Thinking about Pirates

[bvanevery]

Details disappearing Transport passenger

disappearing Transport passenger

That's weird.  I know I loaded a Scout Rover from Storm's Lee onto that Cruiser Transport.  It was something I captured from Yang, and it was close enough to Storm's Lee at the time, or just messed up in the case logic, that it became supported by that base.  I wanted to alleviate the SUPPORT there, so I was going to ferry it to somewhere else.  I didn't have a good plan for that, but there were some Independent units I wanted to go pick up.  I know I didn't rehome it to a new city.

And now, it's just gone.  I wonder if it had to do with the fungal pop that happened next to it?  I'm getting tired and I didn't bother to type that incident up, but I got a Locust and 3 Isles on 1 square, and 1 Isle on another square.  I shelled all of the Isles mercilessly and they all died.  The Locust I took out with a Conventional Missile I had just prototyped.  Nasty thing was making my citizens unhappy.

Another theory could be some weird slip of the keystroke, but I don't remember getting any "Are you sure you want to disband?" message or anything like that.

Yang actually attacked my base with the probe team in it.  He died, but I might not be able to take another hit like that.

I'm so tired I forgot to save a game about this.  I need to quit soon.  This will just have to be an anecdote for now.

[bvanevery]

Details anti Locust

anti Locust

MY 2250.  I'm getting more fungal pops.  I lose 2 ships trying to take out a Locust before it attacks.  My memory of dealing with large stacks of Locusts, in apocalyptic deluge scenarios, is you need a really big Air Superiority Artillery piece.  You can fry 'em all out of the sky.  You won't get rich that way, but you will be alive.  This gun is a bit downscale by my standards, but maybe it's good enough.  We'll see.

I'm also getting confused as to what turn it is.  Alright, that's enough.  Time for bed!

[bvanevery]

Details slimebag

slimebag

MY 2253.  That's some serious cheek.  It's not even a good base.  Morgan goes to war for me.

Details what up fool

what up fool

Why does Yang want to talk?  I'm having a hard time imagining why I'd want to hear what he has to say.  I will go through the motions anyways.

Details your sales technique is lacking

your sales technique is lacking

Details thanks for sharing

thanks for sharing

Were we not at war when he mind controlled my base?  Well, he triggered Morgan to go to war on my behalf, which would drag me into war.  So it's not like I had much choice leeway.  Won't be doing any Treaties with the Hive again.  I'm slightly annoyed that he found the loophole for avoiding the diplomatic repercussions for breaking a Treaty.  Except that, he then went on and jawed at me, breaking the Treaty anyways!  Either way he lost political face, for what that's worth.

Details dodging eco bullets

dodging eco bullets

I'm lucky he only had the one Chaos Megafoil cruising around.  He sunk a Super Sea Former in the northeast of my small empire.  Dealing with abundant Isles, I took many of my ships out of their garrison positions to shell the Isles more effectively.  It left my bases more vulnerable, but that will end now.

Details I get free ship

I get free ship

I keep forgetting that I shouldn't worry about naval interlopers.  My empire is not basically vulnerable in that way.  I think I'm going to forget about the Power stuff for now.  Continue with Knowledge, turtle up, build the Fusion Labs, get the Algorithmic Enhancement.  Maybe cash these Artifacts to speed it along.

Details defensive stations

defensive stations

At least I'm not getting any more oceanic mindworm pops.  I did get one on land, but that probably won't matter.  I captured another milling Transport and sunk yet another.  The capturing will trigger a drone riot next year because I wasn't expecting to have to use local ships to fight right away.

Details the best minerals

the best minerals

I just noticed that Ocean minerals don't yield as much as Ocean Shelf minerals.  I've probably never had a game where I really had the concern.  The important implication is that if the world sinks, it actually harms the Pirates' minerals somewhat.  I already had other reasons to fear sinking, as Pirates don't have any special ability to terraform Deep Ocean.   So if you hadn't worked those squares already, you wouldn't be able to. Or you'd have to spend a lot of time lifting them out of the ocean, which is a real pain.  Or you could shoot off some Tectonic Missiles if you have them.

I'm not sure if Thinker is capable of such severe ocean problems.  The evidence so far is that it isn't.  With the pops I've had, I would have expected at least 266 meters of flooding by now.  In vanilla or my mod, and maybe WTP too.

[bvanevery]

Details whatever tech

whatever tech

Belatedly I remember to cash an Artifact.  I haven't had my coffee yet.  I suppose I can make use of this.  The other 2 Artifacts have to wait until I can bring them to another base via Transport.

[bvanevery]

Details major candidate

major candidate

Yang has conquered UN Enforcement Base, home of the Empath Guild.  I don't think we're going to like the next election.  Then again, if he's in charge, maybe we can get atrocities legalized?

Details I guess it wouldn't hurt

I guess it wouldn't hurt

I cash another Artifact.  The Xenoempathy Dome isn't exactly what I'd call the most useful thing for me personally, but hey it's an available SP.

[bvanevery]

Details tough for us capitalists

tough for us capitalists

MY 2255.  I liked the idea, and Morgan's heart is in the right place (i.e. he has none), but Lal is a pill about it.  I thought about proposing this myself a long time ago, but I didn't want Lal to benefit at the time.  Now it's a non-issue.

Details traitor!

traitor!

Morgan isn't even capitalist!  The nerve!

Details the basis of probe

the basis of probe

Algorithmic Enhancement capability.  And I did it!  No help from Morgan.  Well, except of course to get me to a higher level of tech to begin with.  No recent help from Morgan.  He's been tooling with the Cyborg Factory for quite awhile, getting nowhere because he's intensely at war.

Details now this is something to do

now this is something to do

I cash another Artifact.  I'm feeling better about my prospects.  I'm doubting anyone else has this capability yet, because I haven't seen any messages about anyone starting the Nano Factory.

Details reinvest

reinvest

Now I need more money to complete this stuff.  I tweak my budget to 40-30-30.  My monetary policy is to keep my credit reserve to 1000 or below, to avoid the Energy Market Crash.  It's really nasty in vanilla, Thinker, and my mod.  WTP toned it down a bit.

Details armor up

armor up

I will continue with my pure Build focus for now, as I'm close to getting better armor.  I could use that, against Yang's occasional air interlopers.  He's been busy stomping Lal lately though.  Also now that I've got A.E., I need to see what I can steal from Yang.

[bvanevery]

Details well it's finally here

well it's finally here

MY 2256.  That was a lot slower than vanilla, but finally, the seas start to rise.  I wonder how much I've been responsible for it?  Judging by my ongoing fungal pops, I would expect / hope quite a bit!

Details don't pester me

don't pester me

I lost a unit going after this armored probe team, but then in the 2nd battle, I captured it.  So that's almost a fair exchange.

[bvanevery]

Details missing 3 res unit

missing 3 res unit

Ok, I know I had a captured Independent 3-Res or Plasma type garrison.  I think it had ECM.  It was standing on this bit of rock next to the probe team.    I had deliberately separated them in case of an air strike, and was waiting for my captured Transport to heal up.  Now, it's gone.  The rock didn't sink in the flooding, so why is my unit gone?  I strongly suspect there is a bug with captured units and old unit designs.  It was the only unit of its kind that I had, and it started life as a Hive unit.

Details the frigate triangle

the frigate triangle

Similarly, I had the vaunted unarmored Chaos Foil out to sea, shelling Isles around my capitol.  It's gone too, this turn.  I don't see any Ocean Shelf that turned into Ocean, and I would hope that wouldn't wipe out a ship anyways.  Once again it started life as a Hive unit, a long time ago.  It's the only design of its type that I had.

[bvanevery]

Details it was here

it was here

Inter-turn, MY 2257 to 2258.   I could not get a screenshot of Yang nukeing UN Commerce Committee, a base that Morgan captured at some point.  Sometimes the CTRL-ALT-TAB task switching functionality on Windows 10 becomes locked up, only with Thinker.  I suspect it happens after a Secret Project movie has been shown, as I recently completed the Xenoempathy Dome.  I don't usually play with SP movies but this time, setting up a new installation for Thinker, I decided to do so.  My usual work around is to save the game and restart it.  Of course I cannot do that on the inter-turn.

Not happy about Yang's use of nukes, especially since I'm still blind about what's in his empire and what he's producing.  Probe team and infiltration shenanigans, would be a quite unexpected downfall to my gameplan for trashing Thinker.  There is of course a ready antidote: be sure to infiltrate early, before anyone builds the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.  Especially neighbors!  I'm just not used to bothering because WTP doesn't make that exercise worthwhile.

While discussing bugs, it should be noted that I generally cannot start Thinker with the 1st click of its shortcut on my desktop.  It takes at least 2 times and often more.  It's indeterminate how many times it takes, although it will eventually succeed, probably no more than 5 clicks at the most.  I do have to Run As Administrator.  In contrast, I don't have to perform any special rituals to run WTP.  So they have apparently diverged as far as how they handle startup.

I'm going to make a guess that Thinker incorporates PRACX, which is actually buggy, and WTP does not.

[bvanevery]

Details seizing the Nexus

seizing the Nexus

MY 2258.  I have a clever little team of captured Independent units that's been gradually making their way northwards.  They've shown up at a city next to the Manifold Nexus, and guess what, it's defended by only 1 photon probe team!

Details almost

almost

I didn't end up actually having the territory influence over the Nexus.  It's of little consequence as it's about to sink anyways.  Once it does, it's gone, unless Thinker did something about that.  In the stock binary, it would be gone.

Details more stuff I got

more stuff I got

I'm beginning to feel pangs of attrition, like my fleet of AAA Silksteel ships is not adequate.  I capture stuff but it takes awhile for things to heal up.

Details I know everything

I know everything

I'm doing well on my SPs and getting facilities completed.  I believe I'll be going through a cycle of Power real soon now.

[bvanevery]

Details well that's not fun at all

well that's not fun at all

MY 2259.  So much for Independent troops having any long distance value.  I didn't know how long I'd hold that city, but that's pathetic.

Details tough tacticals

tough tacticals

Yang's got Shard weapons, which I think means he's got Advanced Spaceflight, if memory serves.  It's an Interceptor and lost 2 of my own Interceptors trying to kill this thing.  Granted, he's Veteran and mine were untrained Fusion and Tachyon prototypes.  I actually had to bring up the anti-Locust gun to finish this thing off.

I'm starting to get really annoyed at how long it's taking to get my production maxed.  I'm not sure if the AI is smart at fighting, but it's got overwhelming resources and it certainly harasses well enough.  It actually demonstrates competence at probe warfare, which is a force multiplier for it.  Its main weakness, if you can even call it that, is it still doesn't regard me as a serious threat compared to taking over land stuff.   Now maybe in the end, that will turn out to have worked for it just fine.  Much depends on whether the Morganites do ok, and whether they balance each other out.

Details secret sauce

secret sauce

Yang has finally embraced Power, explaining some of his recent victories.  I'll need to follow suit soon.  Morgan is still doing Wealth, putting him at a disadvantage.  So's Lal.  That's really dumb in his case.

Details oh benefactor

oh benefactor

Morgan just completed the Cyborg Factory, so he's finally in a tech bestowing mood again.

Details I want fake eyes

I want fake eyes

After 2 techs, he stuffs me regarding the Living Refinery.

[bvanevery]

Details the operation

the operation

Through a convoluted series of convoys, I manage to bring 2 Algorithmically Enhanced Hovertanks to Storm's Lee.  I have the Xenoempathy Dome so I actually have quite a lot of cities I could inflict them on.  Which one?  I'm going to try presuming the necessity of "inland", that the AI will have fortified a front line, but not necessarily have thought about inland penetration.  Of course the AI could have instead put a probe team in every single last city.  I'll just have to get in there and see what I can do.  That's the basic problem with being blind.

Details the coast is clear

the coast is clear

I will take the easiest one, if you're inclined to let me have it.  I hope these teams can perform.

Details oh ffs no

oh ffs no

No way I'm talking to you again, unless it's to hear you grovel.

Details dundidit!

dundidit!

My noble probe team dies in the assault.  But finally, after 160 years, I can see what's going on.  I'm surprised that Advanced Spaceflight is his only tech advantage over me.  Morgan is a good benefactor indeed!

Details and now it's mine

and now it's mine

That team lived.  I did a little bit of poking around before making my probe, to look at all the nice thermal boreholes around these bases.  In any other mod, the world would be 4000 meters underwater with all this stuff.

[bvanevery]

Details what the Hive is like

what the Hive is like

The Hive has got various 'troops', mostly, not really in excess for an empire that's so large.  The only real standout is the huge number of supply crawlers.  Perhaps that's a strategic vulnerability, if only I didn't have to worry about my units being bribed.  The good news is, I don't see any Planet Busters in production.  I think the Hive engineered the most beneficial result for me, which is not hitting me, and making everyone hate him!

Details strategic assessment

strategic assessment

The Hive's energy reserves are unremarkable. 

Details oncoming poverty

oncoming poverty

In fact, he's supposedly losing money every year.  His faction disadvantages and choice of Power are definitely costing him.  If I tried to harass and pillage his lands, and destroy his supply crawlers and formers, I don't think I have to make my units invulnerable to probe team capture.  I think I just have to make them expensive to capture.  If he gains them, he'll just wear his money out.  The ideal harassment unit would have strong armor and a weak armament.  So that they can kill the crawlers and formers, but when/if they're turned on me, they can't do me any real damage.

I don't think cloaking technology is available to me yet.  In the original game I remember that being from Frictionless Surfaces, and I don't think I've seen / heard that dialogue.  The tech is usually a big nothing against the AI, because the AI simply cheats, looking at your units whenever it likes.  In my mod, for a long time I was giving it away to the Aliens at the beginning of the game, I thought so little of it.  More recently I toned down slightly and made it available early midgame.  Just not that important an ability.  Bypassing zones of control is very useful for pillaging and supply crawler hunting though.

Details bitter little pill

bitter little pill

This is a little more expensive than I'd like, but the 50 mineral version would only have a Gun on it.  That's not good enough.  This seems to be the best bang for the buck in armored hovertank technology.  I will order one up!

Details the society must fall in line

the society must fall in line

I know I will need to ditch the -2 PROBE of Knowledge to make my plan work.  But I'm also realizing, this isn't going to work very well with a Free Market.  A wide ranging, harassing invasion force, needs a fair number of units.  At least, to get the job done swiftly.  And I do think speed is important, given the Hive's rate of growth.  Need to kneecap him.  So I think I'm going to have to make Morgan a bit displeased with me for awhile.

The irony being, he should be displeased with himself, first and foremost.  Only in Thinker mod, can a faction leader gaslight everyone about how they should do their social engineering.  Do as I say, not as I do.

Maybe I'll even go Fundamentalist.  It would really hurt Yang's attempts to probe me.  Seems like a good antidote to the harassment I've been suffering.  So it's looking like Fundamentalist Green Power.  GROWTH will suck, but my cities are pretty big.  I won't need GROWTH again until I've got Hab Dome capability.

[bvanevery]

Details what are the targets

what are the targets

MY 2260.  This will help me determine what I need to destroy.

Details prevailing terrain

prevailing terrain

Not quite as many boreholes as I thought he'd have, and an incomplete rail system.  Lot more forest than I expected.  Looks like a hovertank can bypass ZOC on a lot of this, using fungus and the Xenoempathy Dome.

Details upgrade to awesome

upgrade to awesome

I've got the money to complete the Nano Factory.  I think that's my cue to cut down my money supply.  I'm not sure whether I'll push on to get the Living Refinery.  I don't think it's worth holding up the invasion over.  Morgan's working on it.

Details Morgan is so refined

Morgan is so refined

I think he's going to get this done, if I'm not willing to struggle for it.

Details prepare for war

prepare for war

I break with the Free Market, cutting my income in half, and knocking my credit reserves down to 26!  But ground intervention is required to affect Yang.

[bvanevery]

Details the struggles I can win

the struggles I can win

MY 2261.  Decent decision on my part last year.  Morgan jumped from 7 turns to completion, to I guess 2.  Don't know if he dumped cash or supply crawlers on it; really don't care.  I was right not to try to bite off more SPs than I could chew.  Got a bigger fish to fry.

Details growth sucks

growth sucks

People, who needs people?  Actually I've got a lot of people.  My various size 14 bases could spawn off some people in a hurry, and bring the others up to max.  If only I didn't have better things to do.

Details we lost the land

we lost the land

The poles are gone, as well as a lot of ribbon land hanging off of them.  The Nano Factory is incomplete!  Lost a lot of Hybrid Forest trees in the flooding.  Well if I wanted the world to be more ocean-like, I got a bit of it.