Why on crion would you stockpile energy?

VoodooChild · October 17, 2000, 15:08

Read in another post where someone would rush a building then stockpile, and failed to understand why. Even with the energy grid, I would never stockpile energy, just build more crawlers. Here is why:

When done at the right times, rushing costs $2-$4 per mineral depending on what your building. Without EG stockpiling gives you 1 energy per 2 minerals. That enery is divided depending on your SE splits, but keeping this in the relm of money lets just say $1.

Each time you rush then stockpile you are losing money plain and simple. Now instead build a crawler. Everytime you have a prototype or SP to build, then cash it in. So for each mineral of the crawler you saved $4. To save that much from stockpiling you would have to invest 8-16 minerals worth.

The same applies to disbaning to help rush unit productions, since the cost to rush unit goes down by the number of minerals left to build. Also disbanning to help rush a building is a break even proposition even if your running 100% econ, and better if your not (and you don't).

Now in the meantime you can use those crawlers for all sort of duties. Try caravaning some energy from your outlying bases to your captial to reduce the pinch of inefficientcy. One extra crawler per base can get you back that energy you could earn from stockpiling. The other crawlers can be used in any number of different ways to help improve your overall strat.

Just my 2 credits worth, not a flame.

Simpson II · October 19, 2000, 05:21

Theonly ime Ican think of is in the few turns before the Ascent. If you were low on cash then you might stockpile in cities away from your main continent.

Other than that, it's just wasteful. You always have something useful to build.

Ogie Oglethorpe · October 19, 2000, 10:02

The only instance I can think of that you would want to stockpile energy is to win via cornering the energy market. It is a risky proposition tho'.

Consider it a one time attempt to win that if not pulled off can irreversibly cripple your ability to win the game. By concentrating exclusively on energy stockpiling you put yourself in serious of jeapardy of being able to defend yourself for the requisite 20 year window or worse yet if you can not generate the required energy by stockpiling you are forever behind the more advanced (i.e. highly infrastructured) or more warlike factions as you have not concentrated on either facility multipliers and/or offensive/defensive capabilities.

In fact back in the day on the OWO forum days in the very beginning of SMAC release CEO Bernard wrote a fairly detailed desription on how Morgan was nigh invincible by simply following a specific beeline to allow economic victory and building specifically only econ enhancing facilities and then stockpiling energy. He was able to win every time at all levels except for transcend by following a set formula but recognized it as an all or nothing proposition. I believe much has changed/been discovered since then but the approach can still be used in theory (a bit risky for my taste tho' and really doesn't explore the complexities fo the game either)

Og

Garth Vader · October 19, 2000, 17:09

Didn't Morgan get interest on his energy in the old days? I seen to remember hearing that, and how unbalancing it was, but I could be mistaken.

Qualicide · October 20, 2000, 20:40

i stockpile in my current PBEM game, because its giving me 19 ec vs >4ec, but i genraly dont in single player games

-if anyone in my game reads this im going to KILL YOU!

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http://thangorodrim.angband.org/angband.html (alright meybe i didnt make it)

Kirnwaffen · October 25, 2000, 13:43

The only time I ever stockpile is when I get so low on cash that I start losing facilities. Other than that, the minerals are put to better use building whatever suits your strategy.

Misotu · October 25, 2000, 22:47

Ditto. I've had a couple of games (one as Cha Dawn) where energy was so tight that I had no option but to stockpile in a couple of bases just to keep the budget balanced and avoid losing facilities.

This tends to happen in a blind/tech stagnation game, when tree farms just won't appear ...
[This message has been edited by Misotu (edited October 25, 2000).]