Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => Command Nexus => Topic started by: Nevill on September 06, 2016, 06:00:35 PM

Title: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on September 06, 2016, 06:00:35 PM

Hi guys. This is a turn tracking thread for our next game since our Cyborg player asked to upload the turns here.

Here goes.

If I need to add some info, go ahead and tell me, because I am not used to these.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 06, 2016, 06:21:11 PM

What's the turn order?  Who's playing?

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on September 06, 2016, 06:24:52 PM

The main topic is here:
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=18228.msg100356 (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=18228.msg100356)

The players and the turn order are:
 ;zak; (MercantileInterest),  ;ulrik;,  ;lal;,  ;morgan;,  ;yang; (Pierce Ji-Yang),  ;roze; (Nevill),  ;aki;.

Since we have an e-mail system set up for the rest of us, this thread might end up with only me posting turns.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on September 07, 2016, 07:06:21 PM

Turn 2103.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on September 11, 2016, 06:57:34 AM

Turn 2104.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on September 14, 2016, 06:09:54 PM

Turn 2105

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on September 16, 2016, 06:03:02 AM

Turn 2106

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on September 17, 2016, 09:24:10 AM

Turn 2107.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on September 24, 2016, 07:13:11 AM

2108

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on November 06, 2016, 08:29:04 PM

Let's hijack this thread for our next game. Rules are as follows:

(click to show/hide)

A player may not:
1. Reload the game multiple times or load the game into the scenario editor
2. Conduct diplomacy prior to having met in-game
3. Use colony pods to increase a base beyond its maximum population limit
4. Use build queue manipulation or other exploits to hurry production at reduced costs, or build something that could not directly be built
5. Take advantage of the stockpile energy bug by adding it after units in build queues
6. Upgrade crawlers to more expensive designs before adding them to secret projects
7. Connect multiple artifacts to the same network node (supposedly possible if you rename the city)
8. Set the home of a unit to the base of a pacted AI faction
9. Start a terraforming task in one square, cancel it, move to a different square and then finish it there (in case of combat terraforming)
10. Perform an act of aggression against a player and complete pending negotiations in the same turn
11. Reverse engineer custom units to gain undiscovered abilities, weapons, armor, etc.

Reverse-engineering is allowed (i.e. capturing a unit and making new units from it in the workshop, even though you lack the tech).

As for probe teams, PBEM games are bugged in that the person using the team gets to decide how the faction should react upon discovery. For this reason, exposed probe team actions must always result in the harshest reply (dissolve pact/treaty).

Finally, Planetary Council information must be fully shared with all players upon request (the game doesn't properly show how the factions voted to all players, only the result).

We have four human players, all using sea factions. The Hive and both Progenitors will serve as AI factions. All three have received an additional 25% defensive bonus and an immunity to bribery.

Storywise, the Progenitors appeared in Planet's skies with an apocalyptic fury which only the Hive could withstand. The remaining human survivors were forced to take to the seas.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on November 07, 2016, 05:15:56 PM

@Maeldun

Turn 2101.

If you could PM me your e-mail for the purposes of this game, it would be much appreciated.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on November 08, 2016, 11:37:38 PM

Hello,

I appear to have been successful in setting up the game and starting up my first turn. The Bree seem pretty interesting. Good luck to everyone. Hopefully I won't get destroyed in the first 50 turns.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on November 09, 2016, 12:04:48 AM

File

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on November 09, 2016, 08:33:48 PM

Well, this is embarrassing - I forgot my password. :(

I played my first turn quite late yesterday night and I remembered being tired and wanting to use a different password to differentiate this game from the previous one for some reason - seemed like a good idea at the time. After several failed attempts I realized I ended up using my old password after all...

Sorry. You'll probably get notified when you load the save.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on November 10, 2016, 09:29:14 AM

New Turn.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on November 11, 2016, 11:40:55 AM

New one.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on November 11, 2016, 06:31:08 PM

MercantileInterest - please PM an email address to forward your turns to. (It seems I'm the only player around here actually posting the saves on the forum.)

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on December 23, 2016, 05:08:51 PM

Gentlemen,
If we wish, we could upgrade to the updated version of our mod which incorporates Yitzi's patch: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=350 (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=350)

It includes a few minor changes (most notably alterations to the basic SE choices) but otherwise doesn't differ terribly. Plus, it incorporates all the useful features from Yitzi's patch.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on December 23, 2016, 05:38:40 PM

Note that the mod does not include Yitzi's patch. You have to download it separately. 3.5 and then 3.5c for a minor bug fix.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on December 23, 2016, 05:42:48 PM

Me and Auriga are up to it. If Maeldul is alright with it, then we could give it a try.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on December 24, 2016, 08:10:22 PM

Already sent out the last turn, but I will apply the patch before the next.

Using the latest patch available is always a good idea, but let's just hope something doesn't break mid game.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on January 12, 2017, 10:12:16 PM

Vote MercantileInterest for planetary governor!

Nevill's leadership has profited only his own own faction. The Atlantean population has reached 290,000 souls. The rest of us are less than half that size. He gains preposterous sums of energy while we don't profit a single joule. Outrageous!

(Yes, the governorship would also benefit me unfairly but not as much as it benefits him. We don't want the player who is currently strongest to grow exponentially.)

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on January 12, 2017, 11:33:59 PM

Better yet, vote for the underdog! Vote Bree!

While we may look good on paper our current leadership has taken our mighty faction to the high status of of "pathetic" might, so there's really no danger of us growing exponentially. Really.

No, wait, you can't vote for me, since I don't have the required population. Dammit, nevermind.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on January 12, 2017, 11:55:35 PM

The Bree need environmental preservation more than anything. It allows for the construction of tree farms but more importantly (for you anyway) grants +1 mineral in fungus squares.

Actually, all three of us who aren't Nevill have almost identical populations.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on January 13, 2017, 10:32:15 AM

Gentlemen, I am disappointed. Why not secure better positions with the help of powerful faction, and try to strip bits and pieces off it instead, adding unnecessary tension?

I can easily build a transport loaded with Colony Pods and send it your way to help develop new bases... in exchange for certain minor things. Why do you insist that poking an elephant with a stick is a better solution?

I mean, why do you want to make someone less powerful instead of get uplifted to be more powerful yourselves?

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on January 13, 2017, 02:40:12 PM

Ah, come on now. Who can resist the temptation of that free commerce bonus? Was worth an attempt.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on April 20, 2017, 11:08:37 PM

Have had enough of this. Conquered again. Still, we at least got to burn down a few cities this time. Would have been fairly upset to lose that many secret projects in one turn, myself. Didn't stop you from winning though. Well done, Nevill. 

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on April 21, 2017, 07:06:04 AM

What are you talking about? I still have like 2 bases and a couple of scout patrols - we can still win this!  :D

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on April 21, 2017, 10:14:45 AM

I'd be upset at their loss if the game was going to continue, but once it hit the fan and Maeldun joined you, there was no point in thinking about the future. I Nerve Stapled every base* to compensate for the loss of Human Genome Project, and once I did that all the Hologram Theaters and Rec Commons got axed for money - why bother? I also sacked all of my formers to speed up the army building... I was surprised that everyone haven't done the same.

* Actually, who and when did repeal U.N. Charter? I didn't notice, and I was the Planetary Governor! I know the motion was made to reinstate it eventually (and it was veto-ed), but when did it get repealed?

I am somewhat glad the game is over, the turns were beginning to take me an hour and a half to make with all the micromanagement.

It took a few turns to fight off the initial push (thank God for the defensive spies I built on my away bases - everything else on my main continent got wiped, but those got me units from the invasion force to defend with), but after that it was somewhat one-sided. I had like 8 transports loaded to the brim with 6~-1-1 troops. Seeing them drown actually made me far more upset than losing a Secret Project (and they cost roughly the same), but in a war of attrition I knew I would come out on top. I had 50+ bases or something by that point. Most were throwaway garbage, but even they could pump out basic 2-1-7 cruisers.

Missiles were a complication, especially coupled with Psi Gates, and I thought about stealing the tech, but in the end decided that building cheap cruisers is a better way to counter it. They are cheaper and there are more of them.

Again, I have to lament the lack of Values civics, they come in too late. I have not discovered a single one of them that weren't available from the start, and I was a tech leader. I bet sitting on Knowledge hurt when it came to probe defences.

Anyway, comments on mod balance.
- Mind Worms are too cheap at 20 minerals. I know it was done to make them more viable, but that's a bit overboard. 30 should be the sweet spot. On the other hand, IotDs are just right.
- Defences don't do anything. With armor at 3 and weapons at 6 you can hardly defend unless you have a facility to double resistance, i.e. a Perimeter Defence or a Naval Yard. Those probably need to be made cheaper... maybe 40 minerals each?
- A combination of cruiser chassis speed, its transport capacity and Amphibious pods is devastating. I've walked all over the aliens in a few turns, and they had 15 units in some of their bases! All dead in 2 turns. Not sure what can be done there, but increasing cargo holds was probably a wrong move, and Amphibious pods could be made available on some other tech to not make it one big Win button? I am not even going to comment on Maritime Project.
- Sea units still cost too much. Sea Colony pods would probably be better at 50 mins, with Formers at 30.
- Most aqua buildings are overpriced for their function. Aquafarm for 60 minerals? And it will get me what, 3-4 food on a rainy day?
- Weather Nexus is too cheap for its power.
- Weapon and armor techs could stand to get a little diversified, as in, there could be more ways to develop and still have a somewhat capable army. Why the change of resonance armor from tier 3 to 2? It ensures it will lose relevance quickly, and you can't put it on another tech branch.
- Energy restriction tech comes waaay too late. Might be intentional?

Overall, a fun game, but I played it mostly how a land-based faction would.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Maeldun on April 21, 2017, 10:26:54 AM

Interesting read. I can say I learned a few things from it.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on April 21, 2017, 09:15:45 PM

Peace has finally descended upon Chiron. MercantileInterest has graciously offered to cease hostilities, and I have accepted the offer. The Alien menace is contained within tiny ghettos, they have 3 bases left between the 2 of them.

Now, if only Auriga and Maeldun would see the error of their ways, we can at last enter the age of prosperity, where no citizen goes hungry and no drone goes unstapled.

Posting savegames for M.Y.2190, both before my turn (if we are ending the game, in which case I reveal my password) and after (if we are continuing).

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: MercantileInterest on April 22, 2017, 01:24:38 AM

Maeldun, multiplayer takes a new set of skills. You had the misfortune to play against a number of more seasoned players. Hope to play with you all again sometimes.

If we did a sea scenario like this again, would boost all the AI factions to 200% defense. Have to tweak the mod too but other game is still in progress, which makes life difficult.

EDIT: I don't remember when we abolished the U.N. Charter. It surprised me too.

Title: Re: Binary Down - Game 4
Post by: Nevill on May 05, 2017, 01:38:26 PM

Seeing how we decided not to continue, I will disclose my password. It's 'mizu'.