The Clean Death of Us All - SMACX AI Growth mod version 1.52

[bvanevery]

Details no one home

no one home

We come knocking at the door of the Usurpers.  Their city stinks of... horse meat.  Marr is not answering.

Details eventual threat

eventual threat

A long time from now, Marr might toss a nuke in someone's direction.  Although it'll probably be shot down, it might hit something.

Details genocide

genocide

I do not know if I really wished him to speak.  The truth is I am a racist.  I always have been.  Ever since the first ugly, horse-faced Caretaker attacked us.  And their kin, proved no better.  They're as undemocratic as they come.  Even their cuisine is nearly inedible.  I do not value their diversity, I see them as a never ending source of problems.  I rate them only to the degree they are an inconvenience to me.  I simply cannot summon the will, to regard them like human beings.  They are Alien.

Details fallout

fallout

These teams are Elite.  I considered framing another faction for this.  But I thought it less hypocritical, and easier to live with myself, if I take full responsibility for what I am about to do.

Details the fallen

the fallen

It took a surprising number of teams to reduce their base to the size of a village.  We lost one "brave" operative.  Meanwhile the world community is silent.  They do not care that we are doing this.

Details citizens against victory

citizens against victory

As usual we only have light units for the cleanup, as this is not the war we prepared for.  The voters would prefer an almost complete demilitarization and drawdown.  I intend to accomplish that only as casualties.  And this unit, sadly, is the first.  It was soon joined by another.  I never liked the antigrav sled designs.  They never won us much of anything.

Details empathy

empathy

We are not sure why the Empath unit finally broke the badly wounded defender.  Only that it did.  Overall we think our doctrine is poor though.  Either heavier weapons for immediate drops, or longer term planning to avoid immediate drops. 

Details now you talk

now you talk

The remainder were easily destroyed.  We have warfare, half right.

Details by hand

by hand

Again, no one cares.  We are at the logistical limit of our drop ground forces.  To make further progress this year, we would need drop gravships.  We actually have few of those, and we wrongly placed them on picket duty.

Details sea sailor

sea sailor

We put a lot of garrisons in the water, to properly protect our captured sea bases.  This will free up our drop navy.

[bvanevery]

Details alien armageddon

alien armageddon

And now I take the responsibility.  It is the height of hypocrisy, to pretend that extermination of a species by genetic means, is somehow "more ok" than nuclear annihilation.  And yet this is what humanity believes.  I will not pretend.  And it may serve as a historical warning, not to use these weapons against our own kind.

Details something wicked this way comes

something wicked this way comes

All my allies have deserted me.  Everyone has declared war against me.  The world community calls me Wicked.  If this is wicked, then I am wicked.  At least I am no liar.

Details massively cheap

massively cheap

In for a penny, in for a pound.  This the upgrade deal of the century!  I haven't heard a peep out of Citizens Against Progress.  Maybe they're racists just like me.

Details buckled land

buckled land

This bigger one is quite the show.  It takes out a chunk of land in front of our ground forces.  Those dirty devils cheer!

I'm quite impressed at the durability of the mining platforms and tidal harnesses.  Who would have believed they could hold up to such abuse?

Details infamously democratic Lal

infamously democratic Lal

Now they call me Infamous.  Two nukes, I'm infamous.  I could have wiped the genetic material of an entire race off of Planet, and no human would have batted an eyelash.  The difference seems to be, nukes actually scare them.  This seems to be a failure of imagination.

[bvanevery]

Details silence of the antagonists

silence of the antagonists

I thought Cha Dawn would be the easiest to convince of my good intentions, but he's not responding to hails.  He's also the easiest to muscle, since we've been fighting before and our troops are in a forward position to do it.  I think taking a city will be required to get his attention.

Details yes conquest works

yes conquest works

Cha Dawn is surprisingly blunt about the sincerity of this vendetta, of the moral principles at stake.

Details screw those horse faces!

screw those horse faces!

I'm glad you don't hold it against me, that I dropped a couple of nukes into the ocean.  On top of a race none of us likes.  I realize I fried the coastline and chewed up a few birds.  And rocks.  For that I'm truly sorry.

Details well played

well played

Cha... I'm calling you Cha.  In the past, you've backstabbed me without provocation.  At least my action was principled!  Yours was greedy and foolish.  But that is in the past.  Let's think of the future together.

Details I prefer you curtsey

I prefer you curtsey

Yes yes yes and please some genuflecting as well.  It becomes you.

Details think of it as material support

think of it as material support

Fellow Socialist.  We have something that we think can help your people, in the spirit of international camaraderie.  Enough money, to pay Basic Income to your people, for quite some time.  We think you lack this, and we are glad to bestow it.  How 'bout it?

Details waaAAAAT

waaAAAAT

Wimp?  We kick your ass, we nuke your neighbor, and you call me a wimp?  Why the...

Details people say it talks

people say it talks

Let's try being unequivocal, about what I'm trying to offer you.  We have a lot of MONEY.  Do you want it?

Wow.  He repeated exactly the same thing, then signed off.  Good; it kept me from doing something rash.

Ok, note about humans.  Don't expect to bribe them.  But a Truce is enough, for now.  I wonder if it will hold?  We could make some kind of new Truceworthy garrison units.  Something the people don't hate.

[bvanevery]

Aki is weak and vulnerable, being attached firmly to my homeland.  No drop troops needed.  Like the others, she attempts the silent treatment.  I've long since singled out this sea base, for my next demonstrative conquest, when and if the need should arise.  It's the reason I put so many sailors to sea.  My navy wasn't going north: it was going to rid us of cyborg pollutants.

Details easy victim

easy victim

I bring up a couple of R-Bolt artillery pieces, that were meant for fighting some imagined Planet horde.  They injure the Isle of the Deep most easily, and in fact the 2nd piece was quite redundant.  Unfortunately, they barely scratch the modern cyborg armor.  I could bring up every such artillery piece and it probably would not matter.  I'd prefer to hold them in reserve for some other contingency, since they're clearly ineffective here.

Details sayanara sucker!

sayanara sucker!

We attempt to heed the desire of Citizens Against Progress and just use an old clunky short range ship for this job.  It was adequate to task and became Commando.  I think our difference in combat experience, is a lot of what made this a success.  A bigger reactor didn't hurt either.

Details sailing easily in

sailing easily in

An Empath R-Bolt Cruiser made trivial work of the wounded Isle.  An Antimatter Gunboat, good for nothing but being a big hunk of impenetrable metal, took the honor of sailing into port.  This brings Aki online.

Details yaaAAAAAwn

yaaAAAAAwn

The cyborg is so boring!  Stimulation this, stimulation that.  I offer this Socialist the same big money deal as I did Cha.

Details unbelievable!

unbelievable!

At least she's not as rude as Cha.  But seriously, we were at war with the Usurpers.  Ok fine, we started the war with an act of genocide.  That you didn't care about.  Morgan kept instigating the war!  There's blame all around, but we didn't break any treaty about anything.  You're just sore that you didn't get to drop the nukes yourself!!!

Details knock off your own damn war

knock off your own damn war

It'll save me the trouble of being pestered about you in the future.  She signs off.  Well again, a Truce is good enough for now.  If it holds.  But she's the easiest to thrash back in line.

[bvanevery]

Details what to take

what to take

University, University, oh is the University.  I share a surprising amount of surface area with the University.  They settled the coastal waters long ago when I wasn't willing to.  And then my cities got big, and I forgot all about them.  They've been a mostly useless ally and I don't recall them previously being an enemy.  Once upon a time they tongue wagged me about my Power, but they love my Knowledge now.  'Specially because I'm way better at it than they are.

Details so they don't do garrisons

so they don't do garrisons

It's such a weighty question, that looking around my coastal waterways for a victim, I decide to come back to it later.  The Morganites have left me a golden opportunity!  I have hated this little pipsqueak of a city ever since it deprived me of my nutrient pile.  What cheek, and now I will cheek it back!  It's the most excellent use of a big hulking useless antimatter ship.

Details priorities, Morgan, priorities

priorities, Morgan, priorities

And I cannot help but laugh, at the 363 years they think they're going to take, to build a Black Hole Gun there.  A Marine version, no less.

Details I need Noah's Ark

I need Noah's Ark

There is one big flaw in my plan.  I can't even drop a drop ship into the ocean.  Hey I didn't make these weird rules of physics.  I'm burning paper again, this doesn't make any sense.  But I'm required to find another way to go about it.

Details to the target with you!

to the target with you!

Citizens Against Progress be damned, this is going to require an upgrade.  I do have this one ancient drop unit, that need only be made into a Marine, to do the job.  Land on the coast next to the base, walk right in.  Let me check that.  No Aerospace Complex or other visible impediments.  Enemy units wandering around could get in the way, but that seems unlikely.  We're doing this.

[bvanevery]

Details hey genius

hey genius

Or we could just fly, east.  Sometimes it's hard to remember that Planet is round.  In fairness, we've had a huge continent obstructing movement in this part of the world for a very long time.

Details aviation maneuver

aviation maneuver

Not exactly crossing the Atlantic, but it'll have to suffice.  It probably is our first circumnavigation of the globe though.  With a lot of intervening years on active duty.  It earns us an immediate audience with Morgan.

Details you're not Socialist

you're not Socialist

He blathers about fighting Cha Dawn, he blathers about getting his base back.  His price is steep even by my standards, and I'm not in a generous mood to this Capitalist [progeny of unmarried parents].  He's not asking for Basic Income.  He wants a solid gold bedroom suite for all his concubines.  Actually, for all the concubines of his government.  Go clone yourself!

Details how I remember Thought Control

how I remember Thought Control

He does give me an idea though.  For that kind of money, I could just buy several of his cities.  Except that... I can't.  For the same reasons I once undertook it, he has locked his population into Thought Control.  No mind control is possible.  Although... even with Algorithmic Enhancement?  Which all my fusion powered probe teams are.  I must find out.

Details A E work your wonder!

A E work your wonder!

To be cheeky, I transported the oldest viable probe team I could find, in the oldest boat I could find.  I've hated Xi Sector ever since it was a blot on the water.  Someone popped a supply pod and it became land borne.  Now I will finally free the land for my proper use!

Details awesome!

awesome!

That was awfully easy.  I should do it more often!  The expense is large, like a Secret Project when we first landed on Planet.  But in this late era, who's counting now?  I think we make that much money per year.

Details expansion to land

expansion to land

Land access triggers an industrial boom nearby.  Building a Robotic Assembly Plant is no longer a good idea!  This was the 1st we ever proposed to build, in a city that used to have a poor minerals supply.  No longer.  Now we need something green, like a Centauri Preserve.

Details money well spent

money well spent

That was a tenth of what you asked for.  Be more reasonable next time!

Details another hitman

another hitman

What's with these payment schemes?  How do I pay people to bump off my enemies?  Oh, right, I'm trying not to have enemies...

Details by price I meant money

by price I meant money

Nobody trusts me anymore, due to beliefs that are completely unfair and based in their own bigotry.  It wouldn't matter if I broke my word to Cha Dawn.  But I actually want a Truce with everyone, so that I can get on with a Supreme Leader election when the Usurpers are all dead and buried.  Asking me to break Truces simply isn't a value proposition on the table for me.

He signs off.  Well, one more Truce is better than nothing.  Hope it holds.

[bvanevery]

Details Citizens Against Progress, unite!

Citizens Against Progress, unite!

Oh My God.  The University and the Morganites, know a tech that I don't!  I have been that slack for that many years on the research agenda.  I could have taken this from the Morganites.  I'm glad I noticed this before bringing Zhakarov to heel.  Now I need to steal from him, then take a base.

Details this is it

this is it

Of course I don't have any viable boat and probe team combinations in the places they're needed now.  It's always been an awkward land mass and Zhakarov has never been an issue.  Quietly slyly sneaking up on the research, eh Professor?  I didn't think you had it in you.  Thought you were just some vanquished faction eons ago.

Details first let us steal

first let us steal

I don't recall ever running a mission on Mir Lab.  Maybe the Usurpers got to them.  Or even the Morganites could have done it, once upon a time.  No matter now.  We hope Algorithmic Enhancement is worth a secret project.

Details seems to be

seems to be

What is Citizens Against Progress' view on technological theft?  It's not our progress.  I know they won't like it if I order any units retrofitted though.

Details neighbors of the Cult

neighbors of the Cult

I never realized Zhakarov's empire was quite so soggy.  It seems University Base sunk quite some time ago.  I forgot how many of his cities the Cult had taken from him.  Now I realize, I don't need a city that is contiguously valuable to me.  I only need to bring him to the negotiating table.  These cities are close, to where our gravships wait in a mere picket line.

Details not what I call a garrison

not what I call a garrison

Their base atop Mount Planet is uniquely vulnerable.  A single small spore launcher defends it.  It is straight in the flight path of several gravships, whose pilots would laugh, if they were told they were going on such a milk run.  It is also a good inroad to further conquest if necessary, as it is well supplied with resources, not in competition with other cities.

Details healing flight

healing flight

We thought about insulting them with the Drop Plasma unit, but thought putting a gravship back on the front line to be best.  We gain our audience.

Details aw shucks

aw shucks

Given that he was more technologically advanced than us, I almost think he means it.  We should not destroy ourselves.  Aliens, yes, but not each other.

Details still a mercenary

still a mercenary

I don't bother to ask why a contract matters to him.  I see a dead thing in his eyes.  The entire fate of humanity, going on this way forever.  Until someone, has the pluck to put a fireball to it all.

In the morning, we shall complete this crazy year of holocaust and backpedaling.  We would very much like to see, a way for the Usurpers to all drop dead.  Immediately and all at once.  Without having to go through delays.  Or further placations, of factions manufacturing their outrage.  I'd like to think that with our industrial power, we can do it.  But it is a weighty matter and my mind must rest.

[bvanevery]

Details tactical pocket

tactical pocket

I think I have enough existing gravships to take out this grouping of 3 Usurper bases.  They will be additionally backed by Singularity Conventional Missiles.  These only cost 60 minerals, and I have several cities that have that output.  I'm not sure if they're all in range, but CMs have a pretty long range.

Details marine contingent

marine contingent

I find my 1 remaining Marine unit, now free as the sea base has been garrisoned.  I will bring it to the north by rail, where a transport will take it to sea.  I will bring probe teams along for the ride.

Details plagues a plenty

plagues a plenty

I bring the 1 Marine and 8 probe teams to the north in a flotilla.  With CMs backing them, I think that takes care of these 2 sea bases.

Details death by a thousand cuts

death by a thousand cuts

I drop my remaining lightly armed Empath tanks into the fungus around the Usurper's only land base.  It will be hit by 2 plagues next year from probe teams already in theater.  I'm not sure if these units will heal in the fungus before next year due to the Pholus Mutagen, but there are probably enough in any event.

That really only leaves the 1 remote Usurper sea base, that is building a nuke, as the difficult thing to reach.  If I hit it with a CM, and I have a Marine unit on the coast, I can take it.

Details too pricey

too pricey

The cheapest Drop Singularity Marine I can design would cost 120, regardless of armament.  I can't complete such a unit in 1 turn.  I need to reduce the cost to at least 90.  I would also like a 70 mineral design as I have cities only putting out that much.

Details need a quantum less

need a quantum less

The cheapest Drop Quantum Marine is still 100.  Too much.  Looks like we're going old school Fusion.

Details energy hog

energy hog

Chaos guns are the big point of expense jump.  Even with a Fusion reactor, this armament costs too much.  So now I'm starting to have problems of whether I can deploy an effective Marine.  It's a strong argument for designing a drop gravship and calling it a day.  But, my pacifists will hate me for it.  I'm still willing to entertain the placation of the voters.

Details best I can manage

best I can manage

This is the limit of what I can design.  I can't make a 90 mineral unit, only 80.  If I change it to a Speeder chassis, it drops to 60.  Well, at least an 80 mineral design in a 90 mineral city, will roll over 10 minerals into the next year.  It'll have to do.

Details second best I can do

second best I can do

Might as well make what I can.  With enough cities on it, sheer quantities of suicide missions could prevail.  But it may all be overplanning anyways, as CMs may do the job.

[bvanevery]

Details how surprising

how surprising

MY 2394.  That Truce with Cha Dawn wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.  Mindworms attacking my Trance defenders hardly did me any damage though.  The man inconvenience was some pillaging.

Details maybe diplomacy is over

maybe diplomacy is over

The Morganites aren't behaving any better.  Again, ineffective with their puny mindworms though.  I wonder if a Truce matters for a Supreme Leader election, like their willingness to go along with it?

Details and we sink

and we sink

Wonder if we can get some Solar Shade going.

Details mess up mindworms

mess up mindworms

Dawn of Planet has a whole lot of minerals, and finally completed all ecology improvements.  This looks like it would be a good picket unit to start spitting out.

Details new and improved

new and improved

Actually I can have a hovertank unit for the same price.  Usually, that's even better.  I haven't seen the Cult field much in the way of fast units, so ECM doesn't really matter.

Details pounding mindworms

pounding mindworms

Some of the time Dawn of Planet outputs 100 minerals, so I'll need some units at that price point.  This is a pretty big artillery piece!  It might pack enough punch against enemy cities to be worth something.  I wasn't very impressed with R-Bolt artillery.

Details fairly serious flooding

fairly serious flooding

I hope this is just a delayed effect from the Singularity Inductor.  If it's Planet getting angry because I have an Infamous reputation...

[bvanevery]

Details as though planned

as though planned

Look at where all my probe teams ended up.  Morgan's capitol is Morgan Aerodynamics, to the northeast.  Buying Kappa Sector could be expensive, but it's permanent security for the Manifold Nexus.

Details ummmmmm

ummmmmm

Well I bought one of their bases last year, so what's the deal now??  Was last year the 1st year they had changed to Thought Control, so it wasn't really in effect yet?  I gotta check the save files to see.  Meanwhile I drain his energy reserves, walking away with a lousy 36 credits.  Not the high rent district.

Details the happier, skippier Morgan

the happier, skippier Morgan

Loaded up the game from MY 2392.  Morgan was Eudaimonic then!  All hell broke loose in MY 2393.  He switched to Thought Control, and that's why I was still able to buy a base.  My Algorithmic Enhancement did not matter.  Well, now I know what can and can't happen.  Resuming game.

[bvanevery]

Details fungal drop a good idea

fungal drop a good idea

3 of my hovertanks that got wounded from orbital insertion, seem to have been healed by the fungus.  2 of them are wounded.  1 of them could have been shelled by their tiny spore launcher.  The other I don't know, I wasn't watching closely.  I don't think you're prohibited from healing if you're next to an enemy unit, but I can't remember.  Some game had that rule, can't remember if it's this one.

Details death a good idea

death a good idea

2 probe teams reduce the armored defender to a shadow of itself.  I still lose 2 Empath tanks attacking, because let's face it, they were designed for something else.  Then the spore launcher splats and I take the base.  After scrapping its Perimeter Defense I obliterate it.  Although it could have been used to get some units into orbit next year, I prefer to take no chances on recapture.  Plus, the goal of this year is to make it politically possible to vote for Supreme Leader.  The Aliens must be gone to do that.

Details retirement for R Lasers

retirement for R Lasers

I don't really know what to do with these weak tanks afterwards.  Poking around, I do find one Morganite spore launcher to kill.  But mostly, this northern land is empty.  Most sit down on fungal patches to heal, hopefully out of harm's way.

[bvanevery]

Details when you have a lot of probes

when you have a lot of probes

My transport unfortunately didn't have enough movement to bring my teams to the 2nd city.  Looks like they'll have to bail by interfering with Morgan.  It took 3 teams to reduce the Usurper defender to the level of drool I wanted.  Then I blew it up with the Chaos gun mounted on the Drop Antigrav ship.  Then I sailed my R-Bolt ship through the size 1 base, destroying it.

Details off by inches

off by inches

Sadly I only have 1 movement remaining for either attacking or entering the base.  That means I won't be able to sail in and then Obliterate it.  This could turn out to be the one base I can't get rid of.  Technically I can get rid of the Usurpers though, by capturing it.  It's actually my antipathy for the horse faces that causes me to wipe out their bases, and not a military necessity.   And, I could still Obliterate it next year.  Citizens in a captured base don't count as your own citizens, they're still considered the enemy for quite some time.

Details get off my land you ivory tower sonofa

get off my land you ivory tower sonofa

An interloping University probe team disrupted my minerals output for one of my Conventional Missiles.  So I have 4 to work with, not the expected 5.  I always intended to use at least 1 to knock out the AAA defender.  Looks like I also have to waste a 2nd on the Isle, as I don't see any other units at my disposal.  I pick the 2 that seem farthest away from other targets and let 'em fly.

Details do I have to kill sea escape pods

do I have to kill sea escape pods

I forgot about escaping colonists.  I hope when their last city is gone, the game doesn't give them the chance to establish a new base!  That might ruin my plan, as I just don't have units that reach this far.  I think 2 CMs left, that's it.

[bvanevery]

Details UI tweak

UI tweak

I switch to the grouping of 3 sea bases, where method and outcome seem fairly certain.  I use a Wave gravship to knock out a single AAA defender.  I fly in a wounded ship to get healing for it.  By selecting the unit when it's inside the city, I manage to avoid having its movement stopped.  This makes it able to strike another target.

I only have 2 of the Wave gravships, and the other is far away and badly wounded.  So, now I just have to take the hits against AAA defenders.  They're only Photon units with Fusion reactors though, so perhaps it won't be so bad.  Citizens jeer as I lose 1 of the hated gravships.  And in my haste and distraction writing this up, I move my healed unit before remembering to Obliterate the base it's sitting in.

Details don't do like that

don't do like that

While trying to get a screenshot of the healing trick, I prevaricate, wanting a nice Rec Commons to be shown as my totally unnecessary production.  Fiddling my mouse causes the gravship's movement to be forced to end!  So don't fiddle around trying to explain stuff.  This UI tweak is very fragile and the slightest breathing on it, ruins the magic.

Details no oBliteration available

no oBliteration available

This time I'm able to perform the healing trick, as I don't even try to get a screenshot of it.  I'm about to be disciplined and Obliterate the base, before forgetting and moving on to the next thing.  But guess what?  You can't Obliterate with an air unit anyways!  I forgot about that.  The 'B' command is used for bombing runs and they don't provide a workaround.

[bvanevery]

Details moment of reckoning

moment of reckoning

This is now the last Usurper base.  Blithely trying to produce its vengeance weapon, a Fusion Planet Buster.  I don't think you're getting the 16 turns you need.

I throw my 3rd CM at it, leaving it empty.  Now it wants to make an AAA unit in a hurry. 

Details these are his final moments

these are his final moments

I find one of those Drop Marine Speeders I cooked up.  It lands in fungus, and then walks right in.

Details the vermin scatter

the vermin scatter

It's a big city.  If I have to hunt all of these down, then the Usurpers will survive the year.

Details truer words never spoken

truer words never spoken

For posterity, we keep the cameras rolling on the Fearless Leader.

[bvanevery]

Details eat it!

eat it!

Haha!  Marr, those were your famous last words!  I didn't want to say so until I knew for sure.  But Marr, this is great!  You're famous!  Famous I tell you!

Details more obliteration delays

more obliteration delays

This unit can't swim, so Obliterating the base would be suicide.  Not gonna do it.  Don't have any way to get a ship over there quickly either, as you can't drop into the ocean.  It'll just have to wait until our ships sail in.  Meanwhile, this base has got some expensive facilities I can trash for a few turns.