Alpha Centauri 2 Forum Community Succession Game

[Mart]

There is no attack from Gaians for 2 turns, when I think Deirdre could attack us.
Is it effect of Power morale with sensored base and 1-<3>-1 defenders? It does not calculate for her to loose some bombers? Or they would get over 50% chance anyway (fusion vs. fission)?

Maybe this is effect of us being weak and having Green economy. Let us use it, this quiet period.

[Geo]

I suppose its my turn to move the screws?

[Mart]

Yes, it looks that way.

Maybe try to contact Deirdre, even every turn. AI only sometimes "gets nervous" cause of this. She may ease her attitude now when we are in Green economy. Some turns of truce would be most needed for us.

Gaian research slows down, it is 13 turns per tech and we have a chance to grow to the west. Pop boom in some near future is also possible.

[binTravkin]

But I think we should only attempt truce after we have tried to get Fusion Power first.
We have one probe foil in position.
IF we get Fusion Power, we don't need truce, we can then fend them off.

[Mart]

Yes, but Gaian potential is a bit too large. That would be more of of a stalemate.
When Gaians are still in other vendettas, then we have better chance.
Deirdre was able to take multiple Hive bases in a single turn, that may happen to us too. She has like 20-30 transports?
We can still grow very quickly without fusion, and once we have larger potential we can probe her for techs. It's a question of being able to produce many probes quickly. For now, we hardly can manufacture them fast enough.

[binTravkin]

AI is bad at fighting.
Especially on two fronts (vs us & Hive).
I'd say they've lost it if we get Fusion.
They also should be downsized.
We may not be able to grow fast enough to catch them soon enough, if at least part of our growth is not taking away from them.

[Mart]

Hive has potential to defend itself for longer time. Yang is building multiple colony pods. Chances are, it will be many turns before Gaians take the last remaining Hive base.

Gaians though have like 7-9 techs, that we do not.
And only two are very crucial, I think: DAP and Fusion.
So chances are, we get by probing some less important tech, but while we can we should try.
There is one tech "free" for us for sure.

[Geo]

MY 2316
Switched production in NuDawn from AAA Plasma Sentinel to Tree Farm. And to Network Node in ToS.
Forest Primeval probed by a foil. We lost it, but gained the files on Fusion Power. Consequently upgraded our sentinels to Fusion sentinels where possible. Took most of our energy to do that.
I gave the Fusion Power files to Yang. None of the other factions I tried to contact (everyone except Gaians) deemed it necessary to 'pick up the phone'.

MY 2317
HighC finished a fusion probe foil, started on fungal fusion sea former.

MY 2318
Nothing happened.

MY 2319
Rushed the Network Node in ToS and the Command Center in Amundsen Station.

MY 2320
Morgan lost Morgan Construction to the Gaians, and promptly reacquired it by mind controlling the base. So he now has the possibility to build fusion -and needlejet units, if he hadn't already.
Miriam contacted us, and asked for an alliance against the University of Planet. I refused. She then asked for the files on Fusion Power in exchange for a continuing truce. I complied.
ToS started on the UNS Aegis (an AAA plasma design). Amundsen started on a fusion probe team, with a second in the queue. HighC started on a Children's Creche.

That's it. If we somewhere construct a transport as well (ToS next?), we could be able to mount a probing expedition protected by a AAA missile plasma foil within 10 turns.
Forest Primeval has been probed, so its securitly interlocks should be engaged.

[binTravkin]

Yay us!

We shall now take over the world! 

[Mart]

Morgan has no DAP, yet he makes missile penetrators. A gift from Zakharov? That would be my guess.
Now, how to get this? If Zakharov does not trade DAP, we might buy a base from Morgan. Chances are, it will be in thousands of EC, though.

Any financial analysts would like to make an analysis of what is worth paying for a base with a penetrator (needlejet chassis)?

[binTravkin]

I don't think it's worth.
With fusion and AAA we can make do with what we have now.
Hopefully in a few turns we will probe D:AP from Gaians.

Our ECs should now be fully allocated to upgrading existing units to fusion and rushing new units to conquer Gaians.

I'm playing the turn now.. 

[Geo]

Morgan has no DAP, yet he makes missile penetrators. A gift from Zakharov? That would be my guess.
Now, how to get this? If Zakharov does not trade DAP, we might buy a base from Morgan. Chances are, it will be in thousands of EC, though.

Any financial analysts would like to make an analysis of what is worth paying for a base with a penetrator (needlejet chassis)?

Didn't you read my report? He mind controlled a base with a Gaian fusion needlejet in it.
I think our best shot still is my assembling a probe expedition and closing in on a not-probed-yet Gaian base. One of the former Hive bases? Can probe teams in transports even probe seabases?

[binTravkin]

Geo, are you by chance still using the old drone rules?
What does Deep Community Psych screen show to you?


MY 2321
Diplomacy:
 - sold Fusion Power to Morgan for 150 EC
 - he offers us Centauri Meditation for 125 EC, we refuse

 - accepted Yang's offer to "get rid of Believing nuisance". Reasons: 1. They are far enough. 2. They don't trade/mostly ignore us anyway.
 - sold Yang Pre-Sentient Algorithms & Subathomic Theory both for 25ECs
 - accepted Yang's offer to "get rid of Spartan nuisance". Reasons - same as above. Plus they are weaklings anyway.  (yes, I contacted Yang twice, because I forgot to check his ECs)
 - sold Yang Centauri Empathy for 25 ECs

Military:
 - designed "Optimal Sentinel": 4-<3>r-1*2 (cheapest sentinel with max armour), this is meant if we build new defensive units
 - designed "Minimal Sentinel": 1-<3>-1*2 (cheapest upgrade to fusion with max armour), for upgrading old units
 - designed "Optimal Attack Rover": 6-1-2*2
 - designed "Optimal Attack Squad": 6-<3>-1*2 (the addition of AAA is less than optimal, but we need to be safe vs air)
 - designed "Optimal Foil Transport": 0-3r-3*2, cargo: 4 (+ deep radar)
 - UNS explorer design downgraded from 3 to 3r armor. Makes it 20% cheaper.

 - obsoleted a huge bunch of designs, except our custom ones - let's turn a page here

 - upgraded ALL of our obsolete 1-<3>-1 units to Minimal Sentinel for 240 EC. Defense is our first priority!
 - upgraded ALL of our obsolete 6-1-2 units to Optimal Attack Rover for 90 EC. Best defense is offense!

Our cadet popped a pod @ 65,37 and revealed mind worms..

Gaia is building a Missile Battleship (6-5-6*2) @ Dep Community.

END Turn:
Kelp expands
We lose cadet
Gaians move 4 units in fungus next to our base.


MY 2322
Gaians have landed 3x 6-1-1 and a 2-5+-1*2 unit @ 74,54 and they can invade our base next turn thanks to us not having road access to that tile and them having effective road access using fungus (Xenoempathy Dome).
However, AI will probably not do it.
Luckily, there seem to be no aircraft in range to decimate Cape Station.

 - We do artillery bombardment on Gaian troops, 70%/40%/30%/0% damage (last one is with photon armor)
 - Another artillery bombardment by our ship from Cape Station - 90%/60%/50%/0%
 - We move 2x 1-<3>-1*2 and 3x Optimal Attack Rovers to 73,55. This should do it.

END Turn:
Gaians do a futile attack against our superior troops. We get promoted.
University continues taking over the Monsoon Jungle from Believers.


MY 2323
Bombarded Gaian units 3 times. Decided not to attack due to unfavorable odds.
Contacted Morgan, but he refused to give us tech.

End Turn:
University is stomping Miriam in the ground.
Gaian reinfocements arrive.

MY 2324
Turns out reinforcements consist of a 6-1-1 and a colony pod, which has yet to disembark.
We sink the transport with colony pod.

End Turn:
Nothing special happens..

MY 2325
We probe People's Endeavour. Get amazingly useful tech of Secrets of The Human Brain. Fundamentalist SE choice is enacted.
Turns out we were actually researching it as our research bar turns read (no tech).
Research priorities are set to Explore and Conquer as both now have very significant benefits.

END Turn:
University decides, they have had enough of us and declares Vendetta. 


Our next tech is Conquer.
Therefore we should attempt to get Superconductor from Morgan.
He should be open to trade as long as he feels we have enough EC to pay for it (100 probably).


The current state of affairs:
First wave of invasion forces has been assembled at Cape Station and loaded unto transport.
It consists of 2x Optimal Attack Rovers and 2x Minimal Sentinels.
This should be enough to capture and hold Forest Primeval, which is currently undefended.

Second wave of invasion forces is also ready to be loaded unto transport, which is sailing from 77,57.
It should probably contain the elite probe team which is currently @ Amundsen Station.
It then could be used to probe Unity Lair, which, to my knowledge has never been probed yet, and thus does not have security interlocks.

Be sure to cover invasion transport with 2 or more UNS Aegis, for aerial protection and artillery support.

I leave PeaceKeepers with a much enlarged military force:
5 Optimal Attack Rovers
1 Optimal Artillery Squad
7 Minimal Sentinels
3 UNS Aegis (+2 in production) + 1 UNS Explorer (marine detachment) in production.
1 Missile foil (deep radar)
3 Optimal Foil Transports
1 Elite Foil probe team
1 Elite probe team
and various other units

That's still small compared to Gaians, but determined and efficient force of commando (command nexus & +3 morale SE) troops.

As for the Gaian troops in our fungus - just keep them blocked with 1-2 units and ignore.
Bombard when possible, until they are soft enough.

[binTravkin]

And the turn.

[Geo]

Geo, are you by chance still using the old drone rules?
What does Deep Community Psych screen show to you?

I don't understand. I could've sworn I changed it to '0' after reinstalling the game.
Anyway, see attachment.