The Final Solution - SMACX AI Growth mod 1.17

[bvanevery]

Details pickled

pickled

MY 2139.  I don't necessarily fish for Artifacts with a Foil escort, but it happened to work out that my ships were in the same area at the time.  Now I can try to kill the Isle, or I can shell it.  It is only carrying a mindworm, which will be easy to kill when it lands, so I'm going to shell it.  If it was carrying a Spore Launcher, it would shell my coastline from the water.  That's really really annoying, so I'd make a greater effort to kill it quickly.  My Transport might survive this encounter or it might not.  I can move 1 square out of the way, but that Isle may head straight south and tag it.  Or it might move diagonally and miss it.

[bvanevery]

Details thermal boring holes

thermal boring holes

MY 2140.  See what I mean?  No possibility to defend against this.  Wherever that Spore Launcher came from, it wasn't from anything I did, or anything I've seen.  Some neighbor of mine has stirred the ocean on the unexplored side of the island, most likely.  Even if I do get a city in place to protect the remaining boreholes, I have no food resources to make any actual use of them.  This is a dry island interior.  I will have to wait for Ecological Engineering to put Condensers around there, and The Weather Paradigm isn't available until then anyways.

Details the artful dodger

the artful dodger

Great.  While searching for the maurauding Spore Launcher, my Rover blunders into an unknown mindworm and has no moves remaining.  I knew there was a mindworm to the northeast, but if this is the same one, it sure has walked around a lot.  Crawled.  Slithered.  Munged.

At least my Transport actually did survive.

[bvanevery]

Details mindworms all around us

mindworms all around us

MY 2141.  I fish a Battle Ogre out of the water.  This will help with producing Sea Colony Pods at my capitol.  I will be able to get up to size 3 without having to build a Recreation Commons.  That's the amount of time needed to produce such a colonist anyways.

I found the Spore Launcher.  It's not showing now, but I think it is south-southwest of my Colony Pod near the Borehole Cluster.  I can't do anything about it just yet because my Rover is injured.  I'm hoping it just shoots at my colonist, which it can injure but not kill, rather than moving into position to destroy another borehole.

I've also blundered into the other, known mindworm that was inhabiting the northeast.  Fortunately with moves remaining to kill it.  So, the units maurauding my boreholes, are from an unknown Isle of the Deep stirred up by someone else somewhere.

I have shelled that Isle of the deep repeatedly and will get some money when I finally kill it next turn.

I am thankful the badly wounded mindworm to the west is finally deciding to commit suicide.  It prevented me from colonizing that area for awhile.  That's why my colonist is near the boreholes now, it was running away.

[bvanevery]

Details sprouting enemies

sprouting enemies

MY 2142.  I prevail in many areas, but a brand new Spore Launcher has spontaneously appeared right in the middle of my stuff.  It shelled a road, when apparently it could have shelled a borehole.  I managed to locate it by taking an educated guess as to its whereabouts.  I attack with only 2/3rds strength as I don't want it to hit the boreholes.  Fortunately my attack succeeds as Spore Launcher larvae are still rather weak compared to my Scouts.  If I had died, I would have followed up with a 2nd Scout from that nearby city.

My suicidal slow transport got a production completion.  So next turn I will have yet another Sea Colonist.

I think my Colonist near the borehole cluster, is right next to a Spore Launcher.  I'm trying to get it to shoot at me so it won't shoot at the boreholes.  I don't have any units to come kill the Spore Launcher yet.  Everything has gotten wounded from all this mindworm spam.  I don't think there are any more mindworms, just the one Spore Launcher, so my Colonist shouldn't die.

[bvanevery]

Details three times is charming

three times is charming

MY 2143.  Well, that ploy sure didn't work.  The Spore Launcher up and murdered another one of my boreholes.  Only one left.  Subsequent movement has revealed that the Spore Launcher is indeed right next to my Colonist, but 1 square east of where I thought it was.

I've never even had a chance to defend the Borehole Cluster.  I almost wonder if a land claim there, immediately spawns enemies trying to destroy it?  The alternate thesis is it's just hard to protect.

Details the liabilities of instant completion

the liabilities of instant completion

The downside to instantly gaining another Sea Colonist, is I no longer have any food.  If I work a square other than the mine, my units will disband.  This would be a good time to bring a Colony Pod into my capitol and add it to my population.  I have one available, but the road to my capitol is now broken, and I need to get cities out in front of my last borehole.

Hm, all this time I thought my slow transport was supported, it was independent.  Glad it survived the suicide mission I gave it.  I'll send it to one of my sea bases to live out a nice, peaceful life for the rest of the game.

[bvanevery]

Details tooth pull

tooth pull

MY 2146.  Finally I will kill the Spore Launcher.  The Colonist has done a heroic job of keeping it busy.  I'm not even sure where they're going to settle.

Details we don need no steenkin minerals

we don need no steenkin minerals

I managed to get the support situation of my capitol under control.  Hopefully we'll be back to normal soon.

[bvanevery]

Details mineralopolis

mineralopolis

MY 2149.  I add a Colonist to my capitol, bringing it to size 3.  I don't think I want this city knocked down again, so I will leave it to other cities to build Sea Colony Pods.  In this one I will build a Recreation Commons.  It is hard to let go of traditional Hive habits, as in the unmodded game, I'd have long since had a Police State.  But in this mod, I could be a number of techs away yet.  Planetary Networks, the tech that gives both Police State and probe teams in my mod, is not deep in the tree.  It's only a Conquer 2 tech, but there are lots of Conquer techs.  So it can take awhile to finally get to that one.

[bvanevery]

Details Hi Morgan

Hi Morgan

MY 2151.  Shall he be friend or foe?  Unlike in the unmodded game, we aren't destined to be enemies.  It would be perfectly reasonable for me to choose a Free Market, although it will slightly hurt my POLICE rating.  In my mod I got rid of the draconian Free Market POLICE penalty.  Now it's just a choice among choices.  To get -5 POLICE, you have to choose Democratic Free Market Knowledge Cybernetic.  Each one accumulates a little bit worse POLICE, with Democratic being the worst that way.  Which of course will never happen, as I can't choose Democratic even if I wanted to.  The Cult of Planet is the same way, they can't choose Democratic either.

Details I will offer him a mindworm sausage recipe

I will offer him a mindworm sausage recipe

How productive, I will be speaking to Cha Dawn as well.  Who is destined to be my sworn enemy.  In this mod their hangup is Fundamentalist politics, not a Green economy.  Cha Dawn runs a cult, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  He's not an economic policy wonk, and he basically doesn't care as long as the cult obeys him.  I'll let you in on the reality of Chairman Yang as well.  Ignore any positive spin you might think you're hearing in the game's descriptions of him.  I read a biography of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung recently, and this is exactly the same guy.  I didn't know that he experimented with literally numbering peasants, to dehumanize them and make them cogs in his machine.  The game adds lofty ascetic overtones, but it's all a charade.  Mao's basic policy was himself above all others, and to kill early and often.  So will Yang.  All this "embracing the self of group" nonsense is pure smokescreen.  Mao talked about what a great adventure death was going to be for everybody.  Everybody but himself, of course, if you look at his actions rather than his catch phrases.

Details new technologies

new technologies

Morgan offers E2 Synthetic Fossil Fuels for my C1 High Energy Chemistry.  In my mod, the former only gives you fungicidal tanks, nothing else.  And you can have it rather early, as you see here.  The latter only gives you Synthmetal Armor, not Plasma.  I separated all the combat stuff from the economic, exploration, and happiness stuff.  This is a good trade for me, and it looks like we'll be doing more of the same.

My maps for Doctrine: Mobility?  Sure, Rovers are always great to have.  An important difference in my mod, is you don't get Command Centers with that tech.  You need Planetary Networks, which also provides Police State and probe teams.  I went through a phase with my mod where I was trying to make Police State into the thing you do probe teams with.  It didn't work out, because a Police State without a lot of POLICE to keep people in line, just isn't worth doing for all the penalties you get.  I eventually made Fundamentalist more of a police state and not a probe team thing either.  The only choice that increases your PROBE rating is Thought Control.  Knowledge and Cybernetic both decrease your PROBE rating.

He sells me Biogenetics for 100 credits and signs off.  In my mod it's a D1 tech and gives you Biology Labs.  It's cross-listed in several categories and easy for most factions to research.  It gives a small, constant boost to one's tech research, so I thought it was most appropriate for factions just starting out.  Information Networks is a D2 tech and is a bit harder for non-Discover researchers to get.  Not impossible though, because I found that making it impossible, seriously crippled various factions' research.  So I had to compromise and make its research focus less pure than it was.

Details I will offer him a barbequeued peasant recipe

I will offer him a barbequeued peasant recipe

I'm going to talk to Zhakarov too.  I'm quite the Chatty Kathy!  Cha Dawn has no tech and I will keep it that way.  We do sign a Treaty.  I ask him for Roze's commlink but he says he doesn't have it.  I don't ask about the Aliens.  I wouldn't be able to initiate a conversation with them, and they'll probably just declare war on me anyways.  The Caretakers have the same old fixation of a Planned economy, but the Usurpers now insistn on Power.  Since Conqueror Marr is a warlord, expecting him to engage in economic policy wonking made no sense.

Details goody goody gumdrops

goody goody gumdrops

Zhakarov has made me an offer I can't refuse: the key to the Police State!  This isn't weird for my mod.  In the unmodded game, lots of Secret Projects obstruct the trade of basic social engineering choices.  In my mod, no Secret Projects are available until Level 3 techs.  Political choices are all Level 2 techs.  They provide important capabilities, but the AI will freely trade them.

He offers C2 Progenitor Psych for my E2 Synthetic Fossil Fuels.  It's a good trade and I accept.  In my mod, the former lets you talk to Aliens and gives you Soporific Gas Pods.  Maybe that's a bit anti-Spartan but eh, I got tired of being able to talk to Aliens when there weren't any in the game.  This way, it's always worth something.

We sign a Pact!  Now I know where all the humans I've met are.  No sign of Aliens.  The power graph shows the Caretakers as almost stillborn.  The Usurpers, the University, and myself are about equal in power.  Morgan is said to be stronger than us, because he's got sea bases around the Monsoon Jungle.  Cha Dawn and Roze are said to be weak. 

[bvanevery]

Details send in the bureaucrats

send in the bureaucrats

MY 2155.  I am not Efficient.  I could really use a Free Market about now, which in my mod also awards +1 EFFICIENCY.  I did just discover Ethical Calculus which makes the Children's Creche available.  That's a partial remedy, but I don't think it'll prevent unhappiness due to Bureaucracy.

Details you are such a researcher

you are such a researcher

I talk to Morgan about some Free Market goodness, forgetting that if he had it, he'd be working on The Merchant Exchange and wouldn't trade it.  Industrial Economics is a B3 tech in my mod.  Industrial Base is a B2 tech and gives Recycling Tanks.  Useful, but not a Free Market.  I mostly know how to play my own mod now, but sometimes I forget things.  Anyways he sells me Network Nodes, a product so good that nobody feels a need to compete with them.

Checking with Zhakarov, he got a map of Cha Dawn's territory.  If I mounted a sea invasion, they would be utterly helpless right now.  This is reminding me there's a reason I usually play on Enormous maps, not Huge.  The Morganites are a little stronger, but they are near neighbors and I don't think an invasion would be especially challenging at this point.  I feel like biding my time for now.

[bvanevery]

Details Aliens can die

Aliens can die

My ally Zhakarov has run afoul of Aliens.  I have agreed to exterminate them.  An odd thing about SMACX, you can use chemical weapons on Aliens no problemo.  No United Nations consequences, and no vengeance by Planet.  Unlike, say, using them on your fellow humans, which will cause eco-damage.  Planet bleeds for senseless human violence.  I haven't verified whether Planet still responds negatively if the minor Atrocity Prohibitions have been lifted.  Maybe this game I will finally find out.

Details he only likes war you big dummy

he only likes war you big dummy

I spread the love to Morgan because he so much wants to run afoul of Aliens too.

[bvanevery]

Details jetting outta there

jetting outta there

MY 2161.  Now we know why the Caretakers were "stillborn".  The Usurpers kicked the snot out of them.  They must have started out right next to each other, for the Usurpers to achieve a decisive result so early.

[bvanevery]

Details adapting to the mod

adapting to the mod

MY 2162.  I infiltrate the Morganites and see they have Adaptive Economcis available.  In my mod it merely provides the Planned economy and Hologram Theaters.  Morgan trades it to me readily.  This reminds me that economic choices are all level 2 techs, not level 3, and that Industrial Base makes Free Market available.  Since my focus is Build, Conquer I could end up researching it myself soon enough.  Presently, I am having happiness problems due to Bureaucracy and am not keen on lowering my Efficiency to -1.  Also I'd rapidly make enemies with the Morganites and at this time, there's no need for that.  I'd rather do it his way with a Free Market.

Details new choices

new choices

Here you can see the choices currently available to me.  Note that Frontier politics give -1 GROWTH due to a basic lack of safety.  This is balanced by +1 GROWTH for Simple economics.  Basically, have lots of children to work your farms.  The game doesn't do a good job of illustrating my Police State options, but I don't take any negative penalties from it.  Politics, Economics, and Values choices are all in a "3 benefits, 2 penalties" format.  The Future Society choices are in a "4 benefits, 1 or 2 penalties" format, and they come way earlier in the game.  They aren't overpowered and it's generally expected that factions will make 4 social engineering choices, if they survive that long.

Notice that a Planned economy gives +1 SUPPORT.  Essentially I removed some of the SUPPORT that Police State used to provide, and put it in Planned instead.  Now none of the factions gets a SUPPORT bonus, since it was exceedingly overpowered in the original game.  Instead, nearly anyone can go Planned and get some extra SUPPORT, at the cost of money and efficiency.  Generally speaking -2 penalties are gone, replaced by a pair of -1 penalties.  This makes it easier to take on one choice and just stomach the minor penalties in 2 different categories.  It only starts to be painful when multiple choices accumulate the same penalties.  This mod is oriented towards mixing and matching in a gradual way.

[bvanevery]

Details you are my [progeny of unmarried parents] love child

you are my [progeny of unmarried parents] love child

Cha Dawn meets me at sea and declares war.  That's mildly annoying.  I always figured Deirdre and Yang hooked up to make this worm.

Details silence is golden

silence is golden

I guess the main thing I could do is nerve stable my citizens and nobody would find out.  Otherwise I'm not seeing any advantage to this right now.

[bvanevery]

Details cartographers r us

cartographers r us

MY 2183.  Sunspots have ended.  Morgan offers a map of Usurper territory.  They are north of Morgan and east of Zhakarov.  Morgan is working on The Human Genome Project and The Planetary Datalinks, both of which are on the Discover research path. 

I also loan Zhakarov some money.

Details let us punish the world together

let us punish the world together

Zhakarov the busy beaver has researched Doctrine: Loyalty.  It provides some interesting capabilities: Fundamentalist, and the Punishment Sphere.  They're exceedingly cheap in my mod, costing no more than a Recreation Commons.  Their main disadvantage is -50% tech.  They are good for pacifying distant conquests that aren't going to yield good energy or tech anyways.  Despite being a brutal nihilist, I don't think I want these things in my core empire.  I still need research advantages, especially with my buddy Zhakarov in the game, and Morgan is actually leading on research now.

Almost forgot the other great toy awarded by Doctrine: Loyalty.  Nerve gas!  In my mod, ships can have chemical weapons.  I can wipe Cha Dawn off of Planet if I want to.  Although, I don't need nerve gas to wipe out his sea bases, I could just Obliterate them.  I've got 3 Impact Skimships inbound.  My mod has Foil Probe Teams available to everyone, and AI does use them to take over sea bases, so Obliteration might be a good idea.

Details da winnah

da winnah

Zhakarov obtained Roze's comm frequency, so I call an election before even talking to her.  I've presently got the votes to beat Morgan.  There's a chance that Roze won't like me and will vote against me, if I talk to her.  So I won't!  The result is... I win!  Even though she voted against me, so maybe I shouldn't have cared.

Roze doesn't have any tech.  She's Obstinate but signs a Treaty with me.

An astute observer might wonder how I got 7 sea bases so quickly.  The answer is all the Foil and Cruiser chassis costs are cheaper in my mod.  They cost the same as Speeders and Hovertanks respectively.  It's easier to spread by sea.  I was also blessed with a lot of shallows with resources, making sea bases a good idea for me.  They are, unfortunately, vulnerable to probe team takeovers, so I may have to spend some time defensively hardening them soon.

[bvanevery]

Details Chinese freedoms

Chinese freedoms

MY 2189.  A couple of turns ago I researched Industrial Base and became, essentially, modern China in space.  Note that my version of Free Market isn't so onerous to choose and isn't synonymous with a society of peaceniks.  I did take a reduction in my POLICE rating, but only 1 city became unhappy.  I think the +1 EFFICIENCY increase pacified some people who were grumbling due to Bureaucracy.

In my mod, Industrial Base also gives Recycling Tanks, so my land cities are starting to build those.

The 1st of my inbound Impact Foils got blown apart by one of Cha Dawn's ships.  Maybe I shouldn't be sending them piecemeal and should come in greater numbers at once.  On the other hand, ship pushing is tedious and I did sink a Transport coming my way.  Sweeping the seas of "trash" is somewhat the goal here.  Logistically, Cha Dawn is somewhat far off and it's annoying bothering to try to fight them.  I guess we'll see how well my plans for world extermination really work out, compared to the logistical difficulties.

I bought the Caretaker comm freqency from Morgan.  Those Aliens are Pathetic and they signed a Treaty with me.  I acquired Field Modulation from Morgan, which in my mod is how you get Trance capability.  The Aliens start with it, but they don't get any armor.  They have to research all sorts of other stuff to finally make Resonance armor.