The Final Solution - SMACX AI Growth mod 1.17

[bvanevery]

Details cry me a river for Zhakarov

cry me a river for Zhakarov

MY 2191.  My ally is getting his butt kicked by the Usurpers.  Nothing I can do about it.  I'm not even managing to put a dent in the Cultists just yet.  They've got a Foil Probe Team coming my way, as I approach their 1st sea base with my Impact Foil.  There's a bunch of fungus in the way and I hope I prevail at the mutual zappings.

[bvanevery]

Details siege by sea

siege by sea

MY 2193.  Last year the enemy's Foil Probe Team stayed in port, preventing me from easily approaching the sea base.  I got clever and went around to its landward side.  I destroyed a badly wounded ship in port by shelling it from across a strip of land.  Next turn I'll start shelling this sea base from my position of relative safety.  I've got a 2nd Impact Foil approaching which may be able to kill the stuff in the base.  However this is where the cheapness of Foil and Cruiser chasses is a two-edged sword.  Their production rate for producing new sea units is pretty high, at least on Transcend.  In other games I've had big sea battles where I took a lot of bases, only to have unconquerable land cities spew out more ships and take most of them back.  The cheapness of the units actually favors the defenders, when the attackers have to come a great distance.  So it may be just as well that I haven't committed any atrocities yet, as I may not really have the logistical reach to do much of anything to the Cultists right now.

[bvanevery]

Details the northern passage

the northern passage

MY 2194.  Morgan is blocking what may be the only strategic waterway that leads to the Caretakers.  I'll have to talk the long way around to infiltrate them, assuming I even survive.  There seems to be a massive continent to the east so it may not even be possible.

The Foil Probe Team left the Cultist base.  It was not in open water, and I didn't guess correctly about the 3 fungal patches I think it may have hidden in.  So next turn, my 2nd Impact Foil ship may be bye-bye.

[bvanevery]

Details rats

rats

MY 2195.  Sure enough, he got me.  I've also just given him Impact capability that he didn't have.  What a sloppy "offensive".  It's over now, I should just harass and explore with my last Impact Foil.  If it even makes it out of his territorial water without being captured.  I have a lot of money, so I will try a Foil Probe Team offensive for awhile.  Fight fire with fire?

Nah, screw that.  X Impact Foils at the ready!  We're gonna poison.

[bvanevery]

Details run your trap

run your trap

MY 2196.  I sent my last Impact Foil on the offensive.  I've put in a fungus patch where it will attack a different sea base next turn, likely destroying the occupants.  Cha Dawn seems to want to talk about it.  What will he have to say?

Details predictable

predictable

Maybe one of these days I'll take out the "God" language and put some more appropriate "mindworm" language in there.  I'm not sure if I can do that on a per faction basis or not.  Editing dialogue has so far been outside the scope of my mod.  Another area of annoyance is when Marr goes on about his Power politics.  He starts speaking like a human.

[bvanevery]

Details Zhakarov the human sacrifice

Zhakarov the human sacrifice

MY 2199.  This game is shaping up to be a long distance battle between myself and the Usurpers.  Well, Morgan is doing fine and may weigh in eventually.  Maybe he'll ally with me eventually.

Details I died

I died

Well, this is an example that I still don't quite know how to play my own mod.  The Cultists kept building a new Synthmetal defender every single turn, so I was unable to take over the base.  I can't spam defenders in time like that, so I tend to forget that the AI can, due to Transcend bonuses.  Eventually I got picked off, by the same ship he captured from me.

I'm building a round of X Impact Foils to enact the Final Solution to the Cultist question.  I've got Gatling capability but haven't completed a prototype yet.  I'm also a little loath to lead with a fleet of Gatling ships, considering that I gave away my Impact ship design the last time.

Details paying to make people happy the nerve

paying to make people happy the nerve

I've got happiness problems on the home front.  I've had to change my tax basis to deal with it.  Yeah I really am Free Market and all of that.  I've just got more jackboots about it.  How do we deal with protesters in Space China?  A sharp kick in the teeth, that's how.  We used to just shoot them, but that's not our "goto" anymore.  We have kinder, gentler State violence.

[bvanevery]

Details will you trade will you trade huh huh will you trade

will you trade will you trade huh huh will you trade

MY 2201.  I wish he wouldn't bother me unless he's actually going to trade.  Like, just because we ran into each other at the "grocery store", doesn't mean I want to know intimate details of your life.  Oh woe is Morgan, poor Morgan.  Does he trade?  No, of course not.  Does he ally?  No.  Is he worth much of anything to me?  Well, he's a peaceful northern front, for now.  If he builds too many Secret Projects though, he's going to look downright tasty at some point.

[bvanevery]

Details super peevish annoying AI behavior

super peevish annoying AI behavior

Remember what I said about sea bases being vulnerable to Foil Probe Teams?  Case in point.  At least he went for a cheap base I just settled.  It'll be trivial to take back.  My own Foil Probe Team would be the right tool for the job, but I haven't been making those.  I've got 2 trying to infiltrate the Aliens, that's about it.  Cha Dawn doesn't have any tech, so there's been no reason to send them his way.  In my mod, I can pretty much count on the AI to come a very long distance across the map, even on an Enormous map, just to perform these annoyance operations.  The AI doesn't get bored of pushing a unit that far, whereas I surely do, so it's an advantage for them.  The upside is it also delivers enemy infiltration and tech theft to your doorstep, when you counter-probe.  Not applicable here as the Cult is worthless.  Worthless.  Where's my X gas?

[bvanevery]

Details Roze cant fight

Roze cant fight

MY 2204.  Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that the Cult of Planet is chewing up the Data Angels.  They are basically my opposite number, the Yang that isn't Yang.  They're tough now, whereas, I'm not entirely sure that the Data Angels have kept up.  In various iterations of my mod, they used to be quite formidable, but I'm not so sure anymore.  When they have a good geographic start, they tend to spread everywhere and become a real pain in the neck.  Maybe they didn't get as much space to work with on this Huge map.  Well, they're not dead yet, we'll see later.  If they get some money together with their probe teams they are fierce, because they're the only +2 PROBE faction in the game.  The Believers have +1 PROBE, that is all.  And there's no way to improve PROBE except for Thought Control.

Details it will not belong to Morgan

it will not belong to Morgan

I have the cash and the Artifacts to complete The Weather Paradigm immediately.  This will change my planning - if I even have a plan right now other than "grow" - because now I can attach myself to the land north of me.  As well as moisten all these dry interior spaces.  There's a big splotch of ocean north of my capitol that I'd like to fill in, to make a "perfect economic circle" around my capitol.

The enemy Foil Probe Team has left its base and is on the prowl again.  The bad news is that means I can't approach his sea base right now, for fear of being captured.  The good news is in a few turns, the sea base should be wide open to extermination.

[bvanevery]

Details I am the greatness

I am the greatness

MY 2205.  Exploiting Planet to the hilt is going to make my conquests more pleasurable.  That took 3 Artifacts though, so I'm not sure I'll be pulling this off again.  In my mod, all Secret Projects cost at least 300 minerals, or 6 Artifacts cashed.  Nobody gets one of these things "quick" anymore.

[bvanevery]

Details Zhakarov has got a small mindworm

Zhakarov has got a small mindworm

MY 2207.  What an opportunist!  The Cult has overrun University Base.  The University looks doomed.

Details leggo my eggo

leggo my eggo

I am about to liberate my base.  I thought about gassing my own people but decided against it.  If the Cult doesn't sign a Truce immediately, then we're about to get real.  One of my X ships has made it unopposed within range of their 1st sea base.  When the rest of my fleet arrives, it's going to be a slaughter.  It might even be a slaughter without them, because there isn't going to be any problem with "repeat defense" this time.  A couple of hits on any given base, and it'll be gone.

I guess we'll see what the sanctions impact is like.  As of now, my earnings are 30 credits/year.  I don't have a clear accounting of how much of that is from Trade.  Looking at individual city stats, it looks like the Morganites are responsible for most of my Trade income.  I suppose they'll impose sanctions and we'll see how much that is worth.

Details your fate is sealed

your fate is sealed

It is always this way with zealots.  I don't feel that bad about exterminating them, because this game doesn't offer any "acceptable" options for shelling a base into oblivion.  What this game calls an "atrocity", would just be called "heavy bombing" in some other time and place.  Yeah some I'm going to use chemcials.  So what??  Not like I'm shipping them off to camps to apply the chemicals.  Not yet.

Details Nivenah Rising will be sinking

Nivenah Rising will be sinking

I wonder if I could put a Death Camp in the game?  Why call them concentration camps, I'd just call them death camps.  It probably wouldn't mean anything game mechanically, unless I got into .exe patching.  Eh, forget it.

Details you should not have declared war on me

you should not have declared war on me

I don't presently feel as ideological about this as they do.  They have caused me a problem, and I am providing the solution.

Details buh bye

buh bye

I didn't get any grave protestations from anyone.  Do those come next turn?  The base was size 1, maybe this wasn't even necessary.  Oh well, it's necessary on the next 3 sea bases!

Details let us bury the accountants alive

let us bury the accountants alive

Sanctions do set in immediately.  I didn't get any kind of message about it though.  My income has dropped to 19 credits/year, definitely acceptable to my Free Market war effort.  Cost of doing business!

[bvanevery]

Details you move badly

you move badly

MY 2208.  Lucky me!  The Cultists moved right next to my flotilla without actually capturing anything.  Now I pay them back for taking my ship earlier.

[bvanevery]

Details not going green

not going green

MY 2213.  My 2 Foil Probe Teams were on a long journey to the Caretaker capitol.  The Cult finally got some tech as I was approaching the very back of their line, so I stole E2 Centauri Empathy from them.  It doesn't give mindworms.  Rather, it gives the Green economy and allows 3+ nutrients per square.  In my mod, Green is not about capturing the most mindworms.  Rather, it's a viable economy in the same sense that we mean it today.  It doesn't make as much money as Free Market, and it's not allowed to use as many resources.  It increases PLANET and it doesn't have a POLICE penalty.  The latter makes it attractive to me, but my income would drop from 20 to 8 and my research would suffer.  So it's not happening for now.  Space China will pollute!

Details I do not have the energy

I do not have the energy

While attempting to raise a land bridge to Morgan's territory, and to claim a piece of it as my own, I created 2 energy specials.  I'm just going to put a sea base in range of them and call it good.  I'll put my first moisture condenser on that peninsula.

[bvanevery]

Details damn those things

damn those things

MY 2217.  I lost 2 of my ships attacking Cha Dawn's Isle of the Deep in port.  This is just a captured Isle, but something to worry about in the future, is I made the cost of all PSI units somewhat cheaper.  That was to help the PLANET factions, and in my last game where I all but conquered the world as Cha Dawn, I can say it works.  At least, in human hands.  It's always possible for the AI to use them badly.  I shouldn't point fingers right now though, because clearly I've just demonstrated that I don't even know how to play my own mod yet.  I've got 3 more ships to try to rectify my mistake with.  After that, I'll just concede that I'm wasting my time.

[bvanevery]

Details die

die

MY 2218.  The Isle was wounded enough that the Impact Battery had to be the defender.  I made a direct attack, not a bombardment, and that made it into a chemical attack as well.  The base dropped to size 1.  On my 2nd attack, the Isle was the strongest defender again.  My 2nd ship died, although it left the Isle grievously wounded.  If no ships show up to reinforce next turn, this base is dead.  I've also got a 2nd ship almost on scene if anything goes wrong.

I've fished lots of Artifacts out of the water recently.  I'm rushing The Merchant Exchange and will have it next turn.