Guppies and Forward Bases

[Shrike30]

I'm curious about ore pathing on a network that has both a CN and a guppy requesting ore on it. Let's put together this hypothetical:

I use air power, guppies, and landed guns to force a beachhead. Once I've cleared enough ground, I drop a CN on that beachhead in order to support AC weapon use at the site. I intend to supply the ore via Guppy, as there are no ore sites near the beachhead to mine, and so I set up Ore Guppies on my primary network headed towards the beachhead. What is the logic used to decide where ore is sent on that primary network, given the choices of a couple of Ore Guppies and my first CN?  Is it basically the same as packets (distributed evenly between requesting structures in most cases) or does it do something odd?

[Grauniad]

I'm curious about ore pathing on a network that has both a CN and a guppy requesting ore on it. Let's put together this hypothetical:

I use air power, guppies, and landed guns to force a beachhead. Once I've cleared enough ground, I drop a CN on that beachhead in order to support AC weapon use at the site. I intend to supply the ore via Guppy, as there are no ore sites near the beachhead to mine, and so I set up Ore Guppies on my primary network headed towards the beachhead. What is the logic used to decide where ore is sent on that primary network, given the choices of a couple of Ore Guppies and my first CN?  Is it basically the same as packets (distributed evenly between requesting structures in most cases) or does it do something odd?

It will change between what it is now and what it will be in final ship.

[4xC]

I assume it goes in every other direction as we speak. One ore packet goes to the CN and the next to the ore guppy, the next to the CN, the next to the ore guppy, etc.

On another note, is it possible to tell a CN to stop taking in ore packets so that ore guppies can be supplied in said scenario? I remember that Odin City had features like that with the ability to tell it to stop making packets of a certain type, but that ability did not stick around for the Liberation ship, so it is within the bounds of questioning whether or not the CN retains it.

By the way, since guppies seem to be about forward base movement, why don't they carry AC when chosen, but not raw energy that needs to be turned into packets? Unless you make a custom map that has so many isolated islands that are so far apart that they cannot all be connected and harvested for energy? In that case, it would take energy guppies (not packet guppies) to make use of it all since there are only 3 CN's. Or maybe it could be addressed by an ability that could be newly created to be used by the Mothership.

[Chawe800]

Well that is partially along the lines of bad level design. (All though that could be executed to make a good map.)

Why not build a second guppy to transfer the Packets back to the island. It may seem slightly counter-productive but that's what happens in war.

Also that's partially why I felt storage would be able to store energy and packets. Why not make the storage a crappy Command Node. It would provide more use to the unit and if balanced right (make the storage need like 3 times as much energy to make a packet) I think this would be a unique nice touch

[burguertime]

I assume it goes in every other direction as we speak. One ore packet goes to the CN and the next to the ore guppy, the next to the CN, the next to the ore guppy, etc.

That makes no sense. The purpose of an ore guppy is to carry ore to the CN, if the guppy is connected to a CN via hard lines, it should not request any ore.

[lurkily]

What if I have a mine connected to a CN, but I want to send ore to a CN that ISN'T connected to the mine?

[4xC]

What if I have a mine connected to a CN, but I want to send ore to a CN that ISN'T connected to the mine?

Exactly!  :)

That is why currently, the Mine would have to send the first Ore packet to the CN, and the next Ore packet to a Guppy pad that it taking Ore, and the next Ore packet to any more Guppy Pads built and cnnected that are set to take Ore, until finally, all Guppy Pads requesting Ore have full Payloads, and then the CN would receive its second Ore packet that is obviously not the second one harvested by the Mine.

Since Guppies are good for maintaining divided frontlines against creeper attacks, I still think it should be able to carry AC in case you have or want more than one frontline with a sprayer or 2 othr than the frontline directly connected to your primary CN.

[Ronini]

I think you are mistaken. (Slightly)
Isn't it a simpler logic when the first ore packet goes to the CN, then every ore guppy pad receives one each in however their order is determined after which a new cycle begins with the next ore packet going to the CN again?
Simple example with 3 Ore Guppy Pads:
Order of distribution: CN, GP, GP, GP, CN, GP, GP, GP, CN, GP, GP, GP, ...

About the other thing: Somehow I doubt the scenario you described will occur that often. Yes, the new maps can be huge, but not that huge, really and most won't anyway. On most larger maps you will have multiple CNs to deploy. You will have bombers to deliver AC payloads on most maps, too. You will be also be able to connect most forward bases by a land line fairly quickly. Any scarce scenario where you'll miss the AC delivering capabilities will most likely be designed to that end. Then you will have to make do with what you got, in any case.

[4xC]

That order of distribution of yours is exactly what I meant in the first place. Miscommunication.

And while the scenario may be a rare case, it may be exploited in the custom maps by a few makers. And now that you mention it, I think it is better to have long-distance AC attacks done by bomber only and sprayers totally dependent on CN's with AC after all. It suddenly makes more sense that way.

Speaking of bombers, I still have a bit of trouble telling whether or not airial attackers can still attack in vectors considering how frequently Virgil made bombers and strafers focus on single points.

[Grauniad]

Guppies get precedence.  All ore guppies are fully loaded before ore is distributed to a CN on the same network. Or so it seemed last time I looked.

[4xC]

Guppies get precedence.  All ore guppies are fully loaded before ore is distributed to a CN on the same network. Or so it seemed last time I looked.

If that is the case, what would happen if you had Ore Guppy Pad(s) in a network that has a CN in it, and the same network had an active Sprayer? If Guppy Pads take precedence, it sounds to me like you could not maintain an active sprayer while having Ore Guppies.

[Grauniad]

Have fewer guppies or more ore. That is what resource constraints are all about.

[Shrike30]

Or Disable/Disconnect the guppy when you want ore service to go elsewhere.

[4xC]

Speaking of ore, I know this was covered several times elsewhere, but I have to be sure either way: are ore despsits still infinite?

[hoodwink]

Or Disable/Disconnect the guppy when you want ore service to go elsewhere.

Shouldn't disabling and disconnecting a guppy accomplish the same thing? Since it's job is to move around packets...
Just rambling.