Smothering The Enemy - SMACX AI Growth mod

[bvanevery]

Details message in a bottle

message in a bottle

That's just the best crash site.  I find a kinky wooden ship with a transponder in it.  He wants to know where Santiago is.  I pretend I didn't hear that.  We trade techs and sign a Treaty, but he does not ally.  He says he doesn't have any comms.  I sign off.

The Spartan Ogre moved off.  I didn't see it when my Rover went forwards, so I backed off for safety.  Possibly it went into the fungus.  I've got a healed pre-boil mindworm coming to investigate.  Between that and the Rover, it will all be over soon.

I've discovered the Spartans have at least 2 cities.  My Rover harassing their back line got badly wounded killing a Former, so it is pulling back to heal.

[bvanevery]

Details die die die die die

die die die die die

Mission Year 2150.  I found the Ogre again.  It is sitting on Rocky fungus, so again I pull back.  My mindworm got delayed on approach by a larva.

Details plan to surround like an amoeba

plan to surround like an amoeba

Belatedly I remember that extra Efficiency is one of my main faction powers, allowing me to pay for unwholesome social engineering choices.  I can definitely afford a slight loss of energy at my HQ right now.  This was a good trade from the Pirates.

In MY 2152 I finally destroy the Ogre with my mindworm.  It's over.  I need to bring my remaining Rovers east towards Sparta Command, to make sure the Spartans don't regroup.

[bvanevery]

Details messy city site

messy city site

Mission Year 2162.  I find the Ruins.  I've never seen them with a fungal tower before.

Details for the love of fungus

for the love of fungus

8 years later, I discover that there's not going to be any city settling here for awhile.

[bvanevery]

Details policing the Spartans

policing the Spartans

Mission Year 2168.  I shift from Frontier and Planned economy to Police State and Simple economy.  I want the growth.  In this mod, Simple economy gives a growth bonus.  It models the Third World agrarian concept of making lots of children to work your fields.  Frontier politics give a growth penalty due to the lack of any societal safety net.  Getting off of the Frontier habit is a way to get early growth.

I got Police State from a tech trade with Cha Dawn.  It comes with probe teams, so soon I'll have spies among the Spartans.  I will watch to see if they ever develop any military technology.  I have so badly crippled them, that probably they won't.

[bvanevery]

Details I made the AI annoying

I made the AI annoying

Mission Year 2172.  Cha Dawn is sailing a Foil Probe Team around, seemingly in my direction.  This is one of the annoying new features of my mod.  Typically they will sail all the way across the map and take over one of your sea bases, if you don't defend them with your own probe teams.  There's a chance this probe is intended for the Data Angels, whom the Cult is at at war with, but I haven't seen any sea route to the Angels yet.  I think they are fighting a long distance bush war.  So, I'll need to prepare for this.  I'm not sure if armored infantry probe teams hold up better, but it's a good time to find out for sure.  It would be good to have a ship to shoot at the halted enemy probe team afterwards, but I may not have the production time.  I could use the Unity Chopper I acquired from the USS Unity wreckage.

[bvanevery]

Details Secret Project races begin

Secret Project races begin

Well, now I know that the Cybernetic Consciousness hasn't done anything stupid.  They presumably have a perfectly viable, strong civilization that's developing in isolation.  I don't think they've met the Pirates yet, and they aren't actually all that close to each other.  Secret Project availability is much delayed in this mod, so that for instance, I can build 10 cities and have a war before worrying about this.  I myself have not researched any Secret Project bearing tech yet, but the Pirates have, and now the Consciousness has.

The Pirates are using the new Free Market economy to drive their research.  It only has modest POLICE and PLANET penalties and does not preclude expansion or war at all.  The Consciousness may be doing the same, and they have a +1 RESEARCH bonus.  That's toned down from the original game, as I didn't think they should be simply the best faction ever.  Still, it always puts them in the tech lead.

I'm seeing that my inability to use Free Market, definitely hurts in my mod.  I've been trying to get Green economy for a long time but I don't have it.  In this mod it's actually about making money, not capturing mindworms so much.  It only gives +1 ECONOMY but it doesn't tie your hands with a POLICE penalty.

[bvanevery]

Details drones meh

drones meh

At some point recently I found the commlink frequency for the Drones.  They didn't have anything useful and we signed a Treaty.

Details bully

bully

Mission Year 2185.  Minding my own business sailing a slow Transport around, Cha Dawn declares war.

Details a roze by any other name is a hack

a roze by any other name is a hack

His adversary is happy to partner with me for a stomping.  Well, obstinately happy.  If nothing else I got some good map info out of this.  All of the Pirate territory.

For a moment I thought I might have to change my government model to placate my new ally.  Then I remembered that I've modded Roze to insist upon the Thought Control future society.  It's a darker version of Roze where the power to mind control has gone to her head.  It's also the only way to improve PROBE rating in the game.  I don't like the whole probe team thing and kneecapped Fundamentalist, they don't get any PROBE improvement at all now.  Instead, Fundamentalist is darned similar to a Police State, which reflects the reality of all theocratic societies I've ever heard of.

Details I empathize completely

I empathize completely

Svensgaard trades me Centauri Empathy, which I sorely need.  Timely too as I research a new tech in 3 turns.  Now I can go Green!  I'll want Democratic to go with it, to make money and keep my GROWTH from sucking.

Details pffft

pffft

Was this a good change?  I am not sure.  I make twice as much money, but I lost the use of police, so I have to spend all that extra money to keep everyone happy.  I've taken a SUPPORT hit.  My Efficiency is way more than I need.  I've got +2 PLANET, but I had a formidable mindworm army with only +1 PLANET.  My psi attacks will be better, but I'm not fighting anybody.  Well I'll try this for awhile anyways.  I rush a bunch of facilities to get everyone happy with the new style of government.

[bvanevery]

Details spendy

spendy

Well here is the offer of a lifetime.  The Pirates are going to complete The Weather Paradigm next turn.  I've been trying to get it since forever, thinking it'll be important to my amoebic agenda.  My research just hasn't cooperated, and let's face it, I had a war with Santiago.  I could spend a big pile of cash to get the tech.  Perhaps they don't realize that I have enough Artifacts to build this thing instantly.  Problem is, I forgot to put them all in the same city, so I can't actually build a complete Secret Project this turn.  Will the Pirates really complete it next turn, or will it be 2 turns from now?  I will centralize my Artifacts and see if I can do this next year.

Details trendy

trendy

For some reason this guy loves me.  Whatever.  I'm just trying to get tech.

Details it is the little things

it is the little things

So much for that.  The Consciousness also built The Planetary Datalinks at the same time.  I thought I would have had the tech for The Weather Paradigm by now, since I've been focusing exclusively on Explore since the beginning of the game.  I had the pile of cash, and enough Artifacts in 3 different cities, to insta-build it the minute I got it.  I just never got it!  Then Svensgaard comes along to tempt me at the last minute, and I wasn't ready for his proposal.  Oh well.  I will find some other way.

It is Mission Year 2193, 3:30 AM, and I'm going to bed!  I had a great start against the Spartans, but I've failed at one of my strategic objectives, to get The Weather Paradigm.  I still have no contact with the Consciousness, so I can't try to become Governor.  I'm a distant 3rd on the votes anyways, behind both Svensgaard and Cha Dawn.  That means they're doing well.  Centauri Empathy doesn't grant The Empath Guild in my mod, it comes way later in late midgame.  So, I may be keeping Santiago secret for awhile.

[bvanevery]

Details a treaty for the weak

a treaty for the weak

Mission Year 2205.  I sign a Treaty with the Spartans as they have no ability to threaten me, I don't need the land east of them, and their growth rate is pathetic.  It saves me from having to deal with interloping Recon Rover units.

[bvanevery]

Details my first secret project

my first secret project

Mission Year 2216.  Commensurate with my Explore focus since the beginning of the game, I complete the Xenoempathy Dome.

Details your agonizer please

your agonizer please

I've been making large numbers of Foil Probe Teams from 4 bases, having nothing better to do with them.  It is worth noting that a Foil chassis costs half as much as in the unmodded game, equivalent to a Speeder.  This makes sea spreading and ship spamming tactics more viable, although one's enemies can do it too.  Isolated Foils tend to get sunk by Cultist ships, but the greater volume of spam I produced, allowed me to capture several of his ships rather cheaply.  This has culminated in the taking of their westernmost sea base. 

I'm not in the mood to try to stabilize these pathetic wretches.  I did that in a previous game and it was boring.  It's time to put the dirt cheap Punishment Spheres into effect!  I just stole the tech, Doctrine: Loyalty, that provides them.  So thank you Cha Dawn.  Are you ready to sign a Truce yet?  Nope.  Ok.  Wet, lather, rinse, repeat.

[bvanevery]

Details win some lose some

win some lose some

Mission Year 2244.  My Foil Probe Team is finally approaching the Consciousness capitol.  No one has made contact with them in all this time.  The Secret Project races have reached a point of stability, with the Consciousness finishing The Citizens' Defense Force this turn.  I have stuck with my pure Explore focus, hoping I might get the Maritime Control Center.  I did get the Ascetic Virtues so I have the nominal use of police now.

I have passed Cha Dawn on votes, putting me in the #2 position for Governor.  Svensgaard has more votes than I do, but I have 2 allies and he has none.  So I might be able to win an election very soon now.

My harassment of Cha Dawn with foil probes hasn't amounted to much.  Eventually they've gotten killed and I haven't made new ones.  I wiped out a just settled sea base, but it hasn't triggered any Truce.  Cha Dawn isn't bored and I am.  He doesn't have any techs, so having foil probes around him hasn't been productive.

My ambitions don't look much like containment right now.  Looks more like I need a lot of advanced tech to do that, and I'm a bit behind the Pirates and the Consciousness on tech.  My growth rate is ok but not great.  Surprisingly, I have the most territory, even though my civilization is fairly densely packed.  That seems to be my only outstanding metric so far.

Despite all of this, it doesn't seem so bad.  I think a +2 PLANET rating has helped my mindworm combat, making it pretty easy to destroy things.  When I meet the Consciousness I'm likely to get Knowledge, which in this mod gives +1 RESEARCH +1 PLANET.  That will bring me to +3 PLANET which seems nice.  Pity I don't have anyone to crush with my mindworms, nor was that ever my intent this game.  I've tromped around my supercontinent so much, that I've popped almost every pod there is.  Many of my mindworms have come home now, escorting Artifacts.  I still have a pile of them, which I've been using to complete Secret Projects as needed.

[bvanevery]

Details police penalties grr

police penalties grr

Dangit, Knowledge imposes a POLICE penalty.  I just went through a lot of trouble to get myself to +1 POLICE, and I actually need those police to keep order right now.  So begrudgingly, I will go for Wealth.  At least I'll still have +1 PLANET after that.  I'm not fighting anybody so -1 MORALE is acceptable.  Even if I was fighting I'd mainly use mindworms, for which my MORALE doesn't matter.  Choosing Wealth has the side benefit of keeping me on good terms with the Pirates, who in this mod insist on Wealth.

My ally Domai has gone to war with the Consciousness.  It seems to be a "first contact" problem, because I think he traded with them to get Secrets of the Human Brain.  I would like them to call off their war.  I've moved my foil probe into position to get this resolved more quickly.  I've already got their commlink frequency, I just want an easy base to steal from if it comes to war.

[bvanevery]

Details need a dog collar for Domai

need a dog collar for Domai

Mission Year 2247.  Domai jumps the gun and calls an election before I've had a chance to speak with the Consciousness.  Well I hope this works out.

Details prettier than Sven so won the beauty pageant

prettier than Sven so won the beauty pageant

It went ok.  Domai wasn't disloyal.  Hope I can sort this war thing out.  It's not in my interest to be enemies with anyone right now.  Commerce bonuses are useful.

The Consciousness is Obstinate and has Advanced Military Algorithms.  If I can get that out of them one way or another, then it might be time to pop Artifacts and jump ahead in tech.

They don't seem to have a port city, so I may not be able to steal from them.  In any event, it's taking a long time to find any port city of theirs.  Time to negotiate.

Details I am really good

I am really good

She trades!  Now I have Tech Parity and can pull ahead by popping all my Artifacts.  She also agrees to end the war and signs a Treaty with Domai.  She doesn't sign a Treaty with me though.

[bvanevery]

Details races again

races again

Mission Year 2250.  With abundant Artifact popping, I'm able to begin 3 Secret Projects.  Meanwhile the Consciousness begins 3 copies of the Supercollider.  She has a Democratic Free Market Power government, which in this mod yields -1 INDUSTRY.  I have Democratic Green Wealth, which yields +1 INDUSTRY.  She has taken a long time to complete previous projects, so I expect to win the race for the Supercollider.  I'm not saving any Artifacts anymore, I'm blowing them all on new techs.  I'm making 178 credits/turn due to +3 ECONOMY and the Governorship, so I expect to buy the Supercollider quickly with credits.

[bvanevery]

Details money money money

money money money

Mission Year 2254.  With a pile of credits I complete the Supercollider in my capitol.  I immediately begin the Pholus Mutagen, which isn't the last Secret Project I have to work on.  I have offloaded the support burdens of all 3 cities around the Garland Crater, so they are cranking at full capacity.  I have not built any Genejack Factories for fear of unhappiness and eco-damage.  Also my cash is getting the job done.

I could go Cybernetic now, but once again I don't want any POLICE penalty.  When I've built all my Secret Projects, I'll reconsider, as I'll need more tech to get more Secret Projects.

The Spartans have been assaulted by the Cult of Planet.  They have enough Rovers and probe teams to take the city back, but they are undergoing a minerals collapse.  It hurt them.  I don't mind if they get hurt, but I don't want them dead.  I wonder if they'd be willing to ally now?  I should at least get them to stop their long term war with the Pirates.

Actually... I'm remembering now that as long as I pursue Wealth or Knowledge, they aren't going to give me the time of day.  They might even start an annoying war with me, and I don't want to deal with it.  They are plenty well contained as is, although I don't like the buildup of Rovers on my border.  I'm gradually deploying mindworms that require support to that front.  Independent mindworms, I've leaving in the rear to protect against other mindworms.