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Completed Let's Multiplay Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (PBEM) Game 3

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Won't conquest simply trigger an escape pod again?
I think there is a limit to how many times one can cheat death, but I don't know what it is.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
This happened to the liberal messenger sent to negotiate their surrender:
Which is why I sent mindworms.

A bit hard to kick the boiling mass of screeching parasytes.

Well. It seems like I was turned down.
Sparta_1.png

Sparta.jpg
The slimy Colonel escaped yet again. Must be the Rule of Threes. :M

What are the chances that I will stumble upon them in another decade or so, I wonder?
 
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Hellraiser

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Danzig, Potato-Hitman Commonwealth
They better not end up a squatters on that glorious land beyond Adama Mons and Spock Planum I am about to colonize. There's enough vermin on Continent Alpha already, SCIENCE needs no paramilitary vagabonds on its turf.
 

Cassidy

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They better not end up a squatters on that glorious land beyond Adama Mons and Spock Planum I am about to colonize. There's enough vermin on Continent Alpha already, SCIENCE needs no paramilitary vagabonds on its turf.

Don't believe in Gaian propaganda. The last Spartans died in a Glorious yet Futile Last Stand. The greater ideals of Western Civilization as upheld by the Spartan Federation are gone forever because of filthy useful idiots to the melonheads and their 'Thal genocide agenda known as

liberals
 
Unwanted

Kalin

Unwanted
Dumbfuck Zionist Agent
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Messages
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Location
Al Scandiya
FvjNEmh.png



The future is now!

With the new automatic Morgansoft Windows update, every faction on Planet will be able to integrate their network nodes, 3D-vision outlets and personal computers in to a single cohesive experience!

You'll be able to visit Morgan Delta City on one channel, and watch asiatic interspecies greaser-on-sap genital wrestling on another - all while keeping tabs on the markets.

You can do your shopping at home, browse and initiate our brand new PSI-entertainment, or play Planetfall of Profit with a friend from U.N. Headquarters. There is no end to the possibilities!



Morgansoft Windows reserves the right to access, disclose and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails, other private communications or files in private folders), mental data (gained for example through quality-assured empathic scans) and recordings utilizing your audio and video hardware, when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to: 1.comply with applicable contract and piracy laws or respond to valid legal process, from Ares CorpSec and private law enforcement or other corporate branches; 2.protect our customers, for example to prevent spam or attempts to defraud users of the services, or to help prevent the loss of profits or serious injury to our shareholders; 3.operate and maintain the security of our services, including to prevent or stop an attack on the computer systems, networks and business operations of our shareholders; or 4.protect the rights or property of Morgansoft, including enforcing the terms governing the use of the services. Morgansoft Windows accepts no liability for anything whatsoever in relation to these practices. By using Morgansoft Windows, you acknowledge these terms as legally and/or scripturally binding and waive all rights to any data we collect. Morgansoft Windows - Fuck you!


nRqx8SV.png


:d1p:


Took a hint from Nevill and mega-rushed this baby with a mighty synthsteel rovah convoy and some extra crawlers. This will be ultra-useful to keep tabs on the humongous hippie cancer growth that's sprawling all across Planet.

Still doubt it will help turn the tide, it feels like I'm littul David going up against Goliath and Brogoliath at the same time, while realising muh sling is empty cuz mommy threw all my pebbles during the stoning the day before. :lol:
 
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Unwanted

Kalin

Unwanted
Dumbfuck Zionist Agent
Joined
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Messages
1,868,264
Location
Al Scandiya
Morgansoft's high-powered empathic mind raiders just penetrated the forbidden curtain.

They gazed long and hard into the abyss, and...

Manbros...

I have no words.

:negative::negative::negative:
 

Hellraiser

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Danzig, Potato-Hitman Commonwealth
Yeah, so if this is Game Over man, Game Over, due to ICS augmented by the PTS, as mentioned above, we should probably start a new game and ban the Planetary Transit System (if AI gets it any player who seizes control of it should raze the city). Essentially winning the game in 40 turns is a bit gay and I am not sure what exactly Firaxis was smoking when they thought 1 pop turning into 3 is a good idea.

Dibs on University by the way :M
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I haven't really ICSed though. The bases are somewhat spread out, it's not like I have them in every tile. :?

I have departed a bit from my usual plan to test the strategy proposed in the Unsurpassed SMAC thread. I can do this early because, being Gaian, I can get +2 food from fungus without much terraforming while I build condensers on nutrient bonuses for +7 food tiles. I have now entered the pop-booming stage and plan to switch to all-specialists soon, hopefully improving the economics.

Also, I used to get some stupid amount of money from sea exploration, like 100 credits every turn. I think I had about 600 in stock before I used them all to build Children's Creches instantly. Maritime Project ensured that the sea pods belong almost exclusively to me, boosting the production tremendously.

Lately, though, all I am getting are Isles of the Deep. They cost me a few units already.

I think I have researched Doctrine: Initiative in 2156, and insta-built 5 cruiser transports with 20 rape-rovers before sending them off in search of friends. Nothing says surprise like 20 rovers on one's doorstep. :lol: 3 transports sailed east, while 2 moved west, for Miriam. It was then when I discovered Cassidy again by pure accident, noticed that he had Impact weaponry that I needed, and rerouted the 2. It delayed the invasion of the Believers by about 7 turns, and my rovers are currently trapped on Cassidy's isle because I had to withdraw my transports out of fear of native life.

Sadly, the surprise might have been ruined now with the Empath Guild. :(

I have also declared war on Miriam since the Believers started trading with Morganites. I didn't commit many resourses there (I think I have only 5 mind worms and 2 rovers, and I will probably lose some next turn), but I don't think she has the ability to muster a meaningful defence.

My hope is to own the bases in the jungle in the next decade while booming the pop on my main bases to the Hab limit. It is a pity I have no infiltration with the other factions and can't see how fast Morgan and University tech up, so that's a bit of a worry for me.
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Some screenshots, since I got infiltrated anyway.

Here are my bases. I have about 30 of them. They are not too close to each other for my strategy to really be considered ICSing. The westrern part of the continent is naturally more developed, since I started there. Spartans got wiped because I had no minerals and was worried about not being able to grab important secret projects (read: PTS). It turned out an empty fear, since I discovered crawlers first and had a bit of a headstart, while Morgan had to deal with the SUPPORT penalty.
2015_08_23_015044.jpg

Oh, and if you were curious:
Let me guess, you had it building since planetfall and just relied on free worms to do shit?
Each time I pick up a Unity Pod, I switch production at the nearest base to the most expensive unit or structure I may need. If I can't switch production without losing minerals, I usually delay investigating the pod until I can. So my Weather Paradigm got built by M.Y. 2130 because I had insta-built a Network Node in GreenHouse Gate and switched production to the Project, gaining a 80 minerals advantage. I finished it with 2 crawlers. So the base was only building it on two forests for ~9 turns.

Sparta Command was located where the Dreams of Green now resides, while Cleve's Bunker was near Memory of Earth.

I have placed the bases on the coast with the plan to rush 5 cruiser transports in mind. I needed a lot of shore bases for sea exploration, so I had to plan the locations for 30 years in advance. I only got Doctrine: Flexibility in M.Y. 2148 or so.

My research. It didn't really take off until I started spamming bases around forests, and even then much of the energy was lost. I could not afford to switch Planned off or Democracy on, though. If I had a choice, I'd switch to Police State + Green, but I don't have the techs, or the time to research them since they are way off the path I consider critical.
2015_08_23_015053.jpg

My units. I have neglected formers for a long time in favor of crawlers, and the situation only started changing recently. It is not unusual to have ~150 formers in early 2200s if you need to do extensive terraforming (read: boreholes). I haven't built anything more complicated than condensors, though. Up until now foresting the land for crawlers took all of their time.
2015_08_23_015134.jpg

My facilities. Sadly, out of 30 bases only 10 are of high enough quality to afford population booms.
2015_08_23_015205.jpg

The Spartans' isle, where my rovers are now trapped for an indefinite amount of time.
2015_08_23_015257.jpg

And finally, an example of my production and support bases. The former build units, the latter re-home them so as not to slow the production.
2015_08_23_015411.jpg

2015_08_23_015443.jpg
 
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Hellraiser

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Danzig, Potato-Hitman Commonwealth
I wouldn't mind the ICS, because technically anyone can ICS or go autistic over unit/facility hurrying (I know I do). The issue is that on a large map whoever gets the Planetary Transit System can pretty much snowball out of control, if nobody rushes him. Which is pretty much what happened here. It is very difficult to catch up, when the opponents new bases save on both time needed to grow and on drone control facilities, giving a massive turn advantage.
 

Grimgravy

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Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire
Get this

http://store.steampowered.com/app/259060/

Come here

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?forums/mp-gaming.102/

And I guarantee I can show you that no "autist" is invincible

And why the fuck you get to stay in the Playground and we Dominionstards get exiled to a shitty subforum

It's a travesty, I say

3 SMAC game threads in a year vs. 17 Dominions recruiting threads in a week. Travesty indeed. :M
Though personally, I don't see the need to banish you. I try to follow dominions threads. They provide so much drama, but I know I don't have the time or patience to actually try the game. Same reason I can't compete with what Nevill is doing in this game. I'd rather play the game than game the system.
 

Nevill

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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
And why the fuck you get to stay in the Playground and we Dominionstards get exiled to a shitty subforum
We make entertaining commentary. :M

So, here is the situation on the southern front. The AI seems to be stuck in its builder routine even at it is engaged in a losing war. Miriam could have had a much bigger army than a bunch of Scout Patrol defenders. Instead, she pretty much provides free specialist-ready bases.
Miriam3.png
Destruction is imminent.
Miriam4.png
 

Nevill

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Messages
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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Same reason I can't compete with what Nevill is doing in this game. I'd rather play the game than game the system.
Hey, I resent that! :|

The way I see it, micromanagement, while being tedious to do over the course of several turns (much less the whole game) in Single Player also provides a mechanism through which meticulous planning is rewarded and gives you the ability to fine-tune your Empire to squeeze that little extra edge in Multi.

For example, take the nutrient switch routine. I don't have enough food to feed three bases with just a single farm on a nutrient around if they don't switch working tiles. However, if I switch the workers around, not only I can get away with less terraforming, but I also get a slightly better production value out of it.

(4-1-2 + 1-2-1 + 1-2-1, excess food) + (1-2-1 + 1-2-1 + 1-2-1, hunger) + (1-2-1 + 1-2-1 + 1-2-1, hunger) = x-17-10 output in a fluctuating state in 3 turns
(2-1-2 + 1-2-1 + 1-2-1, stable) + (2-1-2 + 1-2-1 + 1-2-1, stable) + (2-1-2 + 1-2-1 + 1-2-1, stable) = x-15-12 output in a stable state in 3 turns

Also, having excess nutrients at 2 bases at any given time provides a safety net in case of a fungal bloom that makes me loose food (that does not apply to Gaia who get extra food on fungus, but may well apply to anyone else). If you don't have any food in storage, you lose population due to hunger.

Or, with podbooming - to do it efficiently you have to make sure you always have at least +2 excess food on the booming bases, that you will have +2 food on the next turn, and that the base won't go rioting. That means that crawlers that are currently mining minerals for the booming bases need a way to get to the fungus or a condenser, and that's not trivial considering a limited number of those (the forests displaced most of the fungus near my HQ). And if I just move crawlers carelessly, I always risk spawning mindworms on fungus, so I have to keep military units nearby to dispatch those. I have to juggle the crawler fleet to be able to afford what appears from the outside to be unstoppable growth. Don't even get me started on riot handling.

It gets me something to do except press End Turn. I find these things fun, as any good puzzle - as long as you are not doing it too often. I tried a few games that attempted to recreate SMAC, like the Planetfall mod for Civ IV, and while there are some very interesting ideas in it, I found it unsatisfactory as far as MP was concerned. A slow pace, and nothing much to do, since most mechanics are steamlined to get the micromanagement out of the way.

Personally, I find crawlers to be the worst offenders when it comes to this. I have about 55 of them and find myself constantly managing at least 10 or more at any given turn, trying to find a better placement for them. I have about as many formers, but they tend to work in groups of 3s and 4s, so it's like moving a few units at a time.

If one wants to play a less micro-intensive game, perhaps we could try one without crawlers?
 
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Grimgravy

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Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire
I didn't intend it as an insult. I understand the puzzle thing. But the results of this game make it clear. You don't NEED an extra edge. You don't NEED to do that much micromanagement unless your opponents are doing it as well. I can't speak for the others, but I sure as hell am not going to those lengths. And given the scores in our game, I don't think anyone else is either. I wouldn't be surprised if the Hive in game 2 has fewer crawlers 200+ turns in than you have at 60. I look for a casual, but competitive game. Fun but not a huge time sink. I think that's what the others are into as well, but again I don't want to speak for them. What you've done (again nothing wrong with it in the proper context) is clearly several steps beyond casual but competitive.
 

Hellraiser

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Danzig, Potato-Hitman Commonwealth
Meh, I micromanage the shit out of my bases. Not as far as the nutrient/hunger thing, but pretty close. But I do number-crunching for a living so this is a job-related habit.

The reason while I prefer forfeiting is that we've already lost. Neville got the PTS first, which by itself would not be that bad, if there was anyone around to contain his colonial expansion. Sadly he's on the largest continent and already killed his closest neighbour even before he was anywhere near getting Industrial Automation. Also he's playing Gaians, who have a very strong and scary early game and are pretty much immune to the mindworm risk of reckless expansion that other factions face. His situation was and is optimal, he took advantage of it and it is now impossible to catch up.

Also actually I have 46 crawlers in game 2, lost 13, producing 5. But the key difference is my bases are mostly size 16, at this point in that game it is simply not worth it to get more than 2 crawlers per base, unless you have resource tiles still left untapped. This is about cost of opportunity, with a 16 pop base there's just no reason to waste even a turn on producing a crawler just to increase base mineral output by (most likely) 2, nutrients by anything (they can't grow bigger). We're talking about bases that easily have 34+ minerals per turn, 2 minerals is just 5%. For a pop 3 base 2 minerals is a lot more.

The bigger a base gets the lower the profit of getting a crawler is. By midgame you have all these facilities that synergize with pop so well, crawlers make for a poor production choice due to cost/benefit. Then you consider that a crawler on a forest takes, with Industry 0, 15 turns to break even (Hive's easily attainable +3 Industry reduces this to 10,5 turns). Although that's a simplification, often you use a crawler to say suck dry a condenser+farm tile, so you can support more specialist or work a borehole with citizens. Calculating break even gets tricky then, when you convert minerals (or energy) spent into other resources.

If the crawler dies before that, you wasted minerals and/or time and/or energy. And by midgame you face roaming choppers which will sure as hell kill any crawler they see during wartime. Do you build a crawler which will pay for itself over 10+ turns, when you can build a chopper, hopefully kill at least one enemy unit within 4 turns of it being built and break even in minerals (by blowing up the enemy's minerals turned into units) and prevent further losses of your own resources? The choice is obvious.

Overall I do not mind crawlers (this is directed at Nevill's suggestion we play another game without them, since I am already talking about crawlers). Anyone can build them, so it does not matter much if you get them first (as long as its not 20 turns after everybody else). They are not so much a balance issue as a gameplay style/pacing one. Not everybody likes managing a fleet of those, kind of like not everybody likes macro in RTS.

If there is an issue with balance, it is with the PTS. By contrast to crawlers, whoever gets the PTS first is guaranteed exclusive rights to ridiculous expansion potential. The only way to counter it is to kill the player who has it before he can make much use of it. If you don't, and the player in question has room to expand (because the RNG did not put him on an island or small continent), you lost. 3 pop new bases are a massive advantage, especially around turn 30-40 when the tech, energy output and former fleets you have make it very difficult to grow to size 3 fast. Oh and especially considering the PST also acts as drone control, where as on Transcend a size 3 base without facilities or police will always riot. Drone control is another investment, in addition to terraforming, that prevents base growth.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
The bigger a base gets the lower the profit of getting a crawler is. By midgame you have all these facilities that synergize with pop so well, crawlers make for a poor production choice due to cost/benefit.
Nah. Mid-game you use crawlers for food to get/support specialists. Late game you use them for energy on super-bases. Energy parks are a thing. A very expensive and tricky thing, but I think it is possible to have an output of 2000+ labs/econ in a single base. Not that I ever bothered with that, but I've seen saves. :)

Usually though you use the more productive bases to build crawlers for the less productive ones who can't build their own in a single turn. Tempo is important here.

Overall I do not mind crawlers (this is directed at Nevill's suggestion we play another game without them, since I am already talking about crawlers). Anyone can build them, so it does not matter much if you get them first (as long as its not 20 turns after everybody else).
I feel like they trivialize certain aspects of the game and shift accents towards a swifter pace and less developed cities. Drone control is unnecessary in a specialist-only bases supported through crawlers. And they certainly make building Secret Projects a twitchy race to the tech. The one who gets the tech first, gets the associated secret project right away by rushing it on the same turn. There is never an industrial or economic race, just a scientific one.

Also, Hive gets shafted, getting them somewhere in the 50s. The 50s! I mean, the current game is over by 2164! I have finished 2 secret projects by 2135! Hive, Believers and Sparta all get the short end of the stick in this race.

If you don't, and the player in question has room to expand (because the RNG did not put him on an island or small continent), you lost.
Small island or continent is not that big of a problem. Formers can always make it bigger. :)

Yeah, usually PTS requires the other players to gang up on the leader immediately. I think if 3 players cooperate, they can beat the PTSer. 2 could do it too if they play optimally and have good factions. I think I had a game where we banned PTS, and by the 80s I still had ~70 bases as Hive (I would have built more if I didn't run out of space). Give this faction Air: Power and I don't think even a PTSer could hold off the rush of 70 4-1-10 planes every 3 turns.

Oh and especially considering the PST also acts as drone control, where as on Transcend a size 3 base without facilities or police will always riot.
Well, even if you have PTS, I can assure you that the base without facilities or police would riot as well. :)

Anyway, I think I'll do a little post-mortem, and we can move to the next game.
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Okay, so here is how it went down from my side.

The game had an unusual number of the mindworms. And I mean unusual. Right before I built the PTS I could not step through the fungus without finding one. They have provided the much needed scouts and money, which were especially useful since I think I didn't find much of those in Unity Pods.

One of the bonuses of First Look is that there is a good chance you will find a mindworm on your first turn - and Gaians always capture their first mindworm. That doubles their scouting capabilities. Why is that a bonus feature of First Look? Because wild mindworms don't spawn near settled bases.

I make full use of Mind Worms' ability to travel through fungus as if it were a road to scout as much territory as possible. I try not to waste their turns. Also, I try to never ever lose them - the early advantage they provide is essential. That includes not finishing turns on Unity Pods - so if there is a mind worm there, you can always fall back. It also doesn't hurt that wild worms are not always agressive towards your own.

2101 - first mindworm captured. Nutrient resources found in a Unity pod along with the Industrial Base tech.
2102 - found and harvested 2 mindworms (20 credits). Gaia Landing is found on a river. 20 credits spent on a former.
2103 - another mindworm found (10 credits). The Flowers Preach is settled 1 tile away from HQ, near the nutrient bonus. 20 credits spent on a former.
2104 - two pods popped. One contains the mineral resources, the other a Unity Rover. Two formers start working on a forest in unison.
2105 - Information Network found in the pod. The research switches to Industrial Economics. Another pod yields a forest. A mindworm is detected and captured (up to 2 now).
Cassidy mentions solars in one of his pods. I don't give it much thought.
2015_08_23_151902.jpg

2106 - Industrial Economics finishes. It is the first tech we learn.
2107 - another 2 mindworms are found. One captured, the other killed.
2108 - another mindworm killed. A pod hurries Network Nodes in Gaia's Landing (because I switched production before picking it up)
2109 - Another rover found in a pod.
2110 - Gaia's Landing grows to size 2. The formers build a farm on top of the nutrients.
I notice that my border is far too close to my bases. Someone must be nearby.
2015_08_23_152500.jpg

2111 - The Colony Pod in Gaia's Landing is instabuilt by pod popping.
2112 - Planetary Networks researched. Started work on Industrial Automation. ETA 16 turns - not good. A pod with 75 credits found, and another one with the map survey. Planned Economy adopted. Song of Planet is found.
The map survey reveals solars nearby. I know it's Cassidy now, and I know he has 2 bases through Empathic intelligence.
2015_08_23_153630.jpg

2113 - another mindworm killed. The Flowers Preach grows to size 2. I hurry the Colony Pod production.
2115 - I find mineral resources in Cassidy's territory and decide that I need them, since I only can see two on the whole continent. That means Sparta has to go.
2015_08_23_154447.jpg
I also mark the most probable locations of my next bases. It's like notes - I might forget why I wanted a base there a few turns later, but there is usually a pretty good reason.

The early war was pretty uneventful. From the location of the border I had a rough estimate of his bases' location, but I did not know what he had (he must have had a rover somewhere). I also knew that the moment we make contact, I will reveal that my units are close, and that might give him a chance to prepare.
Here is how I started my 2116 turn:
2015_08_23_155258.jpg

Then I poked the nose through the fungus:
2015_08_23_155917.jpg

I've noticed that he doesn't have a lot of guards, so I retreated back into the fungus and brought my forces together.
2015_08_23_160033.jpg

He knows I've made contact, but he does not know where my units are. He makes a diplomacy attempt, but my mind is already set.
2015_08_23_155025.jpg

Another useful feature of the mind worms is that they do not get the 'hurried attack' penalty. Makes them perfect for sudden strikes.
2015_08_23_160349.jpg

And the rest I think was covered in the thread.

2119 - I keep getting abnormal spawn rates:
2015_08_23_160930.jpg

Also, it's this year I find enough supplies in a pod to hurry Network Nodes in Greenhouse gate... and retool it into the Weather Paradigm. 72 minerals done, 108 more to go.
2015_08_23_161300.jpg

In 2123 I finally discover Industrial Automation and start making crawlers. I also found Autumn Grove, which will become one of my most productive bases in a few years, and send a Colony Pod on a long journey to reclaim the Spartan lands. I find the jungle, but they are too far to worry about seizing them.
2015_08_27_003410.jpg

By 2127 the pod almost makes it to its destination, and I also found Last Rose of Summer. I don't know why I did that, I seem to have miscalculated when I put down that particular note. I thought it would reach the nutrient bonus. More mindworms inbound. *sigh*
2015_08_23_162102.jpg

2129 is the year before the completition of our first Secret Project. I only have 2 crawlers, which is just enough. I actually counted the requirements mineral-to-mineral, so I hurried them just in time. The Memory of Earth is founded this turn, and will become instrumental in terraforming and colonizing the south-eastern part of the continent.
2015_08_27_003542.jpg
A Unity pod hurries a Supply Rover in the Memory of Earth in 2131, so I have an idea to quickly grab another SP. My bases need to build 6 more crawlers in 4 turns, and I have my formers harvest the forest. Did you know you can do that in a pinch? :)

2135 - the year after PTS. I still only have 7 bases, and I need to rectify it ASAP. I have only 2 crawlers left, and 7 formers - but all the forests in the pods have already terraformed the land for me.
2015_08_26_080216.jpg

2140 - 10 crawlers and 10 formers. Half of my bases are building crawlers, the other half builds Colony Pods.
2015_08_26_080251.jpg

2145 - 12 bases, 20 crawlers and 15 formers. I am running out of terraformed land to crawl.
2015_08_26_080400.jpg

2150 - 31 crawlers and 16 formers. Getting ready for Doctrine: Initiative. Build my first probe foil. The idea, since I know people are gunning for sea exploration like I do, is to travel in a group - two battle ships, and 1 probe. That way if I run into an enemy ship I can always buy them, no matter who attacks who first. Blasted Isles of the deep unnerve me, though - even if I can punch through them, the damaged ships can't catch up with the rest of the fleet.

I also prepare the rape-rovers and the crawlers for a Maritime Project rush.
2015_08_26_080522.jpg

2155 - 32 crawlers and 18 formers. Not a lot has changed, but that's because I used 9 crawlers to hurry the Project and 5 more for the transport cruisers. I think that's when I discovered Sparta's Impact Rover. It had a 4-tier weapon... and that was something I wanted - to conquer Miriam and to upgrade the rape-rovers into machete-rovers on the way to Landmass Prime. That meant that Sparta was going down... again.
2015_08_26_080627.jpg
The Lucky Autumn base was supposed to be a lifeline through which I could reinforce the invasion of Landmass Prime if the initial 12 rovers would not be good enough. The formers are removing fungus around it so as to not slow the transport cruisers down.

2160 - 47 crawlers and 28 formers. I am preparing for a population boom, which requires a lot of food, which means a lot of condensers. Condensers bypass food restriction, so the Weather Paradigm is a godsent here. The Spartans were taken down on that turn - but not before I stole the tech from them.
A screenshot of my Empire.
2015_08_26_080812.jpg

And the known world.
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The fleet is heading for Landmass Prime at full speed.

2164 - 53 crawlers and 42 formers. The last turn of the game. Well, there isn't much to say here. I have established a foothold on Landmass Prime - two, in fact. I have also picked up a few pods, one of which spawned 6 worms and forced me to unleash the rovers prematurely. Speaking of mind worms, the spawns got crazy. I think I've encountered 20 of them in the last 3 turns. There was 1 worm on the Sparta Isle in 2160, and now there are 5 of them - and that's just the ones I've captured. The Landmass Prime is swarming with them.
My Empire at the beginning of the turn (note the research capacity before going specialists - I just hit the pop 5 mark on a few bases):
2015_08_26_081247.jpg

The known world (note the research capacity after switching to specialists):
2015_08_26_081453.jpg

And here are the rovers fighting a valiant battle while the rest of the invasion force chills at a nearest base.
2015_08_26_081606.jpg
Mind you, I still have no idea of how the others fared or what they were doing - or even where they have landed. I had an inkling that Morgan and University shared the continent which I refer to as 'Landmass Prime', and the Hive got the continent with the Garland Crater, but I have not met them yet. Since my motto is 'hope for the best but prepare for the worst', I was worried about them rushing for Doctrine: Air Power, which would sink my invasion fleet, so I played a bit more aggressively than I usually would. :oops:

Overall, this just shows why Gaia is one of the better factions out there (I rate them just below University).
 
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Unwanted

Kalin

Unwanted
Dumbfuck Zionist Agent
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Messages
1,868,264
Location
Al Scandiya
Disgustingly impressive. I knew Nevill would leap ahead, but I still thought we at least stood a chance. Clearly we didn't, and him starting as the Gaians on Landmass Two didn't exactly make things any easier for us. No other faction can harvest pods and Planetpearls so quickly, and he had access to a whole lot of both. I think the same combination was the reason I could rush ahead in Game 1. But of course, my lead back then was not anywhere close to his, what with me being a casual and all.


9QZ52fT.png

I actually ended up on the middle continent. My pod of prosperity landed on the river to the east of the crater, founding Morgan Industries. Unfortunately, the nearby pods didn't have any nutrients or minerals, mostly just a bunch of alien artifacts which I stockpiled to rush the Planetary Transit System (and we all know how well that went). I also got some credits and a Unity Rover which wasn't too shabby. Greedy for the juicy Garland Crater - appropriately renamed Morgan Mining Zone Delta - I worked my way west, where I soon ran into both Hellraiser and the AI-run Brother Lol. Hellraiser had landed in the north-west and Brother Lol had landed in the very south-west.

Hellraiser and I pacted up early on, agreeing to divide the continent between us. The border was supposed to run where Morgan Omniventures was built. The Peacekeepers were mighty uncooperative, and since they were encroaching upon 100% legitimate high-powered Morganite business interests, we decided to join forces and cut them down to size. After razing a couple of bases we eventually forced their surrender. With Lol pacified, our plan was to mount an invasion of Landmass Two and obliterate the Gaian bases with Secret Projects, as well as to rush the NSA before it fell into granola hands. We exchanged much of our research for this purpose, which was how we could maintain a tech lead despite our inferior OCDing.

In the last couple of years, we had researched Gene Splicing, Environmental Economics and Ecological Engineering, which helped quite a bit with resource harvesting. We also had Doctrine: Flexibility and Nonlinear Mathematics, and Hellraiser was pursuing High-Energy Chemistry so we could get snazzy nerve gas and purify the hippie vermin. The plan might just have worked, had Nevill not been such a Mondblutian micro-beast. Infiltration showed that it was clearly too late. Even if his initial invasion force could be stopped, there was just no way to compete with that former and crawler advantage, not to mention the creches popping up everywhere promising unholy pop booming.


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As you can see, my formers and crawlers were vastly outnumbered, and I actually had the most after Nevill. One would have to be mighty optimistic to think the situation could be salvaged. Oh, and while Nevill was wrong regarding our location and was actually closing in on Grimgravy (at least I assume so, someone must have landed on the western continent after all), it most likely would not have mattered. Nevill's scouting expedition near Landing Bay would probably have discovered Morgan Transport within a few turns, providing the rape rovers on the Isle of Deianira with a new target for ITZ enrichment.

Things might have been different if I had been able to snatch the Planetary Transit System (so damn close) but even if I had gotten it, I wouldn't have been able to use it the way Nevill did. Ultimately, starting position, projects and pods can all help you, but what it really comes down to in the end is player skill. In our previous games we were all pretty evenly matched, but in this one, it became clear that storyfagsenthusiasts cannot compete with an OCDer - at least not on a huge map with pods. I can't help but think this should have been obvious to Nevill from the start - anyone following Game 2 should know we aren't exactly pro players. The clash between his aggressive, micro-intensive playstyle and our casual approach is quite palpable. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. GG and all that.
 
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