Continental Consciousness - 256x128 map

[Buster's Uncle]

We've touched on the super-science city, and doing it at the capitol because efficiency = bigger energy pie to divide into research.  QED logic seems impeccable.  -But I've never mentioned also building the Merchant Exchange there on the same line of reasoning.  My confidence that it boosts research at the base is not 100%, but it is rather high.

[bvanevery]

I would have built The Merchant Exchange in my capitol if I could have.  I couldn't.  The advantage is obvious: you get perfect efficiency in a doubled city.  Doesn't matter whether it helps research or not.  Generally speaking, I try to make my capitol have all of its squares to itself from the very beginning of the game.  That didn't quite work out this time because I had to settle the Monsoon Jungle quickly, but I was compensated by the abundant food and centrality of location.

Details scumbag lal

scumbag lal

Lal declared war on me a few turns ago.  It happens to coincide with one of my Skimship Probe Teams passing by his shores, so next turn I'm going to try creating an insurgency in his backyard.  Can my economic output alone reinforce a small base?  I did a bad job with it in a previous game, so one lesson learned is to build defensive military units early.

Cha Dawn had the nerve to declare war on me this turn, even as I've been saving him from the Caretaker menace.  I notice that he's allied with Lal, so I wonder if Lal instigated this.  Well, who am I to stand in the way of a death wish?  I will take 1 of Cha Dawn's cities and see if he's ready to become my thrall. 

I finally realized why I so often call Cha Dawn "she" and have to correct it to "he".  I thought was just because he looked like Boy George and I was being prejudicial in some kind of 8th grade juvenile sense.  I'm a grown man now and have a worldly view of things, but in 8th grade I didn't like Boy George much!  Well, now I realize that's not it at all, there's a legitimate reason for me to be confused.  I swear the voice actor for Cha Dawn is female.

You know if he or she is meant to be transgendered I really don't care, but this sure has been confusing for a few years, and I'm going to resolve it now.  Since Cha Dawn can't tell me what pronoun to use, I'm going to pick one of those "newfangled" ones and apply it.  'Cuz I'm tired of pretending that "she" is a "he".  Consulting a list of pronouns, I'm going with ze and zir.

[bvanevery]

Details insurgency

insurgency

Can I take over these cities?  Starting with just buying the 1st one, then building it into a real threat?  We'll see.  Maybe buying 1 city will get me a Truce.  Then I can build it up, and use it to keep Lal in line.

The city was cheap to buy, only 159 credits.  I got an unexpected Impact Speeder in the deal, that was within the city radius when I bribed.  I disbanded one of the green 3-res garrison units to rush a fusion ECM Silksteel Police unit without penalty.  72 credits.  So far this is quite within budget.

I ring up Lal.  He thinks he's going to get 375 credits from me.  Dude, I can buy your cities for less.

[bvanevery]

Details lovely ally

lovely ally

I knew there was a risk that I couldn't get all of the Secret Projects.  I decided that The Supercollider was pretty important and made sure to secure it, especially since Roze's research focuses are Discover and Build.  I think The Cloudbase Academy and The Cyborg Factory are more important than The Longevity Vaccine, even if the latter is important and a pretty good thing to have.  I was resigned to mope about Roze's good fortune when...

Details maybe datalinks

maybe datalinks

...maybe the Planetary Datalinks came through for me?  Or did I research a Build tech simultaneously, despite my Conquer focus?  Checking other faction's techs, looks like I researched it myself.  Fine whatever.  I insta-build it with Probe Teams in the area, some Supply Crawlers, and 300 credits.

I begin building Clean units, for no particular great reason of need.  I will build a raft of Clean Formers in anticipation of rails.  Also I might as well colonize these denuded areas in my home territory.

[Buster's Uncle]

Pardon, but it does matter if it helps research in a super-science city, by definition.

[bvanevery]

You would build The Merchant Exchange in your capitol at the beginning of the game, because it makes the most money that way.  Regardless of whether it helps research or not.  Making money is an end unto itself!  In the limit, it is one of the ways to win the game.

Details ma worm

ma worm

Ze swears it!  Now I just have to keep zir alive.  I made zir go to war with Lal too.

Hrm, using these new pronouns isn't actually any easier.  Well at least it's something new to try.  Maybe it'll get easier, and what other excuse will I ever have to practice with them?

[Buster's Uncle]

I'd rather you just kept She, awkward as it is; the ze stuff is way too awkwarder for being worth it outside addressing someone pretty invested in the issue.

[bvanevery]

Well you know, given that I've conquered zir, there might be very little reason to talk about zir anymore.  I wonder what "Cha Dawn transgendered" reveals on the internet?  Looking... err, nothing.  I did find it listed as an example of the trope, Viewer Gender Confusion.   Looking to see if SMACX has any canon materials, like books.  Seems Mike Ely wrote Centauri: Arrival and Cha Dawn is "he" in there.  I guess I have to concede defeat.  He has ambiguous portrait art and a horrible choice for a voice actor.  Totally sounds like a girl or woman.

Details excess population

excess population

I have too many people.  Core production in the Monsoon Jungle has ground to a halt, because all I keep doing is hitting size 16 and spawning more colonists.  Since all my cities aren't up to size 16 yet, I don't feel bad about manually exporting colonists.  I wish this would end soon though.  I could go Green but I don't get much in the way of advantages for doing so.  I'm not trying to rustle up mindworms in the bush, I'm trying to exterminate the Caretakers.  I'm not trying to create new cities and +3 Efficiency is fine for them.  If I abandoned the Democratic approach to life, I'd lose Roze as an ally.  Not that I really need her for anything, but it's difficult to make allies.

[bvanevery]

Details absurd price

absurd price

1 turn before I get a new tech, I remember to check on whether Roze has anything.  I don't think this is a record for a ridiculous price I've seen out of someone, but it's up there, and might be a record for proportion to my actual income.  Yeah, I do tend to have 1100 credits at the start of any given turn, but that doesn't mean I'm saving it up to hand over to you.  She doesn't want to trade a tech, which is fine, because I didn't want to trade one anyways.  I'm not sure what good this ally is to me, other than being someone I don't have to conquer.  She's nominally at war with Lal at least, and I didn't prompt her about that.

[bvanevery]

Details deirdre eco fascist

deirdre eco fascist

I hope I'm about to get Mind / Machine Interface as well.  Otherwise this is annoying.  I had the foresight to strip all of my Probe Teams from outlying cities, leaving only a handful in hot spots to deal with any contingencies.  Which lately, there are none.  I simply wipe things out.  I can insta-complete at least 1 project, and if I pull Supply Crawlers in, I can rapidly complete a 2nd.

Details crusader

crusader

This I did not expect.  Where did she get the tech?  Granted she does have Explore, Conquer focus, so she could have just been researching since forever.  That's 2 factions with MMI; is there a 3rd?  If so, I get it through the Planetary Datalinks.

Details sailors

sailors

Drat, somebody met somebody.  My monopolization of the lines of communication is over.  I'm going to lose this election.  I already counted the votes a few turns ago, which is why I didn't give Roze a comm frequency.  If I had The Empath Guild I would win, but it's buried deep in H'minee's territory.  It will be awhile before I get it.

Details the governator

the governator

Hah, I was wrong!  They could have beaten me but they didn't.  They must really dislike Lal.  Come to think of it, I guess he and Deirdre have been in an active front line war for a long time, and they are allies.  Well I wouldn't have guessed because they're both at war with me to.  Miriam still sends ships at me occasionally but I always just kill them, so maybe she'll get sick of trying someday.  Deirdre hasn't bothered me since the stone ages, really only when she first declared war.  I think she's in a Pact with the Caretakers though, or is that Lal?  I really can't remember anymore.

Details space happy

space happy

Well, this isn't what I wanted.  But it is a Secret Project, it is useful, and it's a good weapon.  I insta-complete the project with Probe Teams and 568 credits, finally paying off all that production from the beginning of the game.  I will have Shard weapons prototyped next turn, and I think it's time for X Shard Rovers.  I don't think I'll offer to dry up the oceans because I like how my coasts are arranged just fine.  Worked hard on them.  I see some Orbital Power Transmitters in my future, because with the Monsoon Jungle and all my colony pods, I really don't need the food.  Actually I'm really tired of producing colonists, so places that have facilities to build other stuff, they're going to do that from now on.

[bvanevery]

Details mental datalinks

mental datalinks

This came from the Planetary Datalinks, faster than I expected.  I was going to start moving my Supply Crawlers in preparation before I researched my next tech.  Now I will have to scramble.  I do have a fleet of Sea Formers up north that is a bit excessive, and also some concentrations of Supply Crawlers here and there.  The real trick is if I can come up with 2 cities to get all this done in.  I can certainly get at least 1 done.

Details caretaker warmonger

caretaker warmonger

This explains why I got the tech.  I don't know if Roze will get it as well.  Her ability is supposed to be dependent upon having infiltrated other factions, and she was too remote to have ever done that.  Well the point is moot because I'm insta-completing both projects.  A combo of money, Supply Crawlers, and excessive Clean Sea Formers to do the job.

[bvanevery]

Details aids

aids

Now I have a use for my 12 remaining Probe Teams.

Details highway robbery

highway robbery

I'm not happy about her price, but I really need to get on with the offensive against the Caretakers.  My lack of reach is holding me up.  I've almost denuded every base within range of my air force.  I've got AAA ECM Silksteel Rover units as defensive points just out of reach of H'minee's units, occupying rocky ground.  Unarmored X Gas Shard Rovers ride along with those to do the damage, although not a single one has been used in anger yet.

[bvanevery]

Details too good an ally

too good an ally

I'm still not in control of this game.  Roze is already starting the next Secret Project that I'm trying to get.  At least the AI factions have not been intelligent about finishing these projects quickly.  I've started moving Crawlers back to my capitol to get ready for an insta-complete.  Maybe I should become more Efficient so I can shift my economy more into reserach and get ahead of this.

[bvanevery]

Details like clockwork

like clockwork

At least my tech output is proving to be reliable.  Insta-completed in my capitol with a disbanded nuke and supply crawlers.  Perhaps I'm stressing too much about what the AI can do, as Roze still needed 14 turns to complete.  However when I last looked she needed 28 turns, so she could be using supply crawlers.  What can I say I don't want competitors, I want everyone to be my thralls.

I'm switching to Build focus as The Cloning Vats is the next Secret Project in ready reach of my existing tech.  It's not useful to me at present because I've been manually increasing my population anyways, and all of my cities will be at size 16 soon.  However I don't want anyone else getting it, and it will be useful someday when I have Hab Domes.  Even though it removes the penalties when choosing Power, I'll stick with Knowledge because staying ahead on research is far more important.  In fact, next turn I'm going to go Green to gain +5 Efficiency.  Then I can make my budget whatever I want without penalties for overemphasizing parts of my economy.  I'm going to jack my research through the roof, as I make way too much money now and don't have any facilities left to build in my cities.

[bvanevery]

I complete The Cloning Vats using a pile of excess Sea Formers and cash.  My previous choices actually gave me +7 Efficiency and I don't need to worry about growth anymore, as the Vats do that for me.  So, I've abandoned Democracy.  Now I'm just Frontier.  That leaves me with +5 Efficency, plenty for my empire and for choosing an arbitrary budget, which is now 20-20-60.  Hope Roze doesn't get pissed that I'm non-Democratic, but I haven't picked any politics she should object to.

Details remote outpost

remote outpost

The base I bribed from the Peacekeepers eons ago, is doing fine, but is hardly a threat to them.  Dierdre is much more threatening and has taken several of Lal's cities to the west.  She's still Seething at me; I wonder if she'll talk to me?  Yeah she did... long enough to tell me she's gonna kill me.

If I'm only Frontier and not Democratic anymore, will the Believers talk to me?  We haven't actually fired a shot in anger in ages.  Yes she'll talk, to demand 550 credits.  Ain't happenin'.  Ok well I tried, give it time.

Lal is still sore as well, still wants me dead.  Whatever Lal.

I was doing Conquer focus for a bit as I wasn't really sure what to do next.  Looking at the tech tree, Build is a better idea if I want to get to Hab Domes.  So I am switching now.

Funny, I was thinking about using my population to win the election, forgetting that I'm already the Governor!  I guess I don't need The Empath Guild after all.  I just need to wipe H'minee out.  I wonder if The Empath Guild + Hab Domes + wiping out the Caretakers can give me Diplomatic Victory?  I'd much rather do that than Transcend.  I find the concept of Transcendence as depicted in this game to be totally depressing.  It is the loss of individual identity.  Like being part of some cosmic Hive mind.  I know I'm a cyborg and maybe that's supposed to sound appealing in some ways, but these cyborgs are logical, not anonymous.