AAR 6 - Final Doom

[ete]

And sorry BlueFlux.. You kinda got the short end of the stick there. I think playing first may have been a disadvantage, unlike what Green1 had planned. You don't have as much you can do to optimize, and with a fairly balanced faction against all of our monsters.. you needed every advantage you could get. Hopefully your last base will live through to next play, but if not maybe you could take over University, or actually..

Why don't you take over the Annihilators, assuming I'm not back in time to play? They should be in an at least decent position, unless Yitzi really crushes into them, or Green1 goes for a massive distance invasion. If you do, just build a ton of bases, and sell almost all defensive units (right click->disband on the base screen) if there are any. Always more bases and SPs as Annihilators, and try really hard to probe everyone if you can get probe tech somehow.

Yeah, I'll stick with my trusty RUnit. Honestly, what I'm most worried about is the AI losing my last base. I mean, Ivana ignored your transmission (which I hope with what you said afterwards was for peace) so that means your still in a great position to go and attack what remains of us. My allies aren't helping either, from what I can tell. I probably did get the short end of the stick, but better me than someone else, right? I'm for the RUnit if it miraculously survives Final Doom. Otherwise I'm probably going for the Stranded. I feel bad for them, stuck in a worthless rock. Hopefully they get strong and defend themselves from the Exterminatus.  It looks like your annihilators may be stuck in a see-saw battle between the Exteriminatus, with the Stranded going either way and the Fascists waiting out the storm.  But that is pure speculation.
I hope that Green1 and Yitzi have a little sympathy for me if they come upon my lone base.

Also, nice AAring comapared to me! I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Okay, good luck. It's in a decent position to hide for a while, but the AI has only one unit defending a size one base, and if the Annihilator or Stranded AI turn on you, or even University, it's going to fall.

I was really trying to get the Red Unit to surrender, that was what I was going for with the war.. but they never did. All I wanted was your technology, which is likely still way better than mine.. When it got to "attack now and you're eliminated", I had nothing to gain from the war, so I just left, hoping your AI will surrender to mine.

And yea, I think the heavyweights are Exterminatus and Annihilator right now. The Stranded could certainly pull something off though, they're by far the best techers, especially if Yitzi takes the Annihilator eastern bases and the University while building heavily at the same time, and the others fight among themselves due to the Stranded's extreme defenses. The Fascists.. I doubt have much chance of winning. They could plausibly beat any one faction with good play, but most likely that'd make them a target for the next. Maybe taking University, then Exterminatus, while Annihilators lose waves of attackers to the Stranded's tachyon fields.. but it'll be hard. University is okay, but don't have much going for them. They're better positioned than the Fascists, but also weaker. Red Unit is out of the running almost entirely, and Cult is just dead.

[Flux]

Red Unit is out of the running almost entirely, and Cult is just dead.

Yeah, at this point I'm just hoping to survive Final Doom, I know I really don't have a chance of winning unless I maybe made a bunch of bases on my border and then a bunch of defensive units, then went for the University. It's a shame I don't have control for another 40 turns. Green sure does make it seem like once he's in control it'll be more survival and less conquest. We'll see...

[Yitzi]

Red Unit is out of the running almost entirely, and Cult is just dead.

Yeah, at this point I'm just hoping to survive Final Doom, I know I really don't have a chance of winning unless I maybe made a bunch of bases on my border and then a bunch of defensive units, then went for the University. It's a shame I don't have control for another 40 turns. Green sure does make it seem like once he's in control it'll be more survival and less conquest. We'll see...

Don't be too sure you can't win...

[ete]

One size one base without much resources and one unit, against three massively overpowered factions, all of which have very threatening operations (Annihilators have 33 bases with a HQ in each, Stranded have level 4 reactors, size 9-10 bases, and probably by far the the best research on Planet, and Exterminatus is.. the Exterminatus. It's an unstoppable engine of death, and it's comfortably established.).

Even just vs AI playing every turn, he'd be lucky to keep more than a couple of hidden seabases alive for long.

I could imagine the University is in a possibly winnable position, and maybe the Fascists if they play the monsters off each other perfectly, but Red Unit is not. Definitely not playing only a few turns, and against humans.

[Flux]

-snip-

You need to be more optimistic! 
 
I've still got 10,000 people following me, and if the AI is smart and makes some more bases, I could take the border a bit more...
If the University swore brotherhood, we could both share research. Then, we would be very advanced. Then, we could transcend! Alright, that isn't very realistic. But I'm confident that I can at least keep 1 base, even if it's in a remote bit of Sea with no land intact.

[ete]

If you get another turn without the AI hunting you down, yea, you can probably hide a base somewhere it'll take ages for the AI to track down. That's 40 turns away though, and the Annihilators may have gone exponential in a way no one can stop. I've seen games before where they get a critical mass of bases, flood troops, and everything on the map just dies. I *think* I may have given them that critical mass much sooner than they usually get it by going insane ICS into the Cult's old lands, and if so.. everyone should be very, very scared. Even the Exterminatus.

[Yitzi]

If you get another turn without the AI hunting you down, yea, you can probably hide a base somewhere it'll take ages for the AI to track down. That's 40 turns away though, and the Annihilators may have gone exponential in a way no one can stop. I've seen games before where they get a critical mass of bases, flood troops, and everything on the map just dies. I *think* I may have given them that critical mass much sooner than they usually get it, and if so.. everyone should be very, very scared. Even the Exterminatus.

Never mind the Exterminatus; the civilizations halfway across the galaxy should be very, very scared.

(Although, are we playing with "free captured faction leader" as possible?)

[Green1]

Yitzi, I accept your switch. I will load game and play shortly.

BTW, YES! Captured leaders CAN be freed.

Also, I have a feeling even if the humans do not survive, this one is going to be a knock down drag out! If that occurs, I have no problem sharing an Exterminatus turn with one of you guys. I mean late game WAR, like you rarely see.

[Flux]

Yitzi, I accept your switch. I will load game and play shortly.

BTW, YES! Captured leaders CAN be freed.

Also, I have a feeling even if the humans do not survive, this one is going to be a knock down drag out! If that occurs, I have no problem sharing an Exterminatus turn with one of you guys. I mean late game WAR, like you rarely see.

Flux is excited to see this. Will the Stranded play tomorrow?

[ete]

I'm very interested to see the heart of Exterminatus territory, and their military command nexus, to see how it compares to the Annihilators. I'm also very curious to see how much they can accelerate with a human steering. My current best guess is that the Annihilators go exponential, start fighting the Fascists and mostly win while Exterminatus tries to take some bases, then crush into the Stranded hard with MWs just as Yitzi plays, which he'll.. probably fend off, but not have enough resources spare to develop like he'd want. Then when BlueFlux and Jarlwolf have their turns the Annihilators will mostly clean up the Stranded while the Annihilators and Exterminatus fight like titans, ending when a human takes the next Annihilator turn with Exterminatus unable to keep pace with the flood.

Second best guess is an Exterminatus+Fascist alliance takes the Uni and eastern bases, and supports the Stranded, pushing the Annihilators back until the Exterminatus turns on the others and wins. Or someone gets nukes, and everything blows up a lot.

Green1: Good luck, and may the best monster win.

[Yitzi]

I'm very interested to see the heart of Exterminatus territory, and their military command nexus, to see how it compares to the Annihilators. I'm also very curious to see how much they can accelerate with a human steering. My current best guess is that the Annihilators go exponential, start fighting the Fascists and mostly win while Exterminatus tries to take some bases, then crush into the Stranded hard with MWs just as Yitzi plays, which he'll.. probably fend off, but not have enough resources spare to develop like he'd want. Then when BlueFlux and Jarlwolf have their turns the Annihilators will mostly clean up the Stranded while the Annihilators and Exterminatus fight like titans, ending when a human takes the next Annihilator turn with Exterminatus unable to keep pace with the flood.

Second best guess is an Exterminatus+Fascist alliance takes the Uni and eastern bases, and supports the Stranded, pushing the Annihilators back until the Exterminatus turns on the others and wins. Or someone gets nukes, and everything blows up a lot.

Green1: Good luck, and may the best monster win.

By the way, Green1, besides your turn, I also need, for my part, information on the background of the Exterminatus (essentially, where did they come from?  Were they originally Caretakers or Usurpers who then took a different path, did they split off at the same time they did, did they predate that split, are they not actually Progenitor at all, etc?)

[Flux]

I'm very interested to see the heart of Exterminatus territory, and their military command nexus, to see how it compares to the Annihilators. I'm also very curious to see how much they can accelerate with a human steering. My current best guess is that the Annihilators go exponential, start fighting the Fascists and mostly win while Exterminatus tries to take some bases, then crush into the Stranded hard with MWs just as Yitzi plays, which he'll.. probably fend off, but not have enough resources spare to develop like he'd want. Then when BlueFlux and Jarlwolf have their turns the Annihilators will mostly clean up the Stranded while the Annihilators and Exterminatus fight like titans, ending when a human takes the next Annihilator turn with Exterminatus unable to keep pace with the flood.

Second best guess is an Exterminatus+Fascist alliance takes the Uni and eastern bases, and supports the Stranded, pushing the Annihilators back until the Exterminatus turns on the others and wins. Or someone gets nukes, and everything blows up a lot.

Green1: Good luck, and may the best monster win.

By the way, Green1, besides your turn, I also need, for my part, information on the background of the Exterminatus (essentially, where did they come from?  Were they originally Caretakers or Usurpers who then took a different path, did they split off at the same time they did, did they predate that split, are they not actually Progenitor at all, etc?)

The art is a Usurper wearing a green crown. I would think they are Usurpers.

[Green1]

The Exterminatus are a fundamentalist cult who believe that through exterminating any lesser or greater creature than them, they can achieve a godlike evolutionary state. They believe that they are the force for natural selection, and travel the many star systems looking for creatures to fight so they may evolve.

[Flux]

The Exterminatus are a fundamentalist cult who believe that through exterminating any lesser or greater creature than them, they can achieve a godlike evolutionary state. They believe that they are the force for natural selection, and travel the many star systems looking for creatures to fight so they may evolve.

Nobody asked for you to be here! Just do your AAR already! 



Don't take any of that too seriously.

[Green1]

I.. Awaken...

We have tracked the anomaly here. Our religious texts command us. But, an enemy is here. Now calling themselves the Stranded. Pathetic. Weak. We shall exterminate them. One of their puny bases is across the sea to the north.

The abominations are also here. reports indicate that a human faction known as the Red Unit and another we have not seen yet has all but succumbed to these monsters. Typical. But, what is a predator to do with such temping and easy prey? This will make things more difficult.

Also, across miles of fungus infested wilderness, we can see the bases of another human....

For now, though the focus is on OUR prey... the Annihilator abominations and the genetically inferior Stranded.