Smoke and Mirrors - TTT

[MallaxOZ]

I understand your curiosity 
Let's go for governor!

[binTravkin]

Ok, I have convened it.

 

[MallaxOZ]

 

[MallaxOZ]

I was thinking about going for ICS strategy, since Morgan is one of a best faction for it (with his +1 energy per base, population limit at 4, and -1 SUPPORT). But I made some really [messed up - or loved very much] up choices regarding technology tree, and I get formers late, and with the arid region when I landed, I was not producing enough nutrients to do that. But when I saw you empire as soon as I got your map, I knew that I made a terrible mistake!

But I think ICS is too powerful, and I understand now why Yitzi's patch is aiming to change the rule. With a police scout + the PTS, you eliminate 3 drones, you end up with 3 happy workers and you're good to go. It's too easy, as bureaucraty should create 5-6 drones. And as we could see on the psy screen, it was in fact superdrones in bright red. There is a line in the alphax.txt file of Yitzi's patch where we're able to, as far as I understand it, change that rule, and when a drone is removed, the "phantom-drone" is not.

It would be interesting to test, but I don't play enough to be sure about what I just said. Is someone watching this thread has his 2 cents to throw in on this matter?

[binTravkin]

Yeah, in MP it's like you either ICS or early popboom, otherwise you're falling behind rapidly.
Same with Centaury Ecology->Industrial Automation.
Pretty much "Do or die" except some special situations.
Your dash for Empath Guild was good, but perhaps not for Morgan.
If I was Data Angels or Peacekeepers, I would probably do it.

It's already possible to limit ICS by altering the drone rules in .ini.
Problem with those is that they don't get embedded into save game, so it's really difficult to control (at least until you have infiltration).

However, if ICS is disabled then factions that are unable to popboom should also not be in game:
 - CyCon
 - Hive
 - Pirates

Morgan has problems popbooming too due to poplimit, so he'd be at a disadvantage as well.

As for CyCon, since they cannot popbpoom, ICS is really the only strategy for them.
And since they have lowered growth, PTS is top priority project.
Take PTS from CyCon and CyCon is in trouble (if you're also popbooming or ICSing).
Hive can ICS quite well without PTS due to growth bonuses.
Pirates can ICS without PTS since they (can) have more nutrients if played properly.

Anyways, I see that you already managed to build some army and fleet.
I think I took you by surprise by mass-instabuild using crawlers, didn't I?

[MallaxOZ]

Oh yes, a very good move you did. Even if I lost, it was one of the best games I had to play! I did not play Morgan for a long time. Get the +1 energy per square without running Free Market is fun. Even if during the whole game, I waste it, as I was already on the Pholus Ridge, and was limited to +2 energy per square since I never had the time to discover the adequate techno. The IA faction are, like always, too weak, but still.

I know how important is to get Industrial Automation. I think PTS and crawlers are the corner stone of colonization. But I screwed up big time in early game. Empath Guild was a lesser evil, not really a choice. I managed to have some good commerce, and if I got the Planetary Energy Grid, the game may have change a bit, even if Cyborgs would have overwhelmed me notwithstanding. If Domaï had the time to finish it before you, all my 5-1-2 and ?-?-1 were ready to take it, with the Human Genome Project (and the useless Merchant Exchange) in bonus 

[binTravkin]

Looking back I could've started conquest earlier too.
I only needed to be more aggressive with foil probes and go on rampage immediately after building MCC and getting Nonlinear Math.

To counter the op-ness of IA and PTS, I think MP games should be blind research.
That would result in need to be much more flexible, plan ahead and actually execute alternative strategies like early popboom and early exploration/pod popping sweeps.

Anyways, this was my first finished SMAX MP game in last 9 or 10 years, so thanks for playing with me!

[MallaxOZ]

To counter the op-ness of IA and PTS, I think MP games should be blind research.

I concur. I'm playing another PBEM (a slow one, since we are 5 humans), and blind research is ON. It makes the game much more… well, blind! It's cool, surprising, and undetermined.

If you want to play another game, I'm up for it, even if my turns rate will certainly be a little bit lower, as I have some projects to tackle on IRL.

[Kirov]

Oh cool, so you've finished the game. Sorry I was away and didn't keep track, I'll take a look asap. How did you like it? Any specific comments as to the map? Maybe in some time I can do another game for you, but not these weeks I'm afraid.

[binTravkin]

I'll have a pause in taking up news PBEMs unless there are people to be replaced.

I was too close to special terrain, I think.
Other than that, the map was good.