June 27th, 2017, 12:28
(This post was last modified: June 27th, 2017, 12:30 by Bacchus.)
Posts: 3,537
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Joined: Feb 2013
I had a go at Managing Expectations (i previously left the game before these practice missions existed, at least I have no memory of them), too bad there aren't replays for these mission. I wanted to do something very different just to show off the flexibility of the game. Founded as Robotic on that tiny very high elevation escarpment in the bottom left corner of the map. Sold off all my starting good including electronics to build a high water pump and two solar panels. Bought a claim and built a food farm. Started selling food once the meatbags upgraded to level 2. Upgraded, built 2 more farms and a patent lab, learnt Superconductor and Nanotech, deleted the patent lab and replaced it with a solar panel, replaced one of the original solar panels with another water pump. Upgraded at some point, bought some silicon quarries in the north, put some glass kilns next to them. Continuously networked virused the other major water source way in the west of the map. Built two +20% hacker arrays because why the fuck not and I'm out of space next to my HQ. Start continuously shorting food and water. Meatbags are crashing into debt and getting bought by Reni, I'm buying Reni. Reni gave me like 80% of the stock of the scientist too, altogether for about 670k. Just the Scav left, she is at buyout against me, but with terrible cash flow, I only need 450k for her. Glass crashes at some point, I replace kilns with electronics. Upgrade very late to level 5, definitely after the Reni buyout, maybe Sol 6, if not 7. After the final upgrade I throw the level 5 claims into reactors and close the deal somewhere in the third quarter of Sol 8. Scav never got to even 50% cash to buy me out.
Not a single construction materials mine or facility built, no offworlds either (game too short for them anyway). Could have closed earlier if I went into reactors. Power was around 250 at one point, but then crashed, food and water stayed in the same vicinity.
Oh, I did get an Opti centre in an auction, when everyone was too far in debt to compete. Only did 3-4 optimization though, I think.
I generally recommend playing a bunch of variants where you condition yourself to stay off the beaten path, playing 300 games where you build an aluminium mine and some steel mills really doesn't teach you anything.
(sidenote: why did it let me do that with no obvious warning? Obviously it's all on me (it was almost midnight, way too late to play Offworld), but no "you're not hitting enemies" or "you're hitting your own stuff moron" warning, or just not affecting my own buildings (though that might be overpowered, or prevent plays like Adrenaline Boosting an opponent's marginal building to drive up component costs)?) I saved and exited after that, as it's probably recoverable (my Offworld was still protected from the last goons), but I'm done for now.