Thinking about Pirates

[bvanevery]

Details wimping

wimping

MY 2196.  Nobody's at war with me.  I don't think anybody's at war with anyone at all.  Nobody's going to get mad if I choose Wealth.  With my odds calculator cheat, I don't really need to worry about fighting Isles when I pop pods at sea.  I can just pop them and hope I capture them.  If I don't, then I can try to get out of the way.

It's not like picking an ECONOMICS model, where right now, none of the choices are good for me.

[bvanevery]

MY 2198.  While infiltrating Morgan, he pesters me.

Details there is some war

there is some war

I don't want any part of it.  I'd like to see you 2 kill each other effectively, so I don't have to.  I did leave a bit of a corridor for you to do it.

Details I forgot about Zak

I forgot about Zak

I misspoke when I said no one would mind my Wealth.  However as I have no land interface with the University, I'm the least worried about them pestering me.

While shopping, I find out that Deirdre already has Doctrine: Initiative.  That would definitely be cause to steal, per policy outlined before the game began.  But I'm nowhere near her.

[bvanevery]

Details Lal is jerk

Lal is jerk

MY 2204.  I was only going to infiltrate him, but he starts mouthing off at me as I approach.  He declares war.  So much for Wealth!

Details strong garrison

strong garrison

He's got a probe team on defense in this trivial forward city that I expected to be nearly empty.  And an Impact Speeder to kill my probe team if I back off.  I guess he was just in a war with Morgan, and of course they just made peace.  I keep underestimating Lal, despite that he's been a complete jerk in every game I've seen him in.  Does he especially have it in for the Pirates for some reason, or is he always this way to everyone?  Why isn't being Democratic making him happy?

I've definitely seen him be Erratic in the stock binary, but this Lal has never been in a good mood.  Well, ok.  Technically I've got a screenshot of him being Magnanimous as he tries to extort me.  It makes me wonder if there's something new about the diplomatic AI behavior in Thinker.

Alternate possibility: diplomatic AI was always programmed to prey on perceived weakness.  Unfortunately, on land, this might turn out to be actual weakness.  If he's got a lot more troops I couldn't see and didn't expect, that summarily overrun me, then I'll be quitting this game.  I mean it wasn't even that long ago that I got probe team capability, and I don't think I should have to beeline probe teams, to play the game.

It would be an indication that it's simply not possible to play with the Pirates on coastal land, no matter how much you think you want to do it.  Well, unless one is going to adopt the sycophantic "pay them off" play style.  Never gonna happen.

I mean, I'm really pretty freaked out how much everyone has lulled me into a false sense of security.  I've been building up what I thought was a happy little peaceful empire, and I've got basically nothing.  Holding onto the Nexus, and all that coastal support to do it, has gotten me what?  A few mindworms, a few more pods popped.  I haven't even really profited from it yet.

Details fall upon thine enemy

fall upon thine enemy

At least I have a better probe team.  I attack, because going forwards is my only option.  I win, and of course I'll die next year.

Details hope

hope

I capture an Isle, somewhat near my home waters.  Maybe I can mount a Gaian-style defense.

[bvanevery]

I try to get Roze to join my struggle but she blows me off.

Details where do I sign

where do I sign

Morgan on the hand, has been trying to get me to be an ally for a long time.

Details resume the war

resume the war

And he's perfectly eager to take a crack at Lal again.  Hmm, I also see he's in a Pact with Roze.

Details well I hope you're actually going to fight

well I hope you're actually going to fight

I start wringing my hands about whether I'm going to fall back into the sugar daddy trap.  I'm really far down and need something to get back in the game.  But he's not obliging anyways.

[bvanevery]

Details the true state of the world

the true state of the world

Morgan knew quite a bit more about the layout of the world than I did.  I notice that Domai, Lal, and Deidre have borders.  I could try to get Domai as an ally, as he's been interested before.  Question is, what's Deidre gonna do?  Domai can't go Green, so he may ultimately be destined for war with her. 

Details Deirdre doesn't like anything

Deirdre doesn't like anything

Lal went Planned.  Deidre isn't gonna like that.  How soon until she goes to war over it?  Do I even need any relationship with Deirdre, or will she just do it on her own?  And what about Morgan and Deirdre ultimately getting into it?

I think I need more infiltration.  I'm concerned that Deirdre could complete the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm before I even get a chance.  She hasn't started it, but the rate at which she's been banging out SPs, is scary.

Details peons

peons

This is all I've got to oppose Lal with right now.  I need to get all my current land facilities finished and start building units, before ditching Wealth.  If I don't have the time to actually turn it around like that and Lal does some kind of crazy blitzkrieg on me, then I'll resign.

[bvanevery]

Details reluctantly

reluctantly

MY 2205.  I ditch Wealth.  2 forward cities, I'll put Command Centers in them.  The rearward land cities, Biology Labs and they'll hopefully spit out some mindworms.
 

[bvanevery]

Details Morgan, you pill

Morgan, you pill

MY 2207.  Morgan, that's not what war means!  Can't believe I'm going to have to drag this jerk back into it. 

Details the talkative professor

the talkative professor

When am I even going to find the time to produce a probe team to steal from anybody?  We do some more trades.  Then he gets weird with me, in a way that makes me wonder if it's Thinker's doing.  Either that or I've never been this weak in most games.

Details magnanimous insults

magnanimous insults

This is like what Lal pulled a lot earlier.

Details this is so passive aggressive

this is so passive aggressive

There's something wrong with the diplomatic AI.  It's incoherent.  You don't bully someone, then offer to be their friend.  Which will realistically lead to giving techs, not getting them.  Presently, I need all the friends I can get though.  So I take up this ally of convenience.  I really don't need a pain in the rear.

Details a 2nd front doesn't help me

a 2nd front doesn't help me

But it looks like it's not to be.

[bvanevery]

Earlier I managed to wound his Impact Rover with this mindworm.  He disengaged.

Details clash

clash

He's also got a Green Trance Plasma Garrison in the stack, I think.  Actually if that's the case, I'm not sure why he's defending with the Trance Scout.  I have a Recon Rover to follow up with.  Maybe I should draw him onto open ground though.  I back off and sit on some fungus.  I tend to forget whether it's I need to attack from fungus, or they need to be sitting on fungus, to have a hard time.

Details just trading away

just trading away

I wonder if these trades are getting me farther and farther away from Doctrine: Initiative.  I tend to forget how that works.  The various techs seem needed though.  Like better armor is actually useful.

Details too rich for my bloodlust

too rich for my bloodlust

Trance Scouts are an annoying defense against mindworms, especially when backed by Sensor Arrays.  I back off.

It occurs to me that I have no seaward way to infiltrate Lal.  I have to go over land.  Which means I have to win all this land battle stuff.

[bvanevery]

Details will you fight

will you fight

He sent a probe team and a scout speeder down my road last time.  Then he turned around and left!  I hope this isn't going to become some kind of passive aggressive AI polling "hey, get in there" thing.  I haven't seen this kind of foot dragging in a game before.

[bvanevery]

Details seeming mistake

seeming mistake

MY 2209.  I put my Scout into the rocky fungal patch to prevent the Impact Rover from being able to attack my city this year.  If it did, it would probably kill the Synth defender instead of the Scout.  I'm surprised the Impact Rover hasn't attacked the Scout.  That leaves it vulnerable to being killed by my Recon Rover.  Now, maybe Lal doesn't have infiltration, but the stock binary has always cheated like a mad dog about what it sees anyways.  I wonder who made the decision on what to do with the Impact Rover, but it doesn't look like good fighting.

[bvanevery]

Details delaying

delaying

I kill stuff, screen with the scout, and reposition some Recon Rovers for next year.  I'm fielding them fairly quickly.  If he doesn't start throwing something tougher at me, I'll be able to handle it.  I've also got some captured mindworms about to come home.

[bvanevery]

Details payoff

payoff

MY 2210.  I got rich at sea this year, and am suddenly able to finish various facilities.  I don't think Lal is going to blitz me.  With my forward forces starting to look ok, I start working on 2 probe teams.

[bvanevery]

Details a bold claim

a bold claim

MY 2212.  I find myself wondering what Morgan is doing for me.  He says he won the war already!  I don't see a lot of U.N. cities with "Morganic" on them, Morgan.  He doesn't trade or give me any tech either.  Says he's busy working on the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.

[bvanevery]

Details is it time for evil

is it time for evil

MY 2214.  One thing I learned when this happened last game, is all the AI factions start nerve stapling their citizens.  Brutal!  I'm usually pretty nice about that myself.  Probably will only do it if it's in character, like I'm Yang.

The question of whether to build X weapons and wipe out Peacekeeper bases, really can't be answered until I've at least infiltrated them.  Which means I have to break their line somewhere.  They came at me with quite a powerful line last turn.  Surprisingly, I gave them several blows with mindworms, and caused them to mostly turn back.  I thought I was going to be in much worse shape.  Anyways the point is moot about attacking bases to fry them, until I can at least see what's in the bases.  And I bet they're well enough defended, that I'll need a real X weapon, and not just a beefed up Laser.

Details defensive gun

defensive gun

Lal is fielding 3-Pulse Impact Infantry.  My mindworms can destroy them, but I only have so many, and they're brittle.  I'm seriously lacking decent guns myself.  Of course the sunspots will prevent me from trading for them.

[bvanevery]

Details more than parity

more than parity

MY 2215.  I don't think I have a defensive gun problem anymore!  I remember unarmored infantry weapons being a pretty big exploit in the unmodded rules.  In my mod I made no free lunch on this.  You want a big gun, you're gonna pay.  But I bet this will only cost me 30 when prototyped.

Details that's some cheap firepower

that's some cheap firepower

It will turn the tide of the war.