The Tree Hugger - SMACX AI Growth mod version 1.52

[bvanevery]

Details lurk

lurk

My 2274.  We have not built any new navy.  We harass whoever is vulnerable.

[bvanevery]

Details final assault

final assault

MY 2279.  Our forces have completed their sweep of the Monsoon Jungle peninsula and turn northwards.  Morgan's capitol falls.  We anticipate his surrender or annihilation in a matter of years.

Details home guard

home guard

The peace between the cyborgs and cultists is holding, but we do not take it for granted.  Rather than work on secret projects or other new infrastructure, we have begun a round of more modern garrison units.  Their armor is not terribly advanced, but fortunately, neither is cyborg weaponry.  Their research is prolific but mainly centered on matters of science and profit.  We can certainly keep up with profit, as our recently completed Hybrid Forests are making us a great deal of money.  As each completes and adds more profit, we complete even more.  All without building a single factory or mining a single rock.

[bvanevery]

Details deviousness

deviousness

MY 2281.  The opportunity for foul play arises again.  However, we don't really need to gas such a pathetic enemy as Morgan.  I only regret that I will not hear his words of surrender.

Details illicit societies

illicit societies

We could use the blackout to choose a future society that makes one of our neighbors unhappy.  They'd have nothing to say about it for the duration of the sunspots.  However we would never choose a cybernetic future if it harms Planet.  We lack the special technology of the cyborgs to keep that from occurring.  And we are in an active military campaign against Morgan, making a "home guard only" posture undesirable.  It would be logical after Morgan is vanquished, however, as Domai and H'minee are not real threats.  The cyborgs could eventually complain, even make war.  But with nothing to keep our military busy, we'd simply remind them who owns the land around us.

[bvanevery]

Details air superiority

air superiority

MY 2282.  We saw a cybernetic needlejet flying over the ocean.  We do not currently have a counter for this threat.  Fortunately we can expect a number of years of peace yet.

[bvanevery]

Details tiny air corps

tiny air corps

MY 2284.  We capture a Locust of Chiron, giving us a nominal air capability.   We find it surprising that others never bother to capture or attack them when they're resting on the ground.  A simple scout pulled this off.

[bvanevery]

Details military tech

military tech

MY 2285.  We notice the Free Drones possess a ship with antiaircraft capabilities.  Did they steal it from the cyborgs, or did they acquire the technology for themselves?  In the latter case, we can steal it.

Details busy drones

busy drones

They possess no Air Tracking capability and must have stolen the ship, perhaps using a Marine Detachment.  However they do now possess the Gatling Laser, and they have placed their entire society on a military footing.  This does make them more dangerous, and perhaps an opponent to be vanquished, if they will not see reason.  I still do not fathom Domai's worker chauvinism, as we've proven that an anti-capitalist, factoryless economy works just fine.

Details industrial relics

industrial relics

When we say our economy operates without having built a single mine, it is true.  But it elides the narrower point, of whether we have no mining operations at all.  We captured from Morgan, a fair number of dirty facilities.  Our societal best practices immediately mitigated a lot of the ecological risks, but our terraformers are stretched thin and have not completed more basic infrastructure.  Such as a complete rail to connect our conquests.  Planting trees is also always higher priority than closing old mines.  Trees must be grown generationally and they are the lungs of the planet.

Details slow boats

slow boats

We have 2 ancient transports and 2 ancient probe teams, that we think we can use to steal Domai's prize.  Our Isles long ago suffered permanent attrition.  We had kept the teams in reserve to steal from the cyborgs if necessary, but currently it is not necessary.  Some day, we should make new teams for that contingency.

[bvanevery]

Details Chiron convoy

Chiron convoy

MY 2289.  We use our single Locust as cover to prevent Domai's destroyers from attacking our transport and probe team.

[bvanevery]

Details good cover

good cover

MY 2390.  We succeed at our subterfuge.

Details diversion

diversion

Domai's cruiser was successfully obstructed while our other transport made it to the safety of a base.  We bring the Locust to protect the transport that completed its mission.

Details clumsy neighbor

clumsy neighbor

Aki is obstructing our rail line with her units.  We don't think it's a hostile act.  It's probably just shuffling because of the Cult walking this way.  However as a precaution, we will move our artifact out of the way and stack the base with scouts.  We don't think she can penetrate our defense but she does have the new Gatling Laser, and she has given her society over to Power.

Details is it a surprise

is it a surprise

Our western border does look a bit threatened.  Her speeders can do nothing against our ECM 3-Pulse garrisons, and her infantry guns are weak here.  She has massed probe teams but due to the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm, they can do nothing.  I'm not sure what all these shifts are about.  Maybe she really wants to fight someone else, and thinks during sunspots she can just march right through our lands.  We'd be happy to let her, if we knew where she was going.

Details equalizer

equalizer

We will also complete a Gatling Laser prototype next year.  Really the only things we lack are probe teams for rapid theft.

I think an attack against us is nearly suicidal.  We have all but eliminated both the Morganites and the Usurpers.   Cha Dawn would immediately intervene on our behalf, sealing both our alliance and our future society.  Our eastern conquests have extensive infrastructure improvements, are beginning to produce garrisons, and have a full complement of mindworms ready to ride back down the rail.

But, we have not always believed this cyborg to be rational.

[bvanevery]

Details clutter

clutter

MY 2291.  No attack comes.  Every year our garrisons deepen.  Does Aki even know what she's trying to accomplish?  Did the sunspots fry her neurotransmitters?

[bvanevery]

Details doesn't that beat all

doesn't that beat all

MY 2293.  Aki inexplicably transfers sixteen units to our control, including Silksteel speeders we have no technology to make ourselves. If she wants us to fight someone other than herself, she sure has dropped a powerful hint.  What internal pressure could prompt such generosity?  We see nothing about her social model that would require her to do this.  She's running a police state.

Details crazy cyborg

crazy cyborg

Bizarrely, in one location she transfers 3 units to us, while retaining at least 8 probe teams for herself.  We share a space with a neighbor we have a Treaty with.  We will be sure to end this arrangement immediately, as we think no good can come of it.

Details marching side by side

marching side by side

In approximately the same place, we now share our location with our "Treaty mate".

Details would be ally

would be ally

And again elsewhere.  Has she forgotten that she ended our Pact long ago?  It is so odd that we save detailed records of the circumstances.  Let no court of law ever declare, that we committed any subterfuge.

[bvanevery]

Details buying my neutrality

buying my neutrality

Aki's strange behavior may be explained by her declaration of war upon the Cult.  Does she hope I will oppose Cha Dawn in force?

Details the gift horse

the gift horse

We will complete a Silksteel infantry prototype next year.  After which we could make, stupendous numbers of the things.  To no particular purpose.  What we really need is a land and rail link to our 1 city in Free Drone territory.

[bvanevery]

Details keeping ourselves happy

keeping ourselves happy

We consider Blackroot Palace a "core" city, in that it is old, was settled by us, and was not part of any conquest.  It's the city that permanently secured the Manifold Nexus for us, so of course, we want its people to be happy.  We have not really cared about making every last conquered Morganite happy, but a higher budget allocation would solve some problems over there.

Details lab results

lab results

We make a bit more money than we actually need for anything, so we shift our economy into social programs.  This pleases fewer Morganites than we might have expected.  It is not important.  The occasional businessperson is allowed to feel sore that capitalism has come to an end.

Details continental lift

continental lift

Aki has left us so well armed that soon we will stop producing military units entirely.  We will build enough terraformers to turn the eastern ocean into our personal rail lake!

[bvanevery]

Details end of capitalism

end of capitalism

MY 2294.  We are finally removing Morgan's legacy mines.  We actually believe it will help our citizens live fuller, more productive lives.

Both Aki and Cha Dawn transferred units to me this year.  They must want me to be strongest!

[bvanevery]

Details ultimate weird

ultimate weird

MY 2295.  She armed us, she attacked us.  We cannot even fathom.  The cyborg is insane.

Details what we could already do

what we could already do

Now our knowledge of Silksteel is official and formal.

Details econowhat

econowhat

I'm not sure about the sentient whatever.  We will send in more mindworms.  Both our probe teams survived, so we will steal more tech next year.

Details find

find

They built a modest secret project on what became our border.  Cha Dawn bludgeoned it, leaving it lightly defended.  We availed ourselves of the proceeds.

Details push

push

I don't know what Aki's counterattack will look like, but we took 4 cities from her, and have presented a reasonably strong front.  If Cha Dawn sweeps in, she may be in trouble.

Details bridge plan

bridge plan

Even with hostilities breaking out, we are not building new military units.  We think our mindworms can accomplish our goals.  Our formers will attempt to raise the land at a close point, taking advantage of the war to remove some of Aki's water rights.  Her plane may try to shoot our formers, and our Locust will try to blow apart her plane.

[bvanevery]

Details here come the planes

here come the planes

MY 2296.  Outright conquest of the cyborgs is certainly possible now.  We've also stolen all of their tech.

Details siege

siege

We may still choose for this to be a limited war, stripping the cyborgs of their secret project cities.  We do not attempt to take new ground this year, instead opting to heal numerous units with our Monoliths.

Details vanishing act

vanishing act

We have not yet been attacked by Aki's plane.  We have driven a rail partway to our land raising point.  We put one former out in advance to clear the fungus, but it mysteriously vanished without a trace.  Cultist sympathizers among us took it as an omen that we must never clear fungus, even if it makes a land raising operation cheaper.  Although we do not believe in such superstitions, it does point out a blind spot in our environmental policies.  Another would be the construction of offshore mining platforms on top of sea minerals deposits.  It did not seem like many minerals, but ultimately it is a mine that harms aquatic life.

Details long arm

long arm

We build a long range bomber prototype, mainly because our skunkworks was already busy on another project and the minerals would otherwise be wasted.  It will be in service next year.