How to beat SMACX AI Growth mod version 1.42

[bvanevery]

Details who wants some defense

who wants some defense

MY 2178.  The Cyborgs have this tech as well and have started working on the Citizens' Defense Force.  I have discovered 6 Alien Artifacts and could beat them to this.  That's usually how Artifacts get used up in my mod, getting Secret Projects done.  I don't typically believe in using them to get techs early in the game, because techs can be stolen or bought.  I prefer to wait until the later game to finally get a tech with an Artifact, but by then, I've often used them up on Secret Projects.

[bvanevery]

Details the value of saving money

the value of saving money

MY 2179.  I rush the Merchant Exchange.  It's not going to do me any immediate good, as I need B4 Environmental Economics to remove the energy cap per square.  But it's mine, it's where I want it, and this will be my new capitol.  I have enough Artifacts to also complete the Citizens' Defense Force, although who knows, maybe something more important will come along.

[bvanevery]

Details Secret Project races

Secret Project races

MY 2189.  I learn E3 Monopole Magnets, which makes the Ascetic Virtues available to me.  I've got enough Artifacts and money to complete that and the Citizens' Defense Force this turn.  Lots of other factions want them too.  I'm making my power grab!  It's not generally possible to get every Secret Project in my mod, because they come later, they're in different parts of the tech tree, and they're more expensive.  I've done pretty well considering, but there's no way I'm going to get the Discover oriented SPs when the University is in the game.

Details after cashing 2 artifacts

after cashing 2 artifacts

The first SP is no problem, but the 2nd one I'm just barely short of saving an Artifact.  I take a risk killing a mindworm larva with a wounded unit, and that gets me 20 more credits.  I disband a Synth Police unit and that gives me just enough.

Details after cashing yet more artifacts

after cashing yet more artifacts

I forget how many I've used, but I've got 4 Artifacts left.

Details clearing the board

clearing the board

MY 2190.  I knock most of my competitors out of the races.  It's good that the University is the last one working on stuff, as if I ever want what they've got, I can invade.

[bvanevery]

Details who knows why

who knows why

MY 2191.  The Believers renounce our Pact.  I think Miriam's got some Aggression issues to work out.

Details bloody Capitalist

bloody Capitalist

MY 2193.  Morgan meets my unarmed, unarmored, empty Transport at sea, between the waters of the Hive, the Cyborgs, and himself.  He decides it's time to shake me down.  We're both Capitalist!  He's Passive!  The game must really think I'm doing too well.  So now it's time to gang up on the leader.

Only other explanation, is he thinks my lack of completing a Plasma prototype, is a license to kill.  That's so easy to amend, when provoked.  Hm, yeah, provoked.  He's got like 4 land bases on an island and 2 sea bases?  On the other hand I only have Lasers, which will be no good against any kind of Plasma defender.  I guess he gets to irritate me, for now.  I will build some ships to irritate him in return though.  Maybe shell all his terrain improvements.  He's way too far away to care about capturing his cities.

Or should I...

...Repeal the U.N. Charter?  Boy, if one is serious about winning, it's the obvious way to go.  Think of a world with No More Morgan.  It just seems like such an easy exploit though.  Well, why not demonstrate what X Lasers can do to another faction?  Assuming it passes the Planetary Council.  If it doesn't, the Sanctions are really bad, and Planet's vengeance is not something you want to experience lightly.  Yeah, Planet gets peeved according to what the humans decide is legal or illegal, go figure.  I say it's a bug, or a serious design oversight.  Probably has to do with how they tied everything into the economics system, since the Alien factions aren't affected at all.

Details voting against his death

voting against his death

Marines come early in my mod too, with C2 Adaptive Doctrine.  The only thing that could save him, is my lack of southern sea ports.  Then again I've got +1 INDUSTRY, and little X Laser ships will be pretty cheap.  I suppose I need to watch out for probe teams though.

[bvanevery]

Details reality

reality

MY 2207.  Well... some things happened in the past 14 years.  For one, the Cyborgs declared war on me as well.  And they've allied with the Morganites.  Neither can actually harm me in my home territory, but it means there's a lot more land and bases I'd have to bring under heel, down south.  Meanwhile I don't seem to have any productivity at all.  I'm fine on land, I've mainly been building probe teams to prevent any snooping, but I still don't have any navy to speak of.  Just one X Plasma Hoverboat, which got wounded finishing off a badly injured Isle of the Deep.  I thought it would be a good idea to level it up.  So it sits in port as these fools land on my shores.  I haven't actually committed an atrocity yet.  I just completed an Impact Infantry prototype this turn, so it's not really necessary to commit atrocities to get rid of these interlopers.  Even my X Recon Rovers could handle them with conventional attacks if I want.

Not sure what I'm doing.  I feel blunted.  Miriam is Seething.  Maybe I should just overrun her and secure my back?

These pesky Spore Launchers blew up all these roads I put out in the boonies.  It was a real mess for awhile.  I'm surprised I still haven't killed them all yet.  I can't even see where they are.  Well... I did a sweep and nailed a big one, so maybe that's it.

[bvanevery]

Details what do you believe

what do you believe

MY 2208.  Miriam just up and asks me for a Pact.  Why not?  We had one before, she just blew me off.  She's not at war with anybody.  Perhaps I'll steal something from the University to get the ball rolling.

Meanwhile, the Hive just declared war on the Morganites.  The soup thickens.

MY 2211.  Miriam declares war on Roze.  Well Roze is Seething at me anyways, so whatever.

MY 2212.  The Cyborgs zinged me with a Cloaked Recon Rover.  I thought I saw it move last turn, but I made only a half-hearted attempt to track it down.  It seems that Sensor Arrays do basically no good at this.  The more important implication is the Cyborgs have Impact weapons as well.

MY 2214.  I agreed to her war.  I bought 2 techs from her, stole from the Cyborgs, and trashed a sea base they'd just settled off my coast.

[bvanevery]

Details predictable

predictable

MY 2219.  Yang declares war.  Although I'm finally exploring the Monsoon Jungle with a dimension rifted Unity Rover, we are not in military contact.  Nobody's settled the land of the Jungle.  The Believers are settling sea bases around it.  I was working on the Weather Paradigm, but now priorities are changing.

I steal C3 Polymorphic Software from the Data Angels, change my Secret Project production, and rush the Command Nexus using only cash.

MY 2220.  I start stealing from the University and they declare war.  Now it's Miriam and myself vs. everybody else.  Hopefully she'll get the memo on thrashing the University, especially since they're right next to her.  I suppose I could bother her about it.

[bvanevery]

Details I shall own it all

I shall own it all

MY 2222.  I rush the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm using 6 Artifacts and cash.  Previously I stole the needed tech from the University.  I will go on stealing from the University as long as it pleases me to do so.  I only have 1 Artifact left, that I need to get home from the coast of the Monsoon Jungle.

The HSA is a pretty important SP.  Especially since the Cyborgs, the Hive, and the Data Angels all have higher PROBE and reduced mind control costs.  I'm at war with all of them!  Even if I weren't facing the 3 "cyber" factions, getting bases taken over once you conquer them is super annoying.  I'm less worried about them stealing tech from me, because I was generally behind other factions' research in many areas.  Now I have a lot of excess probe team garrisons that I don't need for anything.  I could use them to trash the University.

MY 2223.  Surprisingly, Miriam refuses to attack Zhakarov.

MY 2224.  The Cyborgs sink my armored Transport coming home with the Artifact and the Unity Rover.  How inconvenient.

[bvanevery]

Details I'm unpopular

I'm unpopular

MY 2225.  The Cyborgs take the Governorship away from me.

I decide to send my X Recon Rovers off into the fungus to pop supply pods.  I don't intend to commit any atrocities for mere home defense.  As time goes on, it becomes more likely that I make a mistake and accidentally do it.  So it's best to send them out to fight mindworms and get them killed.

[bvanevery]

Details translation you're screwed

translation you're screwed

MY 2228.  After slamming Infantry Probe Teams into Zhakarov's cities over and over again, I bring down his Perimeter Defenses.  I don't bother to try to make targeted attacks.  In my experience, the teams just die that way.  It's not ideal when taking over cities I intend to own, but waiting around to rebuild them isn't that big a deal.  I generally slam a Punishment Sphere on top of any distant city.  In this one, my prize is the Universal Translator.  They just finished the Maritime Control Center and that will be my next stop.

Details loss of chemicals

loss of chemicals

MY 2229.  The Cyborgs fry my X Plasma Hoverboat, that mighty navy I was supposed to go after Morgan with.  Soon I'll be like, chemicals, what chemicals?  Did I say I wanted to kill you all with chemicals?  Oh no, you misunderstand me Sirs and Madams.  If it please the Council...

Details more exciting than translation

more exciting than translation

I guess I can't say that I've made the AI smart enough to deal with short range land assaults in the early game.  That said, we're arguably midgame now.  I suppose the Data Angels are also attacking them far to the north.  And their empire is way too spread out to be defensible.

Details tough to stand up to free drones

tough to stand up to free drones

Details bonus points

bonus points

All he's got left now is the Virtual World.  That's 2 cities up the rail line.  Probably not for a few more years.

[bvanevery]

MY 2235.  I seize the Virtual World and sign a Treaty with the University.  They still have the paltry, distant eastern half of their empire, that they can use to fight the Data Angels.

Details greedy

greedy

MY 2236.  I complete the Weather Paradigm with cash.  I now have built or captured every Secret Project in the game!  This may be a sign that the Free Drones are overpowered.  It is far more typical for distant factions to become powerful and complete some of these projects, forcing me to make choices about what I will pursue.  An alternate possibility is that distant factions didn't get good land to sit on.  This is certainly true of the Morganites, who only got a rather small island.  They're usually quite good at completing SPs but they've been terrible at it this game.  They only have 4 cities on land and 4 in the water.  The Cyborgs and the Hive both had enough land and reasonable empires now.  They could have been expected to do better.  Maybe my +1 INDUSTRY is just too powerful for others to compete in SP races.  There's a reason I don't allow INDUSTRY bonuses from the SE table.

MY 2238.  I take over the last sea base that Roze had put near my home waters.  I get her to sign a Truce, and to stop fighting the Believers and the University.  It's time to go after the Southern Squabblers!  Mostly this will just be me land bridging to the Monsoon Jungle though.  I still don't have any substantial productivity in my southern port cities.

Details such cruel people!

such cruel people!

Since I'm obviously poised to destroy everyone, and do not need any special weapons to do it, I try to rescind the atrocities.  But they're not having any of that!  Never let it be said that I didn't try to Do The Right Thing.

[bvanevery]

Details long distance theft

long distance theft

MY 2257.  I steal B4 Planetary Economics from the Morganites.  It has taken a long time to reach Morganic bases and I still haven't infiltrated them.  The Hive is similarly remote and I haven't infiltrated them either.

Details switching the last long term project

switching the last long term project

I rush the Planetary Energy Grid with only a modest amount of extra cash.  This city had a copy of the Weather Paradigm, still being worked on from a long time ago.  I'm also working on the Longevity Vaccine, which I researched on my own.  I'm building Genejack Factories in many cities.

The Data Angels broke their Truce awhile back with a "surprise" attack.  They took out a lot of expensive Clean Rover Formers but that's it.  Cloaked Recon Rovers are annoying!  I killed all of those and wiped out one of their cities.  I didn't commit any atrocity to do it, I just hammered it over and over again until it depopulated.  That takes longer but it's a good way to handle an enemy you don't really want to invade.  We've been in sunspots for awhile so I haven't been able to accept a new Truce from them.  I also took a sea base.

My Monsoon Jungle settlement plan hasn't happened and at this rate, isn't going to.  The Believers have manged to put 2 cities in the middle of it.  I haven't made a Colonist at all in forever.  Too busy making bigger cities with what I've got.  The Hive is nowhere near the Jungle, they will never get there.

I'm not sure what my strategy is at this point, but I should invade one of the factions that's mad at me.  They are unfortunately across a fair amount of water.

Details piles of dough

piles of dough

MY 2258.  I rush the Longevity Vaccine.  Maybe I could be on track for Economic Victory, if only I hadn't required Global Energy Theory to do it.  Awhile ago, the Morganite AI was trying to with the game with only 1000 credits, because the ECONOMY bonuses were overheated.  Not allowing Economic Victory until much later, was my solution to the problem.  Basically you have to know how to make Orbital Power Transmitters.

[bvanevery]

Details my scientific capitol

my scientific capitol

MY 2268.  I rush the Supercollider.  I acquired the tech a few turns ago from the Planetary Datalinks.  I'm still just building out my empire, for lack of any obvious quick force to pound anyone with.  I have plenty of Formers, but in my mod raising land is slow, even with the Weather Paradigm.  I built up the bases I captured from Zhakarov enough, that I got rid of the Punishment Spheres and am trying to make them happy the old fashioned way.  They're distant enough that that doesn't totally work, so I use them to make Colonists.  My empire is expanding rather slowly because I have a lot of fungus to clear.  Now that I'm building Industrial Labs nearly everywhere, perhaps my research will get fast enough that I come up with something more useful.  I also have some Artifacts I could pop, although they haven't all gotten home yet.

[bvanevery]

Details effort to concentrate

effort to concentrate

MY 2269.  I contact Morgan, since pushing Cruisers to his home waters is tedious even with the Maritime Control Center.  He signs a Truce.

Details surprising docility

surprising docility

And then he signs a Treaty, which shouldn't be completely shocking since we're both Capitalist.  I just really hated him at the beginning of the game.  Never did get around to committing atrocities.  Never did get that rescinded either.  Oh, I see what the issue is!  He's at war with the Cyborgs now, and so am I.  Yep, good reason to sign a Treaty with me.

[bvanevery]

Details unsurprisingly

unsurprisingly

MY 2273.  Roze just can't stop being a pest!  It's those darned Cloaked Recon Rovers.  She thinks it's fun to go blow up my few remaining Formers in the region.  Well, I almost built a land bridge straight to her capitol earlier.  I was merely interrupted by our Truce, couldn't legally raise any more land there.  Not a problem now!  I'll crush her capitol into dust, then see if she wants to beg off again.  I'll keep doing this sort of thing until she either learns to be at peace permanently, or is gone.

Details a diplomatic nuke in the face

a diplomatic nuke in the face

It's a pity that only Minor Atrocities can be legalized.  Major Atrocities are always illegal.  Even if you nuke an Alien that isn't part of the U.N. conventions.

Details the poisonous fume

the poisonous fume

Roze's nearest city up the rail, is something she took from Zhakarov.  She's actually making a nasty chemical weapon.  I wonder if she's used any on the University yet?  I'm surprised to see that she learned E4 Bioadaptive Resonance when I wasn't looking, so I steal it.  Then I start trashing her city.  My Formers are busy in the west, so I can't extend the rail enough for my Infantry Probe Teams to attack safely.  This limits the amount of trashing I can do for now, as I only had 3 Speeder Probe Teams remaining from the old days.  One of them died after sabotaging.