The Tree Hugger - SMACX AI Growth mod version 1.52

[bvanevery]

Details peace for now

peace for now

MY 2202.  If I wanted a pretext for war with the cyborgs, I've got one.  But considering that I could launch a probe team at them at any time, I don't need one.  I will need to get these two to calm down.  I want Cha Dawn's energy going eastward.

Details pointing fingers

pointing fingers

I wonder if Cha Dawn will even take it?

Details can I get a word in edgewise

can I get a word in edgewise

He wastes no time.

Details small favor

small favor

A boy tyrant who speaks of God and the worker's struggle.  I think he would say anything.

[bvanevery]

Details to a nicer man

to a nicer man

MY 2203.  Can aliens do our dirty work?

Details inward focus

inward focus

We can improve our research if we give up our use of police to calm our citizenry.  Given our low population, I think that's quite achievable.

Details peace and war

peace and war

Due to the Ascetic Virtues, we can still send our troops afield if we so choose.

Details possession

possession

We have permanently secured the Manifold Nexus against any peaceful claim.  We do think it wise to fortify with probe defenses.

Details march of the mindworms

march of the mindworms

Cha Dawn has declared war on the Morganites.

Details internal line

internal line

With our rail system all but complete, I think it is time to cause trouble for our dear CEO.

[bvanevery]

Details conservation

conservation

MY 2205.  With the Weather Paradigm we have many advanced terraforming capabilities, but they are all destructive, and very much against our policies.  Strategically, we do not have anywhere to put additional rails, as we'd have to guard them with population centers.  This again is very much against policy.  One of the few things we can do, with no impact, is drill aquifers to make new rivers.  We can maximize the number of rivers created by starting all drillings simultaneously.  We have no idea where the rivers will flow, but generally, they will improve energy production somewhere in our territory, for no impact.

[bvanevery]

Details drone on alien head

drone on alien head

MY 2208.  Marr wanted to talk about being beaten up.  I might have agreed to something if he hadn't peppered our conversation with so many threats.  He's a useful tool against Morgan, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to wipe out his most distant settlements.  It may keep him less focused on expansion, more upon war with Morgan.

[bvanevery]

Details they're energetic

they're energetic

MY 2209.  The cyborg areas of research focus must be quite different from our own.  I'm surprised they've been able to complete this, without our ever learning the method.

Details ready to settle

ready to settle

Citizens at Gaia's Landing are unhappy enough with "high density" lifestyle that they're willing to colonize somewhere else.  Strategic planners believe we should take over the northeast coast, to minimize our water passage to the Nexus.  In time, we may even manage a fully connected rail.

Details field talk

field talk

Cha Dawn and I have mutually killed a Usurper base.  Tactically that's handy because we didn't quite have it sorted.  Strategically I hope we're not about to part ways.  He's gotten into an awful lot more wars that we want.

Details it's deeply irrational

it's deeply irrational

Cha Dawn, you're both socialists...

Details preaching Planet

preaching Planet

I stand corrected.  Cha Dawn, welcome to the Green revolution!  And with all your mindworms mucking about, we believe you actually mean it.  I suppose we will have to back his play after all.  Domai is remote; he will tire of that war soon enough.  Meanwhile, we already do have mindworms in his backyard, only because we wanted the supply pods.

Details plead for peace

plead for peace

'Conqueror' Marr is about to lose another base.  Does he have nice manners this time?

Details nope

nope

Why do aliens make threats when they're losing?  New plan: trash base, then talk.

Details not so hard

not so hard

I'm thankful that because these frontier bases are small, we haven't had to hold a single one of them.  They're just wrecked.

[bvanevery]

Details finally sweet words

finally sweet words

MY 2210.  Marr finallly realizes he can't keep making promises he won't keep.  He blames Cha Dawn for the war though, so now we're avoiding talking to our ally again.

Details what's to like about this guy

what's to like about this guy

Smarmy golden parachute ninny.

Details they're doing a great job

they're doing a great job

You're the one war we want him on full point.

Details perhaps we could discuss stealing

perhaps we could discuss stealing

Have I done a sufficient poker face, over my disdain?  The mindworms and Isles inbound don't have to go to him.  There are a few more pods to clear in Domai's hinterland.  Cha Dawn has gotten in so many wars, he hasn't gotten around to asking about war with you.

Details I guess I wasn't subtle

I guess I wasn't subtle

That's fine.  I'll finally get to steal Industrial Economics from you, without creating any incident.  I'm surprised it hasn't shown up in the Planetary Datalinks by now.

[bvanevery]

Details wasn't expecting that

wasn't expecting that

MY 2211.  I haven't previously seen a Morganite ship in those waters.  I'm surprised he had the capability.

Details what did that cost

what did that cost

These were not valuable ships, and fortunately, not well armed.  What did he pay for this?  It's a good case for only using Isles.

Details possibly planned

possibly planned

Unfortunately he sank our foil probe team, which was surprising given its armor.  We are simultaneously beset by Domai's probe teams.  We can handle it with the "double up" protocol.  For some reason, having multiple pairs of eyes keeps the probe teams from exerting mind control.  Unfortunately the need to guard a badly wounded ship, makes it impossible to leave base.  Morgan will slip away, but we did kill the Free Drone probe teams.

Details much poorer

much poorer

I could swear he had over 1600 credits not long ago.  Taking our flimsy units may have cost him dearly.

[bvanevery]

Details frontier contraction

frontier contraction

MY 2212.  We wipe out a peripheral Free Drone base.  Before doing it again, we see if he wants a Truce.  The fewer people we are at war with, the more Cha Dawn will have to ask before dragging us into something again.  We can always say yes.  However, Domai is ignoring our hails.

[bvanevery]

Details what a hammering

what a hammering

MY 2213.  Morgan blew apart our defensive probe team, greatly surprising us.  I think he used 2 probe teams for the job.  We will, fortunately, be able to counterattack and end this current force.  But if another comes, this might be the end of our captured base.

[bvanevery]

Details bad luck

bad luck

MY 2214.  Our navy just isn't large enough to deal with all of that.  Really irritating is they've gained our R-Laser 3-Res ship designs.  We might be fighting those soon enough.

Details emboldened

emboldened

Their liberation makes them spit words at us later.

[bvanevery]

Details good theft

good theft

MY 2216.  The oceanic squabbling hasn't been all bad.  We've managed to get one of our probe teams through, and we also sunk one of our own R-Laser ships.

[bvanevery]

Details wants trade

wants trade

MY 2218.  While driving our rail up the coast, Aki makes us an offer easily refused.  Although I'm sure I could have traded up for Superconductor, I'm just not that interested in it at this time.

Details this is new

this is new

I don't usually think of Morgan as a military researcher.  How did he cook this up?

Details higher priority

higher priority

We immediately switch our production of the Universal Translator to the Command Nexus.  We have enough cash to complete it immediately, although it takes nearly everything we've got.

[bvanevery]

Details changing hands

changing hands

MY 2222.  Well that base is Aki's problem now!  Who will be its final owner?

Details persistence

persistence

We are about to establish a complete coastal highway.  It would be a rail, were it not for the fungal patches we must cross.  Although a few concessions have been made in recent years, forest preservation is still a top priority.

[bvanevery]

Details unable to buy

unable to buy

MY 2224.  Aki is 4 years away from completing the Universal Translator.  I do not believe we'll be able to steal Industrial Economics before then, so I talk to her about buying it.  She says she's "busy".  I consider proposing an alliance with her, but she's Capitalist.  We consider Morgan to be the real threat, so we will keep the peace with her for now.

[bvanevery]

Details quite a development

quite a development

MY 2225.  This solves the major problem of our relationship with the cyborgs.  If they can't probe us, they can't harm us.  They will never beat our mindworms if we decide to use them.  This is strategically important enough that we switch the Universal Translator to the Hunter-Seeker Algorithm, and forget about racing Aki completely.  We use 5 artifacts and nearly all our cash to immediately finish the job.