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

[bvanevery]

My last demonstration game, Cybernetic Conquest, was decently played and related.  However my finish in that game was so deadly dull, that it left me quite beyond an itch to scratch.  I have a rash.  I need to kill everyone, to overcome the nonsense I endured at the end of last game.  So the concept of this game is, not only will I kill everyone, and not cooperate in any civilized manner, and inflict all manner of chemical atrocities, to prove that Sanctions do not in fact matter, and that Planet's vengance doesn't matter, but I will also completely refuse to build any Secret Projects at all.  Any that I gain, is going to be something I conquered.

Details our fearless leader

our fearless leader

This role is best played by Yang.  Although others could do it, none can do it better.  I deliberately choose him and leave the others to random chance.  Ironically I nearly get the lineup of the original game, except for the Cultists substituting for the Believers.  This makes diplomacy nearly identical to the original game, as my Cultists have Extremist as their core compulsion.  Unlike the Believers, who in my mod have total free will and no compulsion at all.  We've got 3 factions who will fight over Politics, 2 over Economics, and 2 over Values.  And they're all gonna die.  Watch what a +3 POLICE state can do!

Details the island

the island

I am probably on an island in a large northern ocean.  There is a chance it connect to the mainland to the southeast.  Or that an earthquake will make such a connection for me.  I take the initially offered landing site as it's flat terrain on a river, dead center of the island, and nothing will matter until I get off this rock and find my first victim.

Details improvement by elevation

improvement by elevation

MY 2110.  My bases were on pretty scratchy land.  Suddenly my raininess is improved. 

Details really catching

really catching

MY 2114.  At least my homeland is getting bigger.

Details where the wild things are

where the wild things are

MY 2115.  I get to know about the other factions!  I'll also have a Unity Lifter coming to me.  It's a pretty neat unit, the only helicopter available in the game.  It's a long distance flying Transport that can scout the dickens out of stuff.  Great for finding someone to execute.

[bvanevery]

Details double take

double take

MY 2116.  To the south, are the Morganites and the University, who shall die without protest.  The Cultists shall remain a mystery.

Details my waters

my waters

My nifty new Lifter begins sweeping the perimeter of my island.  48 moves remaining.

Details needful things

needful things

I didn't have the money to rush a colonist last year, but now I do.

Details stupid helicopter tricks

stupid helicopter tricks

The Unity Lifter is not useful for transporting units to and from the hinterland, as one must be in a city to load and unload.  But it is very useful for transferring units between cities, which allows me to push colonists forwards in the absence of roads.  The colonist to the east started in Huddling of the People this year.  Paradise Swarming was only settled this year, so this is almost a blitzkrieg.

Details curious happenstance

curious happenstance

MY 2124.  I notice that the University is completely flat on the graph, indicating that they've died.  I've not seen a message about a faction being eradicated though.   I don't think there's any kind of minimum turn for getting such a message, so maybe they still have a unit nominally alive?  Maybe they got stuck in Cultist territory without being able to settle.  Anyways, it's actually the Morganites and the Spartans that are south of me.

[bvanevery]

Details off this rock

off this rock

MY 2136.  I can now go pick up the few dozen sea colony pods that my Lifter has revealed.

Details naturalist walk

naturalist walk

I've spotted University units.  Their graph is still flat.  Is this all they've got?

Details the business of death

the business of death

MY 2147.  I've now got the minimum needed to wipe out other factions.  But I still need a complete island manufacturing stuff to really do it.  Probe teams and a Police State would be useful too.

[bvanevery]

Details wandering researcher

wandering researcher

MY 2149.  Looks like the University wandered into Morganite territory initially, and maybe only settled belatedly.

Details the split society

the split society

I wonder how Morgan Biochemical got settled?

Details why on my land

why on my land

So annoying that the Gaians are talking to me already.  At least they are not a natural enemy.  I sign a Treaty and trade a number of techs, none of them really what I want.  She won't ally.

[bvanevery]

Details a person to kill

a person to kill

MY 2158.  I sign a Treaty with Morgan and trade techs with him.  I won't attack until I have probe teams, and those can always be used to start a war.

Details death position

death position

MY 2160.  I don't see how the Morganites can possibly survive here.  They are 8-balled behind the Spartans, who will easily wipe them out.  If the Spartans are adjacent by land, they will wipe out the University in the Monsoon Jungle as well.

Details fly the locust skies

fly the locust skies

I notice a Cultist mindworm, so they are part of this continental system.

Details why are you a whiner

why are you a whiner

Perhaps I should ally with the Gaians against the Peacekeepers, who will surely be my enemy, and will gain the greatest power on the far side of the map from me.  Taking out enemies in my backyard seems too easy.  But she's not having it.

[bvanevery]

Details the stage is set

the stage is set

MY 2162.  I pop a sea supply pod with Lal's comm frequency.  He's predictable.

Details strategy

strategy

Since Morgan is weak, and I could probably piss off and dispose of him at any time, I ally with him.  I think it would be prudent to destroy the Spartans before they expand and become more difficult to clean up.  From Morgan I gain the comm frequencies of the 3 remaining factions.

Details eat you later

eat you later

He's so weak, I even have more tech than he does.

Details I lie to your roundness

I lie to your roundness

The readouts say he's Feeble.  My interest in a Treaty is not genuine.  I just wanted to see how he would respond.  He is a natural enemy.

Details you've got what I want

you've got what I want

We sign a Treaty.  Now that I've got probe teams, they mean nothing.  She won't sign a Pact.  I would have liked to have gotten her map for free.

Details someone to die

someone to die

I just wanted him to get me a free map, but he wants a war.  Since it's with one of my natural enemies, I grant his wish.  It's going to be a bit before I can find them and take them on though.

Details my way

my way

I declare the Police State.  With +3 POLICE all of my units are doubly effective.  All of my drone problems immediately go away.  Pretty good turn that way.  All this chin wagging with the other factions was useful.

[bvanevery]

Details grow my people

grow my people

MY 2165.  I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I go Socialist.  It's very difficult to get GROWTH in my mod, and one of my faction abilities is I have an inherent +1 GROWTH.  So now I have a net +2 GROWTH.  If I could make people very happy, I could pop boom.  I don't really have the infrastructure for that, and it might be antithetical to overrunning distant adversaries.  Furthermore, if I commit atrocities I'll get Sanctions.  Nevertheless I make the commitment.  It seems like the Hive way.  I don't quite know how to use this, as I haven't played the Hive very often recently, so I will stumble through it and try to make something of it.

Deirdre's gonna be so pissed!  I don't care what Morgan thinks, he's weak.

Details that did not take much

that did not take much

Did you know that Zhakarov is a complete weenie?  I wonder where he'll pop up next.

[bvanevery]

Details it's my favorite

it's my favorite

MY 2172.  It's even got me doing the voiceover!  But I said no Secret Projects.

Details Deirdre must die

Deirdre must die

Now the major challenge in her case, would be bringing X weapons long distances to fight her.

Details I don't like him

I don't like him

MY 2184.  Lal declares war.

[bvanevery]

Details you'll be sorry

you'll be sorry

MY 2189.  Morgan's getting kicked around.  I'm still trying to fill the last places on my island and connect all of it with a rail network.  I've got Laser Skimships in production.  No X units because experience has taught me it's a bad idea to commit to those too early, if you're very far from your enemies.  Need to get some basic connectivity with the Morganites before bothering.

Details tech supply

tech supply

MY 2190.  I've amassed 11 Artifacts, most of which have made it home.  I usually use them to build Secret Projects, but I swore I wouldn't do that.  Instead I'll cash them for techs.  I've started to build Network Nodes for that purpose.

[bvanevery]

Details flake

flake

MY 2191.  I think I'm on track to hate everybody?

Details I am the probe faction

I am the probe faction

MY 2193.  In my mod, mind control costs double what it does in the stock game.  However 3 factions get a 25% discount on that: the Data Angels, the Cybernetic Consciousness, and the Hive.  I'm not used to mind control as a method against my enemies, as most of the time it seems to be cost prohibitive.  I am surprised that it's affordable right now, this close to Deirdre's capitol.  Bearu informed me that these costs will increase the more units and bases I mind control. 

[bvanevery]

Details sycophant

sycophant

MY 2202.  Cha Dawn calls an election to install Lal.

Details weenie

weenie

MY 2207.  Belatedly I remember that I haven't talked to Zhakarov since his escape, and that he's the only one that likes me.  We sign a Pact.  He has a map of the Spartan empire.

Details between lands

between lands

Zhakarov is on a small island between the Gaians and the Peacekeepers.  This might make a good airbase.  If I cashed all of my Artifacts, perhaps I could get Doctrine: Air Power and then inflict chemical weapons terror on that side of the planet.  I just need to finish robbing Deirdre blind.

Details you are boring

you are boring

MY 2208.  Or I could just wipe out Morgan.

[bvanevery]

Details I spy on you

I spy on you

MY 2209.  I'm not sure if I've overpowered the Hive, but they never take a POLICE Penalty.  It didn't seem to result in the AI going gangbusters.  However, it might be too much to give a human player.

I've stolen all of Deirdre and Morgan's techs.  I don't know if the Spartans have anything to steal.  I'll soon find out.

Details Spartan folly

Spartan folly

MY 2213.  Surprised again that I could do this near an enemy capitol.

Details pinnacle of tech

pinnacle of tech

MY 2214.  I infiltrate the Spartans.  They have C3 Polymorphic Software, which I should have realized because they completed the Command Nexus.  I still don't have infiltration with the Cultists or the Peacekeepers.  They are so remote that it may be awhile before that happens.

[bvanevery]

Details Morganites going down

Morganites going down

MY 2215.  It just got easier to steal from the Spartans.

Details more tech

more tech

MY 2216.  At least 2 more techs are available.  Perhaps I need more of a navy.

[bvanevery]

Details Morganic feebleness

Morganic feebleness

MY 2222.  They're not long for this world.

Meanwhile, I'm making Energy Banks in a lot of my bases.  My rationale is I'm rather isolated, it takes a long time to steal techs, and having homegrown tech making capability is a good thing.  I don't know if this exactly fits with the "kill everyone" idea, or the cashing Artifacts idea.  But it's what I'm actually doing.  As bases finish up the Energy Banks, then they start making Foil Probe Teams.  Those are actually holding up pretty well to enemy attacks, I think because of the exploit of probe teams having higher morale than a regular combat ship.  I've got +2 PROBE, I don't have +2 MORALE.

Details an opportunity

an opportunity

MY 2223.  If I can get my production turned around fast enough, I could slaughter an enemy with chemical attacks and obliterations.  The rest of the world will be none the wiser and I will not face sanctions!  I can certainly take out the Morganites.  I wonder if I could chew up half the Spartans before things clear up?  I rush pretty much all my facilities, so I can start producing a lot Laser Skimships next year.  My landlocked cities with Command Centers start working on X Recon Rovers.  Some cities will work on Foil Probe Teams.

Hmm, if everyone but the University are at war with me, do sanctions even matter?  I'm not sure.  I just know that in previous games, I've easily racked up a thousand years worth of sanctions.

[bvanevery]

Details falling hard

falling hard

MY 2226.  Now, will the Spartans manage to assault the other Morganic bases not adjacent by land?

Details Gaian pest

Gaian pest

I think this was the only Gaian naval presence.  I lost a ship to it, but now it dies.  With the amount of Laser Skimship spam I've got coming, I should be able to keep off any additional ships.  Soon to begin ferrying units to the Morganic landmass.  Just realized it connect to the Gaian landmass, although that's a long land line without rails.  Maybe I need to make a port city and start building a rail.

Just remembered that if I had a destination city, I could ferry using the Unity Lifter and avoid naval attacks.  However that only moves 2 units at a time.  Still, it's something to remember.

Details Gaian navy

Gaian navy

MY 2228.  It will be more of a battle than I expected.  The Gaians have fast ships and I do not.  However their armament isn't any better than mine, and mine are cheaper to produce.  Attrition off my own coast, should favor me.

Details slow doom

slow doom

MY 2230.  My first chemical weapons arrive on the mainland.