Thinking about Pirates

[bvanevery]

Details and so they do

and so they do

MY 2132.  Rather predictable.

[bvanevery]

Details where is the other sea former

where is the other sea former

I could swear I had 2 sea formers working the big mineral special to completion, just 2 years ago.  Now I only see 1 sea former.  I know I didn't move the 2nd one elsewhere.  It seems to have vanished, and there haven't been any Isles or other attacks or probe teams about.  I think I've anecdotally encountered this "mysterious disappearing unit" problem before.

I've been saving my games so it shouldn't be hard to track down.  No 2nd unit at the end of MY 2131.  Nor MY 2130.  Nor MY 2129.

Details my bad

my bad

Sailed it northwest in MY 2128 and forgot I did so.  This time, the bug was in my brain!

[bvanevery]

Details spread animosity

spread animosity

MY 2133.  Yes you can talk to Miriam, Zak.

Details need me probes

need me probes

Probe teams are a Tier 1 tech in my mod.  They also have a pure Conquer focus, so if you don't study Conquer or trade for it, you're not going to learn it.  Hmm, how did Zhakarov learn it then, with a pure Discover research focus?  Well it's Tier 1.  He could have popped it from a pod, but it does raise an eyebrow.  I don't think he can instantaneously trade with Miriam between the moments of our diplomatic dialogue.  Maybe he's in contact with Santiago.

Details he disclaims all knowledge

he disclaims all knowledge

The stock binary doesn't have the guile to lie about comm frequencies.  I'm guessing Thinker didn't change anything in that regard.  Doesn't know about the Cyborgs either.

I'm going to try to remember to look at this circumstance after I'm done with this game.

[bvanevery]

Details a borg

a borg

MY Whatever.  Got interrupted by real life.  I have her talk to my secretary, Cha Dawn.  We sign a Treaty.

[bvanevery]

Details weak

weak

MY 2144.  Finally infiltrated.  He certainly doesn't have any tech.

Details vulnerable to rush

vulnerable to rush

The Thinker AI does not defend as well as the stock AI using the predefined Clean Synth Garrison units I taught it to make.  I've only seen 1 Clean Synth Garrison in its cities.  If it doesn't adjust its course quickly, it will be summarily overrun.  I have made a Command Center at my nearest sea coastal base and it has a good minerals supply.  These Scouts are not a defense against Recon Rovers.  Now maybe Thinker will prove clever about the timing, and suddenly conjure the armor that it needs to defend itself, as I approach.  But if it isn't sophisticated like that, it's about to get wiped.  Again, this is what happens when you assume you have a large perimeter where nobody can start near you, and that the only thing you have to face are mindworms.  The stock binary doesn't make those assumptions.

Details the slight reprieve

the slight reprieve

I switch from a defensive to an offensive unit, as I didn't expect to have an offensive opportunity.  I also forgot that the Speeder chassis is not automatically given out in my mod.  You'll often obtain it in practice as the tiers of techs advance, but right now, it's still early days.  If I had realized this, I would have prototyped a Recon Rover instead of a Synth Laser Foil.

Details a sting

a sting

I'm in a hurry, as I don't know if Thinker will reconsider its weakness.  So I will pay to get a prototype done.  However, my Transport just ferried 2 Scouts to some nearby land, in order for them to explore and pop pods.  It won't be back for 2 turns, so I don't need to rush the prototype this turn.

[bvanevery]

Details they shouldn't have that

they shouldn't have that

MY 2145.  Ok, whose bug is this?  They don't have 3-Res technology.

Details no such tech

no such tech

In my mod I don't give out the tech until E4 Bioadaptive Resonance.

Details this is the tech tree

this is the tech tree

Sanity checked here.  Only one more place to look, alphax.txt.

Code: [Select]

Clean 3-Res Transport,   Foil, Transport, 3-Res, 7,0,0, Bioadap, -1, 10000000000000010000000000000000
Thinker has illegally given the Free Drones the ability to make this predefined unit.  Are the fake leading ability flags confusing it somehow?

They don't know how to make probe teams.  They don't have any allies.  It is highly unlikely that someone with a Treaty or Truce, gave them an example of this unit.  Or that anyone has this tech, this early in the game.

Details and yet

and yet

The Free Drones have already acquired a Clean 3-Res Transport, somehow.  How?

This unit is entry #4 in my predefined unit table.  (First unit counted as #1.)  If Thinker was using its own alphax.txt, what would that unit be?

Code: [Select]

Transport Foil,         Foil,     Transport,    Scout,      7, 0, 0, DocFlex, -1, 00000000000000000000000000
Maybe it's confused about what it gets to build.

[bvanevery]

Details modest completion

modest completion

MY 2146.  The invasion force is coming.  I got a completion event when popping a pod, so I've got another Recon Rover coming immediately.  I could have made it clean and armored if I had been thinking more carefully about setting it up, but I'm hungry and dinner is almost upon us.

Aside from the Clean 3-Res Transport, I'm not seeing any reaction from the Free Drones.  Some cities are trying to make Scout Rovers.  Also, strictly speaking, tailoring anything to my force mix at this point is cheating.  They don't have infiltration.  Probably the stock binary cheats too though.

[bvanevery]

Details armored speeder

armored speeder

MY 2147.  This time I prepare better for possible completion.  "ASP" is my abbreviation for armored speeder.  I didn't get a completion, so I change production back to Recon Rover.

[bvanevery]

Details blue bird of happiness

blue bird of happiness

MY 2149.  My Recon Rover rush is soon to be interrupted by growth and unhappy citizens.  I don't know how to make a Hologram Theater yet.

Details preparing for assault

preparing for assault

He's soon to complete that stupid cheating / bugged unit.  I put a Unity Rover right up next to his city to try to stimulate the rush.  Invasion off a transport would be better, as would naval artillery.  But there's a big pile of Sargasso Sea in the way and I have not had time to bring up such forces.  They will come eventually, but for now, I'm trying to rush in the front door.  It's quite possible I won't be able to break it down right now, but I have to try.

If he actually completes a Clean 3-Res Transport that becomes a defender for a city, then I'm going to open the Scenario Editor and find some way to edit it out of existence.

Of course he wants a Truce when I'm about to stomp him.  I tell him to go jump in a lake.

[bvanevery]

Details the big world club

the big world club

MY 2150.  Sure, talk to more people.  See if I care.

Details wrangling

wrangling

Wasn't I supposed to get back to Explore Build?  Too many real life interruptions.

[bvanevery]

Details really not that interested

really not that interested

Well at least no matter what she says, I'm pretty well garrisoned at home.  Clean Synth Laser Foils in nearly every port.

Details she says she sucks

she says she sucks

What part of Unsurpassed don't you understand?

Details I got bold with the pod

I got bold with the pod

I didn't want this war freak to have it.  I don't know if that will cost her or me.

[bvanevery]

Details convenient

convenient

I was just thinking about how I needed a piece of armor up front.  The Free Drones' reaction to my forces wasn't bad.  They attacked.  I'm not going to be just overrunning that base.  I wonder if the AI knew that, or if it was luck on their part.

Details somewhat worked

somewhat worked

They weakened their armored defender by attacking my Unity Rover.  It disengaged and survived.  They wiped out one of my approaching Recon Rovers, and I counterattacked.

Details how to get rid of it

how to get rid of it

I am wondering... does Thinker have some code somewhere that gives a free "Transport" for some reason?  Not specifically a Unity Transport.  In other words, something that gives away a free UNIT #4.  That would explain the 1st Clean 3-Res Transport that appeared at some point in the game.  Maybe it came quite early.  Now it's just building something it has a working prototype for.

The big question is whether this thing stays in port.  Unlike the stock game, my mod doesn't penalize ships for staying in port.  The good news is that means fighting as Pirates is sane.  The bad news is it means everyone else can use ships as sort of perfect coastal port defenders.  They seem to be much tougher than other units to get rid of.  So, this thing can't just sit in port and be a defender.  If it doesn't move, I have to work around the bug.

Details trade secretary

trade secretary

It's an official position.

Details cash

cash

In my mod, Democratic is almost free money.  It merely has political consequences.  Some factions can't choose it, like the Cult.  Their Agenda though is Eudaimonic.  Which in my mod, is singing kumbaya with the mindworms.  The dialogue about being your best biological self, almost works when Cha Dawn utters it.

[bvanevery]

Details sell more comms

sell more comms

I'm going to try to Repeal the U.N. Charter.  Before I do, I'm going to sell every comm I can.  Cha Dawn unfortunately expressed no interest in Santiago's comm, so I don't think I'll get a free map just yet.  Maybe after I call the vote though.

Details trade more techs

trade more techs

Every bit helps.

Details double sell

double sell

Money money money!

Details cheap map!

cheap map!

Cut her off and on yet again.  Not the usual way I get my navigational charts, but I'll take it.

That's it.  She's just begging for free tech now.  Domai and Santiago are at war with me and won't talk.

[bvanevery]

Details score!!!

score!!!

Some factions just got pretty dead.  Soon I'll have to decide if Domai will be among them.  Having a vote in your back pocket isn't so bad.  He's also nearby and conquerable by conventional means.  Currently.  Unless Thinker has a better garrisioning plan than it looks like.  If I win, it's a straightforward case of, I actually spread faster than Thinker did.  AI didn't get the bonus nutrient buff.  Still had nutrients in the home territory, that wasn't an excuse.  I've really got the sea colony pod completion scumming thing down pat.

I don't have the votes to win the Governorship, although I'm not any smaller than any 2nd tier faction, really.  Most have low 20s of population.  Miriam has high 20s.

[bvanevery]

Details 4 candidates is unusual

4 candidates is unusual

MY 2151.  I don't really want Santiago to get the Governorship, but I'm not going to spend much to have my way.  You'd think that my ally Cha Dawn would have figured out my lack of desire for this person?  Ah wait, double checking my math, I have a most logical result:

Details got it done

got it done

Too bad there isn't something else dastardly for me to vote for!