Lets Play SMAX!

[sisko]

Love the crawlers up top!

yeah, but using more crawlers than the AI, almost feels like cheating..

[Buster's Uncle]

Fun polar square fact- the poles are generally buggy, and bases from different factions can work the same polar square.    I like to gift another faction a seabase in a single isolated water square next to the pole; (with land squares terraformed to surround it.) Then, when they inevitably declare vendetta later, I don't wipe out that pathetic base with the rest, so I can build the rest of the map like it was Sim City and run out the clock before I transcend without one of those pesky Conquest Victories getting in the way.  I have to crawl the 2-4 polar squares to keep the gifted base from working them for a min each, even though those squares are my territory and it shouldn't work that way.

[sisko]

never knew that! ha.. i'm still learning this about this game

[Buster's Uncle]

We should start a bug report thread - I have more.

[Green1]

On one hand, I understand crawlers. By themselves they are not that powerful and can be destroyed easy with airpower. But even with Kyrub's AI the enemy does not use them that much. Kyrub thinks they are an exploit.

Maybe there would be some way -say, limit the number of crawlers allowed to the total number of bases.

Then again, maybe another solution: give crawlers a maintainence cost. After all, one of the downsides of automation is all those machines still break down. Or maybe increase drones. Displaced workers will not be happy a machine is doing the thier job depending on type of society.

This is probably the most serious bug SMAX has at the moment.

[Buster's Uncle]

Not bad ideas.

Now, I do most of my crawling in late-game and use hover chassis; that avoids the majority of the vunerability problems.

[NewAgeOfPower]

Conquest Achieved.



*A few thousand klicks south of Fisher Of Men, 2387 AD*

Gästprofessor-Sky Marshal Shaun Stevenson surveyed the scene around him, and on his screen, aboard the Command Module of his Hypometric Skybase (AA Model). He was not a happy man.

He was one of the most powerful humans ever, answerable only to the University Chief of Staff and the Provost himself. His command, First Fleet, was the most powerful task force ever assembled in the history of man. Eight Assault model Hypometric Skybases, a half dozen scout-model Psionic Skybases, 16 dedicated AA Hypometric Skybases. The primitive Believer allies that saw his units called them 'Deathspheres'.



Even a dozen of the University's Orbital Defense Pods, nicknamed 'Orbats' by University Military, had been on dedicated watch just to his task force.

However, his entire command had one purpose- to escort the naval force below.

Two divisions of AA Hypometric Stasis Cruisers were escorting a modified 'Carrier' below... which carried over 80% of the University Strategic Stockpile. He would be responsible for the murder of a significant percentage of humanity.

"We have launch confirmation, Sky-Marshal! The code is Remember the Martyrs!"



He once wondered if a 'demonstration' strike would work. Perhaps eliminate some enemy military formations with a Fission or Fusion Nuclear Device; but thinking back nearly half a century ago, at the House of Martyrs, when he was just a mere Adjunkt-Lieutenant...

Side Story- An Lieutenant's Regrets: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=2434.0

No, there could be no mercy.



Besides, the Empath Guild at University Base reported the Hive Military had their own superweapons.




*15 minutes later, in command module*

The fresh-faced Adjunkt-Lieutenant commanding a Scout Skybase not only was incredibly annoying, but reminded him of himself.

"SIR!!! The planet-buster has re-entered the atmosphere, and is heading towards position Alpha-One-Niner, will hit within one minute!"

"Very good." He heard himself say, then noticed the Strategic Overlay Icons. "GET OUT! Your Nav-Officer didn't account for the slipstream, you're within the blast radius!"

*SHHH BOOOM!!!* He heard over the comm screen, as the screen turned static for a second.

"STATUS REPORT, LIEUTENANT!" He barked.

The lieutenant, who was thrown halfway across the room, began checking readouts. "Reactor is at 10% integrity, I've got a few injured Psykana, Psi-systems are effectively down, but we are still in the air, and Deep Radar is perfectly fine." His face broke into a toothy grin. "We got them sir! We got those bastards good!"

Indeed. Over 300,000 Hive citizens lived in the the Freshwater Sea's Basin, now a giant smoking crater, which the ocean should begin filling soon.

[NewAgeOfPower]

Zakharov was in a good mood. He was on the cusp of Final Victory. Sister Miriam and Lady Deidre had submitted to his will over a century ago, and soon Yang and Santiago would join Lal in his Punishment Spheres.

"Sky Marshal, you are to obliterate everything but the bases holding special Projects and bases near the Manifold Nexus with the Strategic Stockpile. Then you are to deploy our Bolos and Sky Fleet to seize all remaining objectives."

"Your wish, is my command, Provost."

[NewAgeOfPower]

University Sky-Fleet seizes the Command Nexus, Planetary Transit System, Merchant Exchange, and capture's Yang.

[NewAgeOfPower]

As University armadas converged on The Parade Ground, Santiago spirals deeper and deeper into delusion.







The Spartans managed to massacre the crew of a Scout Skybase which captured a Spartan Base by using a Cruise Missile on it (Psi defense is VERY BAD against missiles), and Zak considered deploying more planetbusters to limit University Casualties.

But University Sky-Fleet advanced at such a prodigious rate that nuking the Super Collider proved unnecessary.

*I smell some Spartan Sizzling *

[Buster's Uncle]

 

[NewAgeOfPower]

Thanks, BU. Thats that for Conquest Victory.

[Buster's Uncle]

Are you skipping straight to Transcend, or gonna run the table?

[NewAgeOfPower]

I'll run the table.

Side Story is linked now, read and review!

[Buster's Uncle]

You want comment in the story thread?  You didn't start a comment thread, and also, I'll have more to say when I'm wide awake.


Short review:  I want to see more.