Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 04:47:02 AM
the extra terrestrial |
This sad sack is going to build Subspace Generators! I've never won a game by Progenitor Victory before. This After Action Report demonstrates the awesome capabilities of my SMACX AI Growth mod (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=20959.0) version 1.19. This is played on a Huge map with average settings on Transcend difficulty. My purpose is to test several factions for their robustness, and this alien ugly is just the excuse I need.
The Data Angels have been getting their butts kicked in various test games I've played. I've realized they have no advantages in practice at the beginning of the game, which is when they usually get killed. They can gain any tech known to 3 factions, but only if they've infiltrated them. I've realized it's way too much to ask the AI to do that, especially on Huge maps or larger. So the new Data Angels don't need to infiltrate! They just sit back and let free tech roll in. Problem solved? We'll see.
In my last test game, the Morganites tried to corner the energy market and win Economic Victory! They almost succeeded. It only cost them 1000 credits to do it, which is egregiously cheap. In version 1.18 I took away the easy money from Democratic politics, so I hope Morgan can't do this anymore. I need to find out for sure.
A modder who precipitated a lot of the changes that are going into 1.19, complained that the Cybernetic Consciousness was getting its butt kicked in his games. I've not seen that in my own games; they're typically a research powerhouse. He didn't start his games in what I call "the usual way", so maybe that's the problem. We'll see if some weakness has developed in Cybernetic play.
I've been worried that the Believers might be too vanilla and weak compared to other factions now. However they do have a new ace up their sleeve: immunity to mind control. That's not the same as immunity to all probe team actions, but it's very helpful when on the offensive. Let's see if they can keep up!
The Usurpers are chosen to oppose me, and to provide another violent faction. It should be noted that in my mod, the Aliens are no more powerful than other factions. They don't get free recycling tanks and their armor has been stripped. We get to direct our research, but we have social engineering penalties to offset that. Mine is that I have -1 POLICE, the only faction in my mod with this liability. Marr's is -1 PLANET, again the only such faction.
I round out the ensemble with the Pirates. In my mod they are passive and their fixation is Wealth. Don't let that fool you: with a minerals and energy rich moat all around them, they are a formidable foe! They are destined to clash with the Usurpers whose fixation is Power. They don't have an inherent beef with anyone else, and that's a deliberate choice on my part.
The Data Angels' fixation is Thought Control. Thus they are destined to fight the Consciousness, but not until late midgame. That's when Future Society choices become available in my mod. They are not overpowered, and a large portion of the game is played with 4 social engineering choices.
my cute island |
Enough talk, now everyone dies!! Actually I'm not likely to be as genocidal as last game. The mindworm hordes that came to punish me for that, were not pretty. They erased any advantage I hoped to gain from chemical weapons, and ultimately I quit that game out of sheer fatigue. This time, I'm far more likely to sit back and egg others on. Especially since my chosen victory condition doesn't require me to conquer anyone.
Mission Year 2106. This island is large enough to build a modest civilization on. I will want to know if the nearby land masses contain Usurpers or not. I should get a boat into the water and start poking around for Isles of the Deep to capture. I often forget to do sea capture when playing a PLANET friendly faction, but I won't forget this time.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 04:58:01 AM
the new northwest river |
Mission Year 2107 and I'm already in a snit. That river in the northwest corner of the island wasn't there last year, it just appeared. Did someone pop a pod on my island? Is it already inhabited? Or is it just a reflection of some distant weather phenomenon, climate change from an earthquake perhaps? I am inclined to assume immediate hostility. What if some joker Random Number Generator put the Usurpers on my island??
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 05:02:21 AM
insurance policy |
MY 2109. I gain a weapon from a pod. I'm trying not to freak out about that river. I've got a great setup for my capitol with a juicy mineral right there. I'm researching Centauri Ecology to exploit it. If I had to have a rockfight with someone, I could spam Trance Scouts and finish them off with the Battle Ogre. So, not to worry.
It should be noted that in my mod, Aliens start the game with Trance capability, instead of Resonance armor.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 05:07:09 AM
the bathing interloper |
MY 2111. You've gotta be kidding me. Well, living symbiotically with the Pirates, what could possibly go wrong? I will settle farther inland than originally planned. Then I will blast sea colony pods out of my capitol, to assert control over my space. Maybe I can use the Pirates as a human shield.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 05:16:34 AM
trusting settlers |
MY 2114. Sometimes the game gets cute with earthquakes next to Pirate bases, suddenly resulting in a land claim on my territory! So I've taken the precaution of settling my 2 cities this turn, before popping that pod next to the Pirate base. It merely ends up containing money though. I'm walking my previously produced Trance Scouts to these bases instead of building garrison units there immediately. I think if someone were wandering around on my land, they would have run into me by now. Probably Pirate activity in the water caused the river change somehow. I've completed Centauri Ecology and am working on Social Psych, so we can decide quickly whether we're friends or foes.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 05:33:50 AM
juicy human puppet meat |
MY 2122. I complete Social Psych and start researching Doctrine: Flexibility. If Svensgaard sells it to me this turn, then I'll immediately pick something else and no research wasted.
I call up my Pirate buddy. All I really feel from this interaction is how succulent he looks. He wanted my C3 Field Modulation which of course is an expensive tech he's not going to get. Almost forgot that my C2 Progenitor Psych gives Soporific Gas Pods, which might be too much for Aliens to start the game with. Not something one notices when playing a human faction; hey, this is what test games are for! We sign a Treaty and he sells me Doctrine: Flexibility as expected. I switch research to Doctrine: Mobility so I can get to Planetary Networks quickly and infiltrate him.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 05:58:21 AM
late mindworm |
MY 2144. I finally capture my first mindworm. I couldn't stir one out of the fungus. Eventually I popped a pod that had a mindworm in it, killing my first Independent Scout. This is really behind the curve for a usual PLANET friendly faction start. Oh well.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 03:10:37 PM
such a trader |
MY 2148. I run into Svensgaard in open water. Previously the faction readout said he was Seething but he turned out to be Noncommittal. He sells me yet another tech.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 03:18:17 PM
keeping people in line |
MY 2149. In my mod, Planetary Networks is how you get Police State, probe teams, and Command Centers. I'm after the probe teams as my faction cannot use Police State. I start working on a Foil Probe Team to infiltrate Svensgaard with. That's a predesigned unit now, so the AI does use them to take over sea bases.
The police and probe thing is left over from a time when I was trying to have Police State be the politics that was about snooping on people and mind controlling them. It didn't work out because +2 POLICE was really needed to be worth choosing Police State. I don't like that one gets "so much stuff" from this tech, but there aren't enough C2 techs to put Command Center anywhere else. Nor do I want it moved to C3, as it already takes factions quite awhile to get Planetary Networks. I have the benefit of directed research; other factions have to swim through a sea of Conquer techs to finally get it.
To make sure the Pirates can be good and dead if I want them to be, I start researching Nonlinear Mathematics. It also gives Heavy Artillery, a useful anti-Pirate tool.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2018, 03:57:32 PM
you can be happy by being cheap |
MY 2150. I have run out of island space to put cities on, so most of my cities have started to build Recreation Commons. It only costs 30 instead of 40 in my mod. Hologram Theaters are also cheapened: they only cost 50 and the maintenance is reduced from 3 to 2. These improvements are new in 1.19, the idea being to make unhappiness less painful and tedious at the beginning of the game. I didn't change the price of Recycling Tanks though, as I think getting 1 food 1 mineral 1 energy is pretty valuable.
kill the bureaucrats |
I experience Bureaucracy. I can get more EFFICIENCY from Democratic, Free Market, or Green, but I don't have any of those yet. In my mod, Free Market only has -1 POLICE and -1 PLANET penalties. It's not anti-war or anti-environment, it just contributes to those problems. Nor is Green about capturing the most mindworms, it's an economic model. Its penalties are -1 GROWTH and -1 SUPPORT.
I have some money so I try to buy some more tech from Svensgaard. But his price is ridiculous, 200 credits.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 04:50:42 AM
some whiner |
MY 2156. I meet Morgan in open water. He wants me to go war with Svensgaard, a generous opportunity I decline. He won't sign a Treaty with me. I tried to get a commlink out of him, but he didn't have one and signed off quickly. He wasn't of any use.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 05:13:28 AM
tasty twisted metal |
My 2159. I discover the USS Unity crash site!
you and what army of nutcrackers |
Not only has the engine core already been cleaned out, Datajack Roze has got a city sitting on top of the crash site. She has the temerity to threaten me. Well I guess I'm going to discover what techs she has to steal, aren't I? This is a good thing in the short term. Both Morgan and Svensgaard have techs I want, but I'm not willing to pay for them. Maybe the new, powerful, all-acquiring Roze has already got them for me.
cute defenders |
Coder's Pit is a sad little city. Maybe I can get that Artifact! Problem is, this is only a Scout Rover and I'm wounded. I'd better retreat, scout around, and come back with more of an attack force. Bring a probe team too. I shouldn't laugh too hard, all of my cities are defended by Scouts too. I need to change that now. Well I'll have Nonlinear Mathematics in 4 more years, so my offensive situation is well in hand. A good offense is the best defense...
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 05:24:29 AM
howdy neighbor |
MY 2166. I discover Data DeCentral and steal Information Networks.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 05:33:16 AM
pretty sneaky sis |
MY 2170. I infiltrate Roze's datalinks, forgetting that I could have stolen a tech. Except it turns out she didn't have anything to steal. I will come back for her map though. It seems her tech gaining ability hasn't turned her into some amazing powerhouse.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 05:39:57 AM
a nosy neighbor |
MY 2172. I infiltrate the Pirates. They have 3 techs I don't have.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 05:52:42 AM
my missionary work |
MY 2178. I discover New Jerusalem. Miriam has a map of Usurper territory which I buy for 50 credits. We sign a Treaty. Unsurprisingly she has no tech to sell. Next turn I will infiltrate her.
the pusilanimous wimp of this world |
Roze wants to have a chat with me just before I was going to steal her map. Since it's not that important for me to have map info, I acquiesce to her Truce. Perhaps my recently completed Particle Impactors gave her pause. Will she give me the commlink of the Cyborgs? Nope.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:04:19 AM
earn this |
MY 2180. While trying to pop a coastal pod with a Rover, I run into the Consciousness. She wants war with Svensgaard. Am I the only one who doesn't? Well, Marr's not on his case yet either. She won't sign a Treaty with me and signs off.
not in Kansas anymore |
Then my Rover goes on a wild ride!
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:10:31 AM
is it like never |
MY 2181. My wild riding Rover captures my 2nd mindworm. This is really late compared to a usual Caretaker game, I suppose because I started on an island. I haven't captured an Isle of the Deep yet, nor a Spore Launcher.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:21:46 AM
I am a goody two shoes |
MY 2182. Time to put a little Democratic in my step! Giving up police is a hit, but that always happens with Democratic anyways. I can have 1 military unit per city out in the field before people get upset. I think I'm going to go Free Market, as my +1 PLANET isn't doing me any mindworm good in the real world. I've adjusted my budget to 30-40-30 to make people happy in the interim.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:25:00 AM
call pest control |
MY 2183. Pesky Usurpers land at my capitol. I almost don't notice it. They have a Gatling gun. I blow it away with my Battle Ogre. Maybe it would have been worth capturing, but I didn't have a probe team on that side of the island.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:34:42 AM
have Isle will travel |
MY 2186. I finally capture an Isle of the Deep, complete with a Spore Launcher.
gobbling Artifacts |
Last year one of my mindworms fell through a dimensional rift into Consciousness territory. Roze has an unescorted Artifact which I hope to nail next year.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:45:42 AM
lets make a deal |
Morgan bothers me for some reason. Wants war again, whatever, who cares. Field Modulation for Centauri Genetics is a more reasonable offer than I've been made in the past. I'd get the ability to make my own mindworms, and a nutrient on fungal squares, not that that helps much. He doesn't want to trade though. He wants to sell it to me for 575 credits and that ain't happenin'.
gimmie |
I tag Roze's Artifact! Now I just need to drag it home.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:53:05 AM
whatever dont care |
Roze decides to bother me. Well I guess her personality is Erratic. If I march across her territory, maybe she'll teleport my units home. Then again since she's Seething, maybe she'll just attack to take her Artifact back. Guess I'll arrange my own shipping.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 07:09:25 AM
hello my brother |
MY 2189. I steal Superconductor from an isolated Usurper sea base. I would have had him infiltrated next year as well, but a slip of my finger sent my other foil into some fungus.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 07:27:31 AM
oh so thank you |
MY 2193. Twist my arm! You've saved me some slow boating.
so eco daft |
I researched Industrial Base on my own, a pity since I could have stolen it from Marr. I go Free Market, dropping my PLANET rating to 0. I've already got some independent mindworms prowling about, it's sufficient. I will need to bring regular units home, as with -4 POLICE my citizens get a bit upset at my adventures. Sitting around waiting suits my geographic disposition though.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 07:52:13 AM
let go of artifice |
MY 2196. I run into the Consciousness. They complain about wanting war as usual and we have a non-negotiation. They have an Artifact but it's being escorted. Maybe they'll mess up and leave it vulnerable.
where is pest control |
The Usurpers bother me again. I kill their Gatling unit but the artillery remains. I'm bringing up my own artillery and an Impact Speeder.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 08:05:31 AM
decisions decisions |
MY 2201. I research Adaptive Economics, which gives Planned economy and Hologram Theaters. Cheaper Hologram Theaters that don't cost as much to maintain, are a new feature of version 1.19. Now I need to decide what to do with my civ, which is essentially passive with limited exploration. I decide on Gene Splicing, which in my mod gives the Human Genome Project. Morgan has built the Weather Paradigm. Otherwise, nobody has built anything, nor is anyone trying to. So I think there's a good chance I could get it. I have 5 Artifacts piled up in my capitol as insurance.
hi Morgan |
I infiltrate the Morganites. The only one I haven't is the Consciousness.
freeeeeeiiiind |
Morgan is pretty enthusiastic about my Free Market, so I touch him with my glowing finger. He sells me Centauri Genetics for 100 credits, a remarkable deal! Still wants 200 on Synthetic Fossil Fuels. Give it time, Morgan, give it time. He's got quite the wad of cash, 1700 credits or so. I hope I fixed the "corner the energy market" problem; that's one of the things this game is testing.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 05:04:59 PM
wonderful projects |
MY 2020. I complete the Human Genome Project. With that and the Hologram Theaters, I'm finally able to adjust my budget to 40-20-40. I'm now working on the Planetary Transit System. I can build mag tubes now, but living on an island with no threats, I don't feel the need.
The rest of the politics are uneventful. Most everyone hates me, but nobody goes to war with me, because they're all at war with each other. I've got enough Foil Probe Teams to fill an ocean, for lack of anything better to build. They gradually steal techs from Marr.
I saw the Consciousness lose Xi Ellipse to the Data Angels, just as I was getting ready to infiltrate it. So I still don't have infiltration of the Consciousness. They are rated as Pathetic, so maybe switching their personality to Passive really has hurt them. Time will tell. Maybe I've merely succeeded in strengthening the Data Angels.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 05:25:23 PM
they are so violent |
MY 2221. I steal Advanced Military Algorithms from the Usurpers. This gives the Command Nexus, so I start to work on that. The Usurpers aren't working on it, must be too busy fighting. They keep getting their sea bases taken by other factions though, possibly via Foil Probe Teams. I haven't been paying much attention. I know the Usurpers are fighting a land campaign against the Believers and will presumably crush them. The latter didn't start with any kind of land advantage and they're sharing a large continent with the Usurpers. That would happen to just about any human faction, I don't think it's an indictment of Believer weakness. Yes I defanged the Aliens, but directed research is a powerful ability, and the Usurpers are still dangerous.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 05:27:22 PM
everybody must get tech |
MY 2223. The Morganites complete the Planetary Datalinks. It's given by Optical Computers and I didn't even try to research it. I'm after the Xenoempathy Dome.
pesky alien scientists |
I just realized that Marr controls the Manifold Nexus, and he's got Doctrine: Air Power. I might have to take him more seriously.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:28:30 PM
learn to relax |
Feeble wound up Miriam just can't stand my Democratic ways any longer. There's absolutely nothing she can do about it, she's being crushed by the Usurpers. I guess she's just ensuring the crazy stays part of the human race!
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:31:19 PM
go rent yourself |
MY 2235. Coin counting Morgan makes a fool of himself. He's in 3 wars already, how does he figure this is going to help him? Thanks for the theft opportunity.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 06:49:36 PM
rich man poor man beggarman thief |
MY 2236. I complete Doctrine: Initiative, enabling me to get Orbital Spaceflight and nukes first. But what good will that actually do me? If I nuke anyone, the mindworms come. Not to mention that nukes are incredibly expensive to begin with. Meanwhile my economics are stagnant. I've also got piles of Secret Projects to build that are not getting done. Let's try getting some Supply Crawlers. Version 1.19 returns them to an earlier point in the game, not that 2236 is all that early. Before they took forever to get though.
go climb a tree Morgan |
I steal Environmental Economics from the Morganites. Maybe I should pay more attention to how far others are getting on tech. I become capable of Wealth, which will help a great deal. It will also make Svensgaard like me, in principle. With the cheapening of Secret Projects due to Wealth, I'm able to complete the Command Nexus next turn using cash.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 07:00:39 PM
ha ha feel my armor |
MY 2237. I'm at peace with Roze, but she tried to do something to me with a Foil Probe Team. My Plasma armored probe team repelled her harmlessly! Too bad I can't explain to the AI how to do armored probe teams, but it's a good trick for me. I only recently immunized myself that way and my armored coverage is not total. I brought back a lot of my Foil Probe Teams because there was nothing to steal from Marr anymore. Now I should be sending those teams against Morgan.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2018, 08:25:12 PM
competition |
MY 2239. I don't feel like letting Morgan have the Xenoempathy Dome, but I need to assess what he's going to complete otherwise if I stop him. Surprisingly he doesn't have Industrial Economics and can't build the Merchant Exchange. I think this is a bit of a misfeature in my tech tree and I'll need to change that. But not before I build my stuff, har har har! The rewards of testing.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2018, 03:42:51 AM
stuffed like a jive turkey |
MY 2242. Using Artifacts, last year I completed the Xenoempathy Dome. This year I completed the Citizens' Defense Force, completely shutting Morgan out of the Secret Project races. I am building the Merchant Exchange and the Maritime Control Center unchallenged. I'm about to steal some more tech from him as well.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2018, 03:57:58 AM
studious ocean ripples |
MY 2244. So Pirates are better than Cyborgs at research, at least in this game. Poor Aki Zeta-5, she's getting clobbered by Roze! I will need yet another test game to determine her prowess, as I've made her Erratic far too late to matter.
covert Pirates |
I'm a bit surprised to see Svensgaard take a Morganite land base with a probe team. This game has had a lot of cyber warfare.
crawling to victory |
My 1st Supply Crawler comes online. Only in version 1.19 did I make them available somewhat earlier in the game. This is 2244, not exactly early. And to put it in perspective, nobody's built the Merchant Exchange yet. I'm about to, but consider that the Virtual World was only just discovered.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2018, 04:40:31 AM
to serve Man |
MY 2246. Svensgaard gets snippy! Doesn't he realize I've got better weapons than he does? Including Marines? And a Maritime Control Center about to be completed? Oh well, if he wants me to build the Virtual World instead of him, I will. I was happy enough to leave him alone, as my human shield, but now he's my human problem.
The problem with the joke about "succulent minions", is it's not true compared to the rest of the lore of the game. If it were, then when taking over a human base, its population wouldn't drop to 1. All us Aliens would grow fat on human flesh! Should be at least size 2 or 3, or something proportionate to the number of humans available to eat.
another wimp |
What's with the humans getting uptight this year?? All I wanted to do was sail around this Datatech foil probe team near my coast. She picks a fight, requiring me to shell her. I don't mind, really I don't!
yeah Roze you sink |
I've now placed my strongest armored Probe Teams facing Roze. It'll take a lot for her to get through my cyber line!
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2018, 04:48:20 AM
thought you would see it my way |
MY 2252. After stealing everything Svensgaard had, I take Port Svensgaard, nestled snug upon my coast and highly vulnerable to my Marines. He acquiesces to my Truce, lest he get further whippings. My only real challenge is getting a probe team in there. I need to crank out as many Supply Crawlers as possible for awhile, as I've got the Virtual World and the Planetary Energy Grid under production. The Maritime Control Center is complete though. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever built a Cruiser.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2018, 05:22:08 AM
I don wanna get nuked |
MY 2255. I notice that Marr has obtained Orbital Spaceflight and is seeking nukes. A problem. The good news is, this is currently the only one he has in production, and it will take him forever.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2018, 05:56:14 AM
all my secrets |
MY 2261. I complete the Planetary Energy Grid. After selling my old Energy Banks, I have piles of money. I'm going to pursue the Ascetic Virtues as it will reduce my POLICE problem. I think I need to do a land invasion of Marr and really put him out of the game. I anticipate that nukes will proliferate, but Marr and Miriam are the only Aggressive factions likely to toss a nuke for the hell of it.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2018, 06:27:42 AM
such a smart Christian |
MY 2267. Miriam wisely signs my Truce. She's almost dead, what the heck else does she have to do with herself?
roses are red roses are blue |
I got Roze to sign a Truce while we were at it. Maybe shooting off a Conventional Missile had something to do with their change of heart.
Post by: Geo on September 09, 2018, 09:52:28 AM
The problem with the joke about "succulent minions", is it's not true compared to the rest of the lore of the game. If it were, then when taking over a human base, its population wouldn't drop to 1. All us Aliens would grow fat on human flesh! Should be at least size 2 or 3, or something proportionate to the number of humans available to eat.
I reckon the Progenitors simply harvest the part of a human base's population that doesn't manage to flee, not turn it into a farm facility.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2018, 02:04:07 PM
I reckon the Progenitors simply harvest the part of a human base's population that doesn't manage to flee, not turn it into a farm facility.
Although amusing for us to clown it like this, the lore is actually that they don't eat humans at all. From interludea.txt:
Quote
#INTERLUDE5
#xs 500
#caption Interlude: Flight of the Razorwings
^ It gives you no particular pleasure to kill. You almost wish you could
communicate directly with the humans, explain to them the necessity of the forced
relocation--explain to them the necessity of their deaths.
^ "Reporting, $TITLE0 $NAME1," resonates the Force Commander of the occupation
army. "Human colonists are fleeing now from the base they call '$BASENAME5.'
Those that chose to remain behind
have been assimilated and reconstituted."
^ It gives you no particular pleasure to kill. But it is the way of
the Human and Progenitor mind. They cannot coexist under one government;
they cannot eat each other's food, nor use each other's facilities.
^ It gives you no particular pleasure to kill. But they are the enemy,
and it is the only way.
I think from this though, we learn that they have piss poor bioengineering skills. And that as colonizers and conquerors go, they don't give a rat's ass about species other than themselves.
Post by: Geo on September 10, 2018, 09:30:02 AM
After that their tech base should've been up to the task.
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2018, 02:24:08 PM
Post by: Geo on September 10, 2018, 06:01:58 PM
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2018, 05:41:21 AM
One thing the game doesn't really talk about, is whether "farm" means plants, or if animals are included too. Only Svensgaard talks about harvesting animal protein from the sea. The "calorie rich sporefish".
Post by: Geo on September 11, 2018, 08:52:25 PM
Post by: bvanevery on September 12, 2018, 04:59:06 AM
Morganic ranch, lol. Morgan eats steak!
Post by: bvanevery on September 12, 2018, 05:48:57 AM
insatiable desire to clean oceans |
MY 2275. What a silly thing to steal before I slam the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm door in Roze's face. This very turn, I suppose it's her last chance. You know what? I'm gonna let her have the Cruiser Former! Knock yourself out Roze! Let's see if she's bright enough to turn it into any other kind of unit. The AI may not be. Even so, she can't be all that far off from gaining Fusion Power herself. This is just a totally boring annoying dick move on her part.
Aliens are magnanimous to the poor |
Well, Caretakers are. We take care of things. Really, we do. We care.
just a better person than Roze |
This is why I really don't care. I'm building a fleet to go storm the Usurpers, before they get a bunch of nukes. Hovertanks in 5 years.
Post by: bvanevery on September 12, 2018, 06:36:45 AM
Mutual Assured Destruction |
MY 2279. I believe I'm the 1st Planet Busting power in the game. Let me check on that. Yep! Marr and Morgan are both working on it. Nobody else is. I assume the Cyborgs are too weak to be pursuing such. I've never infiltrated them, as they now inhabit a large inland sea and there's no ocean access to them. I could get fancy with a Drop Cruiser Probe, but it's not worth the fleet preparation time. Onwards to the Usurpers!
I station my nuke in a city that has no Secret Projects. So if anyone uses their nuke to take out mine, they won't get anything else.
I'm rockin' with the money. 242 credits per year. 2 years until hovertanks. I'm making a first wave of mindworms to go bother the Usurpers with.
Post by: bvanevery on September 12, 2018, 06:38:43 AM
tweaking Svensgaard |
MY 2281. I switch to Power so that my hovertanks will be tough. Onwards to Advanced Spaceflight, so that I can build a nuke screen against Morgan.
Post by: bvanevery on September 12, 2018, 06:53:49 AM
befriending Miriam |
MY 2282. I switch to Fundamentalist to make my hovertanks even tougher, and to get my POLICE rating up so that I don't have to worry about how many units I'm sending from whatever city. I've done even better than that: now I can use non-lethal Police units and quiet some of my peeps! The hit on my economy is not as bad as I thought it would be.
Post by: bvanevery on September 12, 2018, 07:08:53 AM
tweaking Morgan |
MY 2283. I decide to fight like a Caretaker instead of count coins like a Morganite. Surprisingly, going Green only costs me 3 credits per year. -1 energy at HQ is not a big deal. I might have liked to grow, but I'll be growing plenty by conquering Usurper bases. That's part of the point: they won't depopulate the way human bases do. This will extend my Alien Energy Grid, what we Aliens get instead of Commerce. Even if those cities don't do anything else, it should make me a lot of money to have so many of them.
prepare to blitzkrieg |
I complete my 1st Elite hovertank and load it on a Transport with other stuff to bother Marr with. I have 3 AAA Silksteel Missile ships shelling 3 of his coastal cities, distracting and covering for my approach. Svensgaard has a minor naval presence in the region but we're not at war.
I forgot to mention that hovertanks come much earlier in my mod. I think it's pointless to have "interesting" capabilities at the end of the tech tree, as they will rarely get used before the game ends.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2018, 04:22:29 AM
fanatic expenditure |
MY 2286. Miriam volunteers to sign a Treaty with me, citing my religious fervor and gross superiority. I acquiesce. How am I to argue with a Church that has 1 credit to its name?
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2018, 04:24:41 AM
sea pest |
MY 2290. Svensgaard gets snippy! I suppose I'll need to take another one of his cities to get him to shut up.
two front war |
The combo of mindworms and hovertanks is effective against the Usurpers, but they are spamming with garrison units faster than I am resupplying.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2018, 04:29:41 AM
Im a high flyin fool |
MY 2295. I complete the Cloudbase Academy, which in my mod is given by Advanced Spaceflight and it costs 500. This will soon be the end of Svensgaard's Needlejet depradations, and I will build a screen against Morganite nukes.
bigger better guns |
Many factions are Fundamentalist nowadays. Most importantly the Morganites, my only real competition for research. Having achieved tech parity with all the factions, I start cashing Artifacts. I've seized a number of Artifacts from the Usurpers in addition to my own, so I have a lot to go through.
what is a warmonger to do |
I now have a whole pile of Secret Projects to build, which will dampen my war effort for a bit. That's ok though, because it's really only a stall against the Pirates. I've managed to deploy a large number of hovertanks against the Usurpers, enough to take and hold the eastern half of his empire.
decisions decisions |
I obtain Digital Sentience, Eudaimonia, and Homo Superior, which in my mod make Cybernetic, Eudaimonic, and Thought Control available. Now I need to figure out how to reorganize my society. Surprisingly I'll only lose 15 credits / year with Thought Control, so that's what I do.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2018, 04:31:59 AM
persuasion by fungal tendril |
MY 2296. I realized that I have a fungal highway leading straight to the city that Marr is building his nuke in. For the sacrifice of a few hovertanks, I dissuade him from further production. If I had had some probe teams on hand, I could have done it by sabotage, but I didn't notice this highway earlier when planning my assaults.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2018, 04:33:34 AM
rend thee low in the gabberwarts |
MY 2298. I seize the Manifold Nexus, raising my PLANET rating to +3 and cancelling out my RESEARCH penalty from Fundamentalism.
Post by: bvanevery on September 15, 2018, 05:02:15 AM
eat your heart out Morgan |
MY 2304. I complete the Empath Guild, demonstrating just how late it can come in my mod. It is somewhat expensive at 400 and requires Homo Superior, a C6 tech that also gives Thought Control. It has little practical value to me, merely giving infiltration to the weak Cyborgs that I otherwise didn't have. I did it to block Morgan from obtaining the Governorship. Yes the Pirates are a threat too, but they haven't tried to make a nuke.
sneaky Morgan |
Maybe I've erred though. I meant to block him from getting the Pholus Mutagen, which we are both working on. Previously, I didn't think he had a chance. But suddenly he's 2 turns from completion, and he didn't spend his 1200 credit reserve to do it. He must be using supply crawlers. I think I can block it next turn if I switch my production of the Theory of Everything in my capitol over to the Pholus Mutagen. That's slightly annoying as I wanted to minimize the number of Secret Projects I put in 1 city, but it's still the primary target for a nuke and what's done is done I suppose. I could play the turn over but I'll live with my mistake. I don't like having to babysit my enemies though.
Post by: bvanevery on September 15, 2018, 05:06:52 AM
mutating Morgans brain |
MY 2305. I complete the Pholus Mutagen and the Universal Translator on the same turn, kicking Morgan off the Secret Project charts.
send in the clones |
I had been reseraching Biomachinery myself, but this speeds it up by 10 turns. The Cloning Vats are rather valuable to me because I'm using both Power and Thought Control.
geek squad |
Of course so is the Network Backbone, as my goal is to research Subspace Generators for the win. So many Secret Projects, so little time!
space food tastes like nothing |
I forgot that in version 1.19 I made Biomachinery the way you get Sky Hydroponics Lab. This and Nanometallurgy lead to Super Tensile Solids, which gives Habitation Dome and the Space Elevator. I'm not trying to win on votes, so I don't deeply regret this mistake, but a Space Elevator could have been useful sooner. Oh well, I'll just keep wiping out the Usurpers the old fashioned way.
Post by: bvanevery on September 15, 2018, 05:08:31 AM
workers unite to make money |
MY 2309. I complete the Cloning Vats, thereby increasing my industry, efficiency, and credits per turn. I consider changing to a Planned economy but decide against it. It would not matter to my ECONOMY, but my EFFICIENCY is currently +1 and it would drop to -1. I am expecting quite a bit of unhappiness in the near future due to the permanent population boom, and I don't need Bureaucracy adding to the problems. Nor am I going to choose anything which lowers my +3 POLICE rating, as single Police Scouts are proving to be extremely useful as garrisons. Their 4X enforcement power brings distant conquests under control quickly, just building them on-site. They get attacked by planes and missiles, but then I just build them again! As such, they are good distractions in the absence of real industry. I have not bothered with any kind of factories in this game at all. Why risk the eco-damage when I'm meeting my goals?
Post by: bvanevery on September 15, 2018, 05:15:37 AM
heeere Morgan Morgan Morgan |
I launch my 1st Orbital Defense Pod, finally allowing me to see the interior of Morgan's empire. I've simply been too busy to try to get a probe team over to him.
weenie Morgan feeblenuke |
Well that's a relief. His capitol is starving, he's nearly out of minerals, and even now it will take him 33 years to complete. Not a threat! Not before I do something about it at least. I've got time. The Usurpers are actually farther along, but I'm right next to the city where they're building it. I just need to reinforce, which admittedly, I can't get around to. Gotta finish blocking off all these Secret Projects.
securing the east |
Except for 2 sea bases, the eastern half of the Usurper empire is mine now. I have started to build AAA ECM Probability garrisons in conquered cities. In my mod, that's strength 10 armor, same as a strength 10 Phaser! They might hold up to the Conventional Missiles and Copters that Morgan occasionally lobs at me.
doubtful |
Svensgaard is attempting to use a Locust of Chiron against me for the 1st time. I think with my +3 PLANET rating, mostly Elite troops, and an R-Laser Interceptor on defense, he has little chance of doing anything to me. I haven't gotten around to making my own Pholus Mutagen toys.
Post by: bvanevery on September 15, 2018, 05:20:01 AM
getting a backbone |
MY 2313. I complete the Network Backbone, making me ever so much more research worthy, and also the Nano Factory. Onwards to the Theory of Everything, which I will complete next turn! I'm ending supply crawler production and starting on Conventional Missiles.
reinforcements appreciated any day now |
My original missile hovertanks are down to the last dregs, and I'm in danger of losing the Manifold Nexus. I'm bringing in the last few hovertanks from the eastern conquest. This leaves eastern cities vulnerable to Morganic takeover, but I don't think he even wants them, and they're not valuable to me. I just needed to get rid of the Usurpers.
better deal with this |
Ironically, I've slacked so long on taking out Marr's nuke, that I'm now in danger of him finishing it. But I will intervene with orbital bombardment before he can do so.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:23:46 AM
shall we play a game |
MY 2314. Morgan joins the space race with his own Orbital Defense Pod.
you lose |
I have ended the Usurper's Planet Buster program. It took 3 Conventional Missiles to change their mind.
you loser |
Morgan gave up his previous nuke due to mass starvation.
you creep |
However he started building a new nuke in a city that can actually complete the job, so I'll need to build more CMs to take it out.
you sea slug you |
The Pirates have started builing one as well, off my very coast. When too many factions are building these things, it becomes a boring game of whack-a-mole. I'm not sure how I will handle these threats. This one, I could just send Marines, but he will build somewhere else. Wouldn't it be great if I could frame other factions for atrocities, so that they nuke each other instead of me?
you hacker |
Roze actually finished a Planet Buster when I wasn't looking. But we've had a Truce for a long time, which is likely to remain because of my Thought Control society. That's Roze's fixation in my mod: hacking people sorta went to her head.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:25:07 AM
like I care |
MY 2319. The Consciousness gets snippy with me! Maybe Roze will finally ally with me now, or at least sign a Treaty. If she would only talk to me. Guess I need to build a Cruiser Probe Team to get her attention.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:27:07 AM
subverting the feeble |
MY 2320. The Cloning Vats have made me a lot of money. My production in conquered Usurper territory is terrible, so I am trying out mind control as a tactic. Yes I can do it, but his units fight so poorly that I can't even use them to kill each other! I just spent 600 credits, in essence killing 2 units by suicide and wounding 2 more of his units. Not terribly cost effective. Watch, I bet he strafes my probe team next turn anyways.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:28:34 AM
MY 2322. My big Locusts of Chiron finally enter combat. I have built Genejack Factories in 3 cities. 2 of them needed Centauri Preserves and Temples of Planet to stop the resulting eco-damage. With Biology Labs already in place, the Xenoempathy Dome, and the Pholus Mutagen, that's a +5 lifecycle bonus! They come out of the test tubes as Demon Boils and they attack with the Dream Twister. Let's see how they do against Svensgaard's locusts! Well that was a slaughter. Hopefully I'll clear out his infinite Transport spam too.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:29:32 AM
MY 2323. Morgan has spammed enough ODPs that he's starting to try to shoot mine down. I've been through this kind of nonsense in another game and it's not fun to try to keep up with the infinitely tireless AI. I'm getting really bored with the various kinds of spam, the other one being Svensgaard's infinite supply of Transport cannon fodder. He just keeps plastering the seas with them, making me take yet another mouseclick to get rid of them. Their production rates due to Transcend are so high that I can't actually stop this unless I take over a city in 1 turn. I don't presently have enough units to do it. Priority has gone to building Flechette Defense Systems, as that can reduce or eliminate yet another kind of spam, the plastering of Conventional Missiles.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:30:35 AM
MY 2324. Roze has allied with Marr and is attacking me. So much for trying to please anyone with my social engineering choices! Even Miriam is allied with Svensgaard.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:31:39 AM
MY 2326. Feeling totally worn out from the constant spamming, I changed my Values to Wealth last year. This year I took the last important Pirate city off my east coast. My plan worked: Svensgaard signed a Truce with me. Now I need to do the same to Roze and Morgan. If I am sufficiently a sycophant, I should be able to slide into the end of the game with a minimal number of mouseclicks and no further challenge. I obtained Mind / Machine Interface this year, which gives the Cyborg Factory, so soon I won't be in much need of MORALE bonuses.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:33:36 AM
MY 2331. I keep having to play this turn over and over again, because a bug keeps causing Morgan to declare Vendetta on me after he's agreed to a Truce. Then the Pirates join in, further ruining what I've been carefully working towards. Something is wrong with the way probe teams take over a base. Perhaps because the humans escape in sea pods, triggering immediate conversation before other game variables are updated?
[Limit reached]
I was able to work around the bug by using Total Thought Control. I save scummed until it succeeded, since it's not my fault I needed to do it. I suffered another weird bug when I took over one of Roze's bases using troops. She tried to talk to me 3 times in a row and then fell silent. I was unable to get her to talk again, let alone get a Truce out of her.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:36:49 AM
MY 2332. My sycophancy has its price. Appeasing Morgan with Free Market lowers my PLANET rating to 0. I do some eco-damage and trigger global warming. I only have a couple cities that really chuck out a lot of minerals though. I'm not planning on making any more industry, so hopefully the seas won't rise much. I can't count on the humans to behave with restraint; hopefully they aren't much industrialized yet.
[Limit reached]
Looks like I've got the same stupid bug with Roze trying to talk to me. What gives?
[Limit reached]
I switch to Democratic to slightly improve my RESEARCH. I dropped a CM on Marr's capitol this turn. I expect Morgan to take it next turn, and thus end the Usurper nuke program. The Usurpers are looking pretty feeble right about now.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 03:22:44 PM
MY 2333. Morgan empties the Usurper capitol, seizing an Artifact, but declines to take it. I happen to have subverted some of Marr's drop pod units once upon a time, so I take it. I don't want Morgan marching towards the Manifold Nexus. With luck, Morgan's troops will make their way towards the next Usurper city to the south.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 04:20:53 PM
MY 2334. My drop pod cleverness seems to have earned me a war. I wonder if the AI really decides to do that sort of thing, or if it's just a bug from previous military plans being laid?
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 04:33:47 PM
MY 2236. One less Usurper city to pick off! Good thing I rushed 4 Pressure Domes last year.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 05:52:40 PM
MY 2338. I just can't keep the peace. The Pirates joined the Data Angels in a crusade against me.
[Limit reached]
I shift my economy to Green, since there's no point in trying to appease anyone anymore. Perhaps my previous Truces bought me enough breathing room anyways. I've got Flechette Defense Systems in most cities, and none of these factions are Aggressive, so they won't nuke me. The Usurpers would, but they can't, they're too busy getting killed by everyone.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 06:01:27 PM
MY 2339. I shift my Values to Knowledge, to try to get to the end of the tech tree and finish this game. I can now build Hab Domes and I have begun the Space Elevator. I'll get Quantum Power in 4 years. I took over a Pirate base, but I'm getting the same bug as with the Data Angels. 2 attempts to talk to me and no communication.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 10:55:25 PM
MY 2340. I shift my Politics to Fundamentalist, in preparation for going Cybernetic next year. I think I will never know peace, and will be in border skirmishes until the end of the game. Priority is going to building Hab Domes, not new military units. I am gradually sinking or buying the Pirate ships sent against my main island.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 11:16:05 PM
MY 2341. Last year I barely held on to Courage: To Question by subverting a Morganic unit. I thought he might blow it away this year, so I deliberately didn't put any effort into completing the Recreation Commons there. Upon takeover, I get the same bug where he tries to contact me and fails to communicate.
[Limit reached]
I switch to Cybernetic for the research. My choices have left me with a nominal use of police to calm my cities. I try to contact the Cyborgs but they won't talk.
Post by: bvanevery on September 16, 2018, 11:44:31 PM
MY 2342. I switch to Free Market, as I can still retain the use of 1 police unit with that. Due to the Living Refinery I also gain +3 SUPPORT. I can have as many units as my base size for free! When the Space Elevator and Quantum Power get here, my situation will probably become a lot easier. I'll just put some kind of armored quantum orbital drop terraformers in the way of everybody and call it good.
Post by: bvanevery on September 17, 2018, 12:39:36 AM
MY 2343. Here I am with Quantum Power. No immediate improvement as I'm still building Hab Domes, and honestly my old Fusion units fight ok. But this is the beginning of the end for the rest of them.
Post by: bvanevery on September 17, 2018, 01:24:07 AM
MY 2344. I'm surprised the Pirates discovered this. Either they are finally cashing Artifacts, or I just haven't been paying attention to their research. I honestly didn't think anyone else was viable in this game, given what I'd seen everyone fighting with. Well I guess I'll go steal something.
[Limit reached]
Even Morgan and Roze had N-Space Compression. I'm stealing it from the latter, using a reserve of 3 hovertank probe teams that I never put into action due to a sudden lack of money.
Post by: bvanevery on September 17, 2018, 04:21:41 AM
MY 2347. I complete the Space Elevator, but it doesn't matter much because I'm still too busy building Hab Domes and trying to pacify my distant conquests. Maybe I should have used Punishment Spheres, but it's a bit out of character for the Caretakers I think. I also completed my 1st Tectonic Missile. I'm going to make part of a land bridge to my northern island. I will probably complete the bridge with a smaller tectonic missile, so that the water is still passable.
[Limit reached]
I forgot about this aspect of orbital combat. Oh well, not like I needed a land bridge. I just wanted to make use of my missile, and in a sense I did that. It caused Morgan to use some ODPs. Maybe it would even be a good strategy to fling more of these things. Although, I heard something about them causing eco-damage. Can't cause eco-damage if they don't actually get through though.
Post by: bvanevery on September 17, 2018, 05:01:46 AM
MY 2349. I complete the Manifold Harmonics, making fungus delicious and nutritious. I also complete my 1st Fungal Missile and consider detonating it on my own territory.
[Limit reached]
Roze was willing to pound this city with CMs even though I had Flechette Defense. I guess I never did put my best AAA troops in there, just the old second string stuff. Well now I have a little problem. I hope I can buy my way out of it with probe teams, but mine aren't as tough as they used to be, and Roze has +2 PROBE.
[Limit reached]
I'm not sure how precise the detonation of a Quantum Fungal Missile is, so I elect to blast it on my front line with Morgan. It might slow him down, and I might get some food out of the deal. Elsewhere I'm actually planting fungus instead of trees! Well, uh, Morgan shot that down again, but it cost him an ODP again. So that wasn't worthless.
[Limit reached]
The fungal money is so profitable that I shift my economy to Planned. This ups my PLANET rating to +3 and maximizes energy from fungus!
Post by: bvanevery on September 17, 2018, 05:47:33 AM
MY 2350. I shift my politics to Frontier to get rid of the ECONOMY and RESEARCH penalties. I had more SUPPORT than I needed, and MORALE isn't that important since I have the Cyborg Factory. I retain the use of 1 police unit. I didn't want to go Democratic because then I would have lost my police. I of course don't have to care about GROWTH because I have the Cloning Vats.
[Limit reached]
I make my first use of the Nano Factory's "cheap upgrades" ability. I figure various front line garrisons need toughening. I have to say, for having obtained Quantum Power it doesn't exactly make me feel awesome. Quantum units take a long time to manufacture. I'm still experiencing flooding from what little eco-damage I did earlier, so I'm not inclined to add any factories.
Post by: bvanevery on September 17, 2018, 03:00:22 PM
MY 2353. I must say I didn't see that coming. I've been ignoring Marr for a long time on the premise that he's basically dead. Well now he's gonna be even more dead! Glad I got an ODP screen up. Due to the Space Elevator I've actually got more pods up than anyone else, although not yet enough to shoot enemy pods down.
[Limit reached]
Technically it's Planet shattering and there are no Martians involved.
[Limit reached]
Sometimes you just can't persuade people. They have to discover these things for themselves.
[Limit reached]
Meanwhile my research continues unimpeded. I learn a couple "Secrets of Whatever".
[Limit reached]
My fungus is worth a lot of money now. 5 energy per square! That's as much as tidal harnesses with Thermocline Transducers, and I don't have to build any facilities for it to happen.
Post by: bvanevery on September 17, 2018, 05:49:20 PM
MY 2356. My Quantum Neutronium Cruiser Former takes a direct hit from a Fusion Conventional Missile and is merely scratched! Elsewhere, an older generation of armored Cruiser Formers caused a lot of maurading ships to sink themselves before finally being destroyed. In a war of attrition, these chunks of armor are definitely a win.
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 03:31:36 AM
MY 2357. The Pirates have had enough! Must be from losing so many ships against my Neutronium armored Cruiser Formers. It's only getting worse now that I've got 12-Pulse armor as well. I'm finally starting to make Drop AAA units to garrison distant places.
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 04:07:29 AM
MY 2358. The Morganites are doing a minor job of trashing Planet. Hope they don't get out of hand, but the game will be over soon in any event. I've finally started adding Genejack Factories in more places, but no more than that, for fear of eco-damage getting out of hand.
[Limit reached]
If you're going to do something surprising, it should actually be surprising. Like, it should give you an advantage. Otherwise you're just throwing your reputation away, making Truces you're not going to honor. Svensgaard could have completely skipped talking to me last year.
[Limit reached]
I've completed almost all of my city improvements and am only building Former units for the most part, plus a few drop garrisons. I go Democratic and forego the use of police anymore. This doesn't cause any drone riots as I guess I'm that far along with my infrastructure now. Now I have enough EFFICIENCY to put more of my budget into LABS without any penalty. I will get a tech every 2 years now.
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 06:18:45 AM
MY 2360. Ships can have drop pods in my mod, and I've been able to do orbital insertions for awhile now. I've finally gotten around to making a drop ship that can walk into undefended sea bases. They can't land in water, but they can land on a coast and scoot into the water. Watch as I get the Cyborgs' attention!
[Limit reached]
Now it is a simple matter to slide into the undefended base, also fully healing the drop ship.
[Limit reached]
Oh look at that! Even before entering the base, the cute little cyborg now wants to talk about me not invading her. After a hundred years of buggy silence! If I had known a drop ship would have this kind of effect on enemies, I would have tried it a lot sooner. It might have kept the peace. Well better late than never.
[Limit reached]
Without a base to enter, that was a one way trip. I will sail all the way out of this big puddle to the west. Global warming has opened up an "Antarctic" passage.
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 02:50:06 PM
MY 2364. I overrun a sea base that Svensgaard just settled in my home waters. This insignificant conquest is enough to get a Truce out of him. We'll see if it lasts this time!
[Limit reached]
I use the drop ship tactic on an exposed Data Angel sea base. This base has been left empty before, but it wasn't when I first produced my drop ship. I've been waiting.
[Limit reached]
When my ship is next to the empty sea base, no reaction or prompt is triggered. Puzzled, I try to contact Roze myself. Now she talks to me. Which is fine, because I don't actually want this base. It's just a useless nonproductive vulnerability, yet another city to level up at this very late stage of the game. What I want is a Truce, which she provides.
[Limit reached]
I get her to end a few hundred years worth of war against the Consciousness. Even though they have permanent ideological differences. See, Aliens are good for something after all!
[Limit reached]
Morgan hasn't left any cities unoccupied, but I've belatedly realized that most of his sea bases near my territory only have a Scout in them. I redeploy a drop ship and destroy one of his Sea Formers in my waters. Next turn I can take one of his bases if I'm willing to sacrifice a Chaos Interceptor to do it. If that isn't enough to get a Truce, I have my old Missile Cruisers en route to take more of these feeble bases.
[Limit reached]
A lot of my cities are cranking out ODPs now. Combined, the Morganites and Data Angels are keeping up, but not individually. I don't know if the AI is willing to desperately hurl nukes when I start buildng Subspace Generators, but I'm taking no chances. I could probably afford to start building some Orbital Power Transmitters as well, although I haven't felt much need of additional money. I suppose my mod has been succesful, in that I've denied any easy access to space resources. The ability to make satellites comes later, and the AI has been plenty able to keep up, threatening to destroy any peaceful satellites I might build.
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 04:05:03 PM
MY 2365. I'm not sure if detonating a fungal missile counts as a hostile act or not. It certainly doesn't harm me, in fact I mostly raise ocean squares to plant fungus nowadays. Well we're still in a Truce, which is fine by me.
[Limit reached]
ET is very close to phoning home! 2 more years, then I start on it. Artifacts have probably been available to steal or fish all along, but I got lazy about it. This game hasn't been about winning in the smallest number of turns.
[Limit reached]
Completionism has its price. The description of the Bulk Matter Transmitter says it gives +2 Minerals per base. Somehow I get the feeling it ultimately comes out to be a lot more eco-damage than that! At least fungal pops are actually a positive for me now.
[Limit reached]
The fungal pop occurred at the base where I built the Bulk Matter Transmitter. Luckily this base happened to have some ancient Synthmetal Sentinel units in it, which did a good job of blowing away the mindworms that completely surrounded the base. I still had to bring in a drop unit to clear an adjacent stack, and 1 mindworm remains at a distance. It's hard to see them as I have a shortage of both Sensor Arrays and planes. The base didn't look like it was doing eco-damage, but that's because the mindworms were covering a lot of squares. Once they were cleared, it did 32 eco-damage, so I'm building a Centauri Preserve. The same is true in perhaps 10 bases in my empire.
[Limit reached]
Phantom Forces, a historically beefy city, is doing some serious eco-damage now. I already built all the eco-damage limiting facilities there, so it switches production to AAA 12-Res Trance units.
[Limit reached]
I took the Morganic sea base next to mine, but I got the same bug where Morgan tries to contact me and can't speak.
[Limit reached]
This feels a bit like Noah's Ark. I want to fish that supply pod out of Morgan's waters. That's a heavily armored Drop Transport ship; it remains to be seen whether it will survive long enough to do the job.
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 05:07:10 PM
MY 2366. I wonder how many pops I'll get this year?
[Limit reached]
That's the 2nd pop. This game is unusual for me, in that I've never built a full rail network to deal with problems. Nor have I bothered to build sufficient drop units to intervene wherever necessary. This base is actually in danger. I've scrounged up whatever old drop units I could find, dropped them in the base, and upgraded them to AAA Trance. We shall soon see if 3 such defenders with the Neural Amplifier and +3 PLANET for PSI combat is enough to repel about 16 Demon Boils.
[Limit reached]
Next turn I become Subspace Generator capable. I have a 2500 credit reserve due to slaughtering mindworms, so I'll probably only need a few turns to build them. I have more ODPs than my opponents, so none of them are getting nuked. Although my enemies have been Quantum powered for some time now, I don't think they have the focus and determination to successfully invade me, even with my relatively limited garrison defenses. They don't have Graviton Theory yet so orbital drops aren't a problem. Even if they did, I have Aerospace Complexes everywhere, and that greatly interferes with drops.
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 08:03:27 PM
MY 2367. Time to wipe out the opposition! I've started 6 Subspace Generators in various cities, which will take 6, 7, 7, 7, 8, and 8 turns to complete. I've stopped building ODPs, figuring I have enough. Instead I'm building drop supply crawlers, which I imagine I can use to speed the Subspace Generators along. If they cannot be so used, well, oh well! I've never built a Subspace Generator before so I don't know if they're like a Secret Project or not. I also have 5000 credits in reserve for next turn.
[Limit reached]
My anti-mindworm troops did hold up pretty well. 8 more mindworms and 3 spore launchers attack next turn. I think I'll be fine so I'm not going through any heroics.
[Limit reached]
The "Noah's Ark" technique does not work for drop transport ships. Any ship left on dry land at the end of its turn, dies. Combat ships can scoot off the land, but non-combat ships are stuck, so they just die. This happened 2 turns in a row. I wasn't sure if they had been attacked, but I never got any notice or animation about them, so I conclude that they silently died. Now I've learned my lesson and will depart from a coastal land base.
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 09:10:44 PM
MY 2368. The mindworms have shifted direction and are massing around a city with a new fungal pop. I don't have defenders in this city to deal with it, and it's in a part of my empire that has never been reached by rails. If I win the game this turn, it won't matter. If I don't, then some of my drop supply crawlers do have Trance protection and I will press them into service as defensive units. Belatedly I'm starting to make some offensive anti-mindworm drop units. I've been too busy trying to win the game!
[Limit reached]
One of my cities producing a Subspace Generator is vulnerable to flooding. Hope this is a non-issue.
[Limit reached]
My drop supply crawler plan was quite flawed. I forgot that non-combat units lose all their movement after being dropped! So none of the units produced at sea, or on the wrong continent, are any help at all this year. But... it looks like it doesn't matter. I've got enough cash to just buy them!
[Limit reached]
Good thing too, because it turns out Subspace Generators aren't like Secret Projects. You can't contribute a Supply Crawler to them, aside from disbanding a unit and getting half its value. So I built all those drop supplies for basically nothing. Oh well! I will redirect whatever ones have Trance ability to the defense of the mindworm beseiged city. I'm going to shift production to a crap ton of drop R-bolt units.
[Limit reached]
I'm building a railhead to my beseiged city, and I've thrown a Quantum Trance unit in the way of some of the mindworms. I upgraded 1 unit in the base to Singularity Trance. I've got piles of Quantum R-Bolt Drop Penetrators coming next turn, and a few Fusion R-Laser Drop Penetrators for good measure, from the cities whose minerals output wasn't so high. Even after buying all 6 Subspace Generators, and building a few Temples of Planet and Psi Gates, I've got 500 cash remaining. Nothing can stop me now!
Post by: bvanevery on September 18, 2018, 11:01:23 PM
MY 2369. If I don't win automatically for some reason, I could build the Singularity Inductor now. I thought building the Bulk Matter Transmitter earlier was a partial disaster, and certainly an unnecessary distraction. Why wouldn't the S.I. be more of the same? Suure they say that eco-damage will be reduced, but will it be reduced more than the amount my minerals production gets cranked up? Well, I doubt I'll be pondering the answer to that this game. I didn't even build Robotic Assembly Plants. I was probably too gunshy about eco-damage earlier, as it appears one can build Genejack Factories without unmanageable problems. I did of course have to build a lot of eco-damage mitigating facilities to go along with them, so they're actually kind of pricey when viewed that way. But they don't inherently bring an apocalypse, at least, when one has a +3 PLANET rating.
[Limit reached]
Here is my sucky victory text! It's as anticlimactic as the gaming act itself. But hey, however I might perfect this world, I think I'd rather just start another one. God wiping the slate clean and all that.
[Limit reached]
Hmm maybe they're going to milk this for a bit. Like I'll get a message as each Subspace Generator completes.
[Limit reached]
It's weird playing this game for 20 years and never having seen this stuff. Admittedly, I only started playing Alien Crossfire really heavily 2 or 3 years ago. I think. Can't quite remember. 5 or 6 years ago? Definitely not 10 to 20 years ago. For quite some time I thought playing the Aliens was pretty much cheating. I don't think that was wrong about the original game. That's why they were defanged and balanced out in my mod.
[Limit reached]
What if there's some great reward video for finishing the game this way? I've got videos turned off! Well, if it ends the way all the other victories end, I'll just get some text with some sob story about how the universe is. I will pro forma search for a missing video, but I'm not expecting such to exist.
[Limit reached]
I would have taken some text writing opportunities here. This is too straightforward. I feel like I'm recording fungal pops between floodings, as they also come in batches of 6.
[Limit reached]
Theoretically something could happen "between turns" to derail my victory, like a big mindworm attack for instance. But it didn't. That 1 Trance unit out in the field got totally and immediately slaughtered, but the city itself held up well. A lot of the mindworms didn't actually attack. They shuffled towards a Monolith slightly south of the city. If I get a chance to actually play this turn, they will all get summarily creamed by my new anti-mindworm air and ground forces. Have drop pods, will travel!
[Limit reached]
Welp that's the last of them! Do I get some exciting game ending text now? Nope! Looks like I'm actually playing this turn. Ok whatever.
[Limit reached]
First order of business is eradicating these interloping mindworms. Second is completing all the Psi Gates I'm building everywhere, simply because I can. Got nothing better to do! Third will be building the Singularity Inductor just for kicks, with all those drop supply crawlers I made for no purpose.
[Limit reached]
I have a sinking feeling that somehow, this is not over. What if it's like an Economic Victory and takes 20 turns to win? The Datalinks don't say one way or the other. If I don't win next turn, then I'll need to go digging around in alphax.txt or online to find out what's going on. Meanwhile, I don't need research anymore. Aside from the last few turns researching the last tech, I just fished an Artifact out of the water. Next turn it'll be back to base and I'll cash it for my last tech.
[Limit reached]
I have piles of spare cash now. With it I've upgraded pretty much all of my garrison units to the one true unit, the AAA Graviton 12-Res Trance. That's the biggest gun I can put on it without it costing extra. Should hold up against mindworm hordes a treat! I've also run out of unit design slots, another reason to upgrade old units.
[Limit reached]
I tried contacting Morgan to see if he's ready to sign a Truce now. I'm reminded that we're in sunspots as of a few turns ago. I hope this doesn't affect subspace generator signals!
Post by: bvanevery on September 19, 2018, 12:56:29 AM
MY 2370. It is over! I was getting worried, but it's finally over.
[Limit reached]
I got some green beams! Not green beans, but green beams!
[Limit reached]
My main flaw this game, was being too timid about building Genejack Factories. The eco-damage caused by them is mitigable, particularly when one has the Pholus Mutagen. I think I was absolutely correct not to build Robotic Assembly Plants though. That would have caused a lot of flooding, much more than the modest number of fungal pops I actually got. My last AAR, I played through an entire mindworm apocalypse to no ultimate purpose. So I was quite gunshy about doing that nonsense again.
[Limit reached]
My 2nd flaw was not building advanced lab facilities outside of my capitol, and not shifting to a LABS based economy until fairly late in the game. Related to this, is not attacking enemy bases more often to seize Artifacts, and not popping more supply pods in the oceans. I'm not sure if these were decisive mistakes though, because I did feel "production poor" through much of the game. I had a war on! I definitely needed to intervene in Marr's home territory because he was going to nuke me. I don't enjoy getting nuked... I found that out the hard way in my last chemical weapons atrocity mindworm apocalypse AAR. A couple of nukes in my Secret Project teeth was in fact the preciptant that caused me to quit the game. Wasn't gonna happen this time, I made sure of that! Maybe a little too sure.
[Limit reached]
My 3rd flaw was building a lot of Super Formers slowly. The 1st flaw is why it happened slowly. But in general, the instinct to build a lot of Super Formers is an artifact of my usual play on Enormous maps. A Huge map is a lot smaller than those. The dynamics of coming into contact with enemies are much quicker, even if they're slower than on a Standard map. I usually think of a game victory in terms of terraforming everything around my cities, raising land, and then building railheads right to the enemy's front door. That simply never happened this game and may not have even been realistic or possible. Morgan fought back. I was skirmishing with him in the dregs of Marr's homeland the whole time I was there. If I had decided to crush Morgan, yes I could have prevailed in that theater, but that would have taken productive energy away from the other tasks needed to get Subspace Generators. I was trying to find the quicker path to the game's end, and I don't think "terraform, terraform, terraform" was it.
[Limit reached]
My 4th flaw was not seizing the Weather Paradigm from Morgan once I had orbital insertion capability. I started to notice how slowly it was going when I needed to raise the ocean floors to get more food to my conquered sea bases. I think I can be forgiven for not obtaining it early in the game, as I obtained nearly everything else. Sometimes a Secret Project slips past you even when you're doing really well. Morgan and Svensgaard are competitive in that respect. They did as well as I expected them to do, and I'm pleased that the Data Angels weren't any kind of pushover either.
[Limit reached]
My 5th flaw may have been not using the new, cheap Punishment Spheres. They only cost as much as a Recreation Commons, on the principle that torture is used by regimes as a cheap way to control the population. I've rarely done it in any game as I'm just not into it. It's quite rational to do it in distant conquered cities that will never provide much research due to corruption, but from a roleplaying standpoint, it's not really in the Caretakers' nature to do it either. Much more of a Usurper thing. Although, factions that need research to get to a victory condition, might be leery of anything that penalizes research.
[Limit reached]
My 6th flaw may have been not using chemical weapons on Marr. When you're a human, and you use chemical weapons on the Aliens, there's no UN penalty for it at all. Planet doesn't throw fits about the use of chemical weapons in that case either; you don't end up in a mindworm apocalypse like my last human vs. human AAR. When an Alien uses chemical weapons on an Alien, I don't think the humans impose any sanctions or even moral judgment, as Aliens don't participate in human Commerce anyways. They have their own energy grid to feed, just by having more and more cities. The reason I didn't use them on Marr, is I thought I wanted to take his cities intact. I thought I'd get some decent big cities that way. In practice, I don't think the cities I conquered ended up being all that big. They seemed to lose some population in the ordinary course of fighting, and few of them ever represented "big prizes" as opposed to obliterating them and starting fresh. Especially if I was Marr, I might be more "scorched Planet" the next time around.
[Limit reached]
I have no more screenshots to give me an excuse to yabber on about my game! This is what you see next. I don't think I'll start a new game right away. I've pretty much validated the rules for version 1.19 of my mod. There are no changes in tech trees, units, abilities, etc. to make. The only real question is whether the Believers are too weak now. It'll take at least another game to resolve that, and I'm not sure how I'd toughen them. The Cybernetic Consciousness, actually did get a change for 1.19, but I started this game before 1.19 was finalized. Too late for them in this game, maybe they do fine in another one. Both of those factions will be tested in my next game, to see how they do.
I seriously doubt I will write an AAR of the next game though. It's a lot of extra work compared to just playing the game, and I can't just quit if things get boring or my testing purposes have been fulfilled. Of course I will quit if a game gets interminably boring, as happened with my chemical warfare mindworm apocalypse game. That was a tooth pull. I'm not hankering for another one of those!
Hopefully this has helped you understand how to play my mod! I'm still learning how to play it myself. That may sound funny, but it's not easy to anticipate every consequence of game design changes, even when each is rationally justified. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. And as a whole, from where I sit, 1.19 is doing pretty well.
Post by: Geo on September 20, 2018, 07:41:32 PM
Not that I read all (I think) of it, but I must have seen the gist of it.
With the Progenitor victory, I wonder if there's a way to have a non-operational subspace generator. Do you have any idea if that's possible?
Post by: bvanevery on September 20, 2018, 10:56:51 PM
It's' clear that I could have built a lot more than 6, as the game didn't end immediately upon building 6. I had to wait until the next turn to win.
If one wanted to keep playing after they go operational, one of course could. I declined, I'd had enough of that game! Of course, no further score is entered.
The number of subspace generators needed is moddable in alphax.txt:
Code: [Select]
6 ; Number of subspace generators neededso you could crank this up to as large a number as you like, to have them be "nonfunctional".I'm not seeing an option in the game menus to disable Progenitor Victory.
Strictly speaking, another way to disable a Subspace Generator, is to drop the population of the base to lower than 10.