Alpha Centauri 2 Forum Community Succession Game

[Mart]

...
Didn't you read my report?  He mind controlled a base with a Gaian fusion needlejet in it.

That escaped me, I read them mostly once, and return to find only some details later.
That was much more likely . After I wrote this, I wondered how Zakharov could possibly send a unit to Morgan base, that was like too far away.

I think our best shot still is my assembling a probe expedition and closing in on a not-probed-yet Gaian base.

With fusion we do have a chance to be ok with <3> defense units. Gaians have only 6 in attack. They will though be more dangerous once we move north with our conquest.
I think getting techs by probing may be the way to go now.

One of the former Hive bases? Can probe teams in transports even probe seabases?

As far as I know, they cannot. And the reason seems to be, at least in part, to allow having sea chassis probe units. Otherwise, a player could happily attack all bases from transports with cheaper land probes. Even much cheaper, land ones are for 2 rows.
What makes me think so, is that amphibious ability is not possible for land probes.
Once I did that in a mod, so I could probe sea bases from transports with amphibious ability, afair.

[binTravkin]

The normal probe teams are meant to unload and then probe.
If (and we absolutely should) we take the closest Gaian base next turn, we can then ship in the probe, unload it in the base and immediately probe the next base on that island.
For an attacking army they are also useful to prevent probe-capture of units.
Gaians have huge EC stockpile to do so.
Now having thought of that I'd say we need to be aware of Gaian probes nearby (check the nearby bases) and, whenever we detect any, garrison that base with a probe team.

[Mart]

Yes, I remember UNHQ case from this game.
Playing now...

Only one turn (2327) but already a lot of good developments.

[Mart]

2326

Forest Primeval taken, 11 EC diverted from local energy banks.

Artillery gets Gaian defending troops (photon wall) from 30% to 40% damage.
Another from Missile Foil to 50% damage.
Deirdre opens a commlink. She will destroy us and then execute us and it will not be personal.

Chances of our attack are 88:75, but I decide to get better odds.

Yang has University map!
Sold SotHB for 25 EC to him.
Having exactly 100 EC I contact Morgan.
Exchanging SotHB for Superconductor.
And closes commlink!

2327
Yang seems to research a tech, he has Silksteel.
Exchanging for Superconductor.
And then with Morgan, exchanging Silksteel for Centauri Meditation.
Gaians are at present only 5 techs more, but in 4 turns a military one!
Probing Deep Community. Adv. Eco. Engineering. Probe returns to Forest P.
4 techs to go.
Occupying a bunker with sensor (our territory now), 2 tiles NE from Forest Primeval. I suspect attack on a base next turn.
Gaians would be in position to destroy it, another thing is, if AI would actually do it.

With odds 22:15 we destroy that 4 units in fungus on our main island.
For some reason, Gaian planes in larger number are in Morgan Collections. From that base south, I do not see any...?

2328
Mindworm enters monolith near Deep Warrant.
And is captured.
Unity Lair got 6-5-1*2 unit, but Gaians did not attack. The base started probe team!
And probe from this base is Photon/Wave Mechanics.
Mindworm harvesting gets us 40 EC.
La Nina sails West. On its voyage, while in "sargasso" region, the caravel encounters a sea monster.
Upon its defeat, traders offer 40 EC for the carcass.

Attack odds on Unity Lair with a rover 64:95.
We most likely will have heavy losses when getting that base.

[binTravkin]

She will destroy us and then execute us and it will not be personal.

Attack odds on Unity Lair with a rover 64:95.
We most likely will have heavy losses when getting that base.

Bring out the big guns!
I mean artillery.

[Mart]

two bombardments by (6) ships got:
- one unit photon wall no damage.
- another one 5% damage.
very slow.

[binTravkin]

Then we should just continue probing it.
I think with Elite probe teams and +2 probe we get good odds even with the interlocks?

[Mart]

Ok, I will find that out.
Maybe making some cheap land probes for that purpose would be good.

[binTravkin]

We should be getting improved guns anytime soon anyway.
Meanwhile we can use our troops to capture another base, which is less well defended.

[Mart]

End turn (2328):
Gaians take Fellowship City, and it looks like it was size 1 base, it is no longer.
17 !! bombers in Unity Lair. Deirdre decided to make clean-up?
Two Gaian Navy:
(6)-3r-6*2 Destroyer
(6)-5-6*2 Battleship
They approach our fleet anchored in fungus.

2329
Two bombardments of Unity Lair, planes are destroyed like 20-50%. That gives hope.
Probing that base is 5544 EC. Cheap for that many needlejets...
Commando foot probe gets 67%,60% chance.
And we get Bioadaptive Resonance.
Elite probe gets chaces: 75%,67%.
And we get Doctrine: Initiative!
Probe survives!!!
Third bombardment of Unity Lair from fungus anchorage. Little damage, yet some still.
This Gaian Destroyer blocks access to these 2 Gaian bases. An attack with UNS Aegis damages it to 50%
and causes it to withdraw, making a passage.
And an elite foil probe gets Doctrine: Air Power from Deep Community.
Probe returns to Forest Primeval.

Defending photon wall units in Unity Lair are only 5% and 15% damaged. Not good.
I think we must attack that base cause of its air force.
And the reward is very large, 17 Gaian planes destroyed.

[Mart]

We can use 5 rovers to attack Unity Lair, and some infantry, 1 in attack . One is elite.
Against, strength in defense:
5+ damaged in 15% (luckily this one)
5 damaged 5%
1, police unit, damaged 50%

We have chance, but both 5-defense must be destroyed by 4 rovers and in worse scenario by all 5 of them

[Mart]

continued 2329

First rover, commando, 64:85; the 5+ is damaged 55%, not bad.
Second rover, commando, 88:95, the 6-5-1 unit damaged 75%, good.
Third rover, commando, 64:45, against 5+, Gaian survives! 80% damaged, not good.
Fourth rover, commando, 44:15, the 5+ is destroyed, our rover at 55% damaged.
Fifth rover, hardened recruits, from the fungus anchorage, landed in forest south of Unity Lar.
they get 72:25, victory at minimal losses.

And our elite 1-<3>1*2, somewhat damaged gets 192:65 against that damaged Gaian Police.
Another infantry gets 2:2 chance. So unfortunatelly, we need to wait.
Unity Lair switches to ECM photon sentinels. Smart.

[binTravkin]

You sure are getting a lot of action. 

[Mart]

End turn (2329)
Gaians destroy our recruits rover in the forest south of Unity Lair, by air bombardment.
Gaians mindcontrol Port Yang!

2330
La Nina discovers land to the west. It is green, moist, covered in oink fungus more than 50% of the coast.
Dispatching formers to that direction.

And Unity Lair has a new Police and is making a probe team.
Our veteran infantry 1-<3>-1*2 gets 20:11,
Several bombardmets of Unity Lair.
Our anchorage UNS Aegis engages a Gaian Battleship in an artillery duel 2 tiles away, it looses, but the battleship is damaged 85%.
And the other Aegis destroys Gaian Destroyer.
We destroy one Gaian plane.
Mindprobe cost is 3380.
Energy drain by elite probe is 100%,84%, but we get only 7 EC. Spare change...
I upgrade two Cadets to R-laser infantry, for 100 EC each!. Expensive, but hopefully,
they will destroy next 2 planes in Unity Lair.

I sell to Yang 4 techs for 100 EC total.
You can blame me, for this generosity. I blame Firaxis.
Anyway, I "gave" Yang Doctrine: Air Power. Now Dirdre will feel the wrath...

Morgan! We need your money, ahm... energy.
"No, Lal, I have none to spare, my banks are only over 1100 EC. So you see.
But you must back me in my war effort."

End turn:
Deirdre starts Neural Amplifier.
Unity Lair reinforced by a transport with two 6-1-1 units.
We have losses near the base...

- - - - -

Notes:
U.N. Temple of Sol has Skunkworks, so maybe make a needlejet prototype there.
And then we would need to prototype cruiser chassis.
I made Coastal defense unit, cost 2 rows. (with Skunkworks).

With Unity Lair it is war of attrition, but we cannot leave that base with like 15 needlejets unattended.
Constant bombardment, to keep them at 50% damage seems to do the trick, and they do not attack, just stay in that base.

We could approach the base, but 1-<5>-x units are needed for guard, and just in 2331, a prototype is made.
Upgrades should be cheaper now.

And one more thing:
That sensor 2 tiles north of Forest Primeval covers 3 (!!!) bases. And it is bunker in forest, I think it is worth keeping as equal, if not more than a base in that region.

[binTravkin]

I upgrade two Cadets to R-laser infantry, for 100 EC each!. Expensive, but hopefully,
they will destroy next 2 planes in Unity Lair.

Are R-lasers any more useful than missiles though?
Their attack value is the same.