Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 05:23:48 AM
The Tree Hugger
a Planet drama starring
Lady Deirdre Skye - ecologist
CEO Nwabudike Morgan - capitalist
Foreman Domai - socialist
Aki Zeta-5 - cyberneticist
H'minee, Marr - Alien menaces
Cha Dawn - slick cult leader
a Planet drama starring
Lady Deirdre Skye - ecologist
CEO Nwabudike Morgan - capitalist
Foreman Domai - socialist
Aki Zeta-5 - cyberneticist
H'minee, Marr - Alien menaces
Cha Dawn - slick cult leader
I am the Sequoia |
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 06:06:52 AM
planetfall |
The USS Unity broke apart in animosity. The politics of some, were not compatible with the new world they found themselves in. Chairman Yang of the Hive, Brother Lal of the U.N. Peacekeepers, and Sister Miriam Godwinson of the Believers - all perished. Whether by mutual annihilation or inability to respond to their new environment, we never knew.
We suspected similarly of 'Colonel' Santiago and her spartan survivalist faction. Whatever they knew how to survive, it wasn't this. And we imagined professor Zhakarov in his ivory tower, stepping out into this very new, real world, and being eaten.
Morgan, who sought to dominate Planet, burned away its fungus. Domai, who sought collective democratic action, amassed enough labor to force their frontier. Aki, the half-cyborg, simply bean counted her way to a viable populace, sacrificing many of its members along the way.
And we, grew the trees.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 02:33:34 PM
the new reality |
We took bold risks in the early days, asking every person to take their step over the next horizon.
aqueous inhabitant |
Aside from rummaging our supply pods, we found abundant specimens in the creeks and rivers.
taming of the wild |
But somehow, we had a faith in ourselves, that if only we remembered we were not on Earth, we would do well here.
very well |
Even when we thought we must fight, sometimes we found, we did not have to. The lesson impressed us deeply, and we remembered it for all our time forward.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 02:36:21 PM
settlement |
Mission year 2102. In the great commons at Gaia's Landing we have a tall and particularly beautiful stand of white pine, planted at the time of the first colonies. It represents our promise to the people, and to Planet itself, never to repeat the tragedy of Earth.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 02:45:59 PM
choice of existence |
Our people were mostly scientists, deeply concerned with how our knowledge and progress had been abused for evil. We believed in science, but also in the need to deal with life as it actually came to us. This was the environment, and we were in it. We were empirical. We listened, we watched, we found what worked.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 02:55:05 PM
the unfortunate event |
Mission Year 2105. We were not the only aliens to arrive here. If we had sought refuge in the stars, and found life here against all expectation, then surely, life more advanced than our own must exist somewhere else. This did not answer the thorny question, of why such life must exist here. We were not happy to share our fledgling existence, as we knew the potential import. But we did accept it.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 03:03:16 PM
floating to farther shores |
The behemoths of the sea, are quite serviceable, when properly tamed with a few stores of fish.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 03:12:09 PM
evidence |
Their many tendrils accumulate all manner of drifting ocean junk. The skeletal specimens were fascinating, and gave us insight into the planet's oceanic cycle. But this one, indigestible, opened a whole new field of study.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 03:40:38 PM
election |
Mission Year 2114. With no threats in our immediate environment, and easy exploration of Planet's surface, we saw our tiny settlements as prosperous and secure. The most ethically high minded among us, pronounced that we should formalize our governance. Being mostly a monoculture of concerned scientists, the perils of organized politics did not meet with much consternation.
everyone wants democracy |
Apart from ethics, a convincing case was made for the practical benefits. No one saw any downside to proscription against the experimental practice of nerve stapling. Although an inevitable discovery in our efforts to control mindworms more successfully, most regarded it as an abomination.
practical matters |
If we had put it to a vote, our Constitution would surely have passed unanimously. But in reality, we were tiny. We did not even have a spare battery, to run an electronic voting machine. Someone proposed the use of paper products, which didn't go over well as an industrial cycle. Someone else proposed the return to cuneiform. The matter was tabled when democracy was recognized as an ongoing administrative duty. People would have to be diverted from other labors, and presently, this we could not afford.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 03:45:57 PM
Johnny Appleseed |
The first forests of Planet were not in fact planted by us. Not deliberately. We stumbled upon a Unity supply pod containing a genetic bank and stockpiles of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. The conditions of crash resulted in an oily mix just perfect for spreading seeds for many, many miles. We could literally say, that forestry on Planet, was booming.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 04:00:25 PM
further evidence |
Although we were scientists, with requisite curiosity, we just didn't enjoy that this new Planet was so... traveled. We found these sturdy ruins, and eventually more of the same, but no evidence of any urbanization or industrialization. What happened here? Something must have happened here, to wipe out any other trace of a clearly manufactured past. Was this entire planet, some kind of a farm? Was this monolith, its version of a maintenance shed? Would some entities come by, someday, to collect the "crops" ? What form would this collection take?
Those of us with firsthand experience of mountain strip mining back on Earth, shuddered to think of what form a planetary engineering operation could take. What if giant alien ships showed up, to sweep everything off the surface and leave nothing behind? Others argued that we mustn't let irrational fears and projections run away with us. First, we might be the only aliens. They might be native to this system.
Second, what little we had seen of other aliens, who might nevertheless be visitors like ourselves, had ships of not terribly impressive size. Third, we saw no indication of storage or processing facilities, no indication of earth moving equipment. One would expect such things of a farming operation, a staging and orderly movement of goods. Here, we saw no trace.
Geological core samples, revealed nothing. We could tell that this planet had been through transitions of lesser or greater fungal growth, much like the rings of a tree. And that the size of the rings, was increasing. But otherwise, it was a mystery. At least we had something to do. To research, if we ever otherwise thought we lacked for things to do.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 05:03:21 PM
the triage expert |
Mission Year 2116. Quite far from our settlement, we meet the 'android' who simply jettisoned any crew member, she thought would not make a meaningful contribution. There is no humanity in her. We don't know what she currently calculates as a benefit or liability, but if she cannot see value in this new Planet....
no autumn harvest dances then |
She speaks of rationality and order, but life simply isn't like that. The machines she aspires to, are not evolved systems, at least not yet. They have not been tested against the empirical rigors of reality. Aki Zeta-5 is, perhaps, the ultimate idealist. Incapable of conceiving anything, except in its ideal form.
tempting offer |
For a scientist, she certainly hasn't come far in her thinking about the basic tradeoffs of moral systems. Including commerce! If you want me to trade, you must have something I want. We think, you are over there. We think, you haven't the slightest clue about mindworms, core samples, or alien fungal farms. We think, anything you know about this part of the world, we will know 5 years from now. We think, if you plan on expending us, to make your puny colony basically work...
her inflatable dinghies |
Yes yes we're so impressed, you managed to preserve rubber upon landing. Same as we all did. Well, everyone who lived, in fairness. You should join Zhakarov patrolling the rivers in circles in your rubber dinghies. I'm sure we'll find him in the bowels of an Isle one of these years.
why am I not surprised |
A chip brain that doesn't understand basic human amusement. Yes we're scientists too, we like to geek out same as the next one. But we do play tether ball, and pinochle, and a few video games... you truly have none of this possible for yourselves?
a calculated peace |
Despite her history of immoral decisionmaking, or leading minds correctly observe that she is no threat, at present. We needn't expend any additional resources concerning ourselves with her foolishness. And who knows, she may have a use some day. Or at least serve as a trip wire for a real threat.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 05:29:57 PM
free and fair elections |
In light of our new neighbors, and our formal Treaty status, our leading moralists urge that a formal governmental structure is absolutely necessary. And that furthermore, we must send a strong and united diplomatic voice, as to what will or won't be tolerated from them. I run for the office of Colonial Governor, on a platform of strict non-interference in the workings of the human brain. Such as for nerve stapling disobedient citizens into submission, an act we're sure Aki would not think once of. I win easily, as no one actually disagrees with the premise, and I am the senior xenobiologist.
In truth, my campaign is less a matter of personal conviction. It is more a matter of, making sure the cyborgs do not harm the planet. And if they do so, we will need to make war upon them. And for that, the people need reasons to hate them. Scientific debate is lively, vigorous, and unpredictable. Anyone who has worked on a large research project, knows the difficulty of herding cats. The one researcher who is sure, they have broken the paradigm. Everyone else is wrong...
If we must act, and turn our mindworms against the cyborgs, then we must have long since understood them, to be a threat. Not just fellow researchers making brilliant logical deductions.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 05:45:26 PM
reformation |
Mission Year 2117. A massive earthquake, the second we have experienced since planetfall, utterly and irrevocably altered the water channel south of our continent. Our land scout somehow became the epicenter while pushing about in a supply pod. Our rubber dinghy observed it from the east, and narrowly escaped the tidal waves with their lives. We wonder if we will now be barred strategic access from some part of the world, but our long range scans do not look quite so grim. Shrugging, the more ineffable of our research teams simply headed south on foot. "Planet happens."
effects at a distance |
In another remarkable turn of events, a sea salvage operation suddenly galvanized our citizens to leave Gaia's Landing. They set off to found our 3rd city, perhaps near that wonderful grove of trees we 'planted'. Not all accidents on Planet are bad.
gaining resources |
We have not honored our Treaty with the cyborgs, and don't plan to, until asked. After all, they inconveniently interrupted our explorations with their presence. This artifact is certainly proof that we were right to keep plodding along in the bush. We will escort it all the way home though, for fear that some cyborg scout doing much the same in our own territory, might take it from us. The rather slow and languid movement of our mindworm handlers to our border, will also give the appearance of honoring the Treaty.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 05:55:26 PM
defensive road |
Mission Year 2118. We have built our first terraformer. With a clean fission reactor, it is completely self-sustaining. Although by definition such a machine does ecological damage, we can put such a machine to positive uses. A big debate ensues over whether to immediately begin planting forests, or to build roads connecting our cities. It is not a trivial concern as cut roadways tend to interfere with the natural spreading of trees. A compromise is reached: build roads along rocky prominences that could never grow trees anyways, and on riverbeds that are inevitably destined for hydroelectric harnessing. We are ecologists, but we know human civilization can never have zero impact.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 06:00:56 PM
incentive |
MY 2119. We pay our colonists to leave Silverbird Park early. Despite the democratic formalities, our true economy is based on scavenging. A few truckloads of space junk can sweeten nearly any colonial deal.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 06:57:46 PM
giant harvester |
MY 2121. Having prepared for the rather unscientific principle of action at a distance, we empirically complete a nearly military grade harvester prototype. They of course lack appropriate training, but the shell of the beast is sound. One set of our people loves the new gadget, and extols its virtues for laying roadways quickly. The other reminds how damaging that is to forests, and we should not think of making more of such things. I don't think the issue is making them, I think the issue is making them build roads.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 07:19:36 PM
lightly on the road |
MY 2122. The tree planting polemics have really really come to a head. The "highwaymen", as some now call them, insist that a defensive road should be straight and move troops rapidly from A to B. The "tree peoples", as most call themselves, insist that a flat plain on a river is the perfect place for trees. It will provide more minerals and energy than an otherwise devoid river bed would produce.
The deciding factor in this debate, as I see it, is we have yet to plant a single wide scale forestry project. In all the 22 years we've been casting about on this new Planet. Accidentally triggering forest growth, does not count. And we are years away from settling that, assuming the highwaymen even have their way to it. Which in the current political climate, I suspect they won't. So I cast the deciding vote in favor of planting, breaking a deadlock. It is an auspicious site, exactly between our 2 cities, and worthy of commemoration for many generations.
making history |
We name our planting, Sequoia, in honor of the greatest Earth trees. We hope that hundreds of years from now, they will bring future generations peace and continuity.
concession |
To lessen feelings of defeat among the highwaymen, we allow them to complete the end of their well ordered military road into a flood plain, driving their military equipment. We zone it for farming and solar production.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 07:52:35 PM
defensive array |
MY 2128. The highwaymen, ever vigilant to threats real and imagined, insist that a historical forest landmark is the perfect place to install a Sensor Array. After all, these are valuable trees that should never be destroyed. The fact that it sits exactly between our 2 oldest cities, is immaterial, they say. They assert all sorts of additional immaterialities for our future settlements. As we did lose a transport to a suddenly surfacing Isle recently, and have occasionally lost mindworm handlers getting a little too carried away with themselves, we acquiesce to the appearance of safety. Yes, Planet has certainly been very threatening to us.
fair trade coffee |
While toying with imagined threats, we decide it might be timely, to find if Aki has done anything with her band of chip heads. Aside from make everyone miserable walking at perfect right angles. A lesser known fact of human history, is that many African villages were once knocked into such perfect order, as their more organic hut placements and social circles were deemed a threat to the colonial powers.
We don't presume to teach cyborgs morality. But we will presume to teach them a fast hand of pinochle.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 08:18:49 PM
westward ho |
MY 2131. A bitter zoning battle ensues about where to put a highway to our westward settlement. The highwaymen insist that a highway must go somewhere, and that this one will mostly follow a natural lay of rock. The tree peoples say it must not go through this stretch of plantable land, and the highwaymen say it must go through some stretch of plantable land, or we cannot have highways. The tree peoples say they'd be happy with that, and no cars either while they're at it, and no extracted or synthesized fuels. I'm with the highwaymen on this one. I don't want bicycles as our first line of defense.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 08:27:54 PM
ever heard of fieldwork |
MY 2132. The cyborgs meet us far afield, actually as we are about to exit their lands, which they should be happy of. Let's face it, we took as many things off your land as we could. You got in our way, we did what we had to do, and wanted to do. We won't tell you any of that. It's poor diplomatic form. But we regret nothing. Even now, one fat shiny artifact arrives safely home with us.
They like us less, but wish to trade more. Why not? We think it's a bit premature to set up a system of interconnected labs, thinking that more basic infrastructure and sustainable population growth, is more in order. But when the day comes that we need labs, we don't mind having blueprints. We scarcely worry about the military value of dune buggies, as after all, we have mindworms. You don't hear us rattling sabers about it.
Generally speaking, you should not make scientists angry. They have more elaborate ways to kill you than you would suppose.
explosive growth |
We don't even remember if we prepared for this eventuality. It may be time to shift our development priorities.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 09:52:59 PM
no uglier than a mindworm |
MY 2133. While exploring a new landmass substantially to the southeast, we've met one of the presumed aliens that crash landed on Planet. Somehow, in the course of our ecological studies, we have already determined the operative principles of their language. It strongly relates to the vibrations we've witnessed in various fungal stalks. These are not, however, mindworms and our first order of business is to determine who and what they are. We have rehearsed many scenarios of first contact already, and have many contingencies in place for how to respond, negotiate, or even trade.
well whatabout bubonic plague |
They call themselves, the Caretakers. They declare their undying enmity for their countrypeople, the Usurpers.
talk your proboscis off |
They want to know all about the Cybernetic Consciousness. Who are we to say no? They lose at pinochle. We think it's all the alcohol we ply them with.
but you're insignificant |
They wanted to get in on our pinochle league. Another alien deprived of basic entertainments? Is this what people or sentiences like Aki aspire to? It doesn't matter. We could prepare a navy for when and if you show up in our part of the world, but you seem too backwards for us to care. We'll be sure to send our scout ships in your general direction though.
I wonder if the Usurpers are just as gruff? We should find them.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 11:09:39 PM
a good find |
MY 2134. We are tantalizingly close to an artifact found by the Caretakers. We even have a lucky transport arranged to spirit it away. We hope it does not slip away into the safety of their city.
captured! |
MY 2135. Now we need only get it to the coast, and avoid any predatory vessels.
Post by: bvanevery on September 26, 2021, 11:16:19 PM
unexpected travel |
One of our mindworms falls through a vortex, and emerges in a strange place.
Planet happens |
A lush land some considerable distance from our original location. We find a rover and keep exploring.
so much more |
At sea, we dredge up another artifact. Exploration is quite profitable. Salvage has made us a lot of money.
the lushness |
We also trailed an Isle to an incredibly fertile land. We call it the Monsoon Jungle. We suspect inhabitants, as Isles seem to beeline for sentient settlements. In our own case, we've simply summarily killed the worms that slither off of them. We're good at that sort of thing. Occasionally, we manage to capture them.
rapid development |
Profit from salvage has been so high, that we order the rapid completion of all facilities with reasonable cost. This greatly expands our pinochle league.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 04:35:40 AM
Gaia rising |
MY 2135. Our understanding of Planet's ecosystems is now sufficient, for us to integrate all manner of sustainable practices into our economy. We see no downside to it really. It makes both people and mindworms happier. We can now also end the objections of the highwaymen, so long as they will drive their roads straight through fungal patches. Although marginally dangerous to some travelers, it's also a very efficient switchover conduit for our own tamed worms and spore launchers.
the power of Planet |
We think our mindworm exploration is now sustainable indefinitely. More worms shall capture more worms, which shall wander around capturing more worms, until all of Planet has been explored. Then?
another vortex |
Speed of exploration increases the more anomalies we fall through.
We are amassing so many artifacts as to not even be worth reporting.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 05:12:18 AM
multiple triggers |
MY 2139. This is the 2nd seismic disturbance in the same region. I don't know that we ever contemplated digging a kind of Suez Canal, but it won't happen now. What is the problem with this region?
who is this |
We are being hailed by a... Cha... Dawn. His voice is trill. I don't recall any such children on the Unity. They are controlling mindworms even bigger than our own, so we will talk to him.
he thinks the planet has a will |
I think Planet is wonderful myself, in its own sick, trickster sort of way. But a will? The messianic look in his eyes, reminds me of a hippie commune leader my cousin got free of. That man, was in it for the sex. Quite a harem, he had. But this is a child, so I am not quite ready to assume that as his motive. It would be a helluva way to overcome awkwardness though. "Plaaanet speeaks, wwwooooo". My assistants grasp themselves hard as I wave my hands in mock benediction, trying not to be heard laughing uncontrollably within earshot of the video microphone.
he's met the Usurpers |
I am really, really interested to hear more about these horrid Usurpers, and I'd very much love to compare notes about their bitter enemies, the Caretakers. Who are nominally at war with us, BTW. Would you like me to send you a recording of them? It'll sound familiar to you: "Diie, human, dieee." Overwrought self-important alien and all of that. Surely you'll understand, we're a bit busy with more important matters, to be having another full on war right about now. I hope you don't take that the wrong way, and that we have a further incentive for mutual cooperation.
you are not managing your fecal matter |
Oh you poor demented buffoon, cholera is a serious matter! We would be more than happy to render assistance in exchange for nominal information about your location, disposition, strength in mindworms, etc.
a good but greedy child |
How is this kid running a base? We're sorry, we're research scientists. It has cost us a fair amount of salvaged resources to cobble together this lab equipment, which gives us such fabulous and expensive social adjustments as, a strategic advantage in mindworm strength. I'm sure you'll understand that we'd like either a bit more of a research contribution on your part, or some real meaningful insight into these Usurpers and Caretakers. Are you really at *war* with them? Like actually killing them? We stole something form H'minee, it was mostly a lot of fun.
jolly good |
Yes, couldn't possibly imagine having a war with you. Let's formalize that. My assistants wretch on the floor as I mime waaar with my hands again.
the diplomatic hat on |
I'd like to hear it from the horse's orifice, if you know what I mean. We'll pay you a modest finder's fee. Perhaps we can talk more later.
competition in the bush |
And that was Cha Dawn. Prophet. Our seeming monopoly on salvage, was over. We'd have to race them for all the supply pods on Planet.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 05:33:07 AM
modesty |
Cha Dawn is a very, very northerly neighbor. The continent we're on is huge. Although we don't think much of his infrastructural development, we must respect his projection of mindworm force. It is similar to our own. And we do know from experience, that once you get out into the bush, the size and number of your bases is not the determinant of how many mindworms you may have.
advantages of running a cult |
We found a file on this child leader, somewhere. Behind a wastebin? We stopped laughing when we realized, without any research or social development, he had mindworm control abilities equal to our own. And many, many followers, willing to support him in his holy mission. Which we still didn't quite understand because we didn't exactly believe Planet was a talking thing.
pretend they're beautiful |
We thought it best to check on this so-called war. Is it a war war, or a disagreement about league rules war? Hard to see how Cha Dawn could be fighting a war war, at such a great distance. We suspect we see the outline of a Usurper city just at the edge of our map.
hop when you're mad, I'll respect you more |
You're instigating with a boy of 12. Do you know anything about our species' life cycle? If you have some eggs you all sprout from, you won't see us pecking at your eggs declaring "War! War!" now will you.
is this a stereotype |
This is the Caretakers all over again. They make unreasonable demands, which we blow off because there's no evidence they have a pot to piss in. They don't even let me get a word in edgewise about our 'war' with the Caretakers, their supposedly most bitter foes. All about this tiff with the boy, Cha Dawn.
We shall verify that we do indeed see the Usurpers, up ahead. And if that's them, we're going to go back to planting turnips. We don't dislike Cha Dawn, but squabbling with the Usurpers will keep him a bit busy. That will give us time to learn more about his intents. And to take all the supply pods, which we are now quite addicted to.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 05:50:15 AM
more remote action |
We love it when we don't have to work. We don't even try to understand it anymore. We had some fellow set up video cameras to capture how this works. He got nothing. Just magic, POOF! insta-completed laboratory. Like friggin' Santa Claus.
a bargain at twice the price |
Feeling very confident in our situations abroad, we spill the beans to Aki Zeta-5 at our next league game. Aki, we've got all sorts of great stories to tell you about the rest of Planet. Here have some more of this fungal brew. And she has some great map info to drop on us.
remarkable |
The Caretakers have fought a meaningful war. Just not with anyone we expected. This Domai, I remember him. He used to leaflet against the Morganites. Strikes and work stoppages, that sort of thing. Well, I hate Morgan, he's the worst of everything that's the worst. We surely have that in common. Would be a pity to see him just, well, die. The enemy of my enemy might be my friend, how does that go? I don't think it worked in Bosnia, but that's a story for another time.
at the speed of mercury |
We contact Aki again. We've noticed that breaking communication, then reinitiating it, speeds up the receipt of news. Aki would very much like to hear about the Usurpers, and we've been dying to tell her all about them. We sign off.
we had a feeling you could pull that |
We hail her again. She has what we hoped for: a cheap map of all Usurper territory.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 06:08:56 AM
please please please have a war |
My neck clenches as I learn much more than I bargained for. Although it seems our scouting was about to discover all this anyways. Morgan, there is no question that ultimately, I want him locked up and the key thrown away. But getting him there, that will take some doing. This is a big planet. We are not going to settle this with a mere alley brawl... although, we are nominally on the same continent. We are not that far by water either.
call him collect, he won't mind |
We ping Aki again. She very much wants to meet this boy Prophet. We figure they'll get along well. A little voice inside my head though, says what if they don't? We ping Aki one more time, to check on her research and news of the world, but she has nothing further.
strange bedfellow |
We contact the boy again. He's obtained a map of Aki's lands, but wants too much for it. He offers a Pact. Maybe there is no subtle, diplomatic way to come after Morgan. Maybe the Usurpers are in the way, and we'd need to help Cha Dawn smash through them, to get to Morgan. It doesn't have to be right away. But strategically, I'd like Cha Dawn to help take Morgan out. We sign the Pact, and get Aki's map info for free.
the extent of cyborg land |
Aki is almost nothing more than we've seen. I see many peaceful hands of pinochle in our future.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 06:46:38 AM
who needs labor |
We do nothing, and projects finish themselves, like magic. Well, we explore.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 06:53:20 AM
sure we know you don't want a war |
MY 2142. We arrive at Domai's battered front. He wastes no time signing a Treaty immediately. However he won't sign a Pact and has no tech to offer. Perhaps he thinks he's doing ok. He doesn't look it.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 07:13:31 AM
the sneering strip miner |
MY 2143. My most hated adversary. Is it knives out now, or later?
sure, talk to the socialist |
We're going to hold elections in another month. I'll sell you any comm frequency you please. One less credit you won't have.
my good friend Morgan |
By the time we're ready to deal with you, I'm sure we can find a way for you to break the peace with us.
remarkable bit of research |
We begin selling all our comm frequencies in preparation for the election. Aki buys, and she also has tech to sell. This Field Modulation does absolutely nothing. We're not sure why she researched it, or if she traded for it, who she obtained it from. But we want every advantage we can find, however tenuous, so we trade.
bank of Gaia |
Cha Dawn also wants comms. We agree to a long term loan, hoping that strengthens his hand against the Usurpers. He comes up with a map of Free Drone territory.
with allies comes victory |
Now I can spy on Morgan as much as I desire.
he's sad |
He's not at war though. Much as I might like him to be.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 05:02:50 PM
worm breeder |
MY 2155. Many years of informal peace have allowed us to complete numerous research stations. We can now breed mindworms in captivity. The genetic controls have implications for human medicine and well being as well. Agriculture has undergone a genetically modified renaissance and our crops flourish. This gives rise to a new internal division, the plowers. People who would plow up any land they can get their hands on, to make more food. Back on Earth these people would have been an anti-GMO lobby, but we are all ecological scientists and know what we're doing. When 90% of your society is capable of writing an environmental impact statement, even in the 6th grade, it has implications.
fertile land |
We cannot reasonably argue against the conversion of rainy, minerals-rich land to open farm. The extra food production saves impacts elsewhere. We can argue about rainy lands devoid of minerals, which we tree peoples feel are better served with forest. It is important for land to serve multiple uses, if practices are to be sustainable.
We have disallowed the construction of any mine whatsoever, even on natural outcroppings our geologists would kill to have developed. Instead we have zoned them for farming and solar collection, telling our geologists to Be Happy the rock strata are preserved for their study. This is not to become another Earth!
A hot button issue, is what to do with the one mine that was set up by a malfunctioning robot pod. Some want to keep it as a tourist curiosity. Most demand its removal, but we have other projects to tend to right now. Our fleet of earth moving equipment is not infinite, and with mindworm production beginning, it is doubtful it will grow.
the good neighbor |
Although our primary interest in laboratory mindworms is exploration and "peace through strength", a few of the hardcore militants among us do note their potential as a decisive weapon of war. Which brings pressure and scrutiny upon the behavior of other factions on Planet. We are now the biological superpower, both with extant capabilities in the bush, and home capacity. We are pleased to report that our next door neighbor, has seen the logic and efficiency of our sustainable practices and has gone fully Green.
why you chip brained ninny goat |
We offer Aki a formal alliance. She rebuffs us, criticizing us as a global hegemon. We fear that her Green policies are a production convenience and not a long term ideological commitment. But so long as she's Green in practice, we will take it.
Maybe she needs an enemy to convince her of the value of an ally. But realistically, she will never have enemies. We are her only neighbor and she's geographically sheltered from interaction with anyone else.
In fact, the geopolitical landscape is all very much arrayed in the manner of "foreign wars". Were it not for our hatred of Morgan, and the strategic necessity of reducing him to a rump state, we'd have no interest abroad either.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 05:26:18 PM
the first secret project |
Quite secure in our maritime force projection, we begin a complete mapping and refinement of the human genome. Some would call it a eugenics program, but we don't think anyone really needs cavities, for instance. The number of artifacts we've brought back from the oceans and foreign shores is endless. We could use them to instantly complete this work, but there is no need. The other factions are mostly backwards compared to us, except our ally Cha Dawn, did provide us with nice blueprints for a command post. We set up one, and it will gradually phase out our scout garrisons, freeing them to do actual scouting.
to the labs |
We have research supremacy, a clear lead on all manner of scientific insight, and no one who can realistically challenge us in this capacity. We can amplify this lead by making concerted study of our many artifacts. Our own research, although supreme, also seems a bit slow to us. If we did not have the Human Genome Project to invest our abundant salvage in, we'd have precious little to build.
In fairness, we have no real insight into the minds of the Caretakers. But they are in stalemate with the Free Drones, who have nothing, and we see no Caretaker hordes outside Domai's cities. So the Caretakers, simply cannot amount to much. In fact, we should try to make peace with them, if they will speak. There is simply no strategic value in moving any troop in their direction. We have in fact had a single rover, wandering around their backyard, unchallenged for quite some time.
the caretaker sees sense |
A long time has passed. We are far stronger than we ever were before. The practicalities of invasion, in either direction, are unchanged. Caretaker intelligence gathering is surely quite limited, but even they must be able to realize, that they have more important local concerns.
it's not easy being green |
These aliens express a surprising antipathy to basic environmental stewardship. That could be a problem. For now, it is a quirk.
so it's his fault you took his city |
We politely ask the Caretakers to knock off their war with the humans. They say, talk to Domai. We do not pursue any Treaty negotiation as in the absence of this point, we don't expect much luck.
the human capacity for reason |
Domai, having a brain that works more or less like our own, calls off the war. Given his backwards state, we have nothing further to discuss. Perhaps he can now build himself into some kind of civilian buffer state against these Caretakers.
the unenlightened self interest |
We contact the Caretakers again and offer a formal Treaty. They refuse. They seem to think their race is up to something. I can't imagine what.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 06:09:47 PM
defense against ourselves |
MY 2156. Again, no faction has anything of technical interest. We begin a campaign of futuristic advancement. We determine that by sticking wires into brains, we can increase people's skills, and also partly block the terror a mindworm induces. These procedures were strictly against the campaign promises I ran on, but mostly we worked from schematics stored in an artifact. We also got a few crackpot volunteers for human trials, possibly having played one too many rounds of pinochle with the cyborgs.
bored researchers |
We didn't find these discoveries terribly compelling, so we plugged in more artifacts.
disconcerting options |
We already have an abundance of peace through strength. Peace through nerve gas? Some amoralist, perhaps a cybernetic immigrant, noted it would work well on aliens. No one would care if they're gone. We had the rogue suitably disciplined.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 06:31:37 PM
what are friends for |
MY 2157. Our ally Cha Dawn, who is not in fact making war upon the Usurpers anymore, has come up with some technology.
making babies |
We are most happy for this technology, as our cities have the infrastructure to sustain many more people, than we currently do. More people in fewer cities means more land untouched. We also need a larger population to retain control of the Governorship. This doesn't please the zero population growth interests among us, but for now, a cosmopolitan Planet has its necessities.
fertility rites |
We are less pleased about the idea of prattling on about God. We see that our good little charlatan has already latched onto it as a cultural pattern, to gain more followers. Maybe even make some followers personally, as he might be what, 13 now?
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 08:41:57 PM
MY 2158. The campaign to study artifacts brings one useful insight, the ability to move rapidly within our empire. Such rails are rather time consuming to produce though. We would need a lot more formers. We don't find larger starting cities to be attractive as we haven't filled up our current ones. Still, we will probably begin the project to keep others from doing so.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 08:45:18 PM
MY 2162. The campaign of artifact study continues. We have no special need of defense, but a Citizens' Defense Force could keep our bases safe from conventional forces forever. We are nearing the end of what we can learn with our present labs. New cities with new labs would be required to learn more.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 09:14:27 PM
MY 2163. We have fairly happy citizens. It seems they may be happy forever. Perhaps we are too much scientists, with our toys.
[Limit reached]
Disciplines of asceticism, at least can be conducted from a mountaintop.
[Limit reached]
We have finally used up the last collection of wires and plugs in our various labs. We would need new labs to study more. Although the pace of discovering new artifacts continues unabated, we are advised to hold some in reserve. Also as a practical matter, we simply don't need new cities. By the time we complete these projects, our population could double within its existing bounds.
[Limit reached]
If we ever need to fight someone as powerful as us, well, we're ready. I would have preferred a more civilian insight.
[Limit reached]
We are the world model of self-sufficiency and safety. We have a nominal war with the Usurpers, mainly a matter of them being too peevish to answer our hails and sign a Truce. As our major projects complete, we may actually get our rail system after all, for complete lack of anything urgent to do. We continue our effort to salvage every last piece of space junk on Planet.
[Limit reached]
To prevent the possibility of our economy overheating, we invest credits in excess of 1000 into our leading secret project. One of our finance ministers inadvertently invests our entire cash reserve into the project, which would be a rather different intent. He claims he accidentally typed an extra "1". We think he was embezzling but we have no proof. Fortunately we had a backup of all our bank records and were able to rescind the transaction.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 09:28:04 PM
MY 2164. In the distance our scouts have spotted an immense structure of unusual architecture. Our scientists are calling it a 'Nexus', as it reverberates with fungal pulses. If Planet were a nervous or circulatory system, this could be some kind of pacemaker or valve. We think permanent possession and study of it, would greatly aid our ability to manipulate indigenous life.
[Limit reached]
Our one base doing nothing particularly important, indeed our most recently settled base of the newest and greenest colonists, is ordered to pack up and move again. Well at least they didn't complain and saw it as a good career research opportunity. We will accompany them with quite a bit of other materials, as this Nexus site is important and far flung. We can rely on Cultist protection in the short term, but we must ensure that is not a political necessity over the long haul.
Post by: bvanevery on September 27, 2021, 09:43:39 PM
MY 2165. An irritating settlement by the cyborgs, has blocked our strategic access to the Manifold Nexus site. We can still do it overland, but it will take longer.
[Limit reached]
To save time, we shamelessly offer the cyborgs an alliance, offering nothing but our bright smiles and sunny dispositions as compensation. After all, being the world hegemon, a place at our side is fairly valuable. But the cyborgs have a self-sufficiency ethic and rebuff us. Overland it is.
[Limit reached]
It is strategically difficult to move from one side of the world to the other. In fact, we don't think it's possible. Those early seismic disturbances really cut off our strategic access. It's almost as though someone blocked it off deliberately. We have trouble fathoming a motive for such an act though. Surely, no faction could have done it deliberately. Not in those early days.
[Limit reached]
An eastward passage does exist, that we've barely begun to explore, and certainly haven't moved any transports or Isles into. We will simply have to hold some awkward land.
Post by: bvanevery on September 28, 2021, 06:56:27 PM
MY 2166. The Usurpers gave us a curious spectacle in the bush. At first we thought they had attained advanced weaponry. All they really did, was salvage the USS Unity. Wandering the wilderness, attempting to get closer and closer to the Cult, did not seem to us a viable military plan. We showed them why.
Post by: bvanevery on September 28, 2021, 07:11:48 PM
MY 2168. We have permanent infiltration of the Morganites. This is insurance against losing the Governorship, however unlikely that may be. We would have preferred to have infiltrated the Usurpers, who are not part of the Planetary Council and a mystery to us, but they are landlocked.
[Limit reached]
Why the Usurpers would choose to speak to us now, rather than before we trashed their presumably best field unit, is a mystery.
[Limit reached]
We will nevertheless, avail ourselves of any opportunity, to avoid pointless concerns.
[Limit reached]
Maybe someday you will fight the Morganites?
Post by: bvanevery on September 28, 2021, 07:22:37 PM
MY 2169. Fell deeds are possible during sunspots. We could, for instance, try to gas the Morganites. But they are still a sad little people, struggling so much with their frontier ways, that they haven't even set up the capital markets they are so fond of. We could at least afford them the dignity, of living up to their reputation.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 03:16:50 AM
MY 2171. We infiltrate the Caretakers. Both of our probe teams have now died. They have a surprising lack of endurance, for such a simple operation.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 03:19:38 AM
MY 2172. The Morganites are finally doing what we expect of them. I'm sure they're cutting down numerous trees as we speak. Except, we're not speaking, due to sunspots. I think soon, we make new probe teams.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 01:38:17 PM
MY 2174. Settling here will not gain me direct control of the Manifold Nexus, but it will cut off the cyborgs from interfering with such control. It may simply take awhile to reach our preferred location overland.
[Limit reached]
We may also be unable to have it. Displacing competitors may be a longer term proposition.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 01:45:17 PM
MY 2176. The Cult has taken nominal control of the Nexus, but it is still possible to possess it, by settling closer to it.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 02:45:56 PM
MY 2183. We infiltrate the cybogs. We refrain from stealing technology. Our team survives and plans a mission elsewhere.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 03:49:15 PM
MY 2186. Although we can resume diplomatic relations, we don't wish to. Especially not with our ally Cha Dawn, who could suddenly decide we're not their ally anymore. We are very close to making a firm claim on the Manifold Nexus and wish nothing to interfere.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 04:19:17 PM
MY 2187. We don't really understand these aliens. They are far enough away to be mostly ignored. We are not happy about the Isle they blasted out of the water, but we haven't seen much of a naval presence over the years, and it's a wide ocean. We have mostly extracted every supply pod and artifact out of this part of the world, so have little issue with occasional marauding. We will surely return the favor.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 04:32:58 PM
MY 2188. We were just about to claim the Nexus for ourselves when our allies settled a city nearby and extended their border. It may not be unsalvageable but now we are inching towards our target.
[Limit reached]
We try to buy an unassuming tech, but Aki's self-importance with her more exclusive projects, keeps the trade from happening. We could steal this from Morgan. Or perhaps if we switch production focus to the Planetary Datalinks, we will not need to.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 04:46:19 PM
MY 2189. By settling in the most expedient portion of the peninsula, we are able to extend our own border close to the Manifold Nexus. If our ally has no further colonists, the claim will be ours. We would still need 1 more city to secure our claim permanently, to prevent the same maneuver being done to us.
[Limit reached]
We infiltrate the Free Drones. If we ever lose an election, we will still mostly have intelligence. All that remains is Cha Dawn. And of course the very distant Usurpers, who are not part of the Planetary Council. In fact, given our war with their enemy, we should talk to them.
[Limit reached]
Except, they hate us for the usual unfathomable alien reasons. So we decline.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 05:02:04 PM
MY 2191. We have claimed the Manifold Nexus! We are now free to speak with our allies, as at this point, an expulsion will make no difference.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 05:49:18 PM
MY 2192. What's the story Morgan? Wedding proposal? Desperate need for a pinochle strategy manual? I consider not responding at all, but if it's to be war, might as well exchange the necessary unpleasantries.
[Limit reached]
Why do I suspect this is a prelude to a declaration of war?
[Limit reached]
Should I waste breath in principles such as strip mining will not be tolerated? No, it has not come to war yet. But it is coming. I sign off.
[Limit reached]
Domai has recently embraced God. I hope he's not trying to sell me a Bible.
[Limit reached]
No he's just tech begging. If you didn't spend so much time praying and fornicating, you might know how to build a good mag tube system by now.
[Limit reached]
We didn't even get in a good discussion of how our platforms differ. I suppose he decided that workers must hold power. Whereas we decided the planet must be protected. The concerns are not exclusive and both are anti-capitalist. But if forced to choose, we know our priorities. Why he forces us, when he hasn't even achieved socialism within his own borders... must be sunspots.
[Limit reached]
We're having few wars, thanks. How are you?
[Limit reached]
What's one more war anyways? Marr was going to declare war on me the moment he got a chance to speak anyways. Everyone gets these delusions of grandeur, during sunspots. My real objective, of course, is clearing a straight line between the Cult and the Morganites. Then we can really see some fireworks!
[Limit reached]
I infiltrate my ally. Now an election doesn't matter to my surveillance.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 06:08:20 PM
MY 2193. Unfortunately we're not inclined to birth our way to electoral dominance.
[Limit reached]
Sunspots provided us a remarkable additional period of tenure, but our strength is clearly not in numbers.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 06:45:20 PM
MY 2198. We may not have the population to be the world Governor, but we certainly have the manufacturing and biological capacity, to be the world police. Impositions against sustainable practices will not be tolerated.
[Limit reached]
Our police action is sufficient to quiet Domai down.
[Limit reached]
But not sufficient to divest him of polemics. How does he figure that planting trees makes us a class enemy? Is it because we don't much build factories, perhaps?
[Limit reached]
We cut him off, but think better of it, and hail him again. Maybe the diplomatic pause, caused his advisors to slap him on the back of the head? He talks peace now, his rhetoric muffled.
[Limit reached]
Industrializing. Surely he could see this is not necessary or fundamental to socialism. Our own farms and research forests, could be seen as socialism. It's not like we're commanding anyone to do the work, or even paying anyone any wages. People grow the food because they want to. They plant the trees because they want to. Maybe we're a bit monocultural, but we all believe in growing things on the earth.
I'm not sure we have any class divisions anymore. I suppose there might be strata of technorati. As a research society, the intelligentsia are favored, and that may be rubbing Domai's Workerism the wrong way. Yet, we all work, so...?
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 06:58:33 PM
While surveying Morganic cities for signs of heavy industry and chemical runoffs, we notice an armored Usurper probe team boldly advancing upon the city. Whatever its mission, we think it will succeed. I suppose having a war with Morgan is a good thing, as it depletes Morgan's resources. It does suggest that refocusing Cha Dawn might eventually be prudent. For now though, he needs an impetus to pull his troops eastward.
[Limit reached]
Yes they are officially at war. We ourselves have wiped out a couple of distant Usurper settlements. Our mindworms are not in a good position to render direct assistance to Cha Dawn.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 07:16:52 PM
MY 2199. We believe the Usurpers stole this from the Morganites. In turn, we acquired it from the Planetary Datalinks. It is so helpful to have everything wired up that way. Makes no sense that anyone would have agreed to do it.
[Limit reached]
Quite the long distance mission, we have finally infiltrated the Usurpers. They do not in fact know Ecological Engineering, so someone else must have learned or stole it. Nobody would have traded it, as the Weather Paradigm is not complete.
[Limit reached]
The cyborgs have harnessed the power of Mount Planet and are very close to completing the Weather Paradigm. They are also doing a small amount of eco-damage with their big mine. If only we had a politically acceptable way of blowing that up.
[Limit reached]
We have many excess artifacts, and a large reserve of cash, all salvaged from junk in the bush. We have plenty with which to complete the Weather Paradigm immediately, and thereby hurt Aki's feelings.
[Limit reached]
It takes 3 artifacts and most of our cash to get this done.
Post by: bvanevery on September 29, 2021, 07:26:37 PM
MY 2200. We didn't think anyone could compete with us for secret project completion. Cyborg research must really be something.
[Limit reached]
It seems the cyborgs may become the stock exchange of Planet.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 01:02:36 AM
MY 2202. If I wanted a pretext for war with the cyborgs, I've got one. But considering that I could launch a probe team at them at any time, I don't need one. I will need to get these two to calm down. I want Cha Dawn's energy going eastward.
[Limit reached]
I wonder if Cha Dawn will even take it?
[Limit reached]
He wastes no time.
[Limit reached]
A boy tyrant who speaks of God and the worker's struggle. I think he would say anything.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 02:28:38 AM
MY 2203. Can aliens do our dirty work?
[Limit reached]
We can improve our research if we give up our use of police to calm our citizenry. Given our low population, I think that's quite achievable.
[Limit reached]
Due to the Ascetic Virtues, we can still send our troops afield if we so choose.
[Limit reached]
We have permanently secured the Manifold Nexus against any peaceful claim. We do think it wise to fortify with probe defenses.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn has declared war on the Morganites.
[Limit reached]
With our rail system all but complete, I think it is time to cause trouble for our dear CEO.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 02:42:03 AM
MY 2205. With the Weather Paradigm we have many advanced terraforming capabilities, but they are all destructive, and very much against our policies. Strategically, we do not have anywhere to put additional rails, as we'd have to guard them with population centers. This again is very much against policy. One of the few things we can do, with no impact, is drill aquifers to make new rivers. We can maximize the number of rivers created by starting all drillings simultaneously. We have no idea where the rivers will flow, but generally, they will improve energy production somewhere in our territory, for no impact.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 03:00:28 AM
MY 2208. Marr wanted to talk about being beaten up. I might have agreed to something if he hadn't peppered our conversation with so many threats. He's a useful tool against Morgan, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to wipe out his most distant settlements. It may keep him less focused on expansion, more upon war with Morgan.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 03:52:31 AM
MY 2209. The cyborg areas of research focus must be quite different from our own. I'm surprised they've been able to complete this, without our ever learning the method.
[Limit reached]
Citizens at Gaia's Landing are unhappy enough with "high density" lifestyle that they're willing to colonize somewhere else. Strategic planners believe we should take over the northeast coast, to minimize our water passage to the Nexus. In time, we may even manage a fully connected rail.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn and I have mutually killed a Usurper base. Tactically that's handy because we didn't quite have it sorted. Strategically I hope we're not about to part ways. He's gotten into an awful lot more wars that we want.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn, you're both socialists...
[Limit reached]
I stand corrected. Cha Dawn, welcome to the Green revolution! And with all your mindworms mucking about, we believe you actually mean it. I suppose we will have to back his play after all. Domai is remote; he will tire of that war soon enough. Meanwhile, we already do have mindworms in his backyard, only because we wanted the supply pods.
[Limit reached]
'Conqueror' Marr is about to lose another base. Does he have nice manners this time?
[Limit reached]
Why do aliens make threats when they're losing? New plan: trash base, then talk.
[Limit reached]
I'm thankful that because these frontier bases are small, we haven't had to hold a single one of them. They're just wrecked.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 04:04:07 AM
MY 2210. Marr finallly realizes he can't keep making promises he won't keep. He blames Cha Dawn for the war though, so now we're avoiding talking to our ally again.
[Limit reached]
Smarmy golden parachute ninny.
[Limit reached]
You're the one war we want him on full point.
[Limit reached]
Have I done a sufficient poker face, over my disdain? The mindworms and Isles inbound don't have to go to him. There are a few more pods to clear in Domai's hinterland. Cha Dawn has gotten in so many wars, he hasn't gotten around to asking about war with you.
[Limit reached]
That's fine. I'll finally get to steal Industrial Economics from you, without creating any incident. I'm surprised it hasn't shown up in the Planetary Datalinks by now.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 04:18:23 AM
MY 2211. I haven't previously seen a Morganite ship in those waters. I'm surprised he had the capability.
[Limit reached]
These were not valuable ships, and fortunately, not well armed. What did he pay for this? It's a good case for only using Isles.
[Limit reached]
Unfortunately he sank our foil probe team, which was surprising given its armor. We are simultaneously beset by Domai's probe teams. We can handle it with the "double up" protocol. For some reason, having multiple pairs of eyes keeps the probe teams from exerting mind control. Unfortunately the need to guard a badly wounded ship, makes it impossible to leave base. Morgan will slip away, but we did kill the Free Drone probe teams.
[Limit reached]
I could swear he had over 1600 credits not long ago. Taking our flimsy units may have cost him dearly.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 04:29:27 AM
MY 2212. We wipe out a peripheral Free Drone base. Before doing it again, we see if he wants a Truce. The fewer people we are at war with, the more Cha Dawn will have to ask before dragging us into something again. We can always say yes. However, Domai is ignoring our hails.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 04:38:43 AM
MY 2213. Morgan blew apart our defensive probe team, greatly surprising us. I think he used 2 probe teams for the job. We will, fortunately, be able to counterattack and end this current force. But if another comes, this might be the end of our captured base.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 04:55:58 AM
MY 2214. Our navy just isn't large enough to deal with all of that. Really irritating is they've gained our R-Laser 3-Res ship designs. We might be fighting those soon enough.
[Limit reached]
Their liberation makes them spit words at us later.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 05:19:23 AM
MY 2216. The oceanic squabbling hasn't been all bad. We've managed to get one of our probe teams through, and we also sunk one of our own R-Laser ships.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 05:32:13 AM
MY 2218. While driving our rail up the coast, Aki makes us an offer easily refused. Although I'm sure I could have traded up for Superconductor, I'm just not that interested in it at this time.
[Limit reached]
I don't usually think of Morgan as a military researcher. How did he cook this up?
[Limit reached]
We immediately switch our production of the Universal Translator to the Command Nexus. We have enough cash to complete it immediately, although it takes nearly everything we've got.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 05:59:02 AM
MY 2222. Well that base is Aki's problem now! Who will be its final owner?
[Limit reached]
We are about to establish a complete coastal highway. It would be a rail, were it not for the fungal patches we must cross. Although a few concessions have been made in recent years, forest preservation is still a top priority.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 06:24:35 AM
MY 2224. Aki is 4 years away from completing the Universal Translator. I do not believe we'll be able to steal Industrial Economics before then, so I talk to her about buying it. She says she's "busy". I consider proposing an alliance with her, but she's Capitalist. We consider Morgan to be the real threat, so we will keep the peace with her for now.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 06:43:10 AM
MY 2225. This solves the major problem of our relationship with the cyborgs. If they can't probe us, they can't harm us. They will never beat our mindworms if we decide to use them. This is strategically important enough that we switch the Universal Translator to the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm, and forget about racing Aki completely. We use 5 artifacts and nearly all our cash to immediately finish the job.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 06:52:44 AM
MY 2226. Cha Dawn has so many troops engaged at Usurper cities, that it might be easier to smash through them, than to convince him to go around them.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 09:53:27 PM
MY 2231. With all the size 3 settlements we've been founding, our voting strength is much more than it used to be. We don't have enough to win an election, but we do have enough to decide it. Morgan no longer has the votes to hold onto the Governorship, so we displace him.
[Limit reached]
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 10:39:11 PM
MY 2233. It has been difficult to sail a probe team past the strategic Cybernetic sea base. It is the site of never ending conflict, and any lone team will also be expelled by the cyborgs themselves. They have also occasionally attacked our teams despite no hostile intent on our part. We managed to get 1 team through but we do not care to be in this crossfire any longer.
[Limit reached]
Far to the south, we have the potential to steal from the most remote of Morganic bases. However the waters are heavily patrolled. Our Isles have suffered attrition. With the urgency of building Tree Farms, we may no longer enjoy command of the water. At least the cyborgs are very much at war with everyone, and we do have spore launcher coastal defenses.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 10:45:16 PM
MY 2235. Through concerted action, we have taken the westernmost Morganic base. However it is remote from our incomplete rail lines. It will be primarily up to Cha Dawn to reinforce it, and we don't know that to be their priority.
Post by: bvanevery on September 30, 2021, 10:51:57 PM
MY 2236. We have stolen from the more difficult of Morgan's bases to access. An Isle has nearly died providing a covering distraction. The secret project capability comes at a time when we are very much committed to improving our tree based economy. We do not have the economic resources we once did, as we have mostly removed all salvage from Planet. Our supply of artifacts has similarly dwindled.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 01:30:16 AM
MY 2241. It's very difficult to get through this part of the ocean unaccosted. Even a Truce doesn't guarantee our probe team will not be attacked. Our goal is to steal from Morgan, not be worn out by the Usurpers.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 01:49:15 AM
MY 2242. Cha Dawn broadens his front against Morgan, sticking a finger into the western portion of the CEO's empire.
[Limit reached]
Looks like the finger will soon be a fist.
[Limit reached]
This one should have been in the Planetary Datalinks eons ago. The Free Drones still don't know it! We were too cheap to purchase it from anyone. We always had better uses for the money.
[Limit reached]
Our attempts to interdict the Caretaker sea colonization are mostly failing, due to overwhelming numbers of transports with clean reactors. Each can do no more than die, but we don't have the navy to liquidate so many of them. At least the primary objective of looting the Morganic bases of technology, was achieved.
[Limit reached]
The cyborgs recently began work on the Network Backbone, indicating that they are now a fully Cybernetic society. With the extra revenue that affords them, they have eschewed Free Market enterprise in favor of a Green economy once again. The irony of cyborg society, is that in anyone else's hands, Cybernetic would be somewhat destructive to the environment. But in their case, somehow it is not. Nor would it be, for anyone completing the Network Backbone. However it is a very expensive project and one we cannot hope to undertake, with our currently modest economy.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 02:11:49 AM
MY 2243. The sealurk is fast, and may prove decisive, when we exert ourselves upon the water again. It has the unique ability of attacking those standing upon the land.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn's offensive has been impressive. It has afforded us enough time to build a garrison against conventional attack.
[Limit reached]
We steal improved armor from Morgan, and immediately begin building it in the base we took from him. Although we may not have many troops in the field compared to Cha Dawn, we have an invulnerability to probe teams. That holds the flank.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 02:18:36 AM
MY 2244. We steal bigger guns from the Free Drones. We don't need them, as our mindworms and Isles are surely more powerful. But one never knows what advances a technology could lead to. We are not impoverished in our own research, despite our thieving appearances. Rather, we tend to research things for the betterment of Planet, and others do not.
And now, only the cyborgs have more technology than us. We have exhausted all our foil probe teams, but still have the old land units. We do not seek conflict with the cyborgs but if it were to come to that, we could have their technology with fair immediacy.
[Limit reached]
We nearly take a Caretaker sea base, but our Isles are so worn out we cannot manage it. We lost a badly wounded Isle, trying to kill their last badly wounded ship.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 02:41:48 AM
MY 2247. Our original host of mindworms that we transported across the ocean, finally wears out the Free Drone city that controls the peninsula. Our seizure does not calm Domai's ire. Reinforcing this will be difficult as we have subsequently lost our Isles and have many competitors in the water. We are likely to switch focus of overland destruction of Morgan, while we still have Cha Dawn as a reliable ally. We anticipate friction between him and Aki, as they propose fundamentally incompatible futures for humanity.
[Limit reached]
How important is naval dominance? It would take all our remaining artifacts and money to complete this project before the cyborgs do. We conclude that destroying Domai is inessential. The battle is with Morgan, and we must continue to be a land power. If it comes to war with the cyborgs, we are a land power.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 04:18:02 AM
MY 2248. Morgan buys out a recent Cult conquest. Unfortunately he gets a lot of Recon Rovers in the deal. It does make the front more of a Cult-Morganite conflict though.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 04:22:44 AM
MY 2249. We finally get around to scrapping the one mine in our territory, which was never once used.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 04:42:31 AM
MY 2250. Aki becomes talkative. They have many research advantages and we won't be offering them additional ones. High end exploration research is somewhat our specialty.
[Limit reached]
Given their greenliness, we offer a pact. Surprisingly, they accept. I suppose we do have mostly common enemies, and not having to watch our backs, would be an advantage. Except, there's always a need to watch one's back a little bit.
[Limit reached]
Aki makes Fusion Power a bit expensive for us, but we could make some pretty good ships with this.
[Limit reached]
We anticipate no new colonies, only conquests. We invest a small amount of our budget to leverage the benefits of our virtual worlds and tree farms.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 04:48:47 AM
MY 2251. Aki declares war on the Morganites. I'm pleased we didn't have to mention it. It's baffling that Morgan and Domai have been allied for so long. How committed a socialist can Domai really be?
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 04:59:44 AM
MY 2252. The supply crawler presents us with a fundamental choice between smashing Morgan or pursing secret projects to keep up with Aki. We worry about the cyborgs' rapid advancement but we cannot argue with the military success we're currently enjoying with Cha Dawn. Sticking to the goal of eliminating the Capitalist, seems best.
[Limit reached]
We are going to help the cyborgs build a rail network. We would prefer to learn how to build a rail through fungus, as that would speed up our ecologically safe transit immensely. But until that time, we have the spare capacity. As allies, it will be useful. If we're ever enemies, we anticipate it will still be useful.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 05:11:36 AM
MY 2253. Aki has gifted us with a unit capable of harvesting fungal towers. That may not have been her intent, but we've found them to be a good cash crop. More always seem to come eventually, so we consider it a renewable, if distant, resource.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 05:23:10 AM
MY 2254. It is strictly against our environmental regulations to remove fungus. However if forest should spread over a fungal area in the natural course of events, we will take advantage of the new ecological niche. This will greatly speed our transit time to the north. We see another such long term forest breakthrough farther to the north.
[Limit reached]
In a joint Cult operation, we seize another Morganic city. We would have been happy to let the Cult have it, but we do admit, our immunity to probes makes it easier to hold a front.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 06:52:19 AM
MY 2258. I don't care about the Usurpers' fate. I only want Morgan destroyed. If Cha Dawn asks for more fighting, then more fighting.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn rescinds my treaty immediately!
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 08:27:49 AM
MY 2260. If I insisted that you two not start an ideological war, would it matter?
[Limit reached]
Is this like when rich people steal napkins from you?
[Limit reached]
Well I hardly need make an effort to contact Cha Dawn. We have so many units in the field, it seems inevitable. But if he's not on me immediately, I'll contact him at the end of the year.
[Limit reached]
Her techs aren't a deal but I really need this. It's the key to driving rails through fungus.
[Limit reached]
Surprisingly, Cha Dawn did not pester me. So I bit the bullet and talked to him.
[Limit reached]
I hope I don't have to bribe these two to stay out of war. And if I do, I hope it isn't expensive.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 08:39:52 AM
MY 2261. The Xenoempathy Dome is crucial to our interests. All production will be realigned to complete it.
[Limit reached]
A Eudaimonic society would please Cha Dawn, alienate Aki, and anger our citizens due to all the combat mindworms in the field. It's a bad idea at this time. We'll stick to present society.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 08:53:36 AM
MY 2262. You can't really expect me to put out this fire every year.
[Limit reached]
Am I renting her?
[Limit reached]
Maybe my mistake was trying to make peace before they'd bloodletted their troops. Just too tempting to attack if they're in position to do so. I'll wait until they're more worn out to play peacemaker. Assuming I'm given the option.
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 06:26:31 PM
MY 2263. Three years in a row, this crying and carrying on? The situation is this, Aki. I need Cha Dawn to make overland war against Morgan. Strictly speaking, I don't need you.
[Limit reached]
If this is going to keep costing more money, then I'll have to play peacemaker sooner rather than later.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn's mood is much better than Aki's. By making this loan, we're pretty much declaring whose side we'll be on. We can hope for peace with the cyborgs. If not, for keeping war very limited, until other objectives are accomplished. We really need our rails complete, so that we can pull our troops back from the front if the cyborgs make trouble.
[Limit reached]
Could you please keep your word this time?
Post by: bvanevery on October 01, 2021, 10:15:21 PM
MY 2267. I got a few more years' peace out of that, but I just can't stop their fighting. My alliance with the cyborgs will probably have to end. It's a pity because Aki's started giving me various untrained units. Not especially useful for heavy assault, but good for bulk.
[Limit reached]
That kind of money is a substantial portion of completing the Xenoempathy Dome, a majority chunk of our net worth, and you're not even hurting for cash. If you expect us to regard you as rational after a proposal like that, well, you're not the androids we thought you were. Surprisingly our alliance doesn't end, but she's seething. Once again she makes me take it up with Cha Dawn.
[Limit reached]
Our mindworms have been on a very long crawl through mixed terrain. They have finally arrived at the front and now utterly overwhelm the Morganic defenders. There is nothing remotely fair about this fighting, it is a complete slaughter.
[Limit reached]
An infantry probe team that's been on a similarly long walk, secures some of the tech that Aki's made such good use of. She completed the Network Backbone, so Cybernetic is not an option for us.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn once again utters the words. If it buys 4 more years of peace, that's about all we could expect.
Post by: bvanevery on October 02, 2021, 12:46:45 AM
MY 2268. Using the last of our supply crawler assistance from other cities, and a lot of cash, we complete the Xenoempathy Dome. It allows our troops easy movement through the fungus, connected to roads as part of one giant system. It makes conquest of anyone who has not rid themselves of fungus, rather trivial.
Post by: bvanevery on October 02, 2021, 01:08:10 AM
MY 2269. Our conquests have triggered signs of unrest in our core cities, due to the sheer size of our green dominion.
[Limit reached]
We compensate with an increase in spending on social programs. We have a robust judicial system and could organize our economy in any manner we desire, but we think a balance of concerns suits us best. We do not expect to surpass the Cybernetic Consciousness in research, but we can keep ahead of them in our key area, which is planetary expertise.
Post by: bvanevery on October 02, 2021, 01:23:31 AM
MY 2270. Our increase in social spending, combined with high infrastructure for a low population, has triggered a golden age in many of our cities. The arts flourish, the streets are clean, the trash is recycled, and youth groups practice ascetic conservation with zeal!
Post by: Vidsek on October 02, 2021, 05:16:21 AM
Post by: bvanevery on October 02, 2021, 05:39:59 AM
[Limit reached]
MY 2271. I guess being a lightning rod back and forth between these two, can only go on for so long.
[Limit reached]
Get your breaking of our Pact over with already.
[Limit reached]
Now that I'm more of a one way buffer state, I wonder if I can get a peace between them to stick?
[Limit reached]
17 of our units were sent home from 'Cybernetic' territory. I don't see how what's clearly Cult territory manages to be Cybernetic, just because of a couple of sea bases.
[Limit reached]
Well at least Aki can't complain to me anymore. She can only declare war.
Post by: bvanevery on October 02, 2021, 06:32:08 AM
MY 2272. We've kicked Morgan out of his Monsoon Jungle cities. He has numerous units hiding in the bush, so we will take some losses, but he cannot possibly survive there. We could sweep Morgan into complete submission if we were not worried about war with the cyborgs.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn currently has a Treaty with Aki, but we just don't know if he intends to keep it.
[Limit reached]
With the swelling of our population due to jungle conquests, I thought I could win the election. I did not anticipate that my ally might refuse to back me, and that my margin of loss could be a few carelessly counted votes.
[Limit reached]
Lucky Aki. I can tolerate 20 years of her rule. I'm surprised Cha Dawn can.
[Limit reached]
Post by: bvanevery on October 02, 2021, 07:04:23 AM
MY 2273. Morgan had such a horrific depth of defense in the bush, that our offensive forces are now spent. All we can do now is garrison the cities we've taken and wait for relief.
Post by: bvanevery on October 02, 2021, 07:08:55 AM
My 2274. We have not built any new navy. We harass whoever is vulnerable.
Post by: bvanevery on October 02, 2021, 05:46:29 PM
MY 2279. Our forces have completed their sweep of the Monsoon Jungle peninsula and turn northwards. Morgan's capitol falls. We anticipate his surrender or annihilation in a matter of years.
[Limit reached]
The peace between the cyborgs and cultists is holding, but we do not take it for granted. Rather than work on secret projects or other new infrastructure, we have begun a round of more modern garrison units. Their armor is not terribly advanced, but fortunately, neither is cyborg weaponry. Their research is prolific but mainly centered on matters of science and profit. We can certainly keep up with profit, as our recently completed Hybrid Forests are making us a great deal of money. As each completes and adds more profit, we complete even more. All without building a single factory or mining a single rock.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 12:19:39 AM
MY 2281. The opportunity for foul play arises again. However, we don't really need to gas such a pathetic enemy as Morgan. I only regret that I will not hear his words of surrender.
[Limit reached]
We could use the blackout to choose a future society that makes one of our neighbors unhappy. They'd have nothing to say about it for the duration of the sunspots. However we would never choose a cybernetic future if it harms Planet. We lack the special technology of the cyborgs to keep that from occurring. And we are in an active military campaign against Morgan, making a "home guard only" posture undesirable. It would be logical after Morgan is vanquished, however, as Domai and H'minee are not real threats. The cyborgs could eventually complain, even make war. But with nothing to keep our military busy, we'd simply remind them who owns the land around us.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 02:30:43 AM
MY 2282. We saw a cybernetic needlejet flying over the ocean. We do not currently have a counter for this threat. Fortunately we can expect a number of years of peace yet.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 02:32:59 AM
MY 2284. We capture a Locust of Chiron, giving us a nominal air capability. We find it surprising that others never bother to capture or attack them when they're resting on the ground. A simple scout pulled this off.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 03:05:37 AM
MY 2285. We notice the Free Drones possess a ship with antiaircraft capabilities. Did they steal it from the cyborgs, or did they acquire the technology for themselves? In the latter case, we can steal it.
[Limit reached]
They possess no Air Tracking capability and must have stolen the ship, perhaps using a Marine Detachment. However they do now possess the Gatling Laser, and they have placed their entire society on a military footing. This does make them more dangerous, and perhaps an opponent to be vanquished, if they will not see reason. I still do not fathom Domai's worker chauvinism, as we've proven that an anti-capitalist, factoryless economy works just fine.
[Limit reached]
When we say our economy operates without having built a single mine, it is true. But it elides the narrower point, of whether we have no mining operations at all. We captured from Morgan, a fair number of dirty facilities. Our societal best practices immediately mitigated a lot of the ecological risks, but our terraformers are stretched thin and have not completed more basic infrastructure. Such as a complete rail to connect our conquests. Planting trees is also always higher priority than closing old mines. Trees must be grown generationally and they are the lungs of the planet.
[Limit reached]
We have 2 ancient transports and 2 ancient probe teams, that we think we can use to steal Domai's prize. Our Isles long ago suffered permanent attrition. We had kept the teams in reserve to steal from the cyborgs if necessary, but currently it is not necessary. Some day, we should make new teams for that contingency.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 05:07:24 AM
MY 2289. We use our single Locust as cover to prevent Domai's destroyers from attacking our transport and probe team.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 05:52:01 AM
MY 2390. We succeed at our subterfuge.
[Limit reached]
Domai's cruiser was successfully obstructed while our other transport made it to the safety of a base. We bring the Locust to protect the transport that completed its mission.
[Limit reached]
Aki is obstructing our rail line with her units. We don't think it's a hostile act. It's probably just shuffling because of the Cult walking this way. However as a precaution, we will move our artifact out of the way and stack the base with scouts. We don't think she can penetrate our defense but she does have the new Gatling Laser, and she has given her society over to Power.
[Limit reached]
Our western border does look a bit threatened. Her speeders can do nothing against our ECM 3-Pulse garrisons, and her infantry guns are weak here. She has massed probe teams but due to the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm, they can do nothing. I'm not sure what all these shifts are about. Maybe she really wants to fight someone else, and thinks during sunspots she can just march right through our lands. We'd be happy to let her, if we knew where she was going.
[Limit reached]
We will also complete a Gatling Laser prototype next year. Really the only things we lack are probe teams for rapid theft.
I think an attack against us is nearly suicidal. We have all but eliminated both the Morganites and the Usurpers. Cha Dawn would immediately intervene on our behalf, sealing both our alliance and our future society. Our eastern conquests have extensive infrastructure improvements, are beginning to produce garrisons, and have a full complement of mindworms ready to ride back down the rail.
But, we have not always believed this cyborg to be rational.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 05:58:20 AM
MY 2291. No attack comes. Every year our garrisons deepen. Does Aki even know what she's trying to accomplish? Did the sunspots fry her neurotransmitters?
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 06:26:17 AM
MY 2293. Aki inexplicably transfers sixteen units to our control, including Silksteel speeders we have no technology to make ourselves. If she wants us to fight someone other than herself, she sure has dropped a powerful hint. What internal pressure could prompt such generosity? We see nothing about her social model that would require her to do this. She's running a police state.
[Limit reached]
Bizarrely, in one location she transfers 3 units to us, while retaining at least 8 probe teams for herself. We share a space with a neighbor we have a Treaty with. We will be sure to end this arrangement immediately, as we think no good can come of it.
[Limit reached]
In approximately the same place, we now share our location with our "Treaty mate".
[Limit reached]
And again elsewhere. Has she forgotten that she ended our Pact long ago? It is so odd that we save detailed records of the circumstances. Let no court of law ever declare, that we committed any subterfuge.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 06:42:22 AM
Aki's strange behavior may be explained by her declaration of war upon the Cult. Does she hope I will oppose Cha Dawn in force?
[Limit reached]
We will complete a Silksteel infantry prototype next year. After which we could make, stupendous numbers of the things. To no particular purpose. What we really need is a land and rail link to our 1 city in Free Drone territory.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 07:01:47 AM
We consider Blackroot Palace a "core" city, in that it is old, was settled by us, and was not part of any conquest. It's the city that permanently secured the Manifold Nexus for us, so of course, we want its people to be happy. We have not really cared about making every last conquered Morganite happy, but a higher budget allocation would solve some problems over there.
[Limit reached]
We make a bit more money than we actually need for anything, so we shift our economy into social programs. This pleases fewer Morganites than we might have expected. It is not important. The occasional businessperson is allowed to feel sore that capitalism has come to an end.
[Limit reached]
Aki has left us so well armed that soon we will stop producing military units entirely. We will build enough terraformers to turn the eastern ocean into our personal rail lake!
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 07:18:37 AM
MY 2294. We are finally removing Morgan's legacy mines. We actually believe it will help our citizens live fuller, more productive lives.
Both Aki and Cha Dawn transferred units to me this year. They must want me to be strongest!
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 09:10:56 AM
MY 2295. She armed us, she attacked us. We cannot even fathom. The cyborg is insane.
[Limit reached]
Now our knowledge of Silksteel is official and formal.
[Limit reached]
I'm not sure about the sentient whatever. We will send in more mindworms. Both our probe teams survived, so we will steal more tech next year.
[Limit reached]
They built a modest secret project on what became our border. Cha Dawn bludgeoned it, leaving it lightly defended. We availed ourselves of the proceeds.
[Limit reached]
I don't know what Aki's counterattack will look like, but we took 4 cities from her, and have presented a reasonably strong front. If Cha Dawn sweeps in, she may be in trouble.
[Limit reached]
Even with hostilities breaking out, we are not building new military units. We think our mindworms can accomplish our goals. Our formers will attempt to raise the land at a close point, taking advantage of the war to remove some of Aki's water rights. Her plane may try to shoot our formers, and our Locust will try to blow apart her plane.
Post by: bvanevery on October 03, 2021, 08:09:54 PM
MY 2296. Outright conquest of the cyborgs is certainly possible now. We've also stolen all of their tech.
[Limit reached]
We may still choose for this to be a limited war, stripping the cyborgs of their secret project cities. We do not attempt to take new ground this year, instead opting to heal numerous units with our Monoliths.
[Limit reached]
We have not yet been attacked by Aki's plane. We have driven a rail partway to our land raising point. We put one former out in advance to clear the fungus, but it mysteriously vanished without a trace. Cultist sympathizers among us took it as an omen that we must never clear fungus, even if it makes a land raising operation cheaper. Although we do not believe in such superstitions, it does point out a blind spot in our environmental policies. Another would be the construction of offshore mining platforms on top of sea minerals deposits. It did not seem like many minerals, but ultimately it is a mine that harms aquatic life.
[Limit reached]
We build a long range bomber prototype, mainly because our skunkworks was already busy on another project and the minerals would otherwise be wasted. It will be in service next year.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 01:22:55 AM
MY 2297. Is this better than we would have researched anyways?
[Limit reached]
Well it's an interesting technology of conquest, that we would not usually expect to learn from our planetary and pure science research efforts. At present its use would also be highly illegal. We're not interested in legalizing its use as this kind of population control is rather severe. Nobody pollutes the planet enough to be worthy of genocide.
[This is a bug, from changes made in version 1.51. This tech used to give Thought Control, which does have an Explore benefit due to +++POLICE. Now it doesn't, and should be a pure Conquer tech. Changing my mod accordingly.]
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 01:44:46 AM
Wiping out a Free Drone sea base heals our Locust. Ordinarily this would be a good time to ask Domai for a Truce, but we are still in sunspots.
[Limit reached]
A battle with Aki's marauding needlejet might be close, but our instincts tell us to engage.
[Limit reached]
Whatever beancounter performs the force estimates, is completely and utterly wrong. We absolutely fry the hapless cyborg craft, taking only 10% damage in return. It helped that our enemy was flying over fungus at the time. We think though, that the beancounters simply don't know what they're talking about, when it comes to estimating the outcomes of psi combat.
[Well known bug in the stock binary. Need to check on whether Scient's patch fixes this. The Will To Power mod reworked the combat odds, but I don't know if it fixes incorrect psi combat or not.]
[Limit reached]
And there is our Former again, that mysteriously seemed to vanish last year. Perhaps sharing our location with the Cult, was responsible for it. Did they perform woo?
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 01:51:45 AM
With the destruction of Morgan's last homeland base, our anti-capitalist campaign is complete.
[Limit reached]
Morgan still has an enclave at the south pole. How he managed to get there, and why these cities have survived so long, is a mystery. He's very much at war with the cyborgs, who seemingly could take them at a whim, if only they had such a whim. Morgan is oddly allied with the anti-capitalist Domai, but the latter has provided no meaningful material support. Even the nearby Caretakers want Morgan's head. These cities shall remain a museum curiosity, until such a time as we're ready to accept Morgan's formal surrender.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 05:31:36 AM
MY 2298. The Network Backbone was not terribly well defended, at least not from mindworms.
[Limit reached]
The rail to Alpha Prime is open, but the city is backed by a Sensor Array on top of Mount Planet. Presently we cannot access it. It is also best to have fully healed mindworms for the assault. We've swept the fungus on the western flank clean of enemies. Their most dangerous units tend to be artillery pieces, which tend to destroy our own. All of ours are donated by Cha Dawn. They accomplish only limited objectives, such as wounding speeders and mindworms and blowing up Sensor Arrays.
[Limit reached]
With the Network Backbone, we can embrace a machine culture without doing any harm to Planet. It will irritate Cha Dawn, but we are still in sunspots and he can't do anything about it right now. The increase in our Economy boosts our income by nearly a factor of 4.
[Limit reached]
We don't need nearly so much money, but we could use additional happiness, in our conquered Morganic territories.
[Limit reached]
Our economic adjustment has the elegance of making bricks fly. But truthfully, our cash reserve is large, and continually bolstered by conquest. We mainly need antiaircraft units to garrison our cities, and soon, Marines to clear our coasts.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 06:58:45 AM
MY 2299. We use our plane to escort a ground unit to the Sensor Array atop Mount Planet, and destroy it.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 07:44:17 AM
MY 2300. We're not ready for the cyborgs to capitulate, as we have a number of additional secret project cities to take from them. A surprising number of them are sea bases. We've realized that our sealurks are probably the easiest way to clean out the oceans, but we have to build them.
[Limit reached]
How can a man so beaten be so defiant?
[Limit reached]
To be honest I've completely forgotten about the front with Domai. Nothing has happened in the vicinity of our 1 city in quite some time.
[Limit reached]
The Caretakers will respond to eventual violence. They are fighting everyone.
[Limit reached]
The Usurpers have had this 1 city for quite some time. They are continually shelled by the Cult, who can't seem to manage to conquer it. Only now are we bringing up a surplus of R-Laser speeders to do them in. Will they surrender?
[Limit reached]
Extermination it is.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 07:46:01 AM
This time, it would have been difficult for anyone to oppose us.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 01:54:32 PM
MY 2301. We're rich!
[Limit reached]
They're never getting the Planetary Energy Grid back, so we pocket the money from all the Energy Banks we don't need anymore.
[Limit reached]
We've kicked the cyborgs off the land, losing our needlejet in the process. Let's face it, its armament was not powerful. We still need to take 4 secret project sea bases from them. That will take some time as we don't have a navy, an air force, or any marines.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 02:03:10 PM
We've completed our land bridge to Domai's western border. Soon we will have a rail through it as well. Cha Dawn is still at war with Domai, so perhaps he will harass while we're still in a state of Truce. It would be easiest to sweep through Domai just to get to the Caretakers.
[Limit reached]
Alternately we could build a new rail from our western border directly to the Caretakers. If we eliminated them, we could probably convince the other humans to accept our eternal rule.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 02:50:42 PM
MY 2302. The Empath Guild will easily elevate me to the unchallengeable status of Supreme Leader. If only the Caretakers all die.
[Limit reached]
We realize we do actually have a few Marine units, bequeathed to us by Cha Dawn long ago. They merely do not have powerful armaments. They are perfectly adequate for garrisoning, if other means of taking a coastal base are available.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 04:16:49 PM
MY 2303. This cannot possibly do the Free Drones any good. Domai seems to lack the capacity to estimate how close he is to being invaded and utterly wiped out. He's timed this right as my land forces have nothing better to do, indicating his military intelligence is exceedingly poor. And his big victory was over what, a former? It doesn't even count as military activity, it's pure spiteful provocation. Well if that's what he wishes his reputation to be, we can't argue it. We can only force its utter surrender.
[Limit reached]
Cha Dawn intervened with small mindworms and utterly destroyed the offending Free Drone unit. We searched for any more lurking in the bush and found nothing. Maybe we should empty these cities of defenders and leave them all as walk-ins for the Cult. We really don't need to administer a larger empire at this point. It just makes people unhappy.
[Limit reached]
The rail to our easternmost outpost is complete. It might be prudent to bypass the bulk of Domai's dominion, instead raising Deep Platform Nine and sealing him in a landlock. Then down the coast to exterminate the Caretakers.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 04:22:37 PM
And so end the Usurpers. It's been a long and leisurely time coming. It accomplishes the strategic objective of refocusing the Cult. I'm not sure why they never knocked this one base off. They shelled it forever.
[Limit reached]
We don't actually go in for the theatrics of Punishment Spheres and so forth. But we do enjoy burying the corpse of an adversary at the base of a really tall, beautiful tree. Roots need nourishment! Even if it's all alien goo. Have I been hanging out with Cha Dawn too long?
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 05:04:26 PM
MY 2304. Cha Dawn's 'scraps' are making it easy to take coastal sea bases. Our sealurks are beginning to command the waves.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 07:57:37 PM
MY 2305. Our new air force begins shooting down cyborg planes. We already have AAA units in nearly every base, so it's only the formers in the field that are generally vulnerable. Aki's planes amount to no more than a nuisance. When we have sufficient interceptors to take out her handful of marauders, we'll cease making them. Then it's back to bombers.
Post by: bvanevery on October 04, 2021, 08:45:56 PM
MY 2306. We raise Deep Platform Nine out of the water and to its summary takeover. It was guarded by 1 entire Plasma unit. We are now in direct rail contact with the Free Drone empire, and in particular, to their capitol Free Drone Central.
[Limit reached]
Our long ago captured sea base gains the use of land for the 1st time. Ironically we had begun a Tree Farm just to keep people happy.
[Limit reached]
Domai actually got the idea to defend his base with at least 1 Hypnotic Trance unit, something that our other adversaries have very much neglected. We desired to attack with conventional forces as an alternative, but the Perimeter Defense was daunting. We thought of destroying it, but it's been hardened by repeated abuse. We may have to sacrifice a mindworm to crack this nut.
[Limit reached]
We bring in the biggest one we can find. The beancounters say it's an even match, and this time they're actually correct. We die, but our opponent takes 80% wounds. As that was the only Trance defender, proper slaughter may now begin.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 02:48:22 AM
We were going to try to knock off the next big city along the way with conventional units, but there's that pesky Perimeter Defense again. And this one is just as hardened as the last. We don't have quite enough mindworms to make good on this, and we prefer to force our way down the coast than spread inland anyways. We did use a probe team to walk scouts, scout rovers, and 3-pulse garrisons in our enemy's rear, destroying all Sensor Arrays. Particularly if Cha Dawn sweeps in, we expect that will keep them busy.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 05:03:26 AM
We've taken Domai's entire west coast, landlocking what remains. We've also driven an almost complete rail the entire length of the way, to get to the Caretakers. We're ready for a Truce. Is he?
[Limit reached]
He agrees, but has a lot of cheek about it:
[Limit reached]
I cannot help but feel we've been forced to have false conversations about false choices for a few centuries. We're probably more socialist than he ever was.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 05:16:12 AM
Checking on cyborg tech, we see they've developed missile launchers and drop pods. So we steal it.
[Limit reached]
Our Skunkworks was working on a Sealurk, so we design something expensive so as not to waste the minerals. This is probably the end of the cyborg sea bases.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 05:32:36 AM
MY 2307. We now control the link between the major bodies of water. It's a crowded neighborhood. Once upon a time we were all shoehorning in here.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 06:19:23 PM
MY 2308. Hasn't Domai ever heard of cold war?
[Limit reached]
It took the loss of 3 more cities for Domai to finally realize he can't keep antagonizing us. The battle for the world economic system is over.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 06:32:44 PM
It is time for an accounting with Cha Dawn, to require the cessation of hostilities with our new vassal state. He is not wrong about the seductive problem plaguing our minds, but we're in the middle of a world war. Chips don't come out until citizens have no reason to freak. And by then, I'll be Supreme Leader.
[Limit reached]
"Most brutally," you mean that little hamlet of a few cities that is now firmly under my thumb? Perhaps you fancy yourself an Adolph Hitler, brutalized by imperious Poland.
[Limit reached]
The prophet strains our patience but we have to admit, his messianic zeal has been useful to our cause. Even if he broke Pact with us, our eastern empire is now fully self-sustaining. We would like him at the world table, but we do not actually have any further need of him.
[Limit reached]
He has signed a Treaty of friendship with the Free Drones, and all is well. We note that he no longer pretends to be the mouthpiece of God. He simply controls his citizenry by brutal measures. Well, as long as he's not harming Planet!
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 06:41:12 PM
Our armored amphibious hovertank bludgeons the cyborgs into compliance, kicking them completely out of the Monsoon Jungle and Free Drone region. They will have no base of operations. Mostly we are not making garrison units anymore, instead preferring offensive amphibious empath missile hovertank units. Any amount of shore compliance we need to establish, shall be performed.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 06:45:52 PM
With Morgan's last ally vanquished, we thought it might be an opportune moment to have a nice talk about his future on Planet. We were not disappointed. In his few cities, he can be the model cesspool that everyone else aspires to avoid.
[Limit reached]
He dutifully signs a Treaty with Cha Dawn and only engages in Correct wars.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 07:01:27 PM
Conquering the Free Drones netted us a great deal of money. We use it to complete the Empath Guild. Now our only strict requirement for world domination is to eliminate the Caretakers.
Post by: bvanevery on October 05, 2021, 09:50:58 PM
MY 2309. We are spaceborne, but it brings no real change to our society. Careful eco management has prevented any disaster in the ocean levels. And, none of our victims have any industry left to speak of. Someday we may even retire all of our legacy mines.
[Limit reached]
By raising this cyborg base out of the water, and then taking it over, we can gain near transit independence from the Cult of Planet. With such procedures they will soon only have 1 base through which we must move.
[Limit reached]
Our large force of Impact Artillery pieces do very little damage to the defenders, but they were all free donations from Cha Dawn. We don't worry about it as an act of military 'planning'.
Post by: bvanevery on October 06, 2021, 02:12:32 AM
MY 2310. If Cha Dawn ever expresses antipathy to us, we know what city we want from them.
[Limit reached]
A horde of Sealurks brutalizes the cyborgs. Aside from more Sealurks and some interceptors, we've stopped making weaponry. All excess production efforts are going towards the Space Elevator.
Post by: bvanevery on October 06, 2021, 03:54:20 AM
MY 2311. Having taken every last secret project, it's time for the Cybernetic Consciousness to sign at least a Truce.
[Limit reached]
Usual arrangements. Outbursts shall be met with brutality.
[Limit reached]
We only did it because we conquered your stuff.
Post by: bvanevery on October 06, 2021, 04:15:09 AM
With the cyborgs not a credible threat, we begin the sweep of the Caretakers in earnest. We will probably be limited by the time it takes all our Sealurks to arrive. After those currently in production finish up, we will not be making any more of them.
Post by: bvanevery on October 06, 2021, 04:26:30 AM
MY 2312. Truthfully we don't need new weapons or better troops, but we will build it.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 01:16:47 AM
MY 2314. With massive numbers of supply crawlers, we'll have the Space Elevator finished next year. Unfortunately it does not help us destroy Caretaker sea bases. Technically we could make a bunch of drop needlejets and / or drop cruisers to put into theater and clean up, but our Sealurks are going to arrive fairly soon anyways.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 02:18:28 AM
MY 2315. If we can build it, we will. We could make Locusts too, but, they don't move any faster than Sealurks.
[Limit reached]
We don't really need the massive amount of money we're making, so we give another dividend to the people. We don't really need the research either, but being scientists, we have trouble helping ourselves. Also, we prefer to elevate happiness incrementally, to see how happy people really need to be to be fully productive.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 05:35:59 AM
MY 2316. I didn't see the actual attack. Maybe it was done mistakenly. Usually an ally will terminate a Pact before just outright attacking.
[Limit reached]
Mainly because, Pacts exist to prevent beautiful backstabbings.
[Limit reached]
This goat has had the cheek to go Capitalist when we weren't looking! As though they're the only ones upset about an ideological schism!
[Limit reached]
We take the base we wanted that completes our coastal rail. It doesn't calm Cha Dawn down. He had so much mindworm and spore launcher spam in that base that it's committed a lot of our offensive forces. Fortunately he has plenty of other weak points to get his attention with. Thing is, we don't actually want any of them.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 05:54:28 AM
All of our Amphibious Empath Missile Hovertanks are spoken for, slaughtering numerous Clean Transports in this 1 base. The Caretakers really went crazy on that. I must admit, it has a certain defensive logic. Nothing but sheer piles of defenders to get through.
[Limit reached]
We take a Cultist base that's connected to our rail line, because it is poorly defended. We commit the old Gatling Infantry to the task. We still hold mindworms and scouts in reserve.
[Limit reached]
This is the Cha Dawn we known and love. Of course he could just attack us again next year. I get him to knock off his war with the Free Drones, which will at least prevent any further crossfire surprises. He won't sign a Treaty though.
[Limit reached]
As a precaution against 'surprise' attack, we protect our large and badly wounded "door force" with a Gatling Interceptor. It doesn't look like he has anything in the region to attack us with, but you never know.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 06:05:00 AM
In addition to all our supply crawlers, we spend 70 credits to complete the Cyborg Factory.
[Limit reached]
We have 3 Aerospace Complexes, 2 of which are out of range of any targets. They are producing the new Drop planes, which will help with cleaning up the Caretakers. The 3rd base has a target in range, so it is producing conventional planes. All will be bioenhanced.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 03:35:10 PM
MY 2317. We must have sunk at least 20 Clean Transports in just that 1 base this year. At such a rate, it may take us 3 more years to finally conquer the base.
[Limit reached]
The rest of the Caretaker water holdings are beginning to collapse. The Sealurks have arrived.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 04:00:52 PM
MY 2318. Cha Dawn still had a few mindworms wandering around in our recently conquered territory. It is not surprising that he tried some kind of vengeance with them.
[Limit reached]
The spammy Caretaker sea base finally succumbs.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 04:21:58 PM
After many supply crawlers, we spend 66 credits to complete the Neural Amplifier.
[Limit reached]
We now lack a secret project to absorb our supply crawler economy. We begin cashing our saved and captured artifacts.
[Limit reached]
We don't need anything. Except for the Caretakers to die.
Post by: bvanevery on October 07, 2021, 04:29:45 PM
We take a Cultish base because it's contiguous and poorly defended. It doesn't shut Cha Dawn up.
[Limit reached]
We take another base to get a Truce out of him. We offer a Treaty and of course he declines. We don't bother to ask him to stop fighting anyone else. He's only going to offend again.
Post by: bvanevery on October 08, 2021, 02:34:37 AM
MY 2319. Here we go again. In retaliation we knock off 2 cities, which doesn't result in compliance.
Post by: bvanevery on October 08, 2021, 02:51:42 AM
MY 2320. We pay 58 credits to complete the Pholus Mutagen.
[Limit reached]
The first Drop Missile Needlejet enters service. Who should I destroy? Logic says the Caretakers, but emotion says Cha Dawn. I have conventional planes nearly in range of Cultist territory, so logic wins. The Amphibious Empath Missile Hovertanks got diverted to fighting Cha Dawn, because his cities are no longer connected by rail and my Formers are all busy with more important matters. The Sealurks are mostly completing the original mission of liquidating the Caretaker sea bases, but Drop Needlejets can hurry that up.
[Limit reached]
We suffer fatigue after an orbital insertion, so absent real combat pressure, it's best to announce ourselves by preying upon the weak.
Post by: bvanevery on October 08, 2021, 11:36:41 PM
MY 2322. With supply crawlers we complete the Manifold Harmonics. We are Planet friendly enough to extract maximum benefit from it.
[Limit reached]
We have many more supply crawlers in progress, so we cash more artifacts to gain another secret project to work on.
[Limit reached]
This counts, but like everything else we learn, we just don't need it.
[Limit reached]
We are reminded that some of our conquered Morganites are still unhappy. We pare down our research budget and increase social spending.
[Limit reached]
A Tree Farm is the limit of what we'll build for the far flung provinces. There's too much corruption and waste for it to be worth giving them anything more expensive.
Post by: bvanevery on October 09, 2021, 04:16:28 AM
MY 2323. We prefer to build only 1 secret project per city. That's in case any ever get nuked. Although realistically, that is never going to happen as we're the only faction with Planet Buster technology. We still haven't built one because we're prototyping Probability Sheath armor. We're waiting for our preferred secret project city to finish a supply crawler. In the interim, 9 of our supply crawlers call Gaia's Landing home, and provide abundant energy for it. This is our only primary research center, where all available laboratory facilities were built.
Post by: bvanevery on October 09, 2021, 05:19:43 AM
MY 2324. After supply crawlers, we spend 136 credits to complete the Nethack Terminus.
[Limit reached]
After cashing 2 artifacts, we begin the Living Refinery.
Post by: bvanevery on October 09, 2021, 05:45:08 AM
MY 2325. This is perhaps the end of history. Although we once thought a low population was essential to planetary preservation, now we believe that we are so in tune with Planet, that it does not matter.
[Limit reached]
We reduce our research to the minimum rational amount, so that we are not completely wasting our extant facilities. We still have 5 artifacts we can cash to make technological progress.
Post by: bvanevery on October 10, 2021, 03:07:31 AM
MY 2326. We expect these 4 remote land bases to be the final gasp of the Caretaker empire.
[Limit reached]
Bases that have little growth potential, that we might otherwise be inclined to build supply crawlers with and not Habitation Domes, we switch to drop garrison production.
[Limit reached]
This turns out to be only 1 base, Alpha Prime, atop Mount Planet. Hard to grow trees there.
Post by: bvanevery on October 10, 2021, 03:26:39 AM
MY 2327. Cha Dawn calls an election. Gosh I wonder who's gonna win?
Post by: bvanevery on October 10, 2021, 05:27:16 AM
MY 2328. Aki gets chatty in the ocean. She doesn't sign my offered Treaty. Now I find it's because she wants a license to do whatever. Well unless she learned Algorithmic Enhancement she's not going to get very far with that. And even if she did, she still won't. Not like there's much left of her.
Post by: bvanevery on October 10, 2021, 07:32:33 AM
MY 2330. The Cult of Planet has made a surprisingly stiff offense against our border city with them. It's connected by rail to them, and not to us. Since our Formers have been disposed to more important tasks, we haven't sought to rectify that. We merely dump an excess of various units in this general direction, and Cha Dawn chews them up. We have quite a bit of apathy for this fighting as the only decisive battle is with the Caretakers.
[Limit reached]
We stick to plan and perform our 1st drop on the remotest of Caretaker cities.
[Limit reached]
The 2nd remote city also goes down, being poorly defended.
Post by: bvanevery on October 10, 2021, 09:13:30 PM
MY 2331. The 3rd Caretaker land city goes down. Maybe the 4th won't be the last holdout of their empire after all.
Post by: bvanevery on October 10, 2021, 10:17:38 PM
MY 2332. 1 of 2 remaining Caretaker sea bases succumbs.
Post by: bvanevery on October 11, 2021, 04:43:47 AM
We finally admit that the Cult is causing us problems. Rather than make all manner of expensive and time consuming Drop units, it is more cost effective to make more Formers and link our front by rail. We have plenty of troops, they're just not where they're needed.
Post by: bvanevery on October 11, 2021, 05:35:59 AM
MY 2333. The cyborgs decided to attack and threw all manner of planes at us. They lost many, but sheer numbers caused us some damage. We do have some old interceptors here and there, but they're very far from the fronts.
[Limit reached]
We stick to plan and take over the last Caretaker land base.
[Limit reached]
We complete part of our link to the Cultish front.
[Limit reached]
We switch our Sealurks around, leaving a sea base undefended that we think will be hard for the cyborgs to reach. Marines will provide garrison cover next year, freeing some Sealurks for sea operations.
Post by: bvanevery on October 11, 2021, 06:46:23 AM
MY 2334. The last Caretaker sea base is vanquished.
[Limit reached]
Now we can finally get on with telling all of humanity how great I am!
[Limit reached]
For sake of form, we fight off the Cult with our new rail, and put a substantial obstacle on the route to stop them bothering our base.
[Limit reached]
Although we could have completed the Cloning Vats by now, we haven't. Instead we've proceeded with developing our entire empire, for the day when they are complete.
Post by: bvanevery on October 11, 2021, 07:01:52 AM
How long did this take? Domai capitulated in Mission Year 2308. That might mark the beginning of the end of the Caretakers, although I think we were sailing Sealurks in their direction before then. At any rate, at least 26 years. We could probably have done it much faster, if we had adopted a more militant and less civilian outlook on our development. A powerless sideshow, hardly seemed the thing to trouble ourselves with.
[Limit reached]
Aki and Cha Dawn were both friends once. But they hated each other, and that was toxic.
[Limit reached]
I will commence erecting statues in my honor, empathing my requirements to the local governors, generally singing all my own praises! Brr, whhzz, grr, click.
[Limit reached]
Democracy schmemocracy. Long as it's Green.
[Limit reached]
I love flying ceremonial flags in the stratosphere. Granted the material requirements are not exactly conservation.
Post by: bvanevery on October 11, 2021, 07:18:34 AM
The game thinks I suck. I don't play for score, but it's pretty annoying when I make a decent empire, and the game just says, naaah, you suck. They must be capitalists.
[Limit reached]
I had the infrastructure for massively more population than I ever actually grew. I could have, but I minced about Eudaimonic's POLICE penalty. I also never signed a Global Trade Pact because I worried that it would interfere with my Supreme Leader vote. I didn't have a realistic sense of how long it would take to defeat the Caretakers using only peons.
My use of Formers this game was pretty minimalist. Anything with a rail touching it, dies, and I just didn't bother with the Cult until the end. I never built a single Soil Enricher. In my mod they're expensive now, so really only good if you've got lots of Formers and not that many cities.
I don't think the AI knows how to use the cheap Drop Needlejets and Drop Interceptors I made for it. Never saw anything that looked like dropping. Probably better to just make them plain Laser Needlejets and Laser Interceptors, so that the AI makes a cheap unit that can destroy Formers. Maybe mindworms too, if anyone makes it to Empath ability.
I need to redo the cost of Hypnotic Trance. The AI is not making all the various Trance garrisons I designed for it. It probably thinks they're too expensive.
Post by: Hierophant on November 05, 2021, 07:20:32 AM
Post by: bvanevery on November 05, 2021, 12:43:13 PM