Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 05:19:38 AM
mission control |
Huge map, 30%..50% land mass, average settings, Transcend difficulty. Random factions, I draw the Caretakers. I am on a 3 continent world closely resembling a Pangaea. On such land masses, experience shows that I can expect to have neighbors breathing down my neck almost immediately. It is best that I get settled right away and start producing units.
hello ugly |
No Usurpers in this game, I'm only dealing with the humans. No Pirates, so no particular issues with the oceans. A mindworm sweep with the Caretakers is pretty much a cakewalk. Lots of money, lots of quick development of needful things. I will want to make physical contact with neighbors, even if distant, in order to mess with them.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 06:00:39 AM
walking the fungus |
Mission Year 2109. I capture my first mindworm larva. Factions that start the game with +1 PLANET or higher, are scripted to automatically capture the first indigenous life form they encounter. The same will be true of the first Spore Launcher I encounter. You're guaranteed to get 1 mindworm and 1 spore launcher. I'm not sure if Isles of the Deep are similarly guaranteed, but it's certainly likely to happen if I get a ship in the water. I didn't make that my 1st priority though. I prefer Recycling Tanks, as it's really easy to get those completed if you're doing all this mindworm sweeping.
crash site |
MY 2111. I have discovered the USS Unity. Soon I will know, from the bridge manifest, the locations of every faction crash site on Planet. There will also be a Unity Lifter available, a scouting copter transport with extremely long range. With it I will rapidly discover huge portions of the map.
guaranteed spore |
MY 2112. I've got my guaranteed mindworm and spore launcher. That doesn't mean it'll stop there. Far from it, you'd be surprised just how many units you can amass with a +1 PLANET rating. But from now on, captures will be a gamble.
humans revealed |
MY 2113. The Spartans are straight south of me, uncomfortably close. The aggressive way to deal with them, would be to end them immediately. The passive aggressive way, would be to avoid learning E1 Social Psych for as long as possible. The Aliens have the option of doing that, and it takes the humans a very long time to learn E3 Progenitor Psych in my mod. Theoretically, this particular set of factions might never learn it. The Believers and the Free Drones are the only ones with Explore as part of their research foci. And they are hybrid researchers, with Explore Conquer and Explore Build Conquer respectively. Which means they won't easily climb up the Explore part of the tech tree. So I can talk to the humans whenever I jolly well please.
As I found in my last AAR, a major consequence of diplomatic silence, is I can steal techs with nobody getting mad at me. I need to beeline for probe teams!
lifter sweep |
MY 2117. My aerial scouting reaches near omniscience. I suppose that surrounding an enemy with your own cities is very passive aggressive. I'll be sure to do that.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 06:31:59 AM
raising hell |
MY 2120. I think I ruined the Pholus Ridge. The inland lake is a little smaller.
Spartan contact |
MY 2125. I've been trying to avoid meeting them, but my Scout blundered into one of their Colony Pods.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 06:45:57 AM
massive rushes |
MY 2130. This year I had so much cash from popping pods, that I rushed 4 new Formers. 3 of them Clean. I should soon have a good road network to bring my nonsense to the Spartans.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 06:54:47 AM
distant neighbor |
MY 2132. The Cyborgs are on the same continent, but very far to the east. I won't be in physical contact with them until I've got rails and a lot of Formers. The Spartans are my own near neighbor. Aside from them, I'm going to have to think up ways to be passive aggressive at great distances.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 07:26:02 AM
first Isle |
MY 2140. Capturing a 1st Isle is not guaranteed like the land units. I've had plenty of battles already, and I even lost one ship. Now finally I do have something to scour the oceans and poles with. Sadly it has capacity 1, so I think 1 of these mindworms will be dead next year.
shipping |
MY 2141. I'm able to dump 1 mindworm on shore and come back next to the 2nd mindworm. Surprisingly, the 2nd mindworm is able to move 1 space onto my Isle. I do lose a Clean Synth Foil up north trying to capture and then kill another Isle. At least I'll be able to attack it with my hatchling Isle and get it bigger. That will increase its cargo space to 2 passengers.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 07:35:12 AM
inadequate |
MY 2143. I actually lost both of my battles with the Isles, so now I have nothing.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 07:42:39 AM
recon |
MY 2144. I sweep the Drones' pathetic little island. They're going to have a hard time. Their whole existence is passive aggressive, I hardly think I need to do anything about them. If I had resources to burn, I could block up their ports with Clean Foils. That might be a good tactic to use on someone more important. Someone who will only sign a Truce.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 07:50:18 AM
crowd control |
MY 2145. I'm making untrained Synth Police in most cities because I'm growing faster than I'm able to spread. I haven't had time to make Command Centers yet.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 08:07:29 AM
got another |
MY 2149. I have an Isle again, and 1 mindworm and 1 spore launcher to go with it.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 08:13:51 AM
trifling |
MY 2150. I infiltrate the Data Angels. I could steal from them, but I think I still won't be talking for awhile. I have more Skimship Probe Teams in production. This one dies though. Surprisingly, the Data Angels have much less technology than I do. They seem to have most of a supercontinent to themselves. Wonder what their problem is?
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 10:40:14 PM
the feeble |
MY 2152. I infiltrate the Spartans. They suck. They don't have any techs worth speaking of. My team actually survived the mission, so I'll send it on a long journey to the Cyborgs.
spartapests |
MY 2159. Somehow a mindworm larva has been stirred up. It wasn't my doing. The Spartans had a Colonist here last turn. I think it must have retreated. Can I herd this larva towards the Spartan bases sitting next to the fungus? I am not pleased that they spammed a bunch of new bases in this region. It interfered with the ideal settlement of one of my border cities, to utilize a nutrient resource. That's no crisis, it just makes me feel really snippy about the Spartans. I'm rapidly approaching "full" land utilization in my portion of the continent. Passive aggressive is not about taking things over, let alone invading someone as helpless as the Spartans have turned out to be. Soon I will need to think about "what to do next". I'm trying to beeline for Monopole Magnets so that I can connect everything with rails.
tolerance |
MY 2160. Something got killed. Maybe that Colonist I saw earlier. There's no helping moving next to the Spartan base if I want to herd the mindworm. Gotta protect it from the Spartan units that want to kill it. Hope this doesn't start a war. Not that I can't win it, it would be all to easy. It just interferes with my passive aggressive tactics! I've got a Plasma unit prototype being worked on though, and plenty of Command Centers. So I can certainly make the Spartan's life very, very hard if they bother me. I'd rather put my effort into someone all the way across the map, who can grow into an actual threat. The Spartans, they started too close to me, guaranteeing their puppet / subservient status.
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 10:52:24 PM
lifting |
MY 2162. I've explored everything in 3 compass directions to the limit of my considerable range. Only the South remains, and the Spartans are somewhat in the way of that. Not for much longer, as they never settled the land west of Sparta Command. I'm about to grab it. I tend to forget that a Unity Lifter is also useful for moving colonists around in one's home territory before rails are available. I bring it in from afar, to a city that has 1 Colonist and 1 Scout. It's got 4 moves remaining so I can at least get it farther down the road than it would be able to do on foot. Air units can only load and unload in cities, so they're of no use pushing into the hinterlands, but they can certainly bring Colonists to a point of departure in a hurry.
unlucky |
Deep in their own territory, the Cyborgs don't count for my Scout Rover wandering around. They lose an Artifact because of it. I generally maintain my territorial boundaries, and I escort Artifacts when they're outside my territory, so that this doesn't happen to me. Stealing Artifacts definitely counts as passive aggressive! I should have a point system for all the various kinds of dick moves I can make. What would my final Passive Aggressive score be?
Post by: bvanevery on September 06, 2020, 11:18:15 PM
runt |
MY 2163. I infiltrate the Free Drones. They have 2 techs I don't have, including the valuable E2 Centauri Empathy. I'll be paying them a return visit.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 12:57:13 AM
long spy |
MY 2165. I infilrate the Cyborgs. It's not actually that far away by boat. I just like to think of myself as performing heroics to get the job done. As one might expect from a RESEARCH oriented faction, they have a few things worth stealing. I'll be back.
so what are the rules |
MY 2166. I'm about to steal from Domai but I get this message. Looking at our relationships, I see we have a Truce. Why? I've never spoken to him. This is kind of a bug. I did see one of his Scouts on my own territory last year. I wonder if that has something to do with it. In the last game I played though, I did end up with a Truce with someone I hadn't talked to either. So I say bug.
surrounding Sparta |
What will Santiago put up with?
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 01:14:43 AM
oh no you didn't! |
MY 2167. More than the Cyborgs will! Did you know that they can just do this to you, and it won't result in a Vendetta between the two of you? You don't even get to say you want to start one. So the passive aggressiveness cuts both ways. I'll keep that in mind from now on. It's time to double up my units milling around, so that they can't do this again.
heavy armor |
I've completed a Plasma prototype. I'm starting to make Police Plasma Sentinels. Pretty soon I'll probably declare a Police State, which will help with the Cyborg antics. I can definitely make some trouble for anyone who gets uppity with me. All those Command Centers I've built inland, they're going to be useful after all.
covet thy neighbor's land |
I'm almost out of land on my own continent. As I still have surplus Colonists coming, I intend to settle the Manifold Nexus. I'm going to need probe team defenses though. It would be awfully easy for Aki Zeta-5 to mind control my cities if she gets past whatever doubled up or mindworm guards I post. Hmm, maybe I should bring all my Independent mindworms out to this place. They can block up the roads. Hmm, I don't have enough such units to stop her from walking right up to my base somehow, because we have no diplomatic relationship. Cuts both ways. So yes I really do need a lot of probe team defense. This will have to wait until I declare a Police State and have produced the necessary units.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 01:40:46 AM
let's beat up the rioters |
MY 2168. I would have liked to wait until I'd gone Green, so that my net JUSTICE could be 0. But I'm tired of certain cities becoming unhappy so easily, and I don't need the Colonists anymore. Many of my cities have a Synth Police and a Scout unit in them, so a Police State will quash their unrest. A few do not, but perhaps I can shift my existing forces around. I do have the Lifter after all. Fairly soon, everyone will be police suppressed with Non-Lethal Methods and it will not matter.
1 JUSTICE it is |
I'm starting a movement: Drones Don't Matter! ;lol
secured |
Santiago, you can sniff around my city with your stupid Recon Rover all you want now. That armor's trained. You attack, you're gonna die.
can I pillage land |
Since we have no diplomatic relation, and Aki Zeta-5 unkindly drew first blood by taking over my Unity Rover... can I destroy Cyborg terrain improvements without any diplomatic consequence? I usually only think of this sort of thing during a Truce. I'm not sure you can destroy them, but you can use a Former to put something new there instead. If you have a Treaty, I consider that cheating, because the game really shouldn't have allowed that. But if it's just a Truce, well, you can park on someone's land and deny its use, and that's perfectly legal. So why not allow a Former to plow it under with planted fungus? I'm very likely to do this sort of thing to the Cyborgs, since they're sharing a continent with me, and not as of yet being good neighbors.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 01:49:38 AM
pulling out |
MY 2169. That mindworm larva has never moved. It probably wants to go to Ironholm, the nearest Spartan city. Where it will be summarily killed on a plain square. There's nothing I could do about that, unless I had an air unit perhaps, to shield a Former and plant fungus there. I'm nowhere near that kind of penetration of Sparta, but it's a good idea to pull on someone in the future. Like say, a big stack of "Release Into The Wild". For now, I'm just going to kill that larva to level up my own. And then I'm leaving. I'm obviously not doing anything productive here, and I do need picket units to block up Santiago, lest she wander around my own territory. She'll probably eventually like me better too, if I'm not spending unproductive time in her territory.
corralled |
I'm not putting up with that Recon Rover wandering around wherever it wants. My cities aren't totally secure from a Spartan rover attack yet, and it's just darned annoying having such things choke up the works anyways. 2 AARs ago, back when I thought I was some kind of amoeba, I had way too much of that going on. Not this time.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 02:14:44 AM
checking diplomatic status |
MY 2170. I make sure that I still have no diplomatic relationship with the Data Angels. Theft of D2 Information Networks proceeds uneventfully and without consequences. My Foil Probe dies though.
is it allowed |
Now I get to do my Sensor Array experiment.
nope |
Problem is, I forgot this was an experiment that could blow up in my face. I restore the auto-saved turn and have to play it again. I'm not starting a war for such a valueless, trivial reason. I steal Information Networks again and my probe team dies again.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 02:53:37 AM
hope to take it |
MY 2171. Popping a pod with my mindworm and no moves remaining, was not my best idea. I was worrying about the Cyborgs getting to it first, which is why my Ogre was blocking that Scout. That's my original Ogre from the start of the game. It's been walking quite awhile! Pity if it dies from this, as I was almost ready to pick it an an Artifact up and go home. I refrain from attacking because I do have 3-Res armor, and attacking might just deplete me faster. It will also level up the mindworms I don't kill.
where what why |
MY 2172. You'd think the game could re-center the view before giving me this message. Well Santiago thought it would be brilliant to kill my mindworm larva on my territory near Sparta Command. And to attack with that Recon Rover, even though I'd just made room for it to exit peacefully. The consequences are going to be painful for her. I can definitely smother her with Plasma.
almost trashed |
My Ogre is not going to survive. Well hey I did reimagine these things as "bush scouts" and it has certainly done its job in that regard. 2nd mindworm blows it to smithereens.
good for surrounding |
Logistically, Sparta's toast. Not that they had any chance before, but putting everything where I want, when I want, is going to suck hard for them. I start researching 3-Pulse armor because that will stick it to them even harder. My other choice was to go for the Command Nexus, but I don't need that right now. I've made piles of Command Centers in my inland core already.
you're so dumb |
You know an offensive is poorly planned when the opponent has a Colonist as their spearhead! Where did they think they were going to go?
track laying unit |
My Speeder Formers are starting to become available. I build them in various cities that didn't make a Command Center. They're much faster for laying new roads on open ground. The slower and cheaper infantry chassis Formers can come in after them to build the rails.
where's the speeder |
I fumble when moving my unit and put my one Recon Rover into a patch of fungus, making it unusable next year. Ah well, war is hell.
object lesson |
This is one of the ways I will teach them that they really shouldn't mess with the Caretakers. And it's such a stupid location for a base anyways. Once wiped, they should be in the mood for a Truce. That won't happen until I get E1 Social Psych, but no harm priming the pump.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 03:16:04 AM
bringing up artillery |
MY 2173. Yeah, with a Unity Lifter and +1 PLANET, I can do all kinds of horrible things to you, that you can't do to me. Shelling someone every turn, would definitely count as passive aggressive! Pity it would require so much manual labor on my part. That said, I do seem to recall some obscure commands to do a "bombing run". Wonder if there's any automation involved in that? Hmm, doesn't look like it. Right-click menu doesn't show that command for this unit. Must be something planes do.
wiped |
Both Spartan targets destroyed. I shouldn't need to do anything further to improve diplomatic relations. We just need to have some.
unusual! |
It's rare to capture a wild Sealurk. It also takes a very long time in my Explore tech tree, to be able to produce them yourself. I tend to forget completely about them. Recently I learned they have one unusual feature that no other sea unit has: they can attack land units directly. If any Spartans are standing around on a coast, I should be able to put a hurting on them. Of course this unit is on the wrong side of the continent, so it'll be awhile before it goes into action, but we're definitely gonna weapons test this!
can I kill probe teams |
Probe teams have no official existence. Since we have no diplomatic relationship, can I slay them with impunity? The AI has behaved as though one can't. Probably this won't work, but I'm going to try. I save the game, expecting this to get me in a war that I don't want. Ok, I got a very official "it's gonna start a Vendetta" warning. That's that.
armor up |
Whaddya think you're gonna do now, Santiago?? You're a dumbass! You knew this was coming. Did you really think you were going to get off some kind of offensive, before the walls went up? Idiot. I swear someday, I'm going to make a game with an AI that plans better. It still needs to make some mistakes so you can feel all smug about cleverly trashing it, but Santiago is like a helpless baby. No chance.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 03:39:22 AM
too much milling |
MY 2174. If you're going to make Colony Pods, go make a base with them somewhere. At least they all have Clean Reactors on them, so the AI isn't stupidly running itself out of SUPPORT with these things anymore. That's an important hack in my mod. It's still a stupid waste of production though.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 04:00:32 AM
more milling |
MY 2176. I'm starting to feel bad for the Spartans. They obviously have very stupid children.
majoring in milling |
And they think tromping around in fungus with armored units is a good idea. Yeah, sometimes it might be. In conventional combat, it does give a defensive advantage. But against mindworms, you'd better hope you got lucky and attacked first, because I get the offensive advantage. I'm a +1 PLANET faction, you really should have seen this coming. A big reason I recommend Huge maps is to give the AI factions time to dig in and set up a proper empire. The Spartans don't have one, they're just swimming in fungus. The Cyborgs will probably do a lot better, if it comes to that.
hiking trip |
I steal E2 Centauri Empathy without consequence. Isn't it amazing the amount of research you can get done, if you're an Alien and you just don't build a Rec Commons? I wonder how long I could keep this up? In principle, I could acquire all techs except E1 Social Psych. These particular humans will probably take forever to learn E3 Progenitor Psych. In practice, sooner or later I'll get E1 Social Psych from a supply pod, whether I want it or not. But it's amusing to see how anti-social I can be. Passive aggressive rules!
:adore:
Greener |
My indigenous forces were already pretty good. Now their size and strength are going to be terrifying. And my citizens will be a little happier.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 04:24:19 AM
target for theft |
MY 2177. As the inter-turn ticker goes by, I hear that Zhakarov and Santiago have signed a Treaty. My infantry chassis probe team has returned to base unharmed as a Commando, so I check to see if Santiago has any new techs. Maybe she got D3 Optical Computers from Zhakarov. Maybe she slowly researched it on her own. Whatever, it'll soon be mine! I just need to plan some defense for my team, as I don't have a proper road connecting any of her bases.
dick settlement |
I have 1 extra Colonist. It could go to the Manifold Nexus, but my Isles are a little busy fishing supply pods out of the water around there. It occurs to me that because I'm at war with the Spartans, I can settle my Colonist wherever I want in their territory. How about that patch of nutrients between Sparta Command and Hero's Waypoint? I've got the armor, there's nothing they can do about it.
I did this same kind of maneuver in my last game against the Gaians. In that case, we hadn't even made contact yet. But they started so close to me, that I thought it necessary to aggressively push my boundary outwards in their direction. I had 2 of their cities just next to mine, 2 squares separation each! They eventually allied with me, so it was all good thoughts and roses. I quit the game right about as I was going to steal the Borehole Complex in the same way from them.
This time, I just want to cut off Sparta Command. Heck I could trash everything except Sparta Command. Not kill any more bases, just fill them up with more fungus than they already have. Which is a lot anyways. My own little mindworm backyard! How passive aggressive is that??
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 04:39:06 AM
sheesh |
MY 2178. Can you possibly ask for it more? So silly. And if I hadn't gotten them, what about the wild mindworms?
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 04:52:26 AM
timely |
MY 2179. Nothing like having all your units arrive from the hinterlands at the same time, at your enemy's back door. Fort Survivalist has 1 Synth Garrison and 1 Colonist in it. Next year it's toast. I'm perfectly happy to give the Cyborgs an easy route of western expansion. They'll be much better neighbors, even if they end up being my enemies, because they'll have more to steal!
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 05:20:42 AM
prep for the future |
MY 2181. I learn C4 Single-Sided Surfaces, which turns out to be complete overkill for dealing with the Spartans. I'm going to steal D3 Optical Computers for them this year, so that's what I pick. In the hope that I'll be able to direct my research to something more useful, instead of techs I'm just going to steal.
this is how it's done |
The Scout will kill the Rover Former. The infantry chassis probe team will move along the river to where the Rover Former used to be, and will have 1/3 move remaining. The Plasma Police and Colonist will move along the river and to the nutrient patch. Then the probe team will steal D3 Optical Computers. Next year I'll make my base. The Spartans don't have any Recon Rovers in evidence. In the event that they do, the wounded Scout will provide a distraction. Most likely it just moves into the base to heal.
didn't expect rails |
I'm not displeased to be so joined at the hip with this city, but I wonder how I'll capitalize on that. I don't think sabotaging an enemy's base while at war is passive aggressive. Doing it while you're in a Truce and framing someone else, that's passive aggressive.
movement 2 |
And the best way to frame someone else, is with an Elite team! Ready for that. But who would I cause trouble for? And if I don't have a diplomatic relationship yet, then there's no need.
Lifter tactics |
The Unity Lifter is going to fly the Unity Mining Drill to Phantom Forces. The drill will blow away the interloping Synth Garrison. Note that in my mod, the drill is a Particle Impactor. I thought the original game's version was too wimpy. I think I'll bring the Elite probe team along as well, so that it can stay on the Lifter and fly east next turn. I need to send it back into action at the Cyborgs.
unfavorable |
The Synth Garrison is tougher than expected. I need to bring up a mindworm.
ocean trouble |
The Sealurk has arrived south of Sparta Command. I'm not sure it's going to be of any use attacking it though. Somehow Santiago has managed a Commando Synth Marine in there. Probably that's too tough for a larval life form. My foil probe team, en route to infiltrate the University, unfortunately runs into a wounded Spartan ship. It dives for the fungus, but probably it's gonna get blown away. At least that means the ship will be Sealurk food.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 06:06:12 AM
lame |
MY 2182. My Sealurk doesn't hold up, even against a half dead Spartan ship. The odds calculator said I was favored 2 to 1. I found my base. I cautiously approach Ironholm with a stack of 3 mindworms. I scouted the square just north of my stack and know it's empty.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 06:45:50 AM
die you easily Spartan! |
MY 2183. I smash up Ironholm. I capture an Artifact in the process. Where they end up, is always a bit of a mystery to me. There doesn't seem to be any consistent rule about it. It's not on the square I attacked from.
slaughter at will |
The Spartans have no defense for their backcountry. I've been running down Colonists at will.
passive aggressive gamble |
I've been sailing towards the Data Angels for a long time. They have 4 techs I don't know, including E1 Social Psych. Will my reign of silent terror come to an end?
Drat! |
I could have avoided this if I had really wanted to. But perhaps Santiago is about ready to be my thrall. If she doesn't fully capitulate, she's not keeping Ironholm or the Borehole Complex city.
seriously |
Talk about prideful and stubborn. They don't have the slightest chance, yet here they are.
orangey silence |
I fished Miriam's comm frequency out of the water eons ago. I've never met her in person, for the very good reason that she's on the opposite side of the map in the southern hemisphere. The game gave us a Truce a number of turns ago, or at least that's when I've noticed. It could be that if enough time passes without any physical contact, the game imposes a Truce. Or maybe it's a bug, who knows.
you have the nerve |
Dude, I'm powerful. You're weak, you come from a small island. I think you've got a Scout on my territory, and you're so ugly! You have the audacity, the gall, to be Belligerent towards me. I don't care if you think I want to be Socialist... well he's signing a Treaty. I'm not really in the mood to threaten him, so I sign off. I don't like to threaten unless I'm actually going to do something to them. Like pave them over with fungus.
you have no idea what you're in for |
Your kind of attitude, is the entire reason I created this After Action Report. Psychologically, I prepare to give you your Truce. But interestingly, we do not gain a diplomatic status after our little chat. Business continues as usual. I can certainly live with that!
the sane one |
Roze is actually showing as the strongest faction on the graph right now. Might UNSURPASSED. Maybe she finally figured out how to settle her land. Maybe she ran into the Monsoon Jungle. Like Aki Zeta-5, she refuses my Treaty. Unlike Aki Zeta-5, this puts us in a state of Truce. I don't know why it works one way with one faction and not the other. But Truce it is. I'll think of something long distance and wonderful for ya.
I don't bother asking after Zhakarov. I know where he is. That Spartan ship just got in my way last time. I've got some more things coming around the continent.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 07:08:06 AM
insane human brain swiss cheese |
MY 2184. She's got some serious cheek! She offers a Truce afterwards. No. Your death, imminent.
do you see sense |
Losing the Borehole Cluster city didn't even put a dent in her paranoid delusions.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 07:22:10 AM
probe team gets attention |
MY 2185. She talks, but nothing changes. I position myself for theft next year.
unsustainable |
Taking their food worked better than expected.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 07:39:25 AM
blocked |
MY 2186. Enterprising use of a Former, keeps their tech safe. I knew that could happen, but I didn't want to go head-to-head with their armored probe team.
hi Zach |
My Isle steams towards destiny... he signs a Treaty.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 08:06:26 AM
losing it |
MY 2187. Santiago makes a stupid move and loses her Artifact to my Elite Recon Rover.
gaining it |
I spend 2 Artifacts and a lot of money to rush the Planetary Datalinks.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 08:23:58 AM
shiny city |
MY 2188. I steal B3 Ecological Engineering and begin the Weather Paradigm.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 08:26:53 AM
assault |
MY 2189. Fort Superiority is going to fall soon, one way or another.
Post by: bvanevery on September 07, 2020, 08:46:44 AM
you bother me |
MY 2190. Roze contacts me out of the blue for no good reason. Nothing changes.
shore trick |
I've mostly completed my rail network. With some extra Speeder Formers, I want to make the terrain around this base a little more accessible. It hasn't gotten much attention because of all the fungus in the way. When moving a Speeder Former from a Transport to the shore, I can start work on a road immediately. Instead of having to lose a turn, and also risk stirring up a mindworm.
convoy |
Once again I blunder into the Spartan foil. I could have tried to mind control it, but I had a feeling it would be more expensive than I was willing to pay. This time I will wipe it out with a Boil Isle though.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 12:27:23 AM
lucky me |
MY 2191. They took the bait. They attacked my Synth Foil defended in the fungus and got themselves killed! Never get rid of old units, unless it's to rush a Secret Project or something like that. You can find a use for them.
trashed |
It's glorious to hit someone in the rear, with free mindworms! This is probably the most successful rearguard action I've ever done. Granted, against a pathetic, weak enemy, that could have been pushed over all kinds of ways. I'm hardly exerting any effort on the home front, in fact most of my cities are building Network Nodes. My only regret is this isn't passive enough. But for payoffs like this, who's complaining? Plenty of time to get passive aggressive with the Cyborgs, once the Spartans are out of the way and we're in direct contact. Won't be long now.
If it needed to be said, Santiago refuses to be my thrall.
basic tech |
I steal B2 Industrial Economics. The Cyborgs only have this 1 coastal base on this side of the continent, so that's pretty much it for using Skimship Probe Teams. The only tech remaining to steal is D1 Biogenetics. I know that Santiago doesn't have it, and I don't know what Miriam has at all. Everyone else has it. That's the problem with the Planetary Datalinks: if everyone has already learned something, you're not going to acquire it that way. Of course being a Tier 1 tech it could pop form a supply pod eventually, but it hasn't happened.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 02:21:02 AM
ironic homecoming |
MY 2193. My Skimship Probe Team returned to base in the middle of my landlocked lake. I think it's going to be stuck there forever, because digging a canal at Balance of Nature, would ruin a Nutrient resource on the shore. I don't want that. At least it can permanently defend Great Intertwining. Santiago has finally started making armored probe teams to come mess with me. I'll have to either defend against them or get on with destroying Hero's Waypoint, as there's definitely a risk of being taken over. I suppose I could be really cheeky and make Tau Ceti Memory my new capitol! ;lol
I don't want the advancing probe team to land on forest next to my city. I put 2 Speeder Formers on that square, so that they can't be subverted. I didn't have anything cheaper available. Somehow, most stuff was in the middle something. To advance, the team will have to move onto open ground, where it will be summarily killed by my Unity Mining Drill. All the mindworms are busy on Santiago's backline, and I haven't managed to bring any home with the Unity Lifter yet. Just having 2 would greatly speed up my destruction of Santiago's enclaves.
passing attack |
Just realized, with my 1 air unit, I could "walk" my mindworms right past the intervening Fungal Tower and wipe out the defenders at Parade Ground. In fact I probably could have done it without any air cover. However while trying to position myself, I stirred up 2 mindworms. If they go to useful targets, great! Otherwise, offensive failed.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 02:50:40 AM
insinuated |
MY 2194. This time I artfully dodge the armored probe team, pin the Formers so that they can't block my way, and steal E2 Doctrine: Loyalty. I didn't expect that. I just started researching it myself, and I didn't think the Cyborgs had it. I'm not complaining! Now I start on D2 Secrets of the Human Brain, to get the Virtual world. I've been building Network Nodes everywhere, so might as well benefit. And might as well pick up the free tech bonus while I'm at it. Even Zhakarov hasn't learned it yet.
It's going to be more difficult to steal from the Cyborgs now. I've run out of near-coastal territories in easy reach. Next best target is Alpha Prime on the other side of the continent. I'll convoy out there, but it may be some time getting there.
combo assault |
If the 3 mindworms can take the base, then I'll be able to immediately land with the Lifter and give it a police garrison. If not, well it will probably fall next year.
a hangup |
I was wondering where the 3rd unit had gone. It had just built something, but I didn't see it in the city. If it can disengage into the city, then it lives to attack my wounded Great Boils. If it can't disengage that way, then I can block it from behind with my Lifter. I've also got 2 Unity Rovers in Fort Superiority, but I think they would just die wounding it and not get the job done. So I'm going to hope it doesn't get to enter the city. Sadly, it did jump back into the city, so there was nothing I could do. But it's pretty torn up, 50% wounds. It's only Disciplined so maybe it's in no position to counterattack next year. For extra pressure, I move up the 2 Unity Rovers to strike next year, or take the base once others have done the job.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 03:05:36 AM
finally |
A great victory for the Caretakers, over a wimpy foe!!!
;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake; ;caretake;
:bot: ;uno ;excite; :1st: :1st: :1st: ;rockon :wall: :clap: :tada: :unworthy: ;rotflmao
Now I can really get passive aggressive with the Cyborgs. Build a rail and then - what - plant fungus everywhere? I'll need to think about it. For now, it seems like my Independent mindworms should be wandering all over Cyborg territory. Because really, where else would they go? Unless Miriam, who I'll finally be meeting soon, proves cantankerous.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 03:21:33 AM
MY 2197. The Cyborgs have some probe teams headed my way. Maybe I'm going to need some mindworms to corral or block them? However, I'd rather use my mindworms to starve one of their cities. I'm guessing that no diplomatic relation, means I can deprive them of the use of resources, like in a Truce. Maybe I'll just have to build probe teams. I don't really want to, I'm kinda busy. Formers?
Yeah, maybe enough of a railhead, could get in the way. "Oh I'm so sorry Aki. We do have a railway coming through that region. It will make trade so much easier between us." Yes, that would be very passive aggressive. As long as I can funnel the probe teams into one spot, and she doesn't spam overwhelm me. Maybe an entire battle line of mindworms and doubled up Formers. I can add Clean units when I have the time, but right now I've got too many "basic infrastructure" things that need building. Yeah, I think my existing mindworms are going to have to be my front line.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 03:38:27 AM
MY 2198. Aki decides she wants to talk to me. Can't imagine why. If you're going to talk to someone, you should be prepared to have something to say. I can drop harassing her and just go after someone I only have a Truce with. But she has to want that. It's not about you: it's about me! How passive aggressive is that?
Oooh, Quarrelsome. Shaking in my boots. I've never seen the AI, ever, kill a unit they threatened to kill.
[Limit reached]
This is how I'm going to get rid of her probe teams. Stir up mindworms and herd them to her. Now a given area may eventually become unstirrable. But it will sure be fun while it lasts. Very passive aggressive!
I probably need new superlatives.
[Limit reached]
With 3 Artifacts and a wad of cash, I have enough to rush the Weather Paradigm. I think I will link my land to Domai's and make him a special part of me.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 03:55:54 AM
MY 2199. I do have a 2nd probe team in the region if she gets uppity with me about anything. Actually she signs a straightforward Treaty, which is more than I can say of most. Perhaps it's time to check on whether others are feeling friendly. I infiltrate her. Unsurprisingly, she does not have worthwhile tech.
[Limit reached]
The game thinks she's UNSURPASSED. I don't. On the other hand, I don't have her map.
[Limit reached]
I wonder if Aki will ever want a formal relationship? It's almost buglike, this recalcitrance. I check on her, and she wants Miriam's comm frequency. Now in my mod they're arch enemies! Each wants the other to engage in Social Engineering choices that they cannot. So yes, by all means, fight Miriam. In fact I should find a way to land bridge the two of them. I actually did that 2 games ago, and it was fun to watch them hurt each other. After they had been "wonderful allies" for such a long time at my expense. Just took ground contact for them to see the error of their ways.
As usual, no diplomatic status.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 04:14:31 AM
MY 2201. I sailed past his lands and he didn't fret. What's up with him now? Well he's a bloody Socialist, that's what's. If you're going to declare war, you shouldn't lead with an unarmored Transport.
[Limit reached]
Goes down with 2 infantry on it. Glub glub! Will Roze sign a Treaty now? (Nope.) And he's got Ethical Calculus. I can steal that.
[Limit reached]
I didn't think of this land as an invasion scaffold, but we can definitely do that.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 04:28:55 AM
MY 2202. I'm getting nearer to stealing from her. Just picked up B2 Ethical Calculus from the Planetary Datalinks. She summons me:
[Limit reached]
Same old guff about units. I'm not reporting on this anymore.
[Limit reached]
I've been unable to get the 1st mindworm to attack the probe team. Maybe it needs more room to maneuver, so I've backed off some. For awhile I hoped to force the 2nd probe team to walk over fungus in the vicinity of the Borehole Complex, and thereby trip over a mindworm. That didn't bring about any movement, so I backed off. While doing so, I spawned a mindworm. Then I had to come forward again because I don't actually want it to tear up the boreholes. Hopefully the probe team will get killed next year.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 04:40:55 AM
MY 2203. Before I make my final connection to Domai's land, I need to bring several mindworms back.
[Limit reached]
It's lame to turn around and go home, especially after this much overland marching. At least I'll have a rail for the trip back. I've managed to get 1 of Aki's probe teams killed. The other probe team and mindworm seem to be frozen.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 04:58:04 AM
MY 2204. It only took 100 years of pod popping for this to happen. It's timely. It saves me from needing to steal from Domai at all.
[Limit reached]
I checked Alpha Prime to see if there was a probe team in the way of my theft. There isn't, but the bad news is the Virtual World is almost done. I'm not rich, I blew my wad on the Weather Paradigm. That wasn't wrong to do, considering my meltdown with Domai. Aki may have been working on something here all this time, and this might be her final long term payoff. It makes me more interested in settling at the Manifold Nexus and then conquering her capitol. A simple threat would probably do it. However, I'd like the whole region connected by rail first. Presumably by kicking Domai off his island.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 05:30:21 AM
MY 2205. I had to go and learn this on my own. Well when I got started, the Cyborgs didn't have it going on yet. I guess their research rate is quicker than mine. I've built an awful lot of Network Nodes though. Maybe I need to get some money into it?
[Limit reached]
The 2nd probe team finally blundered into the mindworm. The 'trick' may be to just back off and let the thing move around. I kill the mindworm for its pearls. If it had gone more towards the Cyborgs, I bet they would have just done the same to it. I'm realizing it's not just stirring up mindworms, it's stirring them up in areas that have weak defense, that's the best idea. Bases that are next to fungus, have few defenders, and can be clobbered.
[Limit reached]
I remember this as something that could happen, but that I haven't actually seen happen, for quite some time. Even better, I pop an Artifact! Heck I'd raise every last darned mineral out of the sea if I could do that consistently. I'll be on the lookout for more such opportunities.
[Limit reached]
Aki tries to talk to me before I steal. I ignore her. I gain E2 Adaptive Economics, but my team is toast. I sure got a lot of mileage out of it! Just a cheap infantry chassis probe team, that went on a lot of missions. The Cyborgs are milling a Colonist in the vicinity of the Manifold Nexus, so I guess I'm not going to settle that so easily. Truth is, it's awfully far away.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 05:39:24 AM
MY 2206. Come at me bro! Mindworms are arriving for dinner.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 06:00:45 AM
MY 2207. I'm just trying to pass through, to go get some sea supply pods on the other side of his territory. He wants war with the Believers and I'm not going to do that. But hey, if he's dumb enough to sign a Pact anyway, that I'll never actually give him a shred of support for, well have at it! Of course he insists on the war and I decline, so we don't sign anything. I sail on through.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 06:10:41 AM
MY 2208. I don't know what they think they'll do. Coming through this bottleneck, they don't have the slightest chance. I suppose I should shell the forest so that I can make a road more easily. Come to think of it, putting a base right here would be good.
[Limit reached]
Aki has graced me with a new city. I just happened to build one of the old fashioned cheap infantry probe teams. It's so convenient that she settled on a river!
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 06:26:26 AM
MY 2209. I knock the forest flat as a pancake. Speeder Formers sweep in and make a road. This is important to get done so that I can drive on Domai's cities immediately. There's a chance that he might be smart enough to slam me with Recon Rovers and take out my Plasma armor, but I did bolster it with a Sensor Array. I've known how to make ECM and 3-Pulse armor since forever, I just haven't bothered. The Spartans were never tough enough to warrant it.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 06:43:59 AM
MY 2210. My Plasma unit is slammed by 2 Recon Rovers, but it holds and is promoted to Elite. The 2nd Rover was really feeble. Must not have been trained at a Command Center. I could upgrade the unit to an ECM 3-Pulse unit, but why bother? It's not like Domai's got anything that can deal with me, or that he's gonna be on this island very long. I just stand still on the Monolith and heal up, as it's a good point of defense. Wouldn't mind having that forest back now, but you can't plant stuff on a Monolith. You just have to wait for it to spread on its own. Formers come up and put a rail on the Monolith. Turns out this connects it to some network Domai helpfully built for me.
O, o. I just got the greatest idea. I could completely surround these sea bases with land, so that they can't go anywhere, and can't eat! That would be passive aggressive!
[Limit reached]
Much as I'd like to steal Aki's next tech, watching a spore launcher obliterate her base is priceless. Especially since she's rushing a unit. If it follows the rules I have to follow with such things, the base will be gone before the unit can defend it. But who knows, the AI may cheat. In which case I'll kill the spore launcher in a couple of years, because it's in my way. Although, I could just walk around it. If it lives, and shells the base forever, that would be passive aggressive!
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 09:17:50 PM
MY 2211. The AI gets to cheat and rush a defensive unit before the spore launcher would wipe out the base. However it declines to attack the spore launcher, so I'm walking around. I just acquired B3 Industrial Economics through the Planetary Datalinks anyways so there's nothing for me to steal. But that could change in the near future, and I'll be ready at that time.
[Limit reached]
The Plasma Garrison survives yet more attacks and simply reheals. However Domai shelled my Sensor Array so I had to rebuild it. To stop this from happening again, I move up my Hatchling Spore Launcher. I don't know if it can hold up, but it will certainly last a few turns. I also believe that merely putting a Former on the square will keep the Sensor Array from being damaged. Not 100% certain about that, because it's been awhile since I defended against a protracted shelling, but it seems to work most of the time. I could plant fungus on this square to increase its defensibility with a spore launcher.
[Limit reached]
I've almost got enough cash to build the Merchant Exchange. Where should I put it? That's the same question as, where should my capitol really be? Given my arms of expansion, I'm going to say Phantom Forces. It's somewhat between the Spartan arm and the Free Drone arm. It wouldn't completely suck for absorbing the University, or some of the Data Angels. Particularly if I turn that big ocean to the south, into some usable land. I don't know if I'll get to that, but it's nice to have a perfectly radial diamond for one's economic core. We'll see.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 09:29:35 PM
MY 2112. The Cyborgs mind control a Free Drone sea base, pretty much scuttling my grandiose plan of passive aggressive land raising. Well actually, I'm not sure. If we don't have any diplomatic relation, can I raise land without penalty? I guess I'll find out.
[Limit reached]
I use 1 Artifact and a lot of cash to rush the Merchant Exchange. You can definitely get rich popping supply pods. It's almost too easy. I may go Democratic soon, to get more money. I also don't want to bother making more police units.
Post by: bvanevery on September 08, 2020, 09:59:32 PM
MY 2113. The Drones take their base right back. Guess I'm still raising land. The Drones do not attack me this year, signaling their weakness. Indeed, inspecting their cities, they're now down to 2 or 3 defenders.
[Limit reached]
Time to go Democratic and sweep in with surplus police garrison units. Income doubles! But I only have 15 credits left. Not enough to finish a Rec Commons in 2 cities that need them. Well, Domai's got 932 credits in reserve, wow! Maybe taking his cities will give me the cash I need. Yeah, taking his 1st city was enough for that. I only got 50 credits out of that, so I don't even talk to him. I want more. Maybe all the loot is in his capitol.
[Limit reached]
I was surprised to lose a Unity Rover to a Former. It didn't have a Sensor Array backing it up, it was just sitting on some forest. Clearing road obstructions slowed my offensive somewhat. I could probably take 1 more city this year, but this is an excellent defensive line that nobody's getting past. I bring in 2 fresh mindworms and 2 Scouts for use next year, so that I don't have to complete the rail line if I don't want to.
[Limit reached]
I've done better at Secret Projects than the competition. Last year I think 3 different factions were working on multiple copies of the Merchant Exchange. No more. I shut them out! I'd really like to get my hands on the Virtual World though.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 01:17:24 AM
MY 2214. I have not produced any kind of defensive probe units. I'm only starting to do so now, as my home cities complete everything else that's 'basic' to a base. This is not a problem on land because I'm inside of Domai's production timing. He will not get any probe teams built before his last 2 cities are conquered. The same is not true at sea though. He's got a foil probe team just south of Chainlink Break. In principle, if I take Hammer and Tongs this year, he could take it right back with mind control. He's definitely got the money to do it. It's only a question of whether the AI understands taking over a land base using a sea unit. I think I've seen this happen before, but I'm not sure. There's no question that the AI goes after sea bases with sea probe teams, in fact it has quite the obsessive passion about that. This is a very good reason to leave someone's sea bases alone and not build any of one's own, until one has the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm or such.
I hope nobody else walks into the base I cleared out, like the Spartans. I want the cash for the conquest, and I want to be able to raise land without interference. But I feel like I'm doing what I have to do. I didn't quite have enough units to take both bases, because there was some more spam on the roads. My finger also slipped while pushing one of my mindworms around, and it couldn't attack a target. Next year, next year.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 01:51:44 AM
MY 2215. I research E3 Centauri Genetics, which enables me to start the Human Genome Project. It also allows me to crush everyone with my own mindworms if I so please. I'm quite happy with my native crop at this time however. Finally, in my mod it removes the nutrient production cap. I can eat hearty now. In the future I would like to have a lot of money, so I'm going to go for the Planetary Energy Grid.
[Limit reached]
The Foil Probe Team is holed up at Chainlink Break. I have realized that it's badly wounded. To help it stay that way, I've started shelling the base. I'm bringing up my one remaining unarmored Skimship Probe Team in the hope of killing it. Domai's got a Laser Foil at Whipsaw Base to the north, which means I cannot directly approach. However I do have 2 Isles coming in behind, so eventually I can get through this. It would be best to take Free Drone Central first and leave Hammer and Tongs for last, on the assumption that Domai doesn't have any other Foil Probe Teams afloat. I can check that... F7 says, he does not. 1 in operation. 2 in production, one at Chainlink Break and the other at Hammer and Tongs.
I put a few too many mindworms into the bush last year, to make sure I'd properly flushed out Domai's lurking units. I didn't really have much in the way of unwounded forces this year, so I backed off to the Monolith to heal up. My Formers finally completed some tasks elsewhere in my empire. I don't have anywhere near enough Formers for the amount of land I've conquered. I now at least have linked the rail to the rest of my empire, making gratuitous reinforcement easier. I also got a defensive Sensor Array done.
[Limit reached]
The Spartans have attacked Free Drone Central, slightly weakening it, and doing damage to a unit standing outside it. I don't want them taking any of these cities over. For one thing, they'd get the big pile of cash. Also I don't want them in the way of me raising land. That said, I could tell them to hand over any city they conquer, for a modest fee. But why should I spend anything at all?
[Limit reached]
As if on cue, Aki learns B4 Environmental Economics right as I'm ready to steal it. My work done, I could relieve her of the Spore Launcher and make a small amount of money from the kill. But I won't! Continuous shelling is wonderful. It may also keep her from expanding with more colonists. My only regret is she's making a Foil Probe Defense and I hope she's not planning to send that my way. So far they've gone towards Domai, so maybe I'm not at risk. I'm also not sure the AI has the brains to bother land cities with these things anyways.
A Spartan probe team approaches. They don't seem to have any diplomatic relation. I don't know if that means it's a null relation like we have, or if they actually have had no contact. I could leave my mindworm available to escort the Spartan team to complete its mission. Actually that's a reasonably good idea. I think I will.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 02:27:16 AM
MY 2216. I didn't think about depopulation as a solution to the Foil Probe problem. I've just made 1 new infantry probe unit, and 1 is back from bothering the Cyborgs. I've also got 1 Skimship Probe Team at sea. With only 3 land cities remaining, I actually will have enough to cover all the 3 bases. I can keep shelling Domai's 1 Foil Probe as long as it just wants to sit there. My Isles will eventually come up and trash everything. I don't have to take the base, I just need to trash the Foil Probe so that I can't be bothered easily. After all, I may defend against a hit or I may not. I'm not a Police State anymore, my probe teams are not especially well trained. I could make Probe Firewalls with 3-Pulse armor, but that takes a long time and I have much higher priorities for the productivity.
Domai has 664 credits. How much am I going to get from him, taking these 2 cities? I think I need to take the lesser city first. It may be worth 0 when I kill it, and it's probably not going to be worth much in any event. I might expect that most of the money will be in Domai's capitol, but I could be wrong. I'd hate to do this in some kind of freak wrong order, and not get anything for the trouble. So here goes. A mere 24 credits from the wiped out city, and...
[Limit reached]
Don't you know how to be quiet when someone's mugging you for your lunch money? If you had never opened your mouth to threaten me, none of this would have happened to you. You're a Socialist prig, and I don't care if you think I'm supposed to be Socialist too. My brain human, your brain puny! You look like a super dimwit anyways. You're lucky my mod doesn't give you the -2 RESEARCH penalty like in the traditional game.
47 credits, that's it? No payday? I'm not even taking a screenshot of that. Pathetic.
[Limit reached]
The loss of land has a dramatic effect on Domai's productivity. There aren't going to be any more Foil Probes. Only the one. Eventually, I'll send my own Skimship Probe Team around the southern side of the island, then come up and kill his.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 02:51:51 AM
MY 2217. I've got a fairly strong Isle off of Miriam's coast. It's just there looking for sea supply pods. I deliberately sail right up next to one of her port cities last year, knowing that we could end up in this sort of chat. She may have put a unit to sea, or she may have had a unit milling around on the land. Either way, she wanted war with Roze. No value in that for me, so I shined her on. So now she's getting all Theocratic with me.
I've tried to make that a worthwhile social engineering choice for someone other than her, but there just aren't enough game mechanics for it. I couldn't abide the -2 RESEARCH or +1 MORALE of the original game, as it cripples factions and overpowers them, respectively. Nor do I think religious people should be particularly good at PROBE, so I made that the Police State option. There's really nothing left but either GROWTH or SUPPORT, and there aren't enough penalties left either. So I just have this teeny weeny bit of GROWTH given for free. Other factions do tend to like it for a time, until something better comes along. People pay lip service to God, then they do something else.
Only Miriam's into it, and only she can get something out of it, as she's the only faction with an inherent +1 GROWTH now. I don't think the AI can pull it off, but a human player can use that to pop boom earlier. +2 GROWTH and a Children's Creche and a Golden Age is a pop boom. Later on in the game with Eudaimonia, she wouldn't need the Golden Age. I doubt she's ever going to make it that far though. Not at the rate I'm growing.
[Limit reached]
The Spartans haven't seen fit to move forwards, so I'm outta here. They can solve their own problems.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 03:22:21 AM
MY 2218. I establish my permanent seat of rule. It doesn't magically make people any happier though. I had drone riots in several cities this year, and decided it's time to up my budget and pay for some happiness. This has quelled most of the rioters, although I still have a few Colonists in production at various unhappy places. Right now I seem to be able to sustain cities of size 5. I definitely need to complete the Human Genome Project. I would very much like to have the Virtual World. And the Manifold Nexus. But first I must put a land bridge around Domai.
[Limit reached]
I put a new base at the point of my land bridging to Domai's island. It gains the benefit of the Monolith. Risk of probe team subversion is minimal at this point, but I move up my Skimship Probe Team just in case. I attack Whipsaw Base because it is size 1 and will depopulate. It's in the way of the land bridge I want to make to the Manifold Nexus. Once I take the Nexus, I will mushroom out along the coast and completely surround Chainlink Break with land. I will partially surround Tanker's Rest because I don't want to harm the Fossil Field Ridge. For this same reason, Seawork Caverns will also escape incarceration. Although, I could turn it all into a lake eventually, with Overtone Song as the gateway.
Who knows how many Formers I'll really produce though, or where they'll really be needed. At some point I'll need to do something about Roze. She's got half the world open to her.
[Limit reached]
Now why didn't it depopulate? It was worth killing the ship though. I'm annoyed that it's going to grow to size 2. Someone else could take this over.
[Limit reached]
Miriam has started building the Ascetic Virtues. I send my Skimship Probe Team in her direction. It's going to take awhile to get there. It may need an Isle escort by the time it gets there. Miriam's waters are pretty quiet right now, but she has a nasty habit of patrolling oceans and sinking probe teams. Pretty sure the AI cheats that way, zeroing in on exactly where you are. Miriam has been getting some pressure from Roze, so maybe my approach won't be so bad.
I don't take Whipsaw Base. I would rather beat upon Chainlink Break and eventually destroy that Foil Probe.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 06:02:45 AM
MY 2220. My Skimship Probe Team returns to base. I'm a bit surprised that enough factions know this for me to pick it up from the Planetary Datalinks. How did only the Believers manage to start the Ascetic Virtues? A message went by that the Cyborgs and Believers have combined forces against the Data Angels. Well better them than us!
[Limit reached]
I believe the Drones have nothing they can shell me with, so I begin raising the land. 40 credits is 10x what I might have expected this to cost, but it's pretty cheap for raising enemy territory. I wonder how that formula is worked out? I wonder if their lack of a Headquarters makes this cheaper?
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 06:09:03 AM
MY 2221. I intend to settle the Garland Crater. However the Spartans have availed themselves of my rail and are trying to reestablish themselves. They can do that somewhere else! I've brought in extra Speeder Formers to ensure that I get settled next year. The Spartans will still be wandering through the fungal river. They could even stir up a mindworm and get themselves killed.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 06:40:24 AM
MY 2222. Boy those Cyborgs sure are good at research. I suppose their foci are Discover Build and this is straight up their research path. Soon I will have 4 Secret Projects in progress. I'm not making any money because I've built so many Network Nodes and Biology Labs. You'd think I'd be more advanced in research for having done all of that. I'm not getting much money from exploration anymore as 3 of my Isles finished the northern hemisphere, and are now walloping the Drones. I think once they liquidate that Foil Probe, they're gonna find something else to do.
[Limit reached]
I complete a R-Laser Foil prototype. The ship might be useful for beating up the Drones, but I suspect the action will be over by the time it gets somewhere. I suppose I could now harvest Fungal Towers for money. I'm certainly in need of it.
[Limit reached]
Most Cyborg cities that I can steal from are now deeply inland. I've never built so much as a Speeder Probe Team. I could, but I'm cheap. This Cyborg sea base they took from the Drones, maybe I can steal from it. I have to get past a Drone ship at Stevedore Dock though. That will require an Isle escort.
[Limit reached]
The Spartans will be doing quite a bit of backtracking if they want to expand their influence. Why can't they go bug the Cyborgs?
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 06:55:49 AM
MY 2223. I have destroyed the hated Foil Probe. This frees my toughest Isle to escort my own probe to target. I've raised one unit of land. I have a lot more to go.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 07:20:07 AM
MY 2224. I learn this on my own. When did I start on that? It's just as well, as the Drones managed to conjure a ship and attack my big tough Isle. It won the fight, but it's half wounded and won't be escorting anything. The right way to penetrate someone's waters at this point in the game is with a "Firewall" 3-Pulse Foil Probe Team, but I've been way to cheap to make one.
[Limit reached]
This tech enables Wealth. I badly need money, do not want to harm my PLANET rating, and am not in conventional military conflict with anyone. The choice is obvious. Wealth quadruples my income, which isn't so totally impressive as it was pretty low. But it's better to inch towards completing these Secret Projects. The only downside of Wealth is it'll tick off the University. But a war with them, is merely an opportunity to bridge to their home continent. Right now they've got sea bases in the way.
[Limit reached]
I can think of a lot of ways to mess with people with Formers. The faster my Formers are, the better I can do that.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 05:20:49 PM
MY 2225. I'm not sure where Domai got the ships from, but he's killed 2 of my Isles. He lost 1 ship in the process and badly wounded a 2nd. I try to move up my almost healed Isle to retaliate, but I forget that it only has 4 movement when wounded. I reload from an autosaved game, and instead just move 3 squares forward onto the fungus with the energy special. It's not a big deal because the Isles did complete their mission, but it's annoying that I'll have to go capture them again.
[Limit reached]
As I don't want Domai sinking my stuff, I attack his base that's trying to produce another ship. That leaves it empty, and forces him to change production to a defensive Synth Police unit.
[Limit reached]
My new R-Laser unit is not strong enough to blow up a Demon Boil Fungal Tower by itself. I don't feel like making another one; in fact, I want this one to become more and more experienced. So a Green Scout shall be responsible for doing the initial damage. Attacking with 3 Scouts has been a traditional way to take things out, the last one usually living through the experience. And sometimes they perform surprisingly well and kill more than I'd expect. Also the odds calculator generally displays wrong info about psi combat. Surprisingly, the Green Scout kills the tower! Rah rah PLANET rating.
I'm not sure how many credits I made for that. I forgot to look. I see I have 541 credits. I save the game. Reloading the autosave, I had 441 credits, so this was a 100 credit gig. Not as much as I hoped or thought, but it's worth doing. Especially because that tower was in the way of my city's growth. I reload my saved game.
Knowing I can get this kind of performance out of mere Scouts, forget about R-Lasers, I become much more aggressive about sending them out in the field. I'm supposing that at my PLANET rating, 2 Hardened Scouts is foolproof. And if that wasn't enough, I've got a standing reserve of 10 Independent Mindworms.
[Limit reached]
I decide I'm going to colonize a fungal spot on the coast, in range of 2 nutrient specials. I start making a Fungicidal Former to assist with such tasks, when I remember that I'm only 7 years away from B5 Advanced Ecological Engineering. I will be able to remove fungus faster with newer units, and I won't need to remove fungus to make rails anymore. I switch to a Tree Farm.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 05:36:15 PM
MY 2227. I cash my 1 Artifact and spend a lot of cash to get the Human Genome Project done. With all the competition for Secret Projects right now, I have no doubt that I'd have to do it at some point anyways. I've got some unhappy cities and I want this one locked in. It provides a unique capability that you can't get any other way, it's not just a free facility replacement.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 05:58:00 PM
MY 2228. Not sure why I didn't get a "2 turns to completion" warning about this, but it proves my point. Since we're not in sunspots, it would seem to indicate that the Believers rushed it with cash. I'm not sure if I've seen the AI do that before, or recently. Rushing with a Supply Crawler is far more typical, and I don't think the AI uses Artifacts for the job at all. This was to be my 2nd priority project. I switch my copy to the Planetary Energy Grid instead.
[Limit reached]
Roze tells me all about her new Gatling Needlejets, and thinks she's going to shake me down about it. Given the distance between us, I'm hardly scared. She could start doing air raids over the (previously) Free Drone island though. I happened to have stationed my 1 Skimship Probe Team on its southern coast, just a stone's throw from a Datatech city. She happened to fail to defend it, so I steal C4 Neural Grafting. That's the end of my foil probe.
[Limit reached]
En route, Zhakarov's Transport demands to have a word. He sells me a map, then chastizes me about my Greed. Fine Zhak, shut up already. The Believers have good spread over their continent, but very low population cities and no railways. They won't be a problem for a long time.
[Limit reached]
With the Human Genome Project completed and many Tree Farms on the way, this may be my last new city for awhile.
[Limit reached]
The Cyborgs settle a new city near me, right next to the Spartan probe team that never went anywhere. I guess they don't care about theft or takeover! I start moving my own probe team towards the river, but then I realize they have nothing to steal.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 06:29:50 PM
MY 2230. We will be silent awhile. It makes no difference to my current agendas.
[Limit reached]
I tag a Drone Foil Probe that spent too much time lollygagging in front of my cities. It tried to run away, but if you're going to do that, you really should retreat to one of your own bases. You're not exactly safe in open water.
This year I have completed an encasement of my borders with infantry probe teams, so nobody's just going to sail up to anything. I start making some Rover Probe Teams to go after the Data Angels. I haven't seen any naval presence or air force, so I think I can sail up with an Isle to deploy.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 09:14:28 PM
MY 2232. In the north part of the Free Drone island, I've pushed the land far enough that it's no longer part of my territory. That means that it will be more expensive to raise, and it provides Domai an opportunity to get production minerals. I didn't anticipate this difficulty and will need to decide somewhere new to settle. Meanwhile the Data Angels have started shelling my southern shore. I've shifted to a western connector project, and I will also put a spur towards the Data Angels to the south. I'm using old Former units as I have now learned Advanced Ecological Engineering. If the old ones eventually get hit by Needlejets, it is of no consequence. So far I have not seen any planes in the skies though.
Post by: bvanevery on September 09, 2020, 09:42:13 PM
MY 2233. The Free Drones attack with an annoying landing of Recon Rovers. They kill my Hatchling Spore Launcher. I suppose I could stand to make a bigger one, to keep ships from messing with me. Id rather be making Super Formers but whatever. I kill the interlopers with Scouts, losing 2 in the process, because I have no respect for anything.
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 02:46:53 AM
MY 2239. I could invade the Data Angels if I wanted to. I don't though. That wouldn't be passive aggressive, just aggressive. Meanwhile Domai hasn't stopped colonizing. I can still surround him, but he's feeling like a chore.
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 03:00:08 AM
MY 2240. Roze finally started strafing my Formers. Hope she doesn't fly farther inland, or I'll have to change my plans.
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 03:11:53 AM
MY 2241. With my 1 Artifact, I finally have enough money to complete the Planetary Energy Grid.
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 03:51:00 AM
MY 2245. I'm becoming rather wealthy. I rush the Maritime Control Center which will make my Isles rather fast. I'll be able to steal something from Data DeCentral next year with the extra speed boost. I've only got 1 Isle left from all my earlier explorations. I've had attrition over time and I've never gotten out to sea to capture new ones. The Planetary Transit System slipped past me, but otherwise, I've done well at the Secret Project races. The important thing is to steal D5 Pre-Sentient Algorithms from Roze, so that I can stuff her on the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 04:23:30 AM
MY 2246. Am I going to be underwhelmed? Doesn't seem to be any huge speedup compared to before. Well, better than getting a bad event I guess.
[Limit reached]
I took 3 Rover Probe Teams with me to Data DeCentral. When I got there, the base had already been raided for tech and had a high security interlock. I stole credits instead, because Roze had over 1200 in her bank account. The proceeds were underwhelming, about 24 to 35 credits per theft. 2 of my teams got trained from this, and 1 died. It obviously didn't hurt her, and production-wise it didn't really help me.
I had 1 move remaining, so I attacked the Foil Probe Defensive she'd just deployed. Well I forgot that at this stage of the game, all of her probe teams are going to be Elite. My fairly tough Isle died. Sure I wounded her, but it wasn't worth it.
I'm going to need Cruiser Probe Teams in the future, to sail far to steal stuff. I need to hurry up with it too, because she's working on many copies of the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 05:03:15 AM
MY 2249. Who do I even want to talk to anyways? Well, someone I'm not going to steal from or tear up their land anytime soon. That would be the Believers. And they say... nothing. Ignoring transmissions.
The Cyborgs are pretty useless, and they have 2 Impact Rovers on my land. They say... the usual. "I would be threatened". Well I'm tempted to actually threaten them, like sign a Treaty or I'll kill you. But that isn't the passive aggressive way. I've also got a lot of Super Formers now. As slow as it's been to tend to my own needs, they'll be free to mess with her pretty soon. So the status quo remains the same. No diplomatic relationship at all.
Even the Data Angels chose to talk to me, because they landed some Cloaked Impact Squads on my land. All she said was that I was a blight upon humanity. I said, "Do you want fries with that?"
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 05:23:19 AM
MY 2250. That's a lot better than having to steal it! They might have all just lost the game right there. I should have the money next year. How many jerky things can I do to the Cyborgs with my huge surplus of infantry probe teams? I'm not clear on what causes war and what doesn't. Soon we'll find out!
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 06:01:03 AM
MY 2251. I rush the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm just as Aki enters my territory with a stack of 4 Synth Probe Teams. I put a mindworm in front of them, which her Impact Rover could attack if she really wants to. There's also a Former. Probably she does nothing, and then her teams will be useless.
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 06:05:31 AM
MY 2253. Inbound to the Data Angels, I have an extra Rover Probe Team. I see a supply pod inland on a river. I figure I'll pop it, what can possibly go wrong??
Post by: bvanevery on September 10, 2020, 06:30:12 AM
MY 2254. The Spartans have declared war on the Cyborgs. Fine with me! Maybe Santiago can clear out some of these probe team units that are in my way. I don't want to bring mine up if they're just going to be killed by superior teams. I've stolen C5 Doctrine: Air Power from the Data Angels, so I could escort my teams around some. I have more advanced tech than everyone now.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 02:19:48 AM
[Limit reached]
I've now denied a bit of oceanic traffic, although enemies were hardly ever using it anyways. I'd rename it Panama but as I'm the Caretakers, that's not culturally appropriate.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 02:52:39 AM
MY 2256. The Data Angels do finally put a plane in the air, ending my otherwise free run at westward expansion. I'm surprised they haven't troubled my work around Free Drone Central at all. My spies say they have 7 active Gatling Penetrators, but they're at war with both the University and the Cyborgs. They must be busy.
[Limit reached]
The Cyborgs were kind enough to research D5 Applied Relativity for me, and to make it easy for me to steal it. They really should think more carefully about these excursions. It's not like they don't have the probe teams still milling around my territory to defend the city. Of course, they would have lost them all, but they could have made me pay for it a bit. With my income, the Supercollider will get done fairly soon.
[Limit reached]
All I wanted were some modest rights of water passage, 1 ship through their sea lanes. Too much for him to grudge. I will have to take control of this strait.
[Limit reached]
I look into the cost of raising land that's next to Domai and barely outside my own territory. I balk. I've got a Secret Project to finish. Meanwhile he's put another base in the water. He's like a weed seed!
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 03:16:35 AM
MY 2257. I try to steal Roze's map, but her city has been broken into already. Need to find another one. Her planes could sink my Transport, but I guess they're busy.
[Limit reached]
Since Aki's probe teams can't harm me, I realize there's nothing stopping me from building rails right up to her cities. Sure she could come at me with conventional military force, but there's no evidence that she's going to. By the time she does think about it, I'll probably have Fusion Power, all manner of garrisons, the Xenoempathy Dome, and just a ton of things to dissuade her. Rails in her territory would make it easier to do weird land things to her. Although, I'm not totally sure if raising her land is legal. I should find out.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 04:37:53 AM
MY 2258. Well that was quick. I saw some Data Angel planes shooting my Formers, then flying over my territory to get to Drone sea bases. Then suddenly their cooperation is off. Fine by me. I don't need any buzz bombers, even though construction in this whole region is all but done.
[Limit reached]
I finally manage to grab Roze's map. I suppose if she was allied with Domai, I could have stolen his map. I didn't think of that. So, it looks like she started slow, but then gained unchallenged control of the Monsoon Jungle. I wonder how she'd feel about me completely covering that in fungus? I'm going to have Fungal Missile capability in 3 years.
[Limit reached]
Her empire is otherwise really not that big. She certainly hasn't utilized the land mass available to her. I'm actually surprised that the graph claims she's got more land than I do. Maybe that's strictly true, but mine is all solidly civilized. Hers is basically just 2 enclaves.
[Limit reached]
I don't think Zhakarov should be allowed to do unfettered research on my coast. I'm gonna bottle him up! He's got a Gatling Needlejet in the area, and 2 total in his empire. He's only fighting the Data Angels, and they are far away, so it's possible he's going to have the 2 focused on me. I might have to do something about it. I don't care about losing old Former units, but I don't want my Super Formers damaged. Perhaps it's time to make AAA garrisons. I'm so lazy though, I'm just making a bunch of Hybrid Forests. I've got mere Green Synth Police guarding some of my inner cities.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 04:51:41 AM
MY 2259. It seems there's no law against me raising the land of someone I have no diplomatic relationship with. I am attempting to make the Cyborg land go dry. Prevailing winds are supposed to be west to east, if memory serves. This means if you put a mountain range east of you, your land gets wetter. And if west of you, your land gets drier. The border between us is the right place to test this. Historically I've not been much of a fan of this kind of 'attack', because it can very easily ruin all the agricultural development you've already done. A further problem might be that as I push into Cyborg territory, it might cost me a bunch of money that I'm unwilling to pay. But here goes!
[Limit reached]
That maneuver really didn't change anything. Granted, it's not much of a peak yet. Doing this in my territory, cost me 36 credits. We'll see what it costs to go into their territory next year. This will all get easier once I have the Xenoempathy Dome.
[Limit reached]
I rush the Supercollider in my capitol. I don't even worry about starting a copy to become the Xenoempathy Dome in a few years, as no one can stop me economically.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 05:20:26 AM
MY 2260. I've only made 1 plane. But when you're dumb enough to park your plane in range of my Spore Launchers, it's enough! The garrison will die, and if the plane sticks around, it will die too. It's not strictly necessary to have Interceptors to deal with an enemy air force. Out-bombing them is an option. Especially when they're this stupid.
[Limit reached]
The center of the Garland Crater is much drier than it was last year. My land raising up north, could have triggered this. It is difficult to know what's going on with this weather model. On the other hand, I also planted some trees on its western ridge. Trees definitely dry out land. Whatever! Perhaps I'll put a Condenser in the middle.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 05:38:39 AM
MY 2261. I lose the use of police units, but I want to see if I can grow. 7 cities went into revolt picking this. Changing my budget to 40-30-30 solves the problem in 4 of them. The other 3, I have to deploy medics.
Hmm, learning E6 Eudaimonia gives me the Fungal Payload, but I don't know how to make Missile Chassis, so it doesn't yet do me any good.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 06:42:36 AM
MY 2262. I don't know if it was worth it, but the Cyborg land does seem a little worse now. The elevation is only 2078 meters, so I'll raise it again "sometime".
[Limit reached]
The Data Angels have learned B5 Bio-Engineering, and the Cyborgs have learned C6 Fusion Power. I finally dispatch Destroyer Probe Teams that I made eons ago. Hopefully something gets through to target. I rush the Industrial Lab in my capitol to make way for a Secret Project next year. That will become the Longevity Vaccine. I'm not making as much money as before, as I had more drone riots and changed my budget to 30-40-30 to compensate.
[Limit reached]
Just realized I've had a spare Colonist sitting in one of my cities forever. Well it can finally claim the Manifold Nexus soon I suppose.
[Limit reached]
Before I changed my budget, I had an unhappy person, which I made a Colonist out of. With a new city in the middle of Domai's sea bases, raising land now costs me a measly 4 credits! I started raising it this year but didn't have enough Super Formers ready to do the job. It'll be done next year if they don't get shot at. Nobody shot at my rail making units last year, so the odds are good.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 07:12:01 AM
MY 2263. I have completely encased Chainlink Break. Will it starve to death? I don't actually want that, but this was the only way to make progress with the land, given my new base location. If they do starve, then this will have been an awfully slow, not exactly cost effective way to destroy a base. On the positive side, them starving doesn't count as an atrocity on my part.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 07:50:03 AM
MY 2265. I had a feeling that if I linked the city by rail, it would fall back into Spartan hands.
[Limit reached]
I have just barely brought the Manifold Nexus into my territory. It became dodgy because of the Cyborgs suddenly settling nearer to it. It is not secured. I need to get another Colonist up there to make it safe from encroachment.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 08:51:55 AM
MY 2266. Perhaps getting this close to the Manifold Nexus and her capitol, finally triggered her to act. Well I'm not sure what a passive aggressive style of warfare is going to be against her. I will make sure to secure the Manifold Nexus though. Oh, and the Virtual World. Gotta gets me some Virtual World! That means conquering Alpha Prime.
[Limit reached]
On my eastern front, I summarily vaporize a large number of Cyborg troops. They really weren't well positioned for their surprise. +4 PLANET makes for awfully powerful mindworm attacks.
[Limit reached]
On my western front, I lose a Super Former to one of Aki's sexy new Fusion Gatling Needlejets. I ignore the planes and drive a rail as rapidly as possible towards Alpha Prime. With luck, the AI will be too confused and out of position to attack my railhead units. The planes might land at Chi Plains, in which case I will shell them mercilessly and destroy them with mindworms.
[Limit reached]
I was unable to steal B5 Bio-Engineering. One of Roze's bases was guarded by a Foil Probe Defense. The other had already been stolen from. I'm hoping that bases to the east will be easier pickings.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 09:59:33 AM
MY 2267. Rails are powerful. I brought most of my mindworms back from the east, all the way to the west, and blew through the defenders easily. I don't take the base immediately, as once I do, I'll be seeking a Truce. Instead I build a bypass rail around the city, connecting to the rest of the Cyborg rail network. I want to ride the rails, destroy Formers and Sensor Arrays, and discharge every single Infantry Probe Team I've got!
[Limit reached]
One of my Destroyer Probe Teams finally makes it to an undefended Datatech sea base. I switch my capitol to the Longevity Vaccine, and I have enough money to rush it.
[Limit reached]
I don't need to steal money, so I just concentrate on sabotage. I encountered a Foil Probe Defense that was landlocked. Surprisingly, I only lost 1 Disciplined Probe Team weakening it, and then killed it with a 2nd. I'm using up my worst probe teams first.
[Limit reached]
That took all of my Disciplined probe teams. I gave them a Drone Riot for good measure. I still have 7 unused teams, but I don't want to attack Pi Complex with them. It contains the Planetary Transit System and if Aki won't sign a Truce, I want it next. The rails don't allow me to get to much of anywhere else that matters. It's not that good of a network. Nowhere near as spiffy and conquery as mine!
[Limit reached]
Was it worth it, that surprise attack of yours? At least I finally got a diplomatic relation out of you. And the Virtual World! ;lol ;lol ;lol ;lol ;lol
Now that I've got the Manifold Nexus secured, it occurs to me that I don't have to keep torturing Domai. Is he ready to be treated to a lower grade of passive aggressiveness? Nope, he won't even talk to me. Will he talk if I sail a probe ship up to him? Nope! Stubborn cuss.
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 10:12:54 AM
MY 2268. He wants to talk now. About nothing!
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2020, 06:09:22 PM
MY 2271. Androids can't relax. You heard it here first.
[Limit reached]
I build a bypass rail around Pi Complex, mainly to take out a Sensor Array, but also so I can do my usual probe team trashing thing. The city itself, I want to take intact. Unfortunately the base has some kind of security on it, and my chance for doing a focused sabotage of the Perimeter Defense is 0%. I will have to take it with mindworm brute force.
[Limit reached]
The bypass rail allows for the interesting tactic of attacking from the wrong side of town. The Spore Launchers are all uniquely placed on fungal patches, so will be ok defense once the city is taken. I do a mild amount of artillery damage to the defenders. Even little nibbles like this can be helpful when you only have a marginal combat advantage though. It can be the difference between a dead mindworm, and a barely alive but victorious mindworm.
[Limit reached]
It turns out this is going to be a complete cakewalk. I'm noticing that the defender doesn't get a Perimeter Defense bonus against the mindworm. That is seriously overpowered. I'll need to have a word with the binary hackers about that. Won't help my mod, but it should be made to help somebody. I'm saving a game just in case there's any kind of forensic question about this.
[Limit reached]
I totally sabotage the city to the north. I have a few more probe teams, so I start clearing out obstructions on the road to the west. In the course of that I build a rail, and I run out of mindworms. So I bring up my 1st Fusion unit to wipe out a mere Former. After that my probe teams trash the city, wiping out half its facilities, many of them exceedingly expensive. What a waste! but war is hell.
[Limit reached]
Losing her city doesn't take the fight out of her, so I execute the colonists. I use a Green Synth Garrison on one of them as a training exercise. Then I realize I'm finally out of garrison units. I find a Scout I hadn't noticed before, which I would have rather used to kill a Former when I still had probe teams. I have to overkill with the Unity Mining Drill because it's all I've got left. I have 1 unused Particle Impactor this year, otherwise everything got fired off!
Post by: bvanevery on September 12, 2020, 04:06:49 AM
MY 2272. Aki moves against me in the east with enough force to actually cause me harm. If I allowed all those units to attack my base next year, they would in fact take it. Actually it's a bit of stupidity on their part that they didn't take it this year, but maybe they only just jumped onto my rail network. They will definitely pay for their mistake.
[Limit reached]
Almost all of my mindworms are sitting on the fungal patch next to Pi Complex. I can't build a road on it, as my Super Hovertank Former prototype won't be done until next year. I haven't completed the Xenoempathy Dome either, because I keep having to compete with Aki and Roze to complete Secret Projects. Case in point, Aki just started the Network Backbone and I need to steal the tech for that. I can't put a road or rail on my mindworm's square, but I can put a fungal patch next to their square. This would create a "mindworm interchange" that gets them back on my rail network. They'd lose 1/3 movement, but the rail is complete all the way to their targets, so that doesn't matter. If I build this interchange, I can make a total bloodbath out of those Cyborg units in the east.
Technically, I do not even have to build anything, as long as my rail touches my target. I can move 1 square north onto the river, 1 square southeast along the river to get on the rail, ride the entire length of the rail if I want, and kill something. Rails are powerful! I will kill as much stuff as I can, before actually committing to building anything.
[Limit reached]
I don't think the Cyborgs had any techs to steal last year, but strictly speaking, I didn't check. They definitely only alerted me to new tech this year by starting the Network Backbone. Which I will now start as well, and surely finish before them. What can they do? Any remaining big city they've got, will soon have no facilities in it at all. They will be a husk of an empire.
[Limit reached]
The Cyborgs have put 2 oddly Elite units next to my city, so I send an oddly Demonic mindworm to kill one of them. As usual, the odds calculator lies and it's actually a total cakewalk. The armored Speeder unit, I send an old Particle Impactor after it, because if I do well with a mindworm it's just going to disengage anyways. That will put it on a stack of units that will all get wiped out with successive splash damage. The Particle Impactor dies because it was a Fission vs. Fusion matchup, but the Speeder takes 40% wounds. The Spartans just donated some armored Particle Impactors so I use one of those next. As expected, it takes 70% wounds and disengages to a square with another unit on it. When the mindworms come, it'll die in the stack, or be awfully close to it.
[Limit reached]
I finally make a fungal interchange to the east, just to get 1 mindworm back into the action. It takes the effort of 3 Super Formers to do the planting.
[Limit reached]
The battle isn't even a contest, it's a rout. I've been making some untrained Gatling Interceptors just in case someone tries something with planes. They prove very useful for covering my units.
Post by: bvanevery on September 12, 2020, 04:59:51 AM
MY 2273. I deploy my 1st Clean Hover Former. It's much quieter this year, so I don't need to do any heroics with mindworms and fungi. I carve a road into rocky terrain, in anticipation of building a Mine there. I've done this sort of procedure on most Rocky terrain squares in my empire, but previously it would cost a unit a lost turn to do it. Generally now I'm shifting to a mix of AAA garrison units and Hover Formers. I have Gatling Interceptors heading towards Domai's territory to stop his sea bombardments and occasional Impact Rovers. My population grows, and if I make enough Hover Formers, perhaps I can really interfere with everyone. I don't think I basically need any new tech.
Post by: bvanevery on September 13, 2020, 04:39:07 AM
MY 2276. I think Miriam or Roze gave Domai the planes. He doesn't have any in production, and his bases are kind of feeble. I've been moving Interceptors in this direction, and I manage to kill one of the planes. Mostly I'm retreating my Formers from the region, but the work around my own bases is pretty much done anyways.
I'm having trouble containing Domai. His rate of expansion, exceeds my rate of land working. Nor can I seem to make a Truce with much of anybody. It's difficult to be passive aggressive when everyone's just aggressive. It's not my style to buy people off, and I need my money for Hab Complexes and Secret Projects anyways. Usually I shut people up by taking their bases, but I've taken everything I actually want to take. I'm a bit baffled and just fumbling forwards right now. Maybe as I get bigger and have more and more productivity due to pop booming, I'll think of something.
[Limit reached]
I've resumed the push to take control of the University's waterways. I haven't seen planes, but there are lots of ships. Recently Miriam sunk my Transport that was bringing back an Artifact. That stung. I'm taking the precaution of using AAA defense units to cover my Super Formers. I don't feel like losing any more of them. I really have quite the skeleton empire if anyone had any brains about making an assault. On the other hand, I think I've done so much damage to the Cyborgs that they won't be troubling me for awhile. It's Roze that's kinda sad, her not knowing how to take the battle from her continent to mine.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2020, 05:16:14 AM
MY 2281. I can now raise 2 squares per year. Raising land in my mod is 2x as expensive as in the original game. I've sealed this ocean channel, and will build a city on the point of control next year, giving only myself access. My merely Disciplined 3-Pulse AAA units have proven effective against University Gatling Needlejets. They can survive 1 hit, and the University hasn't had more than that to offer. I don't fear them at all. They may try to send ground troops, which I'm sure will be just as easily destroyed by my mindworms as the Cyborg troops are.
My main problem is a fair amount of shelling, by both the Believers and the Free Drones. I haven't bothered to make enough artillery to fend them off. The truth is I still don't have all my cities garrisoned with modern AAA troops. I did just learn Silksteel Armor and those will start to deploy next year. I was trying to get to Missile chassis technology but I haven't been given that choice of direction for some reason. Thus my dreams of bombardment with Fungal Missiles will have to wait yet longer.
Currently, this game feels less like passive aggressive, and more like pacification. Maybe that is an inevitable stage. The Free Drones and the Believers are both more spammy than I may be able to control for awhile.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2020, 07:13:39 AM
MY 2285. Finally I have the money to rush the Network Backbone. I think next year I'll go Cybernetic and see if I can make peace with the Cyborgs. My cities are mostly not in Golden Ages anymore, so Eudaimonic isn't particularly helpful now. I did trigger massive empire growth that way though. I had to spend massively to get that. My garrisoning is also almost done. I'm starting to make clean artillery pieces to repel the ships on my shores. I probably need more Interceptors as a few too many planes are flying around. I've never invested in Aerospace Complexes at all. I have 1 that I took from the Cyborgs.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2020, 07:51:01 AM
MY 2285. I've been working on the Xenoempathy Dome since forever. I switch it to the Nano Factory because it's a cheaper project, and begin building the Dome elsewhere. I've gotten along fine without it, seeing as how I have very little war.
[Limit reached]
Cybernetic doesn't actually make me any more money. It's mainly a political move. It will also allow me to choose something other than Wealth to maintain my money. The Cyborgs aren't talking though. Even sending a probe team up to them, doesn't get their attention. I switch my budget to 40-30-30 as I do not have the GROWTH for pop booming anymore.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2020, 08:23:43 AM
MY 2286. I encase Oceanographic Lab in land. This is only the 2nd city I've trapped in this manner, the 1st one being the Free Drones eons ago. This style of attack is a bit effort intensive, compared to all my other terraforming concerns. Perhaps I am reinventing the game of Go inside of SMAC!
[Limit reached]
I switch to Socialist. I don't lose any money doing that, because +3 ECONOMY for some reason wasn't any more valuable for me than +2. My PLANET rating isn't as impressive as it was, but I don't think it matters. It's still +2 which is better than most. If I had the Manifold Harmonics I'd want it to be +3, but that's not going to be available for quite awhile. Domai still won't talk to me.
Post by: bvanevery on September 14, 2020, 08:05:20 PM
MY 2287. Most of my kelp and tidal harness squares were made eons ago, before the oceans were dangerous. Any undeveloped ocean squares, I'm just raising into land. I think that's easier than bothering to make defensive ships. Someday my armor will be strong enough for that, but I'm deliberately doing slow research, and armor is not my priority.
[Limit reached]
Land raising can be used to kill an enemy ship. This even works when you're at peace, provided that you have the right to raise the land there. So it's a legit passive aggressive strategy during peacetime! Of course we're at war, so it's merely another way to kill.
[Limit reached]
With the Weather Paradigm, it takes me 8 Super Formers to raise land. Otherwise it would take 12. I could have raised land just to the southeast, on the causeway, to improve the base. But this way I kill an enemy ship while I'm at it. and the hydration of the land will be better. Prevailing winds are west to east, so it's best to have water just west of your land. If you put too much land west of you, you risk drying it all out. That's not a problem if you intend to have forests as they don't care, but it can ruin farmland. I have 3 Condensers around the Garland Crater, because of previous dryout problems, so maybe that area is immune now.
[Limit reached]
I'm going to mostly starve Marine Biology Lab to death. Maybe I'll make some crazy water channel all along the University's northern coast, capping it with my own access city.
Post by: bvanevery on September 15, 2020, 04:03:08 PM
This game isn't exhibiting good tactics. Surrounding cities, has turned out to be a form of sandboxing.
Is it interesting to see happen anyways? I'm not convinced it is. It might be a little interesting to me as I play the game, but I'm not convinced it's making an interesting writeup. Perhaps if I had a focused montage or animation sequence of a specific city getting surrounded, it would be interesting. Something where the flow of events leading to encapsulation can be readily seen, instead of just having the event scattered throughout a long narrative.
I've also found the amount of open war in this game, disruptive. This may be primarily because I'm an Alien. Most of the tactics I wanted to show, and had in mind, only make sense during a Truce or Treaty. If it's open war, there's not a lot of point to doing something other than conquering. It would be a lot easier to demonstrate how to conquer quickly and massively, than what I've done here. I mean, Domai? Obviously I could have made him my thrall.
Post by: Vidsek on September 15, 2020, 04:52:56 PM
Circumstances and priorities have kept me from doing much with SMACX for some months now, but I check out the forums regularly in the expectation I'll jump back in one of these days. Till then, keep up the good work!
Post by: bvanevery on September 15, 2020, 06:04:01 PM
I'd also like a faster way to do them. I started looking at the Simple Machines forum software, because there are definitely a few misfeatures that slow down my production. The big one is that the "Insert Image" button is cumbersome and results in unnecessary scrolling steps. More generally though, I'd really like a way to compose these things offline, so that I'm not burdened with lag. COVID-19 has made the internet slower in general lately.
So yeah, when I "tap out", it's because this is actually a lot of production effort, for something that isn't turning out to be all that good a product. I could better spend the effort on something else, whether a better AAR, or some other game development thing.
I can't believe that 2 AARs ago, I was at it for so long, before I cried uncle. If a game's going on for 2+ weeks and you're wondering why you're even bothering, something's amiss.