Alpha Centauri 2 Forum Community Succession Game

[Kirov]

We can't really play this effectively when we have different sets of rules. Is it any more of a problem than changing the number? And why does Yitzi's patch impose any rule changes? It's obviously a big deal in multi games.

[Buster's Uncle]

Yitzi's a modder - modding was his main purpose in teaching himself the .exe decompiling/patching.  He wanted to make the patch more widely useful, and made the default .txt no changes, I think, just the bugfixes.  I need to talk to him more about presentation and making the situation with his alphax.txt clearer in all sub-releases, not just version number jumps.

Kirov, I like the strategy discussion, as I keep saying.  bin is right about the need for flexibility in a collaborative process, too.

Perhaps it would solve problems if Mart posted the alphax.txt version he uses in this game and everyone used that on the SMACX copy they play their turns of this on?

[Mart]

We can't really play this effectively when we have different sets of rules. Is it any more of a problem than changing the number? And why does Yitzi's patch impose any rule changes? It's obviously a big deal in multi games.

That was by mistake, as I understand (from testing)
I think, he left that, as intending to release soon the 3.5 version, so we will have "back to standard" there.
People, who just simply unpack zip with patch 3.4 have rule 8.
Problem starts, when some mp games agree on going to rule 0. Then if you do not have separate instals, it is easy to get that messed up.

[Mart]

...

Perhaps it would solve problems if Mart posted the alphax.txt version he uses in this game and everyone used that on the SMACX copy they play their turns of this on?

I corrected my alphax.txt to the state of: "out of the zip" with patch 3.4
So if anyone is not sure, can overwrite the file in his/her patch 3.4 game folder.

If someone has additional agreements on changes in alphax.txt, it is good to have a separate folder.
I know, this is additional ~500MB of disk space, but alternative is to manually replace correct file each time one plays a given game.

So in short:
we play with alphax.txt from patch 3.4 zip

[binTravkin]

Kurvivor, when you play the turn, be sure to check the post with save and the one before that.
There's some helpful information, especially about the probes.
Our long term goal is to obtain IA ASAP and Morgan seems to be researching it.

[Mart]

And there is an idea for an option to that whole drone riots stuff:
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=16569

We could discuss some of these things there.

[binTravkin]

Mart, I did a test on your 2211 save back from page 19.
What happened:
1. Santiago was liberated. (75% chance, 67% chance to kill probe)
2. She gifted me all her tech and made "eternal Pact".
3. She got 2 colony pods, 1 former, 1 scout rover, 2 1-3p-1 sentinels, 1 5-3p-1 infantry.
4. She landed on what seems to be an island.

And Yang declared war on me.

[Kurvivor]

Sorry for late post. I was somewhat preoccupied with bees last several days and did not have a PC on hand

As for what happened:
1) several (quite a lot) of Hologram theaters were built. Subsequently i have set bases to make sea units, impct skimships in particular. I am worried by sighting of Univercity ships near north polar regions and Hive's aggressive policies
2) More of the latter. Hive demanded Cyberethics from me - and when refused, declared Vendetta. Hive may be an ideal target at the moment, as its expansion is now sea-based and we could easily outproduce thei measly 3 bases with waves of impact skimships
3) Morgan (before the incident with Yang) offered truce for 175 energy, but, seeing as we have debt to him, i decided against it. Only losers pay their debts
4) From the other hand, Miriam has called for another election which she has lost by herself. Beware: now, with most of factions in vendetta against us we could easily lose next elections. I suggest making peace with Morgan after putting a little hurt on him. There is a little invasion heading for his seemingly undefended north at the moment
5) polar exploration has bore fruit! We have discovered land route to Univercity. At the moment 3 boils (two small, one big) are converging on one of his cities. Probably we should refrain from outright attacking and send them to try and ruin his infrastructure though
6) It seems that Sunny Mesa is a very good place. I have prepared a settling expedition in Gaia's landing to go there, on ready infrastructure
7) native lifeforms frustrated mine attempts to probe Morgan. Probably ferrying a probe team on his island will work

[binTravkin]

Morgan has IA and we have 2 probe ships in position to get it within 3 turns.
After that we should make all effort to probe University as they have SFF and D:AP and will probably get D:I next (1 turn to Explore tech).


Some notes on terraforming:
 - we shouldn't be building farm + mine combos as they are probably the worst type of improvement save for echelon mirrors
 - farm + solar combos are only useful for a few situations too, e.g. high elevation + rainy + rolling + energy bonus or Sunny Mesa or Pholus Ridge

Generally, before deciding on what type of improvement to build for a free former we should look at the base screen and decide:
1. Is it possible for this base to get to 1st poplimit at all?
2. If 1 is no, skip to 5.
3. If 1 is yes - does it have enough food for that (including the perspective tiles after pop expansion)?
4. If 3 is no - build farm + condenser; condensers without farms are a waste;
5. If 3 is yes - does it have ecodamage or is close to it? (generally 14 minerals, but can be seen on bases that haveecodamage, like Gaia's Landing)
6. If 5 is no - build minerals - forests, mines on rocky in that particular order (if space for forests exist, forest is always better); we currently have little use for boreholes, so they should only be built if land is planned to be raised near that location; after EE - build boreholes as first priority (and plan carefully for max density);
7. If 5 is yes - see if energy output can be increased by terraforming (this is rare and cases where it makes sense are very specific);
8. If 7 is no or gives too little improvement (like, +1 energy), see if former should be assigned to other tasks (road, sensor, different base);

Another way to save former turns is to build road with 1 former before moving other formers into same tile.
You save 1 former turn per additional moved in former this way.


Some notes on units:
Unallocated military units should not be accumulated at bases unless a transport is incoming which will transport them shortly (1-2 turns).
They should be used to farm fungus.


Some notes on expansion:
The plan with colonising Sunny Mesa is good, but not because we need more land - that base can be put in such a strategic position as to be in air range of Believer territory.
It is also likely Believers will attempt to destroy it immediately, so we should put both of those 4-1-1s into it as well as bringing up some naval support.
This will also serve to localize their threat as they will focus on this forward base instead of invading our maindland.
It looks like base @ 153,13 would both be useful as forward base and productive in general (minerals & food in radius).

We now also have 2 sea colony pods in an advanced stage in production.
Normally they are next to useless and should not be built, however, in this case we can use them to create forward airbases next to University and Hive+Morgan territory.

I'd propose these locations:
Morgan / Hive forward air base:
 - 98,22 (minerals + food in range, can control straits to SW with a single sensor array on that island)
 - 81,23 (2x minerals in range, can control approach and straits to SE with double sensor arrays)

University forward air base:
 - 73,17 (minerals in range)
 - 70,28 (on energy bonus, can control nearby area with 2-3 sensor arrays, blocking a strait, kelp in range)


We shouldn't attack University northern bases with our explorer mind worms.
These bases are garrisoned by 3r sentinels.
We should remove mind worms out of range of University aircraft.

[Mart]

I will play later this evening.

Yes, and when it looked like we were No. 1 and maybe we are going to have easy walk to victory, there is something to be afraid of. Zakharov and Miriam have Pact agreement. And Zak has Air Power. Their power graph combined is probably larger than ours. AI sometimes performs poorly with planes, but let us see.

Probe teams already learn IA action details. Morgan is interesting. It looks like he gathered troops close to Hive new hq, but there is no land connection. So one base has a lot of troops, other are empty.

[Kurvivor]

We should remove mind worms out of range of University aircraft.

Well, are planes such a threat to large boils?..

[Geo]

Its just that several ones can attack the same (stack of) boils until they're destroyed.

[Mart]

2236
Nauk Science Center is too strong to be attacked, 3:4.
Assigning 70/30/0 eco/psych/labs. Getting 192 EC/turn.
Also, a faction wide "loose weight or loose" programme is instantiated.
Signing Pact with Santiago, also taking 188 EC (return 3x90).
I checked, what she would need for next voting. Either Cyberethics or 168 EC.

Zakharov starts CDF.

2237
Morgan Industries completes Citizen's Defense Force!
Morgan starts PTS!

2238
Zakharov is 1 turn from Command Nexus, 96/100.
But for 568 EC we will have CN.
Santiago plans to strike Zoloto-Gold, but I suggest her to strike Zarya-Sunrise.

University armoured foil bombards our formers on east coast.
U.N. Headquarters completes Command Nexus.
A probe team foil gets Industrial Automation. Successfully returns to U.N. Information Agency. Promoted to hardened.
Research bar switched to red.
Morgan Distribution taken, 17 EC acquired from energy banks.
I contacted Morgan, but refused to pay 275 EC for truce and he closed the commlink. Let's wait a bit longer. He may change his mind later.
Switching to Wealth.

2239

Fungus grows near Garden of Paradise, forest destroyed.
From now on, our tree farms, etc. lift "clean minerals" limit.


Interlude: Planet Dreams II
  Ever since the incident in the gene therapy tank, you have experienced
recurring dreams and nightmares centered around the fungal blooms which
encroach ever more rapidly on the outskirts of major human settlements.
You even postponed your most recent longevity treatment in an effort to
avoid the trance state, but the dreams have now crept into your normal
REM sleep as well.
  In your most recent dream, just before the major bloom near Garden of Paradise,
the presence you have come to call "the Voice" returned once again.
  "earthdeirdre." From some invisible spot just behind you.
  "Hello, Voice. Who are you?"
  "who. difficult concept for we, earthdeirdre. mind and flower: many
dreamings. never before another. you may call we 'voice.' growth dream
comes! beware."
  "Beware? What do you want, Voice?"
  "want. more confused deirdre thinking. ache of slumber broken. earthdeirdre
is animal we. stranger we. animal: energy! mines! roads! sensors!
condensers!! boreholes!! breakers of flower dream. end of joy.
growth dream now comes: end of animal."
  "Stop it, Voice. Why are you telling me this?"
  "why! dream word! dream song! why why why why why why why why
why why why why why why why why why why why why why why . . ."
  "Silence! Get out of my mind!" >discontinuity<



2240
90 EC from destroying an Isle of the Deep with mindworms.
Morgan wants to talk. Now he wants 240 EC for end to Vendetta, and does not agree for 120.

=====
Zakharov has quite a lead in research. He has 5 technologies that we do not possess:
- Superconductor
- Field Modulation
- Secrets of the Human Brain
- Synthetic Fossil Fuels
- Doctrine Air Power

Miriam has 3 of the above:
- Superconductor
- Field Modulation
- Synthetic Fossil Fuels

We could get from that red bar Superstring Theory, but other techs are possible like Adv Military Alg., not sure what else.
Anyway, I think we could probe Miriam and Zak and until then we could run more economy and take advantage of these EC.

Morgan distribution is making Cadets. They will get a morale upgrade, but the intention is to upgrade them to either some attack or one more defense unit. A trick to get +1 morale without loosing ability slot.

[binTravkin]

Well, are planes such a threat to large boils?..

PSI combat has a 3:2 ratio by default.
This means that if you attack, you have advantage, but if you defend, you are at a disadvantage.
Thus, unless you have overwhelming odds, a force consisting solely of mind worms is a bad idea.

In this particular case the mindworms are up vs resonance sentinels (+25%) sitting in base (+25%) near a sensor (+25%), thus even the attack odds are 3:4 as Mart reported.
You can see this odds in all battles by having "Confirm odds before attacking" on in preferences.

Finally, we don't yet have AAA tracking ability, which means we're at a significant disadvantage vs air power no matter what we do.

Thinking of this, it may be that actually forward base vs University is not yet a good idea as it may get harassed all the time.

We don't need forward sea colonies anymore either.
We have captured forward bace near Morgan/Yang and more Yang bases can be captured to give us forward bases vs University.


We should attempt to take care of University Impact Foil near UN Commerce Committee with our spore launcher and that 4-1-1 artillery in fungus.


If we plan to use Command Nexus, Knowledge is the better SE choice as it does not halve its bonuses.


We can now have 10% psych allocation, with adjustment in 5 bases (crawlers crawling food to make up for lost intake).


Also, we should now add "Explore" to our research priorities as we need to get the EE line and may possibly get other good techs as well.

[Kurvivor]

the mindworms are up vs resonance sentinels (+25%) sitting in base (+25%) near a sensor (+25%), thus even the attack odds are 3:4 as Mart reported.
You can see this odds in all battles by having "Confirm odds before attacking" on in preferences.

Never tell me the odds! (tm) i know them already.
But -those mind worms we have gotten for free, and what are they good for? Even if they harm our opponent a little, we are good. If they destroy enchancements (for example,  that sensor array), they have done plenty. Way i see i, they should be run as deep into Univercity territory as possible, scouting cities, destroying sensors and farms along the way. If they can kill a former unit - great.
Eventually they will be destroyed by Univercity, sure. That's the way of all flesh, as the saying goes.