Binary Down - Game 4

[Maeldun]

New one.

[Maeldun]

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.)

[MercantileInterest]

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

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.

[MercantileInterest]

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.

[Nevill]

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

[Maeldun]

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.

[MercantileInterest]

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.)

[Maeldun]

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.

[MercantileInterest]

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.

[Nevill]

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?

[MercantileInterest]

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

[MercantileInterest]

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. 

[Maeldun]

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

[Nevill]

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.

[Maeldun]

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