[gopher]

This is another poll that should be asked after we reach Planetfall and see our environment.

[Anodyne]

You're right, I'd say.

[Vlad Antlerkov]

This poll is meaningless right now. I'd wait until we know our landing site and the area around it to judge such things.

[Crisler]

Actually this poll has an excllent point but the wording is a bit off. Do we want a rapid and thin expansion policy, tons of bases with around a 2 pop in most by a set date. or do we want a fuller expansion policy, say wait to expand from a base until it maxes out it's population.

That being said I vote for a middle of the road Policy, that will still leade to rapid expansion. Each base will build a settler when it reaches population three and send it out, then they will build a new settler each time they hit population 4.

This will in effect keep our passes very well manned and yet allow for some more rapid expansion. Anyone else have an idea on this, these are just my personal thoughts.

E.L. Crisler
First Commissioner

[Gnool]

I generally expand until I run out of room or until I start attacking people. Just thought I'd add my two cents worth

[Pandemoniak]

Being M@ni@c's adversary running for the Director of Terraforming and Elections, I have to explain what my strategy is about. The main line of my strategy would answer to M@ni@c's question by : expand as much as possible, until eternity. But the thing is more complex.

As a basic line, I would expand and claim as much territory as possible. As soon as possible, I'll make 4/5 bases in water, in order to get a "bigger than continental" faction. Once we reached other factions borders, we fill in the blanks with new bases, well protected by already grown up bases. We also push the borders by building bases close to these borders, and we keep growing and growing and growing and expand expand expand.

This is the main startegy I would apply.
Of course, there would be lots of things that would be depending on land specificities, foreign affairs, minerals allocated to terraforming and colonization, etc... All theses questions would be asked by votes.

eventually you run out of room, or new bases just aren't useful. whats the point of having a size 1 base with no facilities or terraforming in 2300? that's right, none.

Well, the point is to keep growing. Always more and more citizens.

[Crisler]

Has anyone considered a possible colonization pattern. I favor the spoke system. We start at our central base and build all of the next set of bases surrounding the main base at a distance of 5 hexes ( could be 4 or even three for a tighter expansion.

In this was we effectively create a defensive paramenter around the main base and thus biolster it's defesne in an indirect manner. This also helps a ton with effeciency by keeping the main base central.

Once those secondary bases are established we again push the parameter out 5 more hexes and so on. Now I understand that availabel land does limit this but not as much as you might think. Say for example we are on a small island. We take the peremiter idea and keep applying it, placing bases as best we can in a peremter on the island and then ringing the island in sea bases, thus keeping the same basic expansion pattern.

The other advantage to this goes against one of the ideas I forwarded in the Secret projects thread. By having this much support surrounding our main base we could now risk putting all our eggs, so to speak in one basic and really push the size of the mian base plus put many if not all of the Secret projects there.

In this way we only have one base we must make super effiecent at doing Projects and we can concentrate in an orderly expansion pattern.

we can say for instance that the outer bases are limited to production of defensive units and structures. When they reach, say size 4 they produce a colony unit and psuh the parameter. When the area of the old parameter base is covered it is no longer paremeter and os now can begin work on more infrastructure based assembly.

In this manner we have a set and effiecnet pattern to our expansion.

E.L. Crisler
First Commissioner
"Just a musing and doodling away :-)"

[DeathByTheSword]

It takes longer and you not always have the best (geograhically) placed base if you subject it to these sort of rules. i would say that a good strategic position lets build a base or that have fertile ground lets build a base.

just a thought

[Zakharov VII]

I didn't vote because there's too much to factor in, but there are some things I want to comment about.

Definately base distances is an extremely important thing for the first D of TC to address. If initial bases are spread out, we're pretty much stuck with spread out bases (at least, it seems pretty awkward if we've placed bases 5 squares apart squishing them in).

I like fairly close together bases...with about two diagonal tiles in between:

XuuB
uouu
uuou
BuuX

Closer, usually, rather than farther apart. This allows not too much overlap while still letting a defensive unit get from base to base in 1 turn (with roads, of course).

Then, my preference for number of bases, as many as we can fit using this pattern, with a couple sea bases in good (strategic or economic) spots. Later, with Fusion Power and Needlejets, other colonization can take place easily.

I've had one game with 120 bases (on a custom sized HUGE map), but that was just crazy with 15 minute turns. Although, if the pace is going to be pretty slow with decision making, etc, that might not be too bad. We'd need some good organization to work that out without taking forever. We shouldn't get that high, though. At least, in my opinion .

Z

[Diablero]

The whole issue is way too circumstantial to be based on such a rigid vote.
What if we expand to the borders of our continent? How is one to know how many bases that will be? What if half way through the game we decide that we want to colonize one of the uninhabited islands as an expansion campaign?

I mean, if I make a vote, am I allowed to change my mind later on?

EDIT: I agree with Zahkarov that distance is an issue. Personally I am for bases that are at least 3 to 4 spaces apart, as to allow for giant cities that can draw resources from every space around them. Exceptions would be hotspots, like the uranium flats, garland crater, the ruins, pholus ridge, etc. Also placing bases on pieces of narrow pieces of land as to allow the passage of sea formers and ships (e.g. the freshwater sea)