No Survivors, No Secrets - SMACX AI Growth mod version 1.42

[bvanevery]

Details portly

portly

MY 2361.  Song of Planet had a port, but I accidentally raised it to landlocked again.  I wiped out some sea improvements as I did so.  I don't really have the hang of "treading water" with a small number of Formers.  I suppose they will re-improve the land all over again.  And then it will sink again.  Etc.  I can put up with that, only because it's occurring in this 1 location.  Can't stand doing entire maps of that.

Details po folks

po folks

I'm losing money.  I'm not sure why.  A round of Industrial Labs didn't fix it.  This makes me shy about bothering with Corporate Labs.  At least I still have a lot of money, 4720 credits.  But I used to have almost 3x that much.  Is this a long term effect of Sanctions?  Do some of my facilities simply cost too much to maintain?  Looked at the expenditures, nothing particularly stands out.  I just make a bit less money than all the stuff I feel I need.

I could make some Supply Crawlers.  Although they'd be floating, not crawling.  I don't tend to think about those in my mod, because they come late and are rather expensive.  That's to penalize people who want to abuse them to harvest resources.  Like me, right now.

Details the death corps

the death corps

In practice, making things that kill, is a higher priority to me.  Most of my home cities have finished with improvements and are starting on big gun X gravships.  They take time, and I'm unwilling to make Robotic Assembly Plants for the most part, due to the extra maintenance cost.  Ships would probably work better, but they take twice as long to get to target.  It's boring enough pushing units around as is, and I don't want to do more of it.

If I had Quantum Power, I think I'd make Quantum Planet Busters to end this.  That might preclude Diplomatic Victory, but I think with Lal gone, I think I'd prevail.  Also I'm not sure if committing a major atrocity will stop factions from uniting behind you.  I've seen factions declare Vendettas because of it, and then make peace later on, because they weren't the ones who got nuked.  It may take 20 turns but I think I've seen it.

I don't see a point in bothering with Fusion Planet Busters, because they generally can't take out multiple cities in 1 blast.

Another practical option would be to nuke the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.  Or just take it over conventionally.  I've held off because I'm not even sure my guns work.  If the HSA went down, then I could finish off the Peacekeepers with plagues.

[bvanevery]

Details native defenders

native defenders

MY 2366.  My X Missile units haven't been able to make any further dent in this base at all.  Native units show up to defend, and I usually can't kill them.  Those gravships aren't cheap enough to count as spam.

Details srs the worm

srs the worm

I had a couple of X Tachyon Gravships completed, and a lot more in progress.  I'm convinced they won't work, due to the native defenders.  So I'm upgrading everything, at the cost of some money for the already completed ones.  These things cost 320 minerals apiece, more than a nuke.  If they bypass the native defenders and hone in on the conventional non-AAA units, then they will be worth it, because they are reusable.  Also the AI has generally been too dumb to counterattack them very often.  However if they suffer casualties, they're way too expensive to be doing this.  I will need either ships or nukes.

Details phat target

phat target

An X Tachyon Cruiser really isn't much cheaper, and is half the speed.  It has the advantage of being able to shell the enemy prior to attacking, but that's not super helpful for the cost.  If there were enemy ships in port, it would be very helpful, because winning an artillery duel would depopulate the base!  But Lal's fleet seems to be based on Isles of the Deep.  To the extent he has Spore Launchers, those trigger a standoff, not a duel to the death.  I would need land based X artillery to cause depopulation with those, which would mean pushing Transports around.  Even slower.

Details price target

price target

In the real world I need Trance to keep those Isles and Sealurks off.  This costs even more than the gravships!  I'm not seeing this as a backbone of my fleet.

Details boring ship

boring ship

A non-X gun with only 3-Res armor isn't that much cheaper.  Not worth it.

I'm out of ideas for now.  Locusts?  Let's see how the expensive ships do.

[bvanevery]

Details in the henhouse

in the henhouse

MY 2368.  I haven't visited these cities in a long time.  I need a non-AAA conventional target to attack.  Alpha Sector only has native units.  I'm not willing to take my chances against a strong Fission AAA unit, as in other games I've seen them wipe out an air attacker just fine.  These are awfully expensive units to lose.  I'm really not supposed to lose any of them, or the plan isn't gonna work.  I will seek a better target.

[bvanevery]

Details let's vote for dry land

let's vote for dry land

MY 2369.  It's 24 years after the fact, when I should have brought the measure up.  But launching a solar shade now is arguably better late than never.  Or is it?  I've recovered from the flood, and I don't think anyone else has.  However, I think land makes it easier to conquer others in various ways.

Details quite suitable

quite suitable

I run into all 3 factions while moving around.  They all hate me, there isn't going to be any peace.  This base is the test of whether my plan is working or not!

Details blocked by native

blocked by native

This is the wrong target.  I would win this, which is good, but I'd get pretty wounded, which is bad.  Experience has been that Lal will just fill the base up with more of the same.  I don't know if it's the unit stacking order that determines the defender, or if my unit is incapable of causing a conventional unit to defend.  Maybe my X Tachyon gun is too strong.  An X Missile gun is generally too weak though.  I will fly around and try to find another target. 

I tried 2 more bases and it's the same story.  My plan is in trouble.  I will wait until I've got more units in the same place.

Details whateva lmngs

whateva lmngs

I thought I was doing them a favor.  But if they want it this way, fine!

[bvanevery]

Details can't get this right

can't get this right

MY 2370.  I suppose it's good that I can make land this easily, but it's also disruptive.  Keep having to redo the terraforming.

Details I think it's Triple A

I think it's Triple A

I grow impatient with my enemy.  I want to at least see what his AAA defenders are capable of.

Details close match

close match

I could win or lose this.  I was getting these kinds of odds with my X Missile units against non-AAA defenders.  They mostly ended up dying.  I will not find out right now.  Perhaps I keep probing for a weakness, until I have enough air units to take out the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.

Details not so much defending

not so much defending

This is the home of the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.  I might have enough units to swarm it within 2 years.

Details taking the odds

taking the odds

This is the same base I've been trying to wear down for years.  It's within striking range of the HSA, so I will gather my units here.  Do I prevail?  Yes, the fight went decently.  I only took 45% wounds.  So it is possible for these units to do their job, but they do have to find suitable victims.

[bvanevery]

Details fission vulnerable

fission vulnerable

MY 2371.  Lal reinforced with a Green AAA unit, probably rushed.  That's equal to taking out the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm, so I'll decline for now.  I flew south and found a unit that's far more vulnerable.  I only take 25% wounds.  Looking for fission AAA units will now be my standard drill.

Details feed me

feed me

I've started making Locusts at my landlocked Gaian base.  They don't move as fast as gravships, but they also don't have as far to go, compared to my home cities.  On that same principle, I'll probably make some ships at the other Gaian bases soon.

Details twiddle sea thumb

twiddle sea thumb

I do allow Sensor Arrays to be built on sea squares.  I don't think they do much good, but maybe land units in sea bases get the bonus?  Pretty sure sea units don't.   They might spot something.  I'm only now realizing that all my fungal squares have sunk, that the ocean becomes very clean that way.  Earlier, I could have turned them into something more useful.  In most games I end up with the Manifold Harmonics, so I don't think of it, but in this game nobody has built it.

[bvanevery]

Details barely won

barely won

MY 2372.  That was against some Fusion ECM thing.  Well at least barely winning does seem to count nowadays, as nobody's fielding Locusts.

Details grotesque gathering

grotesque gathering

Gathering here, might actually be a good ruse for attacking the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.  Lal's trying to defend the hell out of this base.  Those Isles actually could attack my gravships, counterintuitive though that may be.  They just don't.  Perhaps my ability to attack Locusts on the ground is a bug?  and the AI doesn't know to exploit a bug.  Well at this point I don't really care.  It's a debate for binary modders though.

[bvanevery]

Details make me foolish

make me foolish

MY 2373.  Last year I ended my turn with 2 units next to this city.  The one you still see, was my nearly dead one.  I was going to attack with a fairly fresh unit, kill the defending Isle, then heal by taking the base.  I was given 6 to 3 odds against the Isle.  Well it wiped the floor with me!  It only took 30% wounds and the odds calculator totally lied.  So, that might explain all those Isle selections in various cities when I'm flying around.  Despite what the odds calculator says, they're competent defenders.  I can't afford to be blowing these hugely expensive units on such fights.

Details ungood

ungood

My guns can't attack the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm without heavy losses.  Do I need Conventional Missiles?  Should I wait until I've got a navy to seize it?  It's the same story at every base with an Aerospace Complex.  I start making some CMs and defensive ships.

[bvanevery]

Details fly in

fly in

MY 2375.  That wasn't enough to get a Truce.  Meanwhile, I'm finding targets in Lal's bases and causing a fair amount of population loss.  I'm actually slightly ahead of Lal on the graph now.

[bvanevery]

Details another answer

another answer

MY 2378.  Well this isn't a quantum reactor, but it could still end the game for me.

Details crazy league

crazy league

I hope this can slip past all manner of Isles and Sealurks.  Just how many of these will it take, suiciding into stuff, to cause some plagues?

Details meals in flight

meals in flight

However I might have yet another answer in a few turns anyways.

Details one destroyed

one destroyed

Even my 20% wounded units are taking out AAA defenders, just barely.  I'm finally able to wipe a base, although I lose my last R-Laser Skybase doing it.

I also lose a gravship getting overconfident about it.  If it says 1:1 odds I probably better believe them.

[bvanevery]

Details the Spartan assist

the Spartan assist

MY 2379.  I'm always happier when they're fighting.  Heal my ship!  Got the same from the Cultists.

[bvanevery]

Details strike time

strike time

MY 2381.  I'm not sure how many missiles I've got in range, but I've definitely got enough force to start wailing on the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm base.  Wouldn't mind taking it intact, as that would keep probe teams off me, and free up an awful lot of garrison probe teams to do further damage.  However a lot of my ships and probe teams are getting chewed up trying to make it here.  Very few have actually died yet, as high morale for probes and the Neural Amplifier make it difficult for enemies to damage me.  Nevertheless, enough attacks can bring things down.

[bvanevery]

Details what an operation

what an operation

MY 2382.  With a mess of missiles, and misguided attacks on Isles thinking I'd actually kill them, I finally have my prize!  Without safety against my probe teams, Lal is quite dead now.  As will be everyone else, if they don't declare me Supreme Leader.

Details not my equal

not my equal

First order of business is infiltration.  Surprisingly, his only new tech is B8 Nanometallurgy.  That I steal in short order.  I pull most of my gravships into the captured base and prepare to end Lal's miserable life.

Details eating skyburgers

eating skyburgers

My new citizens are inconveniently starving.  So as my waves of Conventional Missiles finish production, I switch to Sky Hydroponics Labs.

Details my folly

my folly

Only now am I realizing I had the prereqs for Hab Domes for a very long time.  Now I finally switch to an Explore research focus, since I don't need any more weapons.  Part of my stubbornness was wanting to kill my enemies.  But mostly, it's force of habit from so much AI testing.  Aside from never building Secret Projects, this was the other major way I seriously didn't play right, or at least played rather artificially.

Details the curtain of death

the curtain of death

It may take awhile for these surplus probe teams to reach Lal, but when they do, he's gone!

[bvanevery]

Details trade with who

trade with who

MY 2383.  You're a silly man, Lal.  A damn silly man.  Like I don't have a zillion years of sanctions to work off.

Details neatness

neatness

MY 2385.  Conventional Missiles make it pretty easy to take bases without committing atrocities.

Details srs prjs

srs prjs

This one also yields the Planetary Transit System, the Ascetic Virtues, and the Pholus Mutagen.

[bvanevery]

Details yet more missiles

yet more missiles

My 2387.  I only have 1 probe team in the vicinity of my conquered Peacekeeper bases, and it wasn't in range of a target this turn.  However some Conventional Missiles arrived and I was able to take yet another Secret Project.  Lal only has 2 more cities containing them.  An irony of cities I've conquered with plagues, is I actually need a ship to Obliterate the last occupants.  A gravship won't do it, it only Bombs when you press 'B'.  It also terminates its movement when it enters a base, so that was frustrating with 2 or 3 units until I figured out what I was doing wrong.  The ships I sent to the region, got badly chewed up by Isles but not killed.  So they're moving very slowly, and they need gravship escort to keep the Isles off.  But finally, they are getting into theater. 

Details the navy

the navy

I've got plenty more coming.  Song of Planet is back to having a port again.  I only make these Trance 3-Res R-Laser Cruiser thingies, which are fairly cheap, and defend as well as anything will against Isles.  Their job is to sail past Cultist and Spartan lines, reach Peacekeeper waters, Obliterate captured Peacekeeper bases, and provide garrisons for the few Secret Project cities I keep.  Gravships have been on garrison duty in the interim, and due to the Neural Amplifier, have been holding more or less.

Details orbital cheeseburgers

orbital cheeseburgers

Except for 2 cities with subpar production finishing up old units, all of my home cities are making Sky Hydroponics Labs now.  I don't have a lot to show for it yet, but by the time I learn Hab Domes I'll be ready to grow.  Meanwhile it can get these unimproved Peacekeeper bases up to potential.