Clean Formers and Build Order

[TROOPERBLUE]

I was wondering, about quickness and efficiency. What is the best Build Order for your cities?.... usually when it comes time to build a formers unit and units for police (when a city first gets founded) thats what I build, immediately. But, after that what is the best build order for the buildings that you produce in the city? I would like to think that it is 1. Recycling Tanks, 2. Children's Cheche, etc. but i dont really know.

Also, what technology path do you use to get to Clean Formers? ASAP.... because this idea has struck me, as a good idea. I think that it is a good idea to have 1 Former Unit per City and if you have other units (for support), it does make sence to make them Clean Formers, so that it doesnt cost production and being that you'll always have one of these units per city, in theory, that makes sence to have them be a Clean Unit. There are a few technologies I want first before making them Clean, like Non-Linear Mathematics! for an early Conquer tech, but besides that i think I want Clean Formers next.... what tech patch should i use?

 

[Petek]

To answer your second question:

Bioengineering is what's needed for Clean reactors. I once made a list of all the prerequisites:

Bioengineering
Neural Grafting
Gene Splicing
Secrets of the Human Brain
Industrial Automation
Biogenetics
Social Psych
Ethical Calculus
Planetary Networks
Industrial Economics
Industrial Base
Information Networks

(This isn't neccessarily the order in which you research them however.)

Hope that helps!

 

[TROOPERBLUE]

I tried to put the 12 techs in-order + i added the tech that gets you Formers, in the first place.

1 - Centauri Ecology (Formers)
2 - Biogenetics (Recycling Tanks)
3 - Information Networks (Network Node)
4 - Planetary Networks (Planned Economy)
5 - Social Psych (Recreation Commons)
6 - Ethical Calculus (Children's Creche + Democratic)
7 - Industrial Base (Synthmetal - Basic Defense Unit)
8 - Secrets of the Human Brain (Required, delayed this cause usually not 1st)
9 - Gene Splicing (Research Hospital)
10 - Industrial Economics (Energy Bank)
11 - Industrial Automation (Hab Complex + Supply Crawler)
12 - Neural Grafting (Bioenhancement Center)
13 - Bio-Engineering (Clean Reactor!!!)

Ready to upgrade regular formers to Clean Formers!
Feel free to re-arrange this and add any technologies along the way that are worth researching, in theory. I appreciate it. Thanks!

Also, for building order...
0 - Formers and Police Units.
0.5 - Colony Pods?
1 - Recycling Tanks.
2 - Children's Creche.
3 - Military Units and/or Colony Pods.
4 - I dont know the correct order: Biology Lab, Network Node, Energy Bank, Research Hospital, Recreation Commons?
5 - Hab Complex and Wonders for Command Centers and Perimeter Defenses, etc.
6 - Mass Produce Military Units?

 

[Stylesrj]

Why do you build recycling tanks? I mean, it's a waste of turns. Because a few turns later, you'd then want to build a Pressure Dome which also counts as Recycling Tanks. Pressure domes might cost twice as much, but if you build them first, you save the turns building the recycling tanks. That's what I found out. You don't need the Recycling Tanks when you build a pressure dome.

Also- Clean Formers? I'd rather got for the Super Speeder Singularity Grav Formers (0*?*3). Basically Terraformers with the super upgrade and grav struts. With PSI defence ,you can hope the enemy won't destroy it with their weak PSI aircraft.

Anyway, when I build a city my agenda is like this in the beginning:

1. Best defending unit (preferably with the best armour, Hypnotic Trace and Non-Lethal Methods. I hate how every generation of armour HAS to come with ECM, really annoying after capturing a city)
2. Colony Pod
3. Terraformer (best one that I can build)
4. Either random structures as I wish or a Sea Former if coastal
5. Whatever structure I want to build (could be a Children's Creche or a wonder)

Agenda after taking a city:
1. Garrison (gets my war units moving quicker as the garrison can defend itself)- If the Garrison happens to be a crappy ECM sentinel, I got to the design workshop and retire that damned ECM garrison and go for my Trance -armour- Sentinels (1*-*1TrancePolice)
2. Another Defensive Unit
3. Terraformer with good armour (again with the airstrikes!)
4. Whatever structure I want or a Sea Former (Good armour!)
5. Whatever I want.

I avoid the whole Recycling Tanks business and go straight for the Pressure Dome. It saves roughly 8 turns per city (on average)
EDIT: When I can't get the anti-grav struts for my formers, I go give it Hypnotic Trance right up until I get the struts! With the gravship formers, I got so much production I don't go for clean, it's just Disassociate Wave because I can't think of a good enough second upgrade as I give it PSI defence and Fungicide Tanks are a waste of space. Sea Formers, same thing, it gets Trance until I can give it a wave as it has PSI defence.
I never build Formers as they only get 1 movement point (2 if you can somehow make it Elite or give it struts, and 3 with struts and Elite) while the Speeder Formers get 2 movement points (I don't go for hovertank formers!) and are much better at the whole early terraforming thing

 

[TROOPERBLUE]

Pressure Domes are only good if Global Warming does occur and does cause ocean levels to rise. And you dont have to build everything -- this is what i have discovered. Otherwise, if you do build everything, then by building the Pressure Dome, you do save some production; however, early on, I just want the free resources from the Recyling Tanks... but it is safer to get the Pressure Dome. I guess this one is just a matter of opinion. Does Global Warming Happen?

 

[TROOPERBLUE]

why trance police? How about Clean Police.... My opinion is that all permanent units should be clean ones, like formers and police, come to think of it. Military Units; however are different - being that they do combat and die -- the extra cost to make them have reduced support, doesnt make sence.

If you didnt already guess.... i am in love with the clean reactor right now.

 

[TROOPERBLUE]

I just realized that I didnt include Non-Leathal Methods in my tech list, which is Intellectual Integrity -- which allows Police x2 per Police Unit. That is a definate thing to get, before the clean reactor!

 

[Stylesrj]

I prefer Trance Police because I'm a miner and I get a lot of eco damage, and by having Hypnotice Trance, I can defend myself against those pesky Mind Worms. When i had the best armoured units without Hypnotic Trance, they kept losing a lot of hit points to native lifeforms. So a Trance Police Garrison was my best bet. At the end of the game, it does not matter about production, you've got enough Nessus Mining Stations to support it.

Clean Reactor is only used for missiles (I dunno how they get it, but sometimes they just have it!). I never bother with the clean reactor. I don't care if the unit is temporary or permanent, I give it whatever is best for the city and also good defence against Native Life Forms (Demon Boils are BAD!!!)

 

[Sarcasticon]

My usual building order for the first 5-or-so cities is as follows:

1. One defensive unit to avoid mind worms from taking over
2. Terraformer
3. Recycling tanks to boost the production from now on
4. Usually 1 colony pod to quickly double the number of cities
5. Children's creche --> improve growth
6. Energy bank
7. Stronger military unit; preferably a fast moving one to help out other cities if necessary. Or transfer it to a newly built city that can then skip the first step of building a defender.
8. Network node (too annoying to lose research early on + useful for those artifacts)
9. Labs (either the biology lab, or the one that also boosts energy production)
10. Anti-drone facilities (recreational commons, etc.) unless due to my civilization I need them earlier on.

I wait with complexes until my population is almost reaching that limit.
Next is pumping out military units, preferably a few helicopters (quickly take out large enemy numbers), planes (fast support where necessary + as soon as possible air-to-air capability), some beefy ground troops that can take over cities after the 'copters took out most of the enemy troops.

I tend to agree that depression domes are mostly useful when the ocean levels are rising - though I prefer to build them in advance in my coastal cities, just to be prepared...

 

[TROOPERBLUE]

My usual building order for the first 5-or-so cities is as follows:

1. One defensive unit to avoid mind worms from taking over
2. Terraformer
3. Recycling tanks to boost the production from now on
4. Usually 1 colony pod to quickly double the number of cities
5. Children's creche --> improve growth
6. Energy bank
7. Stronger military unit; preferably a fast moving one to help out other cities if necessary. Or transfer it to a newly built city that can then skip the first step of building a defender.
8. Network node (too annoying to lose research early on + useful for those artifacts)
9. Labs (either the biology lab, or the one that also boosts energy production)
10. Anti-drone facilities (recreational commons, etc.) unless due to my civilization I need them earlier on.

I wait with complexes until my population is almost reaching that limit.
Next is pumping out military units, preferably a few helicopters (quickly take out large enemy numbers), planes (fast support where necessary + as soon as possible air-to-air capability), some beefy ground troops that can take over cities after the 'copters took out most of the enemy troops.

I tend to agree that depression domes are mostly useful when the ocean levels are rising - though I prefer to build them in advance in my coastal cities, just to be prepared...

i agree with step 1 and step 2, although sometimes if you choose to "risk it", it may be more efficient to build the formers first!
as for steps 3 and 4, i think that the colony pod (generally speaking) should be built before the recycling tanks because A) its cheaper B) the additional resources from a 2nd base recieved from the city square is > than the additional resources recieved from the recycling tanks. Do this, unless, you have money to buy the recyling tanks, whereas the city at size 1 cant build a Colony Pod otherwise its disbanded or you are playing at citizen level and it by-passes that rule!
The Children's creche is the next natural thing to build, of course....
Military is the natural thing always after this, but then the order of buildings still must be anaylzed.... Good Order.

 

[Norbert]

Ummmmm...recycling tanks and Pressure domes resource effects stack, at least on my version. The global warming protection alone is worth the minerals, IMO. BTW, any base facility with no upkeep is worth it, but I'm just a builder, don't listen to me...