Thinking about Pirates

[bvanevery]

Details 1 AM diplomacy

1 AM diplomacy

She bugged me.  I'm not sure what I really wanted to say to her, but I fumbled and asked for a Treaty.  That went nowhere.

[bvanevery]

Details filling in the gaps

filling in the gaps

MY 2205.  I'm up against a hard limit of not having any Hab Complexes.  The Usurpers know the tech, but I'll never get a probe team that far away.  Or if I did, I'd like to think that my pure Build focus would get me to Industrial Automation before then anyways.  I'm not used to having the Hab Complex being such a hard limit.  In my mod, it's available earlier and pretty easy to get.  In The Will To Power, a Hab Complex isn't a hard limit on growth.  You do worse and worse at growth if you don't have one, and better if you do have one.

I've been stealing all kinds of stuff.  Just when I think I've got it all, the Caretakers research more.  Their expansion is so spammy that there's no way they'd ever have any probe defense against my thefts.  Not at this fairly close range, while they're still determined to expand expand expand.  But what I need is Industrial Automation and they haven't coughed that up.

1:20 AM and I've had enough for tonight!

[bvanevery]

Details drained 'em

drained 'em

MY 2206.  At least for now, I've got all their tech.

Details chicken pox

chicken pox

They sure have spawned.  Moreso than neighboring human factions.  Lal did get into war with them, and they have been doing damage to him.

Details ochre clod

ochre clod

I don't know how much of the black chunk is Usurper, but it could be all of it.  Hmm, given the amount they've hassled the Spartans, infiltrating the Usurpers might be viable.  I just have to get down that channel.

Details spend money

spend money

I don't know if I've got the production for Power yet, but at least I've got the option.

[bvanevery]

Details it's defended

it's defended

MY 2210.  The jerk selectively shot my Elite probe team.  I was only trying to infiltrate my buddy Lal.  I guess I will come by land, someday.  I'm down to 1 probe team.  I have nothing on defense anymore, but I think the AI is too distracted to be bothering with those little missions now.  Also, I don't know if it's calculating the cost of taking over cities, but those cities are all size 7 now.  I've got a rash of little cities I've just sprouted, waiting to get my Hab Complexes.  Hope they aren't attractants.

[bvanevery]

Details everything but what is wanted

everything but what is wanted

MY 2211.  Industrial Automation isn't commonly known.  Even if I could manage to build the Planetary Datalinks, I don't see it helping in that regard.

Details risk of probe

risk of probe

I've made Biology Labs in all my older cities, and they're now all working on Network Nodes.  I need to break this population impasse.  My empire is always hungry for EFFIC too.  Most of those new colonies start unhappy.  I feel I have to take the risk that I'm juicier for mind control.

Details unhappy air force

unhappy air force

I forgot that Free Market folk don't like bombers.  It was the cheapest prototype though and I still don't have a Skunkworks.  I will disband it somewhere.

[Rocky]

I just wanted to say I'm really enjoying your After Action Reports. They're very entertaining and I'm learning a lot from them. I find myself checking for updates every day.

Thank you for sharing your playthroughs and save files with us. It's fun to see you play and to read your perspective, as well as the AI doing things and the dialogue. (Like Miriam renouncing her pact)

[bvanevery]

Heh, didn't know I had an audience!  I figured Induktio would probably read it, but wasn't sure who else.  This isn't my usual kind of AAR.  It's like a heavy duty extensive test on 1 theme only.  This is a pretty fair test of what I can do with the Pirates in semi-isolation though.  I really don't think I could be doing better than I am doing.  It'll say something about growth curves when empires are left to their own devices.

Details sneaky

sneaky

MY 2213.  How the heck did the Caretakers get this unit that deep into my territory without me previously seeing it?  Yeah Thinker doesn't have Sensors on water, but still.  Actually I'm not even sure whether Sensors on water actually work.  They're enabled in my own mod but I can't remember if they've been helpful.  I don't tend to build them.

[Buster's Uncle]

They're duds.  They don't sense anything.

[bvanevery]

Darn it.  Well I might have to take them out of my mod then.

Details counterbalance

counterbalance

MY 2214.  Even though I need Industrial Automation, I just cannot accept the idea that I won't soon research it on my own.  Meanwhile, keeping this guy stalemated with Miriam sounds like a good idea.  And Miriam stalemating Lal.  I only have 1 probe team inbound.  It will infiltrate.

Details the peaceful conqueror

the peaceful conqueror

Well I do have the right enemy.  I've just rarely seen a game where Marr is overly cognizant of that fact.  His love for me doesn't extend to selling a tech though.  Nor can he keep his mouth shut about Planned economy.

Details well look at that

well look at that

My point of view turned out to be reasonably founded.  In the sense of, I didn't need to get this from Marr.  I'm still surprised and irked that I didn't get it myself.  Well, onwards to Doctrine: Initiative!

Lal blamed others for wars, so he continues to squabble.

Details transitional research

transitional research

Although I need Doctrine: Initiative for safety and making war, I need Environmental Economics to release the energy cap and pay off this money grubbing Free Market empire I've been making.  Income is going to fall quite a bit when I go Green.  I checked alphax.txt and EnvEcon is a wealth=4 growth=3 tech.  So this choice should be the best I can do.  And of course, Doctrine: Initiative is an Explore tech.  growth=4 power=2 actually.

[bvanevery]

Details more sneaking

more sneaking

MY 2215.  Assuming bases actually have visibility of ships on the water, then this time around, it must have snuck in across that "arm" of squares that aren't seen by any base.  Through the fungus, then into the arm.  The odd thing is, I swear the ship then turned back 1 square diagonally to the northeast, to arrive in its current orientation.  That would make its trajectory not exactly well considered.  It happens to have come out where it's clearly gonna die.  Both Parrot Landing and Crow's Nest have 4-1-1 foils in them.

When spreading around in this backwater, I made very sure not to make any territorial holes.  I have a contiguous claim on everything, so nobody at Peace or Truce can muscle in.  But I was not so scrupulous, about visibility holes.  It hasn't particularly hurt me yet, but it's a problematic aspect of planning I hadn't considered.

[bvanevery]

Details everybody but me

everybody but me

MY 2216.  I hate it when one of the research runts of the game one-ups me.  In fairness, her focus is Explore Conquer.  Exactly what you need to get that tech.  Not necessarily all the techs that precede it though, i.e. no reason she should have gotten Industrial Automation before me.  Perhaps she stole it from Marr.  Or from Lal... I guess they've been at war for awhile, and it's not reasonable to think that Lal traded for it.

Funny thing is, if I had built the Planetary Datalinks, I guess it would have yielded this tech by now.  It seemed like a Usurper exclusive for quite some time.  Well I didn't have the cash to build a SP anyways.  Really in most respects, I'm still just trying to get this empire off the ground.  It's doing ok but it's not "fighting ready" and couldn't currently withstand a real invasion.  Hopefully I have correctly estimated that the Caretakers are busy.

I think I really am about as isolated in this game as one could reasonably hope for.  Miriam, for instance, is the decidedly most distant player.  There's a huge "turning back" of land between us.  Sailing to her takes forever.

Details you're just a bulwark

you're just a bulwark

My first instinct was to blow him off and let our alliance crumble.  But I guess I can agree, and just pay lip service to doing a darned thing against Miriam.  Ideologically she's a natural enemy that's going to make war on me soon enough anyways.  I'm not obligated to go Democratic, but there sure isn't any good Politics option for the Pirates otherwise.  It solves both of my penalty problems.  It would take a Future Society to have another arrangement be ok, and we're not near those yet.

"Plan A" of infiltrating the Usurpers with my 1 probe team is still a go though.  I am unlikely to reach Believer waters.  It would be way easier to ferry a land team to Lal's territory and then go after the Believers.  Yeah I guess I'll get right on that.  Not.  I've got so much infrastructure outstanding.  Hab Complexes held up by all the Network Nodes I've been making, trying to get the techs I need.

Details sneak! sneak!

sneak! sneak!

Glad they're coming one at a time, like a kung fu movie.  If they came all at once, I'd be dead.

[bvanevery]

Details oh you are the gift of a God

oh you are the gift of a God

MY 2217.  Don't you realize I just popped 8 native life forms near your base?  You had your own unit sitting next to the explosion, so I know in principle, you saw it.  Your kind, generous gift of transportation, dooms your unit to slaughter, and probably your new base along with it.  Of course I'll withdraw without question or condition.  I know you're nowhere near my territory anyways.  Even if you were, the pods all dried up long ago.

Details more lip service

more lip service

I really wanted to blow Lal off again, but once again, where's the harm in placating him?  My probe team was already going to go at the Usurpers when we were at war.  I already thought that was totally doable.  Maybe when it arrives, Marr will have a powwow.  Maybe I'll get him to agree to back off of attacking Lal, which would suit my counterbalancing agenda better.  And who knows, maybe Marr was always destined to get into it with me anyways.  Planned isn't my thing, it's very bad for EFFIC.  I already start with bad EFFIC, I have to crawl out of that hole.

Details ship in water

ship in water

I'm obligated to go through Spartan waters now.  I wanted to check if they had a ship to send me back home with.  Doesn't look like it, but I see the Usurpers are fighting them.  I gotta watch out for that ship.

[bvanevery]

Details you're in the way

you're in the way

MY 2218.  There seem to be 2 units in the channel blocking it up.  I think they're both hers.  It triggered a talking event.  That's slightly annoying as passing next to her city, didn't.  Well this might turn out to be the mission I expected.  She's got Gatling guns and I don't recall getting Superconductor, so I know what I'll do if she gets uppity.

Details you hate me and will declare war anyways

you hate me and will declare war anyways

I know the way this diplomatic AI works.  Its the last ditch attempt to get as much as possible out of me before declaring war.  A form of backstabbing.  Ain't gonna happen!

Details surprised we're not to blows

surprised we're not to blows

I may actually get time to ask her to knock off a war.  Problem is, Roze cannot choose Power.  That makes her Santiago's natural enemy.

Details dammit! my brain slipped!

dammit! my brain slipped!

I was trying type this up, think about what I'm doing, and eat a slice of pie at the same time.  It was my undoing!  I was supposed to pick "Please call off your vendetta against my friend..." and instead I picked "I have a proposal to make".  Thinking I was going to propose that she call off her vendetta.  That's not how the UI works!  There are way too many buttons for what you're supposed to do, and you can't backtrack.  If I had said "Never mind" she would have just signed off.  So I'm going to try to get her to go after Miriam, although it'll amount to nothing, because I'm probably not willing to pay her to do so.  Plus, don't payments create obligations that AI factions simply won't renege on?  "I've accepted payment for their demise and I must fulfill my contract."

Details but my goodwill and friendship is SUCH a bribe!

but my goodwill and friendship is SUCH a bribe!

I know.  It was foolishness.  Just not for the reasons you think.  How many wars have been started over User Interface issues?  "Oh shoot, that was the RED one..."

 

Details stuck my nose into it

stuck my nose into it

Wow that's a real problem.  Unless I can buy that ship, or run a mission on the Spartans, I'm about to die.

[bvanevery]

Details glory

glory

There are TWO ships.  I can't buy a stack of 2 ships, under the original rules.  Retreat means death under any scenario.

Details well Superconductor sounds cool

well Superconductor sounds cool

This situation... what are the lessons?  Don't be tired?  Don't eat?  Don't type?  Don't sail towards a choke point, when diplomatic distance is on the line?

Details escaped!

escaped!

I'm a regular James Bond.  Hmm, wrong nationality.  Sven Bonsvensmand?
 

Intone the Swedish Chef.

y borg-gde-borg de bish ke
borg-gde-borg de bish ke
y borg-gde-borg de bish ke
borg-gde-borg de bish ke
dew dew!
dew dew dew...

Details perhaps I prompted the inevitable

perhaps I prompted the inevitable

I mean I am the embodiment of Scandinavian knowledge.

And that is how I didn't die today, boys and girls.

[bvanevery]

Details I have done the money

I have done the money

MY 2220.  Long years of boring research infrastructure have paid off.  I'm rich!

Details burn! baby, burn!

burn! baby, burn!

The game immediately asks me what my research desires are, and I make them known!

Details yet again

yet again

It's a funny strategy.  Why not just attack Dry Dock directly?  It's only got a scout in it.  Thought I had more but maybe they killed it.  Maybe it never had more.  Anyways, the AI's tactical prevarication will once again cost it its life.  Crow's Nest has a real ship in it.  I can just sit in port and shell it, I don't have to...

Details judicuous save scum

judicuous save scum

Uuuh, reloading my turn.  I forgot how artillery duels work.  It's gun against gun, not gun against armor.  I don't win against an R-Laser.  Look it's 10:45 PM and I'm tired as #.  You can't get this writeup some other way, don't judge me.  I think I should try eating popcorn and juggling while I'm at it.

Details mo money

mo money

I think my income jumped 3x.  Gonna get some stuff done!