Marr vs. Random, 256x128 map

[bvanevery]

Dialing back the map size after my bad Zhakarov game.  256x128 is 4x the size of a Huge map, still pretty big.  Let's see if I don't get as many bugs.  30%..50% water.  Average erosion, cloud cover, and native life.  Transcend.  SMACX.  Random 7 of 14 standard factions, including my own.  No Unity pod scatterings except for landing sites.  Fishing artifacts out of the ocean has been too much of a crutch.

I get Marr of the Usurpers.  Checking Help->Factions to see who else is in the game.  Caretakers are in.  Also Morgan, Lal, Aki Zeta 5, Roze, and Domai.  Well, playing one of the aliens usually makes games pretty easy, but we'll see.

I get a map scan as a faction power.  I am on a large elongated island.  There are many such islands, near enough to each other that land bridges and monotubes could be viable ways to get around the map.  Some areas aspire to be small continents.  A lot of these masses look eroded, like they will sink during global warming.

No supply pods.  Game probably decided I'm powerful and don't need more advantages.

I can see a tuft of nutrients with rolling, moist soil nearby.  I don't want to settle the tile I landed on because it is rolling, that would waste minerals.  Due to an irregular coast, water, fungus, and more rolling squares I'll have to move a bit before settling, but not far.  An extra 3 turns probably, assuming I don't find anything else, which I may.  As Marr I have 3 colonies to plunk down.

There's also a sea nutrient square nearby, but those aren't the greatest things since they lack minerals.  Worth having of course, but not really part of an "awesome land city settlement" calculation IMO.  Oops, it's covered in sea fungus, so not a consideration right now anyways.

There's also a river system to the west.

The alien factions get to do directed research as one of their powers.  Also I get Centauri Ecology, Progenitor Psych, Biogenetics, Applied Physics, and Field Modulation as starting techs.  So I don't have to worry about getting Formers late this time.  That crippled me in my last game.  If I settle quickly, I may beat H'minee (is that almost pronounced 'harmony' ?) to Secrets of The Human Brain.

In a recent game I played, I was human and committed lots of atrocities against an alien faction.  I didn't seem to suffer any consequences for it, because I was human.  Over 17 years I've almost never used nerve gas pods.  Recently I've discovered they're highly effective at wiping cities completely off the map.  There can definitely be reasons to prefer that, like when you already have a large home empire and don't need someone else's crybabies making you less efficient.  Plus all the real world wall clock time to improve those captured cities.  Kind of a hassle.  Human vs. alien atrocities is kind of a no brainer because alien bases would reduce to size 1 anyways, you hardly get anything when you take them over.  Alien vs. alien atrocities, might not be as sensible because I presume I can take a fully populated city intact.  So I will be contemplating the question of atrocities when the time comes.

I send a colony and the ogre slightly to the south, towards those nutrients.  The ogre functions as a police unit, and that nutrient square should get a good sized population going.  I send a colony unaccompanied to the west, into the river system.  I send a colony and a scout up a land bridge to the north.  To the east is ocean.

Scouting south, the one appropriate flat square in range of the nutrients, is going to be a poor site.  However there's also a landlocked flat square, that would make a pretty good site, as it can get a lot of the river system.  I will take that.  On such a big map, it is not critical to have my capitol have a port.  Also in SMACX, unlike other Civ games, you can build naval secret projects like The Maritime Control Center in landlocked cities.

North patrol finds sea nutrients offshore with no fungus.  There's a flat coastal square that will be in range of the other fungus covered sea nutrient as well.  I will take that.  Not the most exciting setup, it will need cultivation, but it ain't nuthin' either.

West patrol finds nutrients covered in fungus.  Then minerals covered in fungus on rocky ground.  That's worth mining, even if it takes some time to dig out.  I can easily get a secret project out of that.  I walk up a fungus infested river to do slightly more scouting with my remaining movement.  Next turn I will backtrack 2 river squares and settle on a flat section, in range of both the fungus covered nutrients and minerals.  It will overlap my capitol's area, but the potential to build secret projects is worth it.

This is a rather Formers intensive starting arrangement.  I could stand to get cracking on improving all these resource specials immediately.  I might be going kinda vertical to start with.  I will continue to scout around to see if there are any other must have resource special bonanzas nearby.  I love me some minerals!

But this game the theme is nutrients.  My capitol turns out to have a 2nd nutrient square, covered in fungus.  Or the west city could utilize it.  The north city has a 3rd land nutrient tile, in addition to the 2 sea tiles.  Gonna have some fat happy aliens!  Nutrients + forest is still minerals, so these are going to be some pretty smooth cities.  I defend all my bases with scouts, lest mindworms show up.  I make 2 scouts to go explore the rest of the island.  Otherwise I need to get cracking with Formers.

I select Social Psych as it it's the stepping stone to Secrets of the Human Brain.

Minerals on rolling arid terrain to the immediate south.  Nutrients on rolling arid terrain to the immediate northwest.  So I will want to spout 2 more colonies quickly.  First Former comes.  I don't work its home city, I send it immediately towards the city with fungus covered minerals.  Don't even build any roads, just get there and get started.  Then start making a colony pod, even though Social Psych is imminent.

2116.  I get Social Psych.  Starting on Secrets of the Human Brain.

Awful lot of fungus on those river squares.  A mindworm larvae appears.  Hope it's too weak to kill the scout in my city.  I remember Formers can be surprisingly tough, so I move it back into my city and hope for the best.  Odd, it went away from my city, along the river system.  Maybe that's a pathfinding thing.  I still expect attack, so I don't move my Former out.  My other Former is vulnerable on the nutrient fungus square, but the mindworm went the opposite way from it, and the city is now closer.  So that Former should be safe.  I start trying to clear the fungus.

Heh, called that one right!  It came at my city all the way from the south.  Clever git.  But its effect on my Former in city, was nothing short of spectacularly pathetic.  I'll take a turn to heal up.  Crisis averted.

2121.  I get Secrets of the Human Brain!  I am cool.  Gosh, what should I spend my winnings on?  I doubt I need to explore right now.  I've got 3 excellent city sites already established, with 2 more good ones waiting, all in a tight grouping.  This argues for a Planned economy, as inefficiency won't be affecting me for awhile yet.  So I need to work towards Planetary Networks.  I pick Information Networks to get the party started.  Hmm, oddly my next 3 research choices do not include it.  I start researching Industrial Base.  I don't need Doctrine: Mobility or Centauri Empathy right now.

Radio chatter says I am very strong, Caretakers are almost as strong, humans are all equally weak.  Everything's going fine.

[bvanevery]

2128.  Recreation Commons completed at the mineral city.  Minerals are not actually mined yet, but I planted a forest on the other flat nutrient square.  Building a sensor array there to, as there's a lot of fungus and I've been attacked once.  Starting The Human Genome Project.  Nobody else has started anything.

I have 5 cities, guarded by scouts.  I'm not exploring the island right now.  I've got a tight, viable grouping with a lot of resources to bang out early secret projects with.  The odds of anyone else being on the island, or coming to it, are minimal as this is a giant map.  I will nail the secret projects, then explore more.

2135.  Starting The Weather Paradigm in another city.

2137.  Starting The Merchant Exchange in my capitol. 

2138.  Could start a redundant secret project so that it will become The Virtual World.  But it wouldn't be at my highest mineral output base.  Not yet, at any rate.  Forests will eventually be planted to go with the food, and then it will be high output.  Some forests are already planted on flat ground elsewhere and are increasing minerals output.  Building more sensor arrays because they go with the forests and I've got enough formers to afford it.  7 formers for 5 cities.

I've got no secret project competition.  It would actually be sensible to switch The Human Genome Project to The Virtual World in 9 turns, and have someone else build The Human Genome Project.  Except that it'll actually be done in 9 turns.     Guess I'll leave it be, on the principle of "a bird in the hand...."  The Weather Paradigm city has almost got its forests built, so maybe that becomes The Virtual World.  I guess, all things considered, my weakest city now should start exploring.

Slightly annoyed that I don't have Doctrine:Mobility to begin producing a professional military.  I'll consider it after I get Planetary Networks.  But at the rate I'm cranking, I wonder if I go straight to Doctrine:Loyalty and build The Command Nexus.  Perhaps it's best to send out cheap ships, to see where threats might be.  Oops, don't have Doctrine:Flexibility yet.  Well whatever.  Scouts it is then.

Better idea.  I will scout my island with Formers, by building roads!  There's no law that says I have to use a scout to do scouting.  I'm not going to run into anything, I just need to know what my land looks like.  To really goose it, I will build Rover Formers.  They are expensive at the beginning of the game, but it's a good move when one wants to keep down support costs.  Their mobility is usually worth it.  Oops, don't have Doctrine:Mobility yet.  Fine, I'll just build regular Formers.

2141.  2nd minerals endowed city begins redundant copy of The Weather Paradigm.  One of those will become The Virtual World in 8 years.

2149.  Human Genome completed.  Planetary Networks researched.  Switching to Planned economy.  Waste is minimal because my 5 cities are tightly grouped.

H'minee starts The Weather Paradigm, she's finally in the game.  Need to decide how to block her, but still sweep the table with all the secret projects.  Think I'll finish The Merchant Exchange 1st, somewhere other than my capitol, as it hasn't been outputting as strongly as other cities.  Then move my capitol.  Then finish The Weather Paradigm.  She might end up with The Empath Guild as I'm not going that route yet.  Doctrine:Mobility followed by Doctrine:Loyalty and The Command Nexus is more valuable to me.  She won't beat me on The Virtual World, even if she's gotten Planetary Networks.  It takes awhile and I'm sure to have a minerals advantage over her.  For that matter, I might run the table before she can complete The Empath Guild.

Worrying about scouting isn't so important to me after all.  I just didn't want to build Scouts.  Building Formers is fine, I still have uses for them.  Haven't finished planting trees and clearing fungus.  Plus assuming there are no surprises, I'll have The Weather Paradigm and can then start with Condensers.

Switched The Merchant Exchange to the city with 2 sea nutrients.  That's a better idea anyways, as eventually I can put thermocline transducers out there and make wads of cash.  Will presumably also become the research city too.

So, cities are producing The Merchant Exchange, The Weather Paradigm, 2 copies of The Virtual World, and Formers.

2157.  I've got enough Formers now.  11 for 5 cities.  They've built all the important tiles that are getting worked.  They're starting to do things like improve the road network and clear secondary fungus squares.  Building a Probe Team so that it won't cost me more support.  Will scout the island with that.  Starting to think about where Condensers might go, but truth is, food is not my problem.  So maybe I need to think of something else.  I have refrained from building solar collectors as some of my nutrients are arid, and I figured I might want Condensers on them.  But Doctrine:Mobility when I get it will have taken like 18 years to research, so something needs to change.

2158.  Domai starts The Merchant Exchange.  Roze starts The Virtual World.  I'm 1 turn away from completing The Merchant Exchange by regular production.  I pay to complete the last 4 turns of The Weather Paradigm, to really stick it to H'minee next turn.  Roze will never catch me on The Virtual World, I only need 12 and 14 turns to complete those projects.  Actually a little problem is I may have wasted some secret project productivity.  I had expected to have a new tech for a new project by now, but my research is slower than expected.

2159.  I complete both The Weather Paradigm and The Merchant Exchange, totally sticking it to H'minee and Domai!  They're out of the secret project race.  Roze continues on, but she will fall soon enough.  Figure I'll build Network Nodes to go with my upcoming Virtual World.  Will build Condensers on the arid nutrient squares.  Then drill aquifers on them, so that they also provide energy.

I am not a fan of early Thermal Boreholes.  They aren't actually worth anything until one's got both Ecological Engineer and Advanced Ecological Engineering, to remove both the minerals and energy restrictions.  By then, getting minerals isn't a problem.  Conventional mines provide piles of minerals, without pissing off Planet quite as much.  Still, I have played alien games where I've gone straight to EE and AEE and built buckets of thermal boreholes.  Like every single tile I could possibly fit them into, obeying all the "not adjacent" and "flat ground" rules.  I will consider it later.  Right now I'm kicking everyone else's ass, so I wouldn't call it an imperative.

Realized I can't drill aquifers on tiles adjacent to existing rivers.  That messed with some of my intended Condenser sites, so I'm relocating 2 of 'em away from rivers.  I'm going to raise some land near one city, get rid of some sea squares that aren't generally as productive as land squares until much later in the game.  I'll do it without ruining the port.  It will likely yield more arid, river free land that will then be good to put a Condenser on.

My biggest minerals city is balking at actually using those minerals, as it tries to grow.  So I'm going to uproot the forest with the flat moist nutrient and put a Condenser there.  It's on a river square already, won't need to drill.  I don't like tearing up stuff I've already built, but at least in the case of forests, you get 5 minerals back for them.

2164.  Started researching Doctrine:Loyalty but scientists are predicting 17 years to complete.  May speed up when I get network nodes built various places.  I'm going to end up wasting a fair amount of production in one of my Virtual World cities.  I will send units to take support from 1 of those cities, to slow 1 of them down.  Unfortunately only 1 city has a raft of units needing to transfer support.  Everyone else has perfect support.  Oh well, I am kicking ass.  I guess it's quibbling to want to kick ass perfectly.

Bought a network node in my new capitol, since it was showing 9 for Labs.  Now it's 14 for Labs.  I'm not going to get that level of improvement anywhere else, so I don't think rushing other network nodes will help me much.  I think it only shaved a few years off of my Doctrine:Loyalty research.

[bvanevery]

2168.  Morgan alters my rainfall.  Since I have The Weather Paradigm.  I'm guessing he triggered an earthquake or volcano.  Is he nearby?  Or does the game have baloney rules that affect things over a long distance?  I'm currently scouting my island with probe teams.  Not going to waste time on untrained units, and not going to build Command Centers when I've got The Command Nexus coming soon.

2171.  Virtual World completed.  Cities with network nodes are building probe teams.  Don't have anything else to produce.  I've located more resources for colonies, but there's no point as I haven't exceeded my happiness capacity yet.

Mildly interesting: a Condenser built on Rocky ground, yields no nutrients and only 1 mineral.  So I will have to level the thing.  Previously it was arid.  Wasn't sure if I actually wanted it there, but I decided I couldn't futz and perfect forever, things gotta get built somewhere.

2176.  Doctrine:Loyalty researched.  Command Nexus will be completed next turn by severe overkill.  Will build some trance resonance garrisons.  Decided it's time to get off the island, going for Doctrine:Flexibility.  None of the other options would give me an immediate secret project to start on anyways.  Won't change to Police State.  I'm doing just fine with Planned, don't want more inefficiency.  I need to keep growing, nothing has hit size 7 yet.

While waiting for ship building tech, tried designing some expensive terraformer units, to see if I thought they were worth building.  Like trance resonance armor formers.  Not worth it.  Some simple rover formers can be worth it though.  I've also made some "trance resonance defensives", basically armored speeders with hand weapons.  Someone's AAR featured  a plain synthmetal version of the armored defensive speeder, so thought I might give it a go.  However he was fighting someone in close quarters, basically a rush, whereas I'm not.  This is for mindworm intervention, and I haven't seen any.  All my cities are garrisoned with a scout, a recon rover, a trance resonance garrison, and a probe team now.  There won't be any trouble from mindworms, and if a faction shows up I can definitely stall 'em.

2187.  Got Doctrine:Flexibility so can get off the island.  First order of business is actually chucking out sea formers so my capitol can have more food and energy.  I'm starting to do some colonization due to population pressure in size 7 cities.  Researching Centauri Empathy next so I can get The Empath Guild and continue my secret project rampage.  That is predicted 12 years hence, not exactly lickety split.

I'm reputed to be tied with the Caretakers.  I've got the most tech and all the secret projects.  She's supposed to have military and pop.  Domai's got the money.  Roze has got the territory.  I am said to be winning overall.  Us aliens are twice as powerful on the bar chart as all the other human factions, who are all equal.

2193.  H'minee begins The Empath Guild.  I'm 5 years away from the tech.  I've been building a lot of units, so I need to shuffle the support of 1 of my cities around to lighten the load.  I will still totally kick her ass.  Aside from my massive minerals, I've got 413 energy saved up.

2198.  I begin The Empath Guild with a 15 minerals city!  482 credits in reserve.  This will be cake.  Researching Industrial Economics.  Need to bang out The Planetary Energy Grid and The Planetary Transit System.

2203.  I complete The Empath Guild with a big wad of energy credits.  H'minee is blocked again!  Now I get intelligence on everybody.  H'minee has got Industrial Economics and Ethical Calculus.  I don't.  She's at war with Lal and Domai, so they might be disposed to help me out.  I'm Planned but planning to go Free Market soon.  I probably don't have to piss much of anybody off, regarding my social engineering choices.  Hmm, Aki will be Quarrelsome with me.  Wonder why?  Maybe ignore her for a bit.

Lal doesn't have any tech, let's see if can show me where H'minee is.  Lal allies!  Interesting, he's my next door neighbor.  Aha, there's Alpha Prime, right next to him.  So that's why they don't like each other.  No prob.  Will tell Aki to knock it off.  If she gives me lip, I'll go steal her impact rifles.  Maybe kick her ass too, she's right next door.  She's reasonable, she signs Treaties with both of us.  Wants 150 for her impact rifles.  I've got 147, will TTYL.

Domai signs Treaty, sells me Industrial Economics for 100 credits.  Now targeting Adaptive Economics, should have it in 7 years.  Declaring Free Market, 'cuz I wanted to anyways, and to have something to talk about with Morgan.  He's got Gene Splicing and I'd like to grab that.  Also Ethical Calculus although he's not the only provider.  I sold a comm frequency to Domai so I have 97 credits, enough to change my social model.  Saving game just in case the math on this isn't what I expect.  Net income before change is +21.  After change, and switching to 40-20-40 economy, net income is +28.  A slight improvement, and now Morgan should like me.  Adaptive Economics now will be had in 6 years.  Also my empire is becoming a bit more spread out, so I need to be more efficient.  I'm done exploring my island.

Morgan signs Treaty.  He's Solicitous but won't ally or trade tech for tech.  He will sell me Gene Splicing for 175 credits if I come up with it.

Roze doesn't want a Treaty, feels threatened.  She's at war with Morgan.  Says Morgan started it.

Well, didn't find H'minee, but I did get ahead on tech.

Talked to Lal again, in case he wanted to buy a comm frequency.  He had a map of Consciousness territory.  Which I didn't pay him for, because he's going to show it to me in just a second anyways.  Allies are so drole that way!  Aki is small, like Lal.  I presume all the humans are small, maybe 4 cities each.  I will try to get them all to make peace with each other, and alienate H'minee.

[bvanevery]

2204.  I keep checking back with Lal, hoping to sell comm frequencies, and move him along to Planetary Governor since I've contacted everyone.  He got a map of the Free Drones.  They're far away.  No evidence of the Caretakers.

Morgan raised his price on Gene Splicing slightly to 200, but he did sell.  Says Roze started the war with him.  What's with these two?  Odd also that he wants Doctrine:Flexibility but will not trade Ethical Calculus for it.

Sold Roze's commlink to Lal for 50 credits.  Domai is feeling Obstinate, don't think I'll talk to him about selling me Ethical Calculus right now.  Get some money together, see if Aki will still sell Nonlinear Mathematics.

Now my Formers need to farm all those rainy squares I didn't previously farm.

2209.  Got Adaptive Economics.  Will research Industrial Automation.  Starting The Planetary Energy Grid in 16 minerals city.  Hmm that city does 19 Eco-Damage.  Wonder if mindworms will show up?  19 turns to completion.

Lal got a map from Roze.  She's somewhat nearby.  Lal is only missing Morgan's frequency now, so I should only need to check back with him a couple more times.  No sign of H'minee.

2210.  Aki sells Nonlinear Mathematics for 150 credits!

Lal buys Morgan's comm for 50 credits, so he could be Governor now.  He does have the votes, if nobody allies against him, and presently no humans are at war with him.  I've done my work.

2211.  Roze contacts me, signs Treaty.  I tell her to call off vendetta on Morgan, she complies.

Lal obtains map of Morganic territory.  Morgan is sitting on the Monsoon Jungle.  He didn't start there, he's colonizing it.  Presumably he's not a superpower because of his size 4 base restriction until he builds hab complexes.  Let's see if I can get an alliance and/or Ethical Calculus out of him, now that he's not warring with Roze.  No alliance, but he sells the tech for 100 credits!  I sold him H'minee's comm frequency so I've got 53 credits left.  Let's see how he feels about alliances after she pushes him around some.  Hm, well, won't happen just yet.  They now have a Truce.

I now have tech supremacy.  Nobody has a tech I don't have, and I have techs that others don't.  If I had an artifact, this would be the time to cash it.  But I don't, as I'm not playing with supply pods.  Theoretically the Sargasso Sea could be out there somewhere with a few pods to find.  Lord knows where.

For all this wheeling and dealing, I still don't know where H'minee is.

2214.  Roze starts on The Planetary Transit System.  Need to block her.  6 years until I've got Industrial Automation.

2215.  Morgan starts The Planetary Energy Grid.  Need to block him too.  Not sure if I have enough minerals to make 2 cities free of support burdens.  I've got maps of these guys, let's see what their completion times are going to be.  Roze: 67 turns, not to worry!  Morgan: 52, 41, and 25 turns.  What a dumbass!  Morgan has a huge energy reserve though, 1702 credits.  I don't think the AIs typically spend huge wads to complete things, but I'd rather not take the risk.  Morgan does not have Industrial Automation and is currently researching Doctrine:Flexibility.  He could have had that from me ages ago, but he didn't want to trade techs.  So, finish the Grid to block Morgan, don't worry about Roze.

2219.  I get Industrial Automation and choose Wealth social engineering.  Income +41/turn.  Planetary Energy Grid in 7 turns.  Starting to build hab complexes.  Researching Intellectual Integrity next.  The police won't do me any good, but I can block anyone trying to build The Citizen's Defense Force.

2222.  I complete The Planetary Energy Grid using a few hundred credits.  Morgan is blocked.  Roze needs 40 years to finish The Planetary Transit System.  I'm building hab complexes, then will start on that.  Income +81/turn!  Heck I've got the cash, I just buy a hab for my 16 minerals city and queue The Planetary Transit System for next turn.  Keep on truckin'.

I have fully explored the coastal waters of my island.  I've got 3 skimship probe teams I'm pushing around the map manually.  Experience has shown that automated explorers are extremely stupid, and also that bugs can make the units completely disappear.  So, someday I'll run into something I hope.  If not there's always Sky Hydroponics Labs.

2224.  Domai has allied himself with H'minee and has attacked Morgan.  Oddly H'minee is sitting that out, despite the announcement of a combined attack a minute ago.  Whatever.  No strategic value in conquering Domai.  He's very far away, and like all the humans, has nothing I want.  Only thing that matters is finding and killing H'minee.  Still no clue.

2228.  H'minee begins The Citizen's Defense Force.  I guessed well about what someone would try to build next.  A few zillion games of SMACX will do that.  Starting a 2nd copy of The Planetary Transit System, to become The Citizen's Defense Force in 2 turns.  Really need to build some defensive units for my farthest bases, I've been skimping.  Fortunately there's no need to settle any new bases for awhile.

Caretaker spore launcher spotted on big continent south of Aki!  It could be a long distance wanderer.  If H'minee is hiding on the biggest land mass, it would explain a lot.  How the game can say we're equal is beyond me.  I've built every secret project anyone has acquired tech for.  Except the present footrace, which I will surely win again.  Will switch secret project production just to be sure of it.  She doesn't have Industrial Automation. 

[bvanevery]

2230.  Dammit, Morgan starts on The Planetary Transit System.  He has that huge threatening wad of cash I don't want to deal with.  This interferes with me blocking H'minee.  Hope she doesn't have her act together, I'm blocking Morgan.

Assuming H'minee is where I think she is, invading her is problematic.  Morgan is growing in production output.  I'm not sure I can invade H'minee and maintain secret project supremacy at the same time.  Maybe I can get a foothold on her.  Without getting probe teamed into oblivion though?  I guess we'll see later.

2231.  Finished Planetary Transit System with a pretty large wad of cash.  Morgan blocked.  H'minee works on The Citizen's Defense Force in 2 unknown cities.  I need 20 turns to complete, but can count on enormous renewing cash.  Maybe I can do more than I think.  But for now, I want to maintain my secret project lead.  First things first, need to find her and steal her world map.

2233.  Aki seethes at me about Roze.  I don't care.  She is weak.

2236.  Citizens Defense Force completed with a big wad of cash.  H'minee blocked.  Wow, thought it would be 20 turns and actually took 5!  I'm a terror.  Doctrine:Initiative in 3 years.

Haven't talked to my Pact buddy Lal lately.  He's Obstinate and has conjured Polymorphic Software.  Won't trade tech for tech.  Will sell for 175 credits.  TTYL.

2238.  Morgan bugs me about Domai.  He's Ambivalent about me, but sells me Ecological Engineering for 200 credits.  Bully!

2239.  Got Doctrine:Initiative.  Starting The Maritime Control Center.  Researching Planetary Economics because I love The Ascetic Virtues.  Even if I am Free Market now and it doesn't do me that much good police-wise, I may change later.  Also jacking cities to size 16 is grand.

My big cities are building Research Hospitals.  I've got a lot of forests.  I'm going to leave them alone.  I'll probably have Advanced Ecological Engineering fairly soon.

2240.  Lal dumps me.  I guess the sex wasn't good.  For him.  I forgot to buy Polymorphic Software from him.  Wonder if he'll still sell.  SEETHING?  Seriously?  Look I know your rear is still hurting but.... [progeny of unmarried parents] won't sell.  Well, I don't really need it.  Anyone else have it?  Roze, but she's seething too.  Nobody likes me anymore, I must be too powerful.  I predict a Planetary Datalinks in my future.

Graph shows me at slightly 2nd place.  How can I only be Potent?  Well I guess I haven't built much for military units.  Certainly nothing powerful, just mindworm defense, that I haven't even needed.  I'm like this super spy faction.  I can see what everybody except H'minee is doing, and I know where everybody but her is.  If she's got some huge spam army, she can hardly hide it anywhere I don't suspect.  It's probably where I think it is.  It isn't gonna sneak up on me, I've got lotsa water in the way.

2244.  Domai declares war on me.  What a maroon!  What's he gonna do, imagine his way to me?  He's on the other side of the world.  And if he were my neighbor, he'd be instantly dead.  Or I'd do the "take 1 city" routine, to shut his mouth for awhile.

2245.  Completed The Maritime Control Center with a big cash input.  I'm running out of things to build.  Rover formers I guess.

Roze seethes at me about Lal.  Why would I care?  You two are both Democrats.  If you are fighting, you are idiots!  Screw you.  Die or something.

2247.  I begin the mighty Trance 3-Res Cutter, favored unit for establishing long distance shipping.  I shall smite thee.  Also The Ascetic Virtues.  I guess I want free artillery so I will research Cyberethics.

2252.  The Ascetic Virtues completed with a big wad of cash.  That reduces my "away" drones from 2 to 1.  Not that it matters because I still don't know where H'minee is.

2255.  Got Cyberethics.  I start The Planetary Datalinks and switch to Knowledge.  I'm still making +80 credits/turn.  Researching Advanced Ecological Engineering because I'm tired of energy restrictions and I've got buckets of trees to farm.

[bvanevery]

2259.  H'minee begins The Planetary Datalinks.

2261.  I finish The Planetary Datalinks with a big wad of cash.  I get Advanced Ecological Engineering.  I start researching Neural Grafting.

2266.  Got Neural Grafting.  Researching Bio-Engineering.  Not starting secret projects because I'm still building my thermocline transducers and tree farms.

2267.  Caretaker transport and armored rover encountered at southernmost tip of largest land mass.  Same land mass I saw their spore launcher, so long ago.  It must not be their continent, they are just exploring it.  I've realized that since Domai is H'minee's ally, I can steal his world map and find out H'minee's location that way.  But Domai is very far away and my skimship probe teams simply haven't gotten over there yet.  Also, if they ever do arrive, they might get shot out of the water before being able to steal.

Because I have searched most everywhere else, and have not seen Caretaker activity even vaguely near me in all this time, I think they're in the extreme southwest corner of the map.  I myself am in the north middle.  The continent I originally thought they were on, is in the south middle, but I've traversed much of its coast now and have found nothing.

Oops, went 3 squares south and spotted Caretaker skimship at the end of my movement.  To those who are about to die, we salute you!  Interesting, he is pounced on by 3 skimships.  H'minee must be close by.

2272.  Got Bio-Engineering.  Researching Centauri Meditation.  Eventually I might like to get The Pholus Mutagen in order to lesson my eco-damage.  I'm not planning on building any new cities for awhile.  The west half of my island has plenty of Rocky ground that I can mine.  I'll send supply crawlers out there.  My minerals will eventually become so prolific that I may have a mindworm problem.  On the other hand, I'll surely have hybrid forests everywhere by then.

2276.  Lal seethes about Roze and declares war on me.  What an idiot!  I'm not going to even dignify him with a military response.  I've got hybrid forests to finish.

2278.  I complete The Longevity Vaccine in my capitol with a huge wad of cash, to get the Free Market base economy bonus.  Domai sinks my skimship probe team as I'm approaching his home waters.  I've only got 1 ship left searching.  If it dies maybe I'll just wait for a Sky Hydroponics Lab rather than pushing any more ships around.

I complete Centauri Meditation.  I am made to suffer the indignity of researching Polymorphic Software myself.  Why hasn't The Planetary Datalinks picked it up yet?  I did get Optical Computers that way.  I am reminded that I could steal it from Lal.  If I can be bothered to cough up a cruiser probe team.  Uuuh, it won't be finished before I'd research the tech anyways.  Better plan: rush a trance destroyer transport, fill it with probe teams I've had sitting around since forever.  160 credits just to goose this?  Not sure it's worth it.  On the other hand I'm rich, and routinely raising ocean floors at 128 credits a pop now.  Fine, I'll spend.  The indignity.

2280.  I complete The Neural Amplifier by ordinary production.

2281.  I steal Polymorphic Software from Lal.  I start studying Superstring Theory as it's a prereq for Monopole Magnets.  Since I've got 3 more probe teams on my ship, I investigate the cost of taking over Lal's base.  It's only going to be 500 credits and I've got double that in reserve.  So I do it.  I get the "Truce after takeover" phenomenon that I want.  Then some kind of UI bug, has Lal declare a Vendetta because I stole from him!  Hey you've got the sequence of events wrong dummy.  Hey, this has !#$#ed my Integrity rating, that's not acceptable.  I'm restarting this turn.  The moral of the story is, don't talk to the vanquished until after you've looked at your mind controlled base.

This time, I close the channel.  I execute the land colony pods.  I can't execute the sea colony pod, I don't have a ship.  I've got -6 minerals so I will need to disband some of these units he left me.  I deliberately used 2 of the res garrison units to kill the colony pods, so I could disband the wounded.  I've got 3 impact rovers and an artillery, quite sufficient to trash another city down the road I think.  Dammit, his Former and another Colony Pod got in the way.  I wounded his former with a res garrison that only had 1/3 moves.  My unit died; maybe not a totally smart move, but I have to disband units anyways.

Oh wow, I've bought way more than just 2 impact rovers.  I've got 7!  Probe teams are way overpowered.  At least this time, it's working for me instead of against me.  Wonder if I can just ask for Lal's surrender.  I can't tag his next city, it's too far away.  Also I'm a Free Market, I can't just leave units in hostile territory, and keep my captured bases under control.  I kill his last colony pod and reshuffle support so that each city has +1 mineral production.  Since I disbanded, I'm able to rush a Recreation Commons in the 1st city I took.  I pull my trance destroyer transport into port and move 1 probe team into each city for defense.  He will have trouble doing to me, what I just did to him.

The irony is I think I gained a big wad of cash from taking him over.  This cost me very little!  Sorta like "here's your free army."

He won't answer my hail, so the war must continue.  I will bring all my probe teams down.  I'm Knowledgeable and vulnerable to probes.  Looks like I'm going to have to completely trash Lal to secure the line.

2281.  Lal bribes one of my impact rovers and blows up 1 of my defensive probe teams.  But he doesn't mind control the city or even steal any techs.  He's left 3 probe teams vulnerable in the field and I execute them all.  I trash his next city, then declare a Truce.

2284.  Learned Superstring Theory.  Starting Advanced Military Algorithms.

2289.  I finish The Xenoempathy Dome with a huge wad of cash, because I've got excessive cash.  +255 credits/turn!  Coincidentally, H'minee tries to start it the same year.

Morgan starts The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.  16 turns to complete, and he has 2124 cash.  A problem.  I get Advanced Military Algorithms in 1 year.  Some of my hybrid forests are completed so I'm just building supply crawlers now.  Hopefully I will straightforward beat him.  If he were brighter, he could have this.  I can't get a probe team over there fast enough to steal it from him.

2290.  Pre-Sentient Algorithms in 7 years.  I cut it to 6 years by adjusting my economy to 30-20-50.  I am taking penalties, -6% Labs, -12% Econ.  I pay to finish all my Research Hospitals, and a Biology Lab.

2291.  Pre-Sentient Algorithms predicted in 5 years.  Did all that buying not make any difference?  Does it take a turn to kick in?  I pay to complete a lot of hab complexes in size 9 cities that are now celebrating.

Also odd: I know UN Criminal Tribunal had a trance res garrison before.  It's gone now.  What happened to it?  I know I didn't deplete the minerals.  Maybe I killed it on that Former.  Oh well whatever.  It's not on the front line.

2292.  Pre-Sentient Algorithms predicted in 4 years.  Those labs don't seem to have made any difference.  Further oddness: when did I switch my economy back to 40-20-40?  I don't remember doing that.  Oh well.  Shuffling it does not change the 4 years.  Morgan needs 9 years to finish Hunter-Seeker and could buy it right now if he had a brain.

[bvanevery]

2295.  At LONG LAST my last skimship probe team, from the start of the game, has found a Caretaker base.  Looks like a sea base from the border of it.  I do not have enough movement remaining to crash in and steal her map.  I will back off a couple squares into some fungus and nail her next turn.

Do I get an award for tonnage of piled up supply crawlers, awaiting my chance to build The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm?  I put them around the city I intend to do the building, rather than in it, just so I wouldn't have to deal with any UI shenanigans.  Any leftovers, can go west to all those mines and condensed nutrients I've developed.  I would have made rover crawlers, despite their additional expense with mere fission reactors, but I needed to ensure I was ready for The Hunter-Seeker no matter what.

2296.  Pre-Sentient Algorithms obtained.  Researching Superconductors as a prereq for Fusion Power.  So, it takes 10 supply crawlers to complete a secret project the size of The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.  Good to know.  Morgan is such a dummy, boy is it gonna suck for him next turn.  I suppose he doesn't have any idea what techs I have.  I'm an alien so even if he were the Governor, he'd have no intel on me.  I'm the one with The Empath Guild.  He's way too far away to have gotten a probe team to infiltrate me.

I have 9 surplus supply crawlers, not to mention my pile of 1789 credits.  I'll send the crawlers to convoy the nearest mines.  Cities are now producing rover formers, those will be sent west.  Let's see what kind of absurd output I can generate before Planet objects.  If that scales up ok, I could make a land bridge to a nearby large island and mine even more stuff.

Small irritance: H'minee had researched Bioadaptive Resonance.  So I had to steal that and didn't get her map.

2297.  The Hunter-Seeker Algorithm completed!  I watch the whole cutscene just to bask in the glory.  Well ok honestly I listened to it as I typed this up, not like I haven't watched it a few zillion times.  I'm naming this glorious day "International Morgan Is Stupid Day".

2298.  Goddamn.  Unbidden, Morgan offers to sell me a map of H'minee's installations for 50 credits.  You bet!  Even though he's Belligerent, I hereby rescind "International Morgan Is Stupid Day".  So, it only takes 198 years to find the enemy.  Well looky that.  H'minee and Domai are symbiotic next door neighbors.  That's part of why I didn't find her.  I incorrectly assumed they'd be more "spread out".  Also, the map I got of Domai's territory was from earlier times.  She never showed up in what I could see of him.

She's kinda spread out on the water.  Also on several islands.  No large cities, nothing even size 7.  Ticker says I've got the tech and the pop.  She's got the mil.  Morgan has the land and the money.  Sitting on the Monsoon Jungle, he has emerged as 3rd place.  I think I'll keep him around for a long time, just for laughs.

Logistically, H'minee and Domai are about as far away from me as one can be on this 256x128 map.  How will I conquer them?  A vast navy would do it, but I'll be pushing units until the cows come home.  I could wait for The Space Elevator.  Those probe teams were so bloody effective against Lal, maybe I should push a handful down there and just buy mayhem.  With +349 credits/turn that's not exactly dumb.

I actually don't have to conquer Domai.  I just have to put him out of the fight.  Heck he would probably make peace once I completely destroy H'minee, don't really need to fight him at all.  Yeah, sounds like a plan.  His military contribution will probably be zero anyways.  Just approach H'minee from the west, away from Domai's patrolling skimships.  Sounds like a plan.

Gonna go watch Rogue One while contemplating my inevitable victory.  [...]  Oops misread the theater schedule.  Back to conquest.

[bvanevery]

2300.  Lal asks for a Peace Treaty, since our truce is about to expire.  I sign it.

2301.  Got Fusion Power.  Researching Advanced Ecological Engineering.  Made a mistake saying I got it earlier, I meant Environmental Economics.  AEE gives Soil Enrichers, useful for driving population up.  Although, some bases are now starting to get to size 16 anyways.  Wonder how far away from Habitation Domes I am?

3 Cruiser Probe Teams head towards destiny.  I'm not willing to push around a lot more units than that.  Let's see if they're enough.  There's always orbital insertions.

Huh.  2 Caretaker impact infantry are on the west side of my island, where I've got all the mines, rover formers, and supply crawlers.  They must have been sailing for a really... long... time.   Ironically I have nothing to fight them with, nor any probe teams, since I sent those all to garrison Lal's captured bases.  But it shouldn't be a big deal to cough up a fusion powered chaos rover.  Worst he can do is wreck some of my improvements; I'll just rebuild them.

2 speeders will be on their way to target next year.  How do I manage to have 41 minerals and no eco-damage?  Are hybrid forests that good?  This is new to me, having a base this buff with minerals, at this point in the game.  I could make some really, really expensive units.  But there's no point, as it would take too long to send them anywhere.

2306.  Enemies executed.  Building sensor arrays to warn about this crap in the future.

2307.  This is most uncool: Lal has a sea base which is utilizing my land minerals.  I will have to put a city out this way, to claim the land.  Just as well, I've got some overpopulated size 16 cities anyways.  Got Advanced Ecological Engineering.  Researching Synthetic Fossil Fuels because my tech choices are now bottlenecked.  All my older cities have built Fusion Labs.  I'm building Centauri Preserves because I have little else to bulid, not because I need them.

2309.  I sent my 1 skimship probe team out a different direction from the cruiser probe teams.  It has bribed a Caretaker sea base.  I disbanded a transport that was caught in the wake of my takeover, and was able to rush a Recreation Commons.  My hope is that when my cruiser probe teams get to work, they will be sent back to this base, rather than all the way back home.

2312.  Got Synthetic Fossil Fuels.  Starting on Doctrine:Air Power, which leads to Orbital Spaceflight.  I'm sending my rover formers back to my cities to build soil enrichers.  My slow, plain formers I'm leaving out in the bush to build more sensor arrays.  I'm not bothering to build any super formers, no need.  I continue to send out rover crawlers to my mines, but soon I won't have any mines left on this island.  I've sent a rover colony pod to make my land claim.  I've increased my cash reserves to 2000 credits in anticipation of taking over Caretaker bases.  My cruiser probe teams still aren't there yet.

I'm doing a bit of the Oprah Winfrey.  Cars, cars, cars, for everyone!  Armored trance cars, chucked out 1/turn from my most minerals hogging base.  They shall protect my cities from the mindworms that never come.  Because I have not typically built factories in SMACX, I think this is now the largest number of minerals I've ever had in any game.  It always seemed too punishing, Planet getting pissed off.  Well I guess hybrid forests are sweet.

Ok now it's really time to go see Rogue One.  "We swear!"

[bvanevery]

+1 for Rogue One.  Worth my $6.41.  Only problem is, now to finish this game I'm thinking, "Where's my Death Star?"

I really need better tech so that I have something worthy of all this minerals production.

I've got it, I know what I need to do now to goose my research.  Send sea crawlers out from my capitol.  Park them on sea energy squares.  Develop those squares with tidal harnesses for more energy.  Make the sea crawlers armored in case an enemy shows up.

I don't have very many land energy squares.  I did raise one to 2000 meters.  However if I raise it any higher, it will ruin a sea energy square on the coast.  That's what made me realize what I need to do.

Other cities, I can just keep doing more rover crawlers for more minerals.  When there aren't any more, I could do food.  However I don't think food is actually a problem for me.  I'm sending my rover formers back to soil enrich my farmland.

Seems like the magic threshold for units with clean reactors is 50 minerals.  If a base can chuck out 50 minerals, then it can chuck out various clean reactor units at 1/turn indefinitely.  Clean Super Formers, unfortunately, cost 60 minerals.  I've got 1 city that can do that.  I'm chucking out clean chaos rovers instead.  Can change production when everyone's garrisoned.

I'm changing coastal cities to chuck out armored sea crawlers.  The capitol will be after the energy; everyone else will be after the minerals.  I will develop the food while I'm at it, but I doubt I need it.  My old sea former fleet is finished improving city squares, there are no more to do.

I would raise some terrain to link various land masses, but I've realized that it's way more expensive to do that outside of my territory.  Seems to be proportional to the distance from my territory.  So first I will claim my territory with a few cities.  Then I'll raise land.  Wet, lather, rinse, repeat, until I've got something worth spending all my minerals production on.

Even Planet Busters aren't worth it without an aircraft carrier.  Well, technically I could create a chain of airbases.  I think my cruiser probe teams will be screwing up H'minee before then.  They're nearing a target. 

My credit reserves have ballooned to 3000+ because I have nothing to buy.  My +1 economy isn't efficient enough to shift much towards research and not be penalized.  Hmm 30% psych might be useful though.  I do have some red citizens, even if I'm at no risk of riots.  Switching to 30-30-40.  That's the best I can do efficiently.  More people are happy now, which might help some research, economy, and growth, or might not.  I don't have to worry about the cash though, that's for sure.

2316.  I get Doctrine:Air Power.  I research Mind/Machine Interface for the secret projects it gives me.

2318.  I loaned Aki 1800 credits.  Even though she's seething at me, I don't think she dares attack me.  She made a land bridge (accidentally?) and took over the other land bases that Lal had left.  I'd overrun her trivially if she made a move, starting with the 9 probe teams hanging around from the old days, and finishing with the clean chaos infantry I've left as a garrison.

I took over an empty size 1 Caretaker sea base for 500 credits.  Not really worth it.  It will take forever for it to produce a defensive unit, or forever for me to ship one over there.  I lost a cruiser probe team doing it too.  I guess there's a learning curve about long distance probe team combat.  It's not likely to be the cakewalk it was with Lal, because H'minee's sea bases probably don't have big stacks of units in them like Lal's did, to perform further conquests with.  Although, I can look around for such.  At this time I'm very much limited by needing to take what's at the farthest edge of her empire though.

That earlier sea base of hers I took, is producing a cruiser probe team.  I started that because I can't defend any formers around it.  Turns out I will need the resupply anyways.

I've claimed much of my island by putting down 2 more bases.  I made them totally land bases so that I wouldn't be competing with Lal or anyone else for sea squares.  I'm shuffling my clean production around, trying to figure out what best to do with my few 50 minerals cities.  Some kinds of units I'd like to have, are 60 minerals units though.  I'm diverting all sea crawlers to my capitol in order to boost its energy and minerals output.  It does not need food.  If I make a land bridge to the big island next to me and start mining it, I'm going to need a lot more formers.

2321.  I get MMI.  I begin The Cloudbase Academy and The Cyborg Factory, which will complete in 5..9 turns by ordinary production.  I'm using my cash to buy Caretaker bases.  They're expensive, actually a match for my economic output.  I was able to garrison that empty sea base with a unit from another sea base I bought.  I've stopped producing sea crawlers, now working on land super formers.  Gonna annex that other big island next to me.  Studying Orbital Spaceflight.

2324.  At 24 bases I get my 1st unhappiness due to bureaucracy.  I'm making 481 credits/turn as a Free Market.  Growth is not critical to me, I've actually got a small excess of colony pods that I haven't found rational homes for yet.  I'm thinking if I go Green, I may be able to efficiently shift more of my economy to research.  Gonna try it.  Economy drops to "merely" 256 credits/turn.  Weird, a 40-10-50 economy is efficient, a 30-20-50 is not.  40-10-50 it is, I guess.  3 of my cities get unhappy drones, but that will easily be solved with some nonlethal police units.  I've got The Ascetic Virtues, so without the stricture of a Free Market anymore, I can use 2 per city if I want.  Which probably I do want, to get rid of red citizens everywhere.  I'm not sure if this budget actually nets me more research, but I am getting bigger, especially with the ongoing buyouts of Caretaker bases.  I think it's time to do this.  Hm, at 40-10-50 I'm actually making 478 credits/turn, so no change in my fat wealth.  I'm now a Knowledgeable Green with +3 efficiency.

I can send out an invasion navy now, if I want.  I was about to explore that nearby island on foot with probe teams, but in 1 more turn I'll have Orbital Spaceflight.  A single Sky Hydroponics Lab will reveal the planet to me.  The Cloudbase Academy is not quite done though, so that bottlenecks launching a satellite.  Only talking about a few turns of delay at most, so perhaps I'll send that transport with 4 probe teams down to the Caretakers.  She does have a few cities on land.

I forgot to look inside one of her bases when I hit it with my cruiser probe team.  She had a defensive probe team in there, so mine died.  More learning curve for this kind of warfare.  I'm not used to having weak probe teams.

I'm sending my old "movement 1" supply crawlers to help finish the secret projects.  Their mines will be worked by "movement 2" rover crawlers that previously have been grabbing a marginal amount of food.  When I bridge to the new island then I'll have more mines.

2325.  Got Orbital Spaceflight.  Studying Advanced Subatomic Theory, to get Skunkworks for my nukes, and later The Supercollider.  I've made a new unit, the clean 3-pulse police rover.  Every clean police fusion unit I could devise costs 60 minerals.  This one prioritizes mobility.  Easier to roll out to new bases.  Only has hand weapons.

2329.  Got Advanced Subatomic Theory.  Researching Applied Relativity.  Remodeling my capitol as a massive minerals and energy center, thanks to all those sea crawlers, and rover crawlers sent back from the west.  They were displaced by the few cities I put out west.  Capitol will be the Skunkworks.  I've had so many sea units moving along my coast, that I've been unable to raise any land bridge to the east, for fear of killing them.  The traffic is starting to slow down now though.  I've been sending excess rover colonies west, to populate the western cities faster.

It's 3 AM.  How soon am I going to get The Space Elevator?  Not that soon, I'm afraid.  The probe team war against the Caretakers "goes", but it's slow.  I'm having trouble visualizing what to do with my empire.  I'm not seeing any quick path to victory, and the things I've been doing are getting boring.  I'm concerned that any units I build now, like say clean drop garrisons, aren't going to be used forever, and will simply clutter my city screens.  Meanwhile, I don't really need Sky Hydroponics Labs.  I think I will build them anyways, as I have nothing better to do, and will witness their effect on the game.

2331.  My capitol with 75 minerals and 153 energy, is finally doing eco-damage of 3.  A locust of chiron showed up off my shore, providing air cover for at least 8 isles of the deep.  I threw the 1 tactical plane I ever made at the locust, and it worked!  I fired the conventional missile and it wiped out all of the isles.  I got a big payday for that.

[bvanevery]

You know what?  I suddenly just massively don't care about this game anymore.  3:45 AM.  My fatigue is the trigger.  Why should I push all this crap around any longer?  Why is it worth it?  I'm not sure if getting to my position by the year 2332 is good within the game or not.  In terms of real wall clock time though, this has been a long game.

I'm quitting.

What did I learn?

• Long distance probe team combat takes a long time, even when you're making piles of cash.  You don't just rush in and suddenly win.
• I can make a city have piles and piles of minerals if I have a hybrid forest.
• It's hard to do anything worthwhile with all those minerals, by the time you get them.
• Writing everything up as painstakingly as I've done, contributes to me getting worn out.

I already knew that playing the aliens is a cakewalk.  Directed research is powerful enough.  Plus they've got their various bonuses, like not needing to build recycling tanks.  I was able to block anyone from building any secret projects.  Those projects don't feel "special" though when you build all of them.  Like, you hardly need to have a strategy, if your strategy is to have "everything".

What would I do differently?  I'm not sure.  Maybe 256x128 is just a drag, not a challenge.  I've played games where I've built massive causeways and mag tubes.  That gets old.  I've done some orbital insertion stuff.  It's not slam dunk easy to do drop combat either, due to bases protecting their airspace, having to stop once you drop, etc.  Also it just takes so long to get to that point in the game anyways.

Will meditate on this.  Don't know if anyone else learns anything by me writing this up.