Vote NERVE GAS

[bvanevery]

Details the dreaded probe team armor exploit

the dreaded probe team armor exploit

Probe teams are Noncombat units, but despite this, armored probe teams defend like combat units!  I consider this to be a bug.  However I've made the AI aware of it, so that they will build offensive armored probe teams.  Morgan just threw 3 Scouts at my 0-2-1 probe team, resulting in all of their summary deaths, and making it easier to take Morgan Industries away from him.  It's tempting to go in right now, as I do have 2 more Laser Speeders approaching, although they'd be missing 1/3 of their movement.  But since I'll have the city completely isolated this turn, and proper artillery coming imminently, I will wait.

[bvanevery]

Details flanking road operation

flanking road operation

MY 2196.  In the interest of stealing tech, I shall now perform a most curious operation.  I will send a regular probe team into the flat terrain northeast of Morgan Construction.  Then a Rover Former shall ride up the fully occupied rail, enter that square, and instantly build a road.  Then I shall garrison the square with an armored probe team!  This will make Morgan Metallurgy vulnerable to direct probe team operations next turn.  It might also trigger their 1-2-1 defenders to commit suicide against my armored Probe team, which would make it even more of an exploit than I had imagined.  Although, it wouldn't work if Morgan actually had any real weapons.

[bvanevery]

Details Morgans belated defense

Morgans belated defense

MY 2197.  With my artillery closing in, Morgan suddenly abandoned his Secret Project and built a Synthmetal garrison.  He's also trying to build a Perimeter Defense, but I will take the base this turn.  I am not sure why he gets to keep so much production to complete both tasks.  He also had his strength 1 artillery commit suicide against my strength 3 artillery.  I may need to do something about misguided AI defense at the beginning of the game.  Morgan does not have what it takes to survive on a Standard size map.  He has been doing just fine on Huge maps, where it takes longer for fighting to get started.  My mod has been designed around the latter.

Details a Builder to the last

a Builder to the last

In his other city he shelled my unarmored units, which was effective.  He also committed suicide against my armored probe team, which was not.  I may be able to take both cities this turn with some clever healing by capture.

Details I have got good genes

I have got good genes

That cost 1 Laser Rover.  If he surrenders, I am done.  Likely not, so I have 1 move remaining to shell his feeble armored artillery.  Connecting... he wants to keep fighting, so we will!

Details sneaky roadwork

sneaky roadwork

I move a Scout onto the flanking road to destroy a Former in the way.  Even with 2/3rds move remaining it takes no wounds, due to the 100% Noncombat penalty.  My 2nd normal probe team travels mostly up rails to steal a tech!  It survives and returns to Morgan Industries for defense, not that I need it against Morgan.

Details a brisk shelling

a brisk shelling

I blow away one of his feeble artillery.  I put a 2nd piece by another city on high ground.  He will probably commit suicide with his remaining 3 weak armored guns on his turn.  Then I will need to shell his walled cities into compliance, flank him, starve him, or finally build nerve gas weapons.  I would like to have him as a Council patsy though.

Or I could just use the armored probe team exploit again, but that feels like cheating.

[bvanevery]

Details strong walls

strong walls

MY 2198.  My artillery didn't even scratch his Synthmetal defender behind a wall.  One of my Laser Rovers summarily died attacking.  Meanwhile my allies the Cyborgs and the Hive have gone to war this year.  I am feeling a lot less guilty about using the armored probe team trick!  I've got fantastic defense and screening troops, but no offense.  I tried to contact Morgan for a Truce but he's not talking.  So, my Scouts are tearing up his countryside.  Worst case, I wait for Particle Impactors and make them chemical, so that they will attack with strength 6.  That might be the case against either ally as well.  Best if I just have them fight and I stay neutral for awhile.

[bvanevery]

Details special weapons program

special weapons program

MY 2199.  This could break the deadlock.  I deliberately designed a breadth of options in the Conquer tech tree, so that the player could be challenged to think about using tactics other than "a bigger gun".  The latter just tends to be about waiting, then overpowering.  Mindworms aren't instant gratification though, as I'll need a Biology Lab to make them beefier.  At least I've made them cheaper units than in the standard game.  Might need to go Green to make them effective though.  PLANET rating affects psi combat, something I've only started paying attention to in recent games.

Details open sesame

open sesame

Or then there's that exploit.  Artillery suicided against mine.  Synthmetal garrison suicided against my armored probe team.  A walk-in!  This game might turn into a demonstration of a bug, rather than the chemical weapons I intended.  Maybe I should regard this less as fighting, more as scenario editing?  Problem is, I don't have a way to fix it.  I could stop providing armored probe teams so that players don't get the idea to do it, but if you've read this, you're in on the trick!  If only it wasn't a lot of effort to provide binary patches.

Details space minerals

space minerals

Wow, 32 eco-damage on the Crater.  Well if I get fungal pops, I suppose it'll reach a steady state?  Or maybe it's time to go Green.

Details a clean Green fighting machine

a clean Green fighting machine

Ok, went Green.  It's worth noting that all Social Engineering choices are different in my mod.  Green is an economic model, not simply a way to get a pile of mindworms.  I lost some money, but I'm damaging Planet less.  Kinda like the real world.  Eco-damage at the Crater dropped to 15.  I'll still get fungal pops, but I might get some free mindworms in the bargain as well.

[bvanevery]

Details pleasing without pain

pleasing without pain

MY 2200.  Ok, this guy.  He's my ally, I don't feel it's right to ignore him.  I used to admire this guy, all his nihilistic mysticism.  Then I read a biography of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and realized what the real basis of this guy's character is.  There's nothing genuine about anything he says at all.  It's all a pile of meaningless hodge podge, to get you to do things for him, the Dictator.  All that stuff about mind without body, north without south, he's gaslighting you.  Anything he has to say about pain, or death, is totally self-serving.  He hasn't the slightest intent to live by any of those words, nor do they make any basic sense at all.  This is what Dictators do to other people.  They fabricate realities, then they tell other people to jump through hoops to live them.

Details you did not give me options

you did not give me options

That went south fast.  When I wouldn't go to war against the Cyborgs, that put him in a bad mood.  Then he wanted a 375 credit loan!  Um, no, that's half my money, and you're making trouble.  Then he ended our Pact before I even got a chance to ask him to stop the war.

Details Morgans potato cannon

Morgans potato cannon

I killed one of Morgan's lousy pop guns, but a 2nd gun killed mine.  That surprised me, as we were at similar elevation and I had a 3x stronger gun.  Whatever.  I bring my other artillery piece down the rail line and destroy it.  I position my armored probe team next to a northern city to create another walk-in.  I don't find myself with time to build a Biology Lab as I need to ensure good defensive posture with ECM 3-Pulse Garrisons.

[bvanevery]

Details what does the android want

what does the android want

MY 2201.  Dare I hope that this goes any better than with Yang?  Um, no, she didn't even give me a chance to talk.  She just announced our Pact is over.  Ok fine, whatever.  If I'm not actually sucked into war with either of them yet, I can live with it.

Details musical allies

musical allies

Hey, why not get a new ally?  If I wasn't trying to get a Secret Project done, I could even acquire Knowledge from him.  In my mod that gives +1 PLANET, so it's a good fit with the mindworm idea.  But we'll see.

[bvanevery]

Details chem time

chem time

MY 2203.  If I don't start using chemical weapons now, then I can properly be accused of dragging my feet about the whole thing.  Although, I do have a major logistical issue.  I can't bring anything to reinforce against Morgan, whether mindworms or chemical weapons.  That part of my empire is now completely cut off.  I could only go to war against Yang or Aki Zeta5.  I don't want to do either yet, as I do not feel myself to be in a position of strength.  I could start building up for it though.

Details good things come to an end

good things come to an end

My "bait" armored probe team finally got killed.  Boy I took a lot of cities with that thing!  1 unit suicided against it, but the 2nd unit lived.  It's badly wounded; can I wipe it out with my last Laser Rover?  If not, then I'm in stalemate for now.  It's 70% wounded already.  I will try shelling it from high ground.  That didn't do any additional damage.  There might be a rule that says artillery damage can't fall below 50% in a base.  I knew about that, but thought I'd try anyways to see if it matched reality.  Seemingly so.  With that many wounds I think I still have to take my chance, so I do.  Yes!  The defender dies.  I take the base.  Whaddya gotta say about that, Morgan?

Details you have to wear a tutu

you have to wear a tutu

Hey we're at the bribing stage.  First time.

Details here are your new ruby slippers

here are your new ruby slippers

Yes!  Swear it!  Now dance for me, Morgan.  Up high!  Down low!  Cross the stage!  Embrace yourself!  Bow.

Details Morganic assistance

Morganic assistance

With the spoils of war I rush the Citizens' Defense Force.  I could do the Weather Paradigm instead, but this is more obviously important right now.

[bvanevery]

Details orange roughy

orange roughy

MY 2205.  Whaddya want??  Ya know I kicked your butt at the beginning of the game, right?  Bothered by my sugar plantation?  Probably wants an alliance for pennies.  Called that one right.

[bvanevery]

Details a poisonous neighbor

a poisonous neighbor

MY 2211.  I notice that Yang is making X units.  Problem is he's got no outlet for them.  I'm just sitting pretty building up, not offending him.  I don't like that I'm using inferior politics, but I'm probably getting more done than having a war with him.  Meanwhile the Cyborgs have not caused me trouble yet.

[bvanevery]

Details more toxic waste

more toxic waste

MY 2214.  The Cyborgs are also making X weapons.  All hell is going to break loose soon.  Both of my neighbors are Seething.

[bvanevery]

Details predicting the dictator

predicting the dictator

MY 2217.  Well here it is, the moment we may be waiting for.  What's Yang gonna do?  Wants a Pact.  I don't feel like damaging my reputation for you.  He didn't make a threat though.  The status quo holds.

[bvanevery]

Details Morganic quandry

Morganic quandry

MY 2218.  The Cyborgs have declared war on my Morganites.  Interestingly, I don't think that lets me go to war with them, as the Morganites haven't asked me for help.  Unless the rule is, you can just declare war on someone who is warring with your ally.  That's not in my best interest anyways though.  I will put some Scouts forward to prevent any direct contact.  If we meet in the field, perhaps the Cyborgs will negotiate and lay off of Morgan.

[bvanevery]

Details such an unpleasant robot

such an unpleasant robot

MY 2219.  Gosh, she's already on Morgan's doorstep.  This is happening sooner than I thought.  Well, what does she say?  She threatens, I decline.  She declares war.  Ok, I guess I can collect up all the other allies now?  Nope, everyone declines the invitation.  Doesn't matter that we're all fighting the Cyborgs.  I guess they figure, perhaps rightly, that we're not fighting hard enough?

Details the best laid plans

the best laid plans

Dang, I don't have any "cheap" probe teams just for missions.  I've only got the expensive defensive kind, which also only move 1 square.  I run a mission at her nearest undefended city and live through it.  I switch to a Planned economy.  Eco-damage is currently 0 so I guess Green served its purpose for a time.  The switch costs me money, but I need more SUPPORT and to crank out units without ticking Yang off.  I rush all my base improvements and start making a pile of X Impact Squads.

Details my biowarfare expert

my biowarfare expert

I enlist Zhakarov's aid in the fight against the Cyborgs.  He's researched Retroviral Engineering, which would be extremely useful right about now.  With all the money I had to spend on rushing stuff though, I'm not sure I can afford to get it from him.  I will try... the point is moot, he's neither selling nor trading.

[bvanevery]

Details Zak you warmonger

Zak you warmonger

MY 2220.  Zhakarov declared war on the Hive.  I'm taking this as my cue to go Democratic and stop worrying about what Yang thinks.  Doing so, I'm reminded that my primary faction ability is pop booming!  Unlike other factions I don't need Eudaimonic to pull it off, as I start the game with +2 GROWTH.  I still don't know how to play my own mod.  I just know that the Peacekeepers usually do fine when the AI plays them, because of the faction changes I made.

Details the competing slate

the competing slate

My defensive probe teams were highly effective.  The unarmored Cyborg probe team stopped just outside my defended city, where I summarily killed it with a Scout Rover.  Then I sent one of my defensive teams into his adjacent undefended city and stole their last tech, Advanced Military Algorithms.  My current problem is that Zhakarov is my ally and he frowns on Power.  Also I can't afford to take any more hits to my ECONOMY.  I do have the best weapon in the game at this point, so hopefully I won't need any more than a pile of 4X-1-1's.  Hey I'm totally playing a 4X game, aren't I!

Details my 1st atrocity

my 1st atrocity

Not really a choice, I have to get rid of these advancing units.  The output of 8 cities sitting on the Monsoon Jungle can bear down on me.  Fortunately they are not mature cities in terms of terrain improvements.  My 4X-1-1 performed well and only took 20% wounds to kill some kind of Plasma unit.  The other Synthmetal units should be even easier.  I haven't got this base defensively garrisoned yet, so offense has to be the defense for now.  I bet Miriam is just loving this diversion away from her own base.