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

[bvanevery]

Details cash positive

cash positive

MY 2295.  Perhaps there were some budgetary delays.  Now I've got a small amount of money coming in.  I don't believe I completed any Hybrid Forests.  Maybe population growth provided me some economy of scale.

Details please kill

please kill

MY 2296.  The Spartans and the Gaians are at war.  Who will get off the first shot?

[bvanevery]

Details ritual of death

ritual of death

MY 2297.  In the presence of the Spartan ship, the Gaian ship abruptly changes tactics and fires upon my base.  Even though it is only defended with a Laser Skimship, the Perimeter Defense and Sensor Arrays make it suicide.  I don't even take a wound, the enemy just dies.  Hmm, I wonder if that's some kind of certifiably invulnerable artillery bug?  I remember a conversation with someone, on this forum somewhere, about being unable to hit the 2nd unit in a stack.  Or something like that.  And it may have only pertained to stack damage.  Anyways, don't really know and don't really care right now.

The Spartan ship breaks off and goes away, for inexplicable reasons.  Maybe it has never explored this part of my coast, and hasn't seen the Former trying to raise the land?

Details still a mess

still a mess

The Hive completes its Hybrid Forest.  Contrary to documentation, this doesn't end all eco-damage.  Arguably, it could be due to population, but somehow I doubt it.  I think sometimes the documentation stretches the truth.  So up goes a Centauri Preserve.  I have the same trouble at a 2nd base.

[bvanevery]

Details Deirdre friendly

Deirdre friendly

MY 2299.  All of my bases are size 14, so I don't need to pop boom anymore.  Can Deirdre ever love me?  Maybe if there were no sunspots.

Details greedy

greedy

MY 2300.  If I switch to Wealth, I get to double my income and make absurd amounts of money!  I'm not sure what good it does me, as I usually just buy Secret Projects.  I said I wouldn't do that.  I wasn't planning on mind controlling bases, I was going to destroy everything that doesn't have a Secret Project in it.  Could I corner the energy market?

[bvanevery]

Details atrocious ability

atrocious ability

MY 2302.  Well I could really probe team it up now.

[bvanevery]

Details Lal is mean

Lal is mean

MY 2305.  Last year I launched a Sky Hydroponics Lab.  I don't really care about the food, I just wanted the rest of the map revealed.  Mission Accomplished!

Details so much for sneaking

so much for sneaking

Deirdre wasted no time trying to extort me.  Might be a problem with having great wealth.  Lal wants to execute me.  The Spartans and the Cultists won't even talk to me.  My ally Zhakarov isn't thrilled with me anymore, since I've chosen Wealth.  He won't trade or sell me any tech, since he thinks he's working on the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm.

Details continentalism

continentalism

I've completed a land bridge to the continent.  I don't have a complete rail yet.  Soon I will have to decide who I'm wiping out, and how.

Details lone voice of sanity

lone voice of sanity

I'm rich.  Do I have enough money to buy votes?  I bet some factions will simply refuse to speak to me.  I try to get atrocities legalized anyways.  That didn't go so well.

Details for the love of water

for the love of water

I think I'm wiping out Deidre.  She's nearest and adjacent by land, whereas strictly speaking, the Spartans are not.  There's that moat channel in the way.  I could raise it, but there's not really a reason to do it.  I'm producing so many Formers that I can probably drive a rail into the Peacekeepers, all the way on the other side of the world.

Details counterpart

counterpart

I might need to build some Airbases to move these around.   But they can play their role.

[bvanevery]

Details the endless abyss

the endless abyss

MY 2308.  I had a Scout and a mindworm walking back along the north pole.  My Transport was supposed to pick them up, but the world flooded a bit.  They're gone, my first casualties due to global warming.

Details just as well

just as well

MY 2309.  I have a probe team approaching him anyways.  Might want to steal from him soon.  I mean I'm +2 PROBE and have Elite teams, why not?

Details annoyer

annoyer

MY 2310.  The Gaians have started shooting at my Formers.  I start making AAA units.  I could finally find out whether those Clean Laser Tacticals are any good against enemy planes.  I'll need an Airbase.

Details held it together

held it together

A Peacekeeper ship did this to me.  I was right that they only have to wound me, to thwart me.  But if I put out enough of these units, and survive enough times, perhaps I finally get through.

[bvanevery]

Details before genetics

before genetics

MY 2312.  The world will never be the same.

Details genetic improvements

genetic improvements

The damage from 1 Amphibious Probe Team.

Details goon squad

goon squad

A merely disciplined Amphibious X Missile Rover takes out an Isle, then a helpless garrison unit.  A 2nd rover destroys the base, leaving a wounded plane aloft. 

Details works pretty well

works pretty well

Air-to-Air is a good bonus, 50%.

I check my bases for eco-damage afterwards.  I don't see any, so perhaps I won't get in trouble with Planet just yet?

[bvanevery]

Details plane fodder

plane fodder

MY 2314.  I veered towards the Spartans with my Formers because I was waiting to get through a fungal patch "efficiently".  Well that efficiency cost me a lot of Formers that Santiago summarily blew to smithereens.  She flew up 9 planes!  I was only able to retaliate with 2.  I've now got a giant stack of Formers sitting on the fungal bridge.  Next year they're going to explode in Deidre's direction.  It won't be too long before I'm at her capitol.

[bvanevery]

Details the enemy is upon them

the enemy is upon them

MY 2315.  In one turn I build a rail to the next sea base.  1 plague and 2 chemical attacks wipe the base out.  A fungal barrier unfortunately protects the next city.

[bvanevery]

Details horde pause

horde pause

MY 2316.  I have a lot of Formers, but not quite enough to make some huge circle around this city.  Next turn they die.  I don't really think they have mindworms available to attack me with, and that's all I'd be vulnerable to.

[bvanevery]

Details peacebleeper

peacebleeper

MY 2317.  Once again they only have to wound me to prevent me from stealing.  At least I'm killing ships in return though.  I will have Probability armored ships soon.  I don't need to make Formers anymore, so I'm working on Naval yards to field a much larger X navy.

Details srsly

srsly

I'm plaguing and cheming another Gaian base.  Zhakarov gets huffy about it!  He's got 2 cities left, Cha Dawn just took one.  Why doesn't he mind his own business?  I easily trash the base, but it leaves a plane aloft.  I've been advancing with a system of Airbases though, so I take it out with a Laser Tactical.

Details a rep to protect

a rep to protect

I wonder if I'm near to being Infamous and worthy of Planet's vengeance?  2 cities are showing eco-damage.  1 hasn't built a Centauri Preserve so I queue one up.

[bvanevery]

Details whoah

whoah

MY 2318.  62 eco-damage!  That's off the chart from last year.  Not even quite my highest city.  Many are doing big eco-damage now, just from reducing a size 10 city to size 1.  I'm gonna be in for it.  Planet is coming.

Details repentant

repentant

I switch back to Knowledge.  I need all the eco-damage abatement I can get right now.  My worst base is now doing 44.  It's actually not as bad a hit on my money as I thought it would be.  Only like a 15% loss.  I wonder if all the dead mindworms will soon make me rich?  I rush Centauri Preserves in all the cities that don't have them and aren't working on something.  I rush all my pending facilities.  I design an AAA Trance 3-Res Sentinel and start working on one.  All my old Police units, I upgrade to Trance 3-Res Police.  I think I dropped from 6k credits to 3k credits, and that's all I'm going to do.

[bvanevery]

Details barely beat the rich

barely beat the rich

MY 2319.  With his dying breath, Zhakarov fends off the assault of the greedy capitalist pigs.  Except that's not really true.  Well I don't have any allies to trade with, so I don't want this!  At least, I don't think I do?  I forget how Commerce works.

Details we honor your lameness

we honor your lameness

Details bad sign

bad sign

I was beginning to think I'd get through this turn without any mindworms.  That's the only pop though, so I feel relatively lucky.  Everyone's getting Command Centers.  I'm going to need defense.

Details helpful theft

helpful theft

In principle, this could keep other factions from nuking me.  In practice, I worry about Lal obsessing about orbital warfare with me.  However he only has 4 Orbital Defense Pods up, so maybe I shouldn't worry so much and just take him on.

Details get outta here

get outta here

I've wiped Deidre off this section of the continent, at a most horrific eco-damage cost.  My cities are producing silly amounts of it now.  What can I do?  It was my plan to play this way.  Even as it was, I stalled quite awhile before committing.

[bvanevery]

Details blast it

blast it

MY 2320.  If only that had connected some land mass.

Details if Planet were not lame

if Planet were not lame

They think it's my fault.  I think it's their fault, for existing.

Details bridge of solid gold

bridge of solid gold

I really need to take over the Neural Amplifier this year.  I think I can get it done, if I spend a whole lot of money to bridge the channel right now.  I also have to maximize the potential of making a clear path across the bridge, so it will have to be 3 squares wide and seal the channel.

Details now I gotta party

now I gotta party

I'm not sure how much I can destroy in 1 turn.  If I leave Gaia's Landing for last, will I get all of Deidre's money?  Which is only 715 credits so I won't worry that hard about it.  I wonder where the money goes when I wipe out a base?

Details pricey conventional

pricey conventional

I need more oomph to take out 2 of Deirdre's bases conventionally.  This would be a really good time to discover Fusion Power.  I'm also worried that Locusts could destroy every unit in my cities and take out my Artifacts.  I think it's time to cash them, I've waited long enough and this is a critical turn.

Details mad thrust

mad thrust

Deidre has only 1 more tech I haven't stolen.  Unfortunately I'm out of cities to steal from.  With the last of my Former units, I drive a rail as near as I can get to a sea base.  I will bring an Elite Amphibious Probe Team to steal from this one.  I cover the fungus with a X Missile Penetrator to make sure I can get through.

Details Spartan scummery

Spartan scummery

The movement plan works, but the base has an interlock.  There's no point wasting my Elite unit on this, as I don't have many amphibious ones of those.  I can do the same kind of theft on land, and I have more Elite land units to spare.  Instead I plague the city.  It drops to size 7 and the defendants become more pliable, but the Isle still refuses to die and takes out 2 X Missile Needlejets. 

Details rude gump

rude gump

Cheekily, I send a barely alive X Missile Needlejet against an even less barely alive opponent, because I want some depopulation dammit!  That's not going to happen, but I'll be darned if that Isle is going to live through this.  Finally dead.

Details know it all

know it all

I throw an Elite land team at a base.  It dies, but I get her last tech.  I don't think I have enough units to conquer non-essential cities, but I can certainly depopulate them. 

Details oops

oops

I accidentally plague the site of the Virtual World, because I didn't expect it to be in a smaller unwalled city.  I don't think I can afford the unit distraction to take it this year.  At least, I need to secure the Neural Amplifier first.  I'm noticing that the plagues are so good at weakening units, and the population of some of these bases resists some damage anyways, that I think I could afford to weaken them.  It might save me bothering to upgrade my units.  Yeah, the target's got a Research Hospital, let's kick it in the teeth!

Details 3 point drop

3 point drop

Those indigenous units are still too tough for my tastes, so I hit 'em again.  Interesting.  The population only drops 1 more, and the units don't take any further wounds.  Ok, guess a Research Hospital is worth something. 

Details feeling the burn

feeling the burn

I lose an X Missile Rover to the Isle.  My next attack is against a regular unit.  The odds were pretty much in favor of them, so I canceled the attack and switched to chemicals.  I figured the base can survive more hits.  It drops to size 4, so I guess a Research Hospital doesn't do anything against chemical warfare.  I won't be able to do that again, but eliminating that defender is probably all I need.  I lose another X Missile Rover to the stupid spore launcher.  Finally my units get through.

Details I am the awesome turn maker

I am the awesome turn maker

Do I have enough units to secure the Virtual World as well?  Yep.

Details close shave

close shave

Size 1 is still a base.  We'll take it!

Details don't waste my nuke

don't waste my nuke

191 eco-damage in this city and that's probably typical.  I have no idea what will happen next year.  Instant waterworld?  I want to get my nuke finished.  I don't know if my defenders are going to hold here, but there are slightly more of them than other bases.  Out west, I made the mistake of attacking an Isle at sea, which strengthened the entire stack of Locusts next to it.  Oh well.

Details we've got 5 years

we've got 5 years

What a surprise.  My brain hurts a lot.  That's all we've got!  No shade for us, unless somebody else gets smart about this.

I cash all my Artifacts, lest I lose them to the Locusts.  I get all sorts of techs, but I don't know what good they're going to do.  The game looks rather different if you've decided not to build Secret Projects.  I got cheated out of my free tech for Secrets of the Manifolds, but maybe there will be a 1 turn delay.  Maybe I could make Brood Pits and just swamp Planet in locusts?  Although I won't be swamping anything when the water rises.  At least I can build Subsea Trunklines.  If I get the chance.

[bvanevery]

Details total sabotage

total sabotage

MY 2321.  I'm not sure where Deirdre got all the units from, or how she's supporting them.  But she's filled her lands with a lot of obstructions, and I don't actually have enough spam to keep her at bay.  I did destroy another city of hers, but it will cost me whatever X Missile Speeder units I had left.  Lacking additional units to make assaults, I've worn down the undesired Memory of Earth with enormous numbers of sabotage attacks.  Finally the hated Research Hospital is gone, so my next plague will be deadly, when I'm ready to liquidate the city.  That has to wait until next year, as I just don't have the forces.

Details locusts everywhere

locusts everywhere

On the home front, my defenders all held.  However I've taken a lot of wounds in some cities.  I've redistributed my units so that only 1 badly wounded unit is in each city.  Since they moved by rails, they haven't spent movement points and should have a chance to heal at Command Centers this turn.  This works as long as my rails are intact, but it won't be long before the rising waters destroy them.  I will need boats.  Actually boats have really good defensive value in my mod, possibly because I got rid of the "ship in port" penalty quite awhile ago.  I almost wonder if that was a mistake, they can be so good at defending.  I don't have any boats yet though.  I'm still too busy trying to survive these waves of spam.