No, you can even wait until I pass to do so -- you were last to act, so you had free reign to SPGs for Gardener with no risk of my response.FrankJones wrote: ↑18 June 2025, 18:04So, beginning of gen 4, SP greenery, SP greenery, then decide what to do next based on your response? I am threatening Gardener but I still have plenty of flexibility if you don't make a move toward gardener yourself. I can see that, but I do have questions:
No, you have two tiles in the west, so have no choice in placements. You have Noctis City in your opening hand, which makes the 2-plant spots on the west phenomenal spots to SPG and later place Noctis. If you SPG after I pass you can cleanly convert your plants before Big Asteroid and, again, you might get hit by BA for less than 4 plant hate.Am I playing my ocean first? Or am I just placing the greeneries next to no oceans, gaining insufficient plants for another one, and still having those plants get smoked?
I mean, I understand that you might not like it - to each his own. But the wombo-combos you are describing are the *opposite* of tactics. Previously you talked about more perfect information games where you can sequence your moves and a tactical player is rewarded. What you're describing you enjoy here is just who picks up the wombo-combos, which is mostly RNG. These can be fun for the person playing Solitaire, but I expect they are also what makes you feel like the game is to "luck-driven". The skill is in preventing your opponent from being able to have the opportunity to exploit these wombo-combos by being tactical with the moves available to you (including SPs). And, FWIW, usually it is not SPs. The only reason SPG for Gardener is viable here is because you're Credicor and are holding Noctis in your hand. These are *very* efficient SPs.I think what it comes down to may be that optimal play in this game is not fun or interesting to me. I hate preludes. I like long games. I hate standard projects. I like combos and tag synergy, discounts and card draws. I like those insane gen 12 or gen 13 sequences where one or both players is taking 30 or 40 actions and doing a lot of fun things.
I have 2 plants before you play your ocean, so it's Towing and Hydrogen. All aspirin and I are suggesting is that you sell one card to force me to make a decision. Again, these are tactics. By just dropping the ocean and playing Noctis you: a) give *me* 2 extra plants, which significantly opens the aperture of cards I can play to get my third greenery, and b) floats 5 plants instead of 3.Regarding gen 5. it's not as though Towing a comet is the only card that would combine with Arctic algae to give another greenery.
Perhaps, but IMO you're failing to see how TfM actually mirrors a lot of the games you say you like. Honestly there is so much more to explore above a 500 Elo in this game, which would really open your mind to the possibilities. It's just a reasonably complex game that requires a lot of inference and tactics. You don't have to enjoy it, but I think you would if you tried to advance to the next level.Maybe grinding TFM while dealing with some level of randomness reminds me too much of the poker grind.
I mean this is a super low skill cap format. You keep playing this and you'll rightfully come out feeling like the game doesn't have much to explore outside of RNG.I'll stick to Base + Colonies
