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When you get these galaxies where everyone seems eager to pile on you, is that because the high-difficulty AI is programmed to hate you, or is it actually some "in-character" explanation like you're presenting a very juicy target or a scary competitor or something? These AI dorks seem pretty flighty at times.
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May 19, 2018 08:59
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 05:42 |
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The AI doesn't gang up on you because of the difficulty or anything, but there is quite a random/flightly feel to how they behave. In this case, the Sakkra were boxed in and had to do something about it, the Meklar didn't like us not dealing with the pirates more aggressively, and the Klackons just hated us on general principles basically. Makes things a lot easier if a bunch of them fight amongst themselves(half the time feuding over some random crap unimportant backwater in the middle of nowhere), but there is generally some sense of logic to their decisions. If you get big enough(we're borderline for that) then there's just the general 'we aren't letting you take over the galaxy' hit to your relations that you'll always get anyway.
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May 19, 2018 22:22
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Episode XII: 2450 -  We are now competitive in terms of production, and the technology gap is just starting to close. The most significant factor is how things are continuing to equalize; there are no totally backwards races. That big Klackon fleet isn't doing them a darn bit of good as they are getting punished. Kaxal isn't earning his paycheck.  Normally I'd think about bribing the Klackons to improve relations, but with all their other conflicts and how poorly the war is going for them, there's no need. They need all of the friends they can get.  We're not even halfway to any new research developments, and Reduced Waste 60% is the only semi-important one with any progress put in at all. This here is more important. Of course there is all that Poor ... Poor ... Ultra Poor ... but also a moderate amount of spending on missile bases, for which the buildup continues. The recent terraforming will increase the size of several planets by at least a third(Proteus will double from 20 to 40M, making it half as totally inadequate as it was and only a quarter of how it started). And we're starting to reap the benefits of peace with a positive and increasing trade balance. That's only 5% of the potential of our current deals, but it's something.  The Sakkra continue to spread everywhere -- there's almost nothing left of the hostile planets I wished to gain and I expect they'll all be gone by the time we're ready with Radiated Landings. Despite the failure of that initiative though, we're still going to see our power grow ... just not as quickly or as much as it would have without the slow start. ** Alkari -- 14(--) ** Klackon -- 12 ** Meklar -- 8 ** Sakkra -- 8 The Klackons still have enough territory to be a very significant threat if they ever get their act together. And we may have one advantage here: the Sakkra and Klackons are still at Toxic, with the Meklar at Tundra. That would leave us as the only Radiated-capable race if it holds, meaning that we could take any such planets and have them ignored. There's only one I've found right now, but there are probably others further on. Rather amusing that in two games as the Sakkra, I didn't have Radiated landings. But now that I'm off to the Alkari, I get it -- and the Sakkra, Planetology experts, don't. **Boggle**. 2454: Another round of tech trading reveals nothing I'm particularly interested in. The other races mostly want Robotics III which I'm not particularly keen to hand over, and they don't offer anything very valuable. Improved ECM/Computers, terraforming worse than what I already have, basic scanners ... I'll pass. It feels like I've reached the point where I need to continue watching them fight among themselves while I catch up in tech the old-fashioned way ... by earning it. To that end, trade income is starting to ramp up, now at about 200 BC annually. That's about a 6% boost to the economy -- not a ton yet but it's getting there and increasing each year as we grind through the process of building factories and bases after the recent terraforming.  Didn't mean to catch our scientist in the middle of blinking, but left it that way for the lolz. Reduced Waste 60% is in, constituting a one-quarter reduction in the ecology chunk which is still a pretty significant expense. Zortium Armor is the only choice here bringing us forward. It's 2462, with the past decade since the vote having been decidedly uneventful. Altair and Exis have recently re-maxed, and many others are close to doing so.  The Klackon fleet has been -- finally -- swinging into gear, and as a result Aurora is now open. A Sakkra task force is on the way, but will not arrive for five years. Our NAP with them gives us a chance to profit from this situation. I also have been checking trade, but the lizard economy is just small enough that we can't double that deal; the others are larger already. Those agreements remain stable.  Several decades ago we were just a little too slow in getting here. Now we have a second bite at the apple, and for the moment at least grab a 15th system.  MOO of course cannot tolerate such positive goings-on. We have an ample reserve and Celtsi is a fully-developed system industrially, so this will merely be an annoyance.  Most of the Sakkra fleet over Berel has finally been disbanded, and the one base I built here(accidentally) was able to fight off the lone cruiser that remained. The four systems that were supplying population pretty much constantly(Escalon, Herculis, Proxima, and Kulthos) can now work on their long-delayed buildup. The Alkari Empire is turning the corner in a lot of ways here in the 60s, and Redwing is very optimistic about the future.  This complicates the Aurora situation. This Mrrshan cruiser won't get here for a while, but we can't field any useful ships yet. Pretty soon we might be able to start doing that again, but I need some advances that are currently being worked on. There's no chance of the incoming Sakkra force chasing them off, as the two of them are allies. I send in colonist transfers anyway, and hope that the cats are feeling friendlier than I expect.  2466. One step closer to being able to field a respectable combat ship, but not there yet. ECM IV is the only option.  A year later. The quiet of the 50s is long gone, and the Age of Chaos is clearly here. It's spoils-of-war time, but not the way it was done in the Sakkra game. I don't want to ally with one side or the other, and I don't have to. Combination of not being combat-ready and not having planetary shields makes maintaining peace an imperative. But the two NAPs(Meklar and Sakkra) I do have should help me still use colonizers as a delaying action to keep others from easily gaining the open systems. Keeping Sssla is highly unlikely, but every turn I have it is a turn others don't.  And then there are these benefits. Aggressive Technologists, the Mrrshan are on the Sakkra/Bulrathi wing of the galactic war. The losing side. They agree to a 525 BC trade deal.  They are also willing to let this go for Reduced Waste 60%. An easy call, esp. since we won't be able to stay at peace forever(most likely, anyway). Everything else they want Robotics III for. Seems I'm about the only race that had it in our tree. Which I'm fine with.  There's a lot more of them than I thought. Process of elimination clearly mandates that the Bulrathi are only a bit player. The balance of power is much more clearly delineated now.  Pretty decent-sized, but the kitties aren't very advanced.  This is the other one I was waiting on. Combat ships won't be coming yet because now I'm spending a bunch on building planetary shields, but this should give me the chance to damage modern enemy ships. I don't see any reason not to just keep on going with the Fusion Beam next(same idea, just more damage). Graviton Beam('streaming' weapon) was the other option. In other news, the Meklar took Sssla, and ...  Third time's the charm? One certainly can't abid the tyranny of the one empire that hasn't been at war for like a century, but this is pretty-much expected. And contact is broken with the Mrrshan. So a lot of stuff going down in the year 2469. The bugs have no allies and are still at war with everyone else save the cybernetics, so the main concern here is defending my own territory. With prospects for that looking up lately I'm not particularly concerned about the latest outbreak of hostilities. Research also continues into the supernova situation at Celtsi, but it's been a few years and no updates. Starting to get just a bit concerned.  This was nearly a max-difficulty project. This amount though is basically half of a year's production, so it was easily concluded the next turn with one to spare. I'll eventually need to get more funding into the reserve though, as I ate through between half and a third of our savings.  Looking good here too. It seems the Mrrshan went through a round of disbanding a year or two out. The Sakkra have a transport group inbound that we'll handle easily, and the others are a pair of Bulrathi colony ships that won't arrive for some time. It's looking like we may hang on to Aurora.  Things have calmed down the last few years, but here's another opening.  It was only a matter of time until the Sakkra re-upped their combat techs. With the PDS added, we lose at a 2:1 ratio here while on the defensive. Aurora could end up becoming the new Berel if they send more troops in. Berel itself though, is finally secure and at peace. So that'd still be a win.  Only a year or two before the next vote. Big news here is the Sakkra are in free-fall. Klackons and Meklars are easily handling the weakest trio of empires right now.  As their fortunes have declined, the lizards have become more and more friendly.  The Klackon war, though they have not yet attacked us, essentially guaranteed another stalemate. ** Bulrathi(4) -- Redwing. I might have tried harder to get peace with the bugs if I knew this was coming. ** Mrrshan(5) -- Redwing. Wow. ** Meklar(9) 16-12 in favor of INT-986 with our 12 votes upcoming. We've got to abstain, but it wouldn't take much to put us over the top. Three votes shy here. The Meklar appear to be ticking everyone off, and we are only two votes shy of a veto bloc. More and more it's looking like it's not a case of if we win, but when. Klackons and Meklars teaming up against us is the only way to really prevent it I think, and the window for even that to be realistic is shrinking.
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May 19, 2018 22:32
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Huh, I guess this might turn out as an anticlimactic "early" council vote win.
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May 20, 2018 09:01
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PurpleXVI posted:Huh, I guess this might turn out as an anticlimactic "early" council vote win. Anti-climactic? 
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May 20, 2018 12:55
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Episode XII: 2475 -  It's looking like the Klackons and Meklar will continue to consolidate their power against the Bulrathi/Sakkra/Mrrshan, while we wait in the wings and prepare to take on that power couple. We continue to be among the economic leaders and make slow-but-steady gains on the technological front.  A new wave of advances is coming soon. Along with the engines will be Class IV Deflectors, which gets us reasonably close to the current galactic standard of Class V for some decades. Radiated Landings will get us another system almost certainly, and further off is a much-needed armor improvement. These kinds of situations where we've nearly won strategically are kind of frustrating to just grind things out to the point where you can actually strike, but we really aren't close to being ready yet. Planetary Shields are up almost everywhere but we continue to add more bases, some systems aren't yet maxed out, and few are ready to build ships. The reserve is still just above halfway though a modest amount is getting funneled in from Exis every year, and what little shipbulding is available is pretty much at Altair, which continues to get more Colonizers out there. I must be patient until I've fully prepared, strengthening our position against all potential for counterattack. Then, and only then, Redwing and the Alkari will strike.  ** Alkari -- 15(+1) ** Klackon -- 13(+1) ** Meklar -- 10(+2) ** Mrrshan -- 9? ** Sakkra -- 5(-3). The lizards have been marginalized and removed completely from the central territory that formed the original core of their empire. ** Bulrathi -- ?? Aside from us, only the Mrrshan have any hope of standing against their foes ... and even that is questionable as they've lost a couple of systems. I don't know exactly how they are doing since we are out of contact.  Very nice. Good news is that when we get Radiated landings, we can target this also. Bad news is, not really -- because it's no longer in range since losing Sssla and Rotan, so the ship I sent there can't refuel and was lost. Eventually though, that should be ours since nobody else has the capability to settle it. Pretty good size for a rich world.  2476: time to start building a fleet I think. I was hoping to go with a destroyer-sized ship, but a couple of our rivals have Repulsor Beams and I couldn't quite fit the heavy weapon here along with maximum engines and computers on that size. So I went with the cruiser. Could have put on a Class II shield, but then I would have had to shrink the loadout to three blast cannons. This is most definitely a place-holder design, but I'm hoping it will allow us to start contemplating defense of some acquisitions. Only two or three systems will be tasked with these initially, so we won't get many ... but you have to start somewhere.  I immediately upgraded the Warhawks to take advantadge of our new Impulse engines; they were also able to add a Class I shield. New Colonizers will wait for the advanced environmental gear that is coming soon. Here we'll go Trilithium, moving the ladder forward and doubling our range.  Previous deal was 550 BC. First re-up in a while and should eventually make up for losing the Klackon deal.  Bulrathi 'colony ships' are here. Until I get at least a Warhawk or two in position I can't do much of anything about this. Meanwhile, we get Class IV Deflectors in. Repulsor Beam is the only choice, but I'm not complaining.  That's a little too close I'd say. 33M Sakkra, we lost 41M. I need to be more careful. Meanwhile we are starting to get hit with sabotage efforts so I put funding back into security.  2482. Looks like it's starting to hit the fan.  Now we're in business ... time to expand again. At least a bit. Soil Enrichment is up next, and Atmospheric Terraforming awaits after that -- I think it's the first time I've hit both of those without stealing them. That'll be a quality boost.  Zortrium Armor arrives next, finishing the current wave of advances and getting us up to a point of being vaguely competitive in armor. Armored Exoskeleton for the ground troops seems to be clearly the most useful next step.  A couple useless techs and most of our reserve is required to achieve this. The Meklar still won't talk to us, and they've signed an alliance with the Klackons, so it was the only way to forestall a two-front war. It's vital to fight it on our terms and at our timing. A 1200 BC trade deal will take a serious bit out of our profits, but it will also help solidify the truce.  I've been trying for the whole Klackon war and failed. Then I forgot to turn it off. And this is basically worthless. I take the spies off espionage again after this because I don't want to risk the war starting up and then the Meklar getting dragged in.  2491. This is pretty much all we've gotten a shot at because the war has dried up in our vicinity; Aurora is secured now and the Klackons/Meklar really have things pretty well controlled. I need to shift gears and invade one of the weaker empires, but the fleet is still growing at a painfully slow rate. Eventually Maretta will help that, but right now I just don't have the firepower to take on even a somewhat inferior empire.  ECM IV arrives. I definitely want to go for the scanner here.  A 25% damage upgrade from the current neutron beam. We could use a bomb improvement -- right now I'm building some ships that use the ancient, starting nuclear bomb -- and we have three to choose from. I'll go back just a bit to get the middle option, Anti-Matter bombs. That should improve our capabilities plenty for now without spending a ton of time doing it. I don't think it's worth actually deploying the fusion beam due to size and cost considerations.  This is what we were planning to hit first; the Sakkra colony of Omicron. But the Meklar got there before we were ready.  I think the bugs may be permanently on the side of the Meklar. ** Sakkra(3) -- Redwing ** Bulrathi(4) -- Redwing ** Mrrshan(4) -- Redwing ** Meklar(11) -- INT-986 We could see the Klackons as the rival soon. Either way, the two of them form almost half the galaxy, so unless I can flip the second one I won't be able to accomplish victory peacefully. We'd hold a slim 25-21 edge if our 14 votes went to ourselves. Still two votes shy of veto, but the support of the smaller races is quite stable.
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May 23, 2018 05:31
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"Why sure we'd love to make an absolutely absurd amount of money." 5 years later. "Actually...."
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May 23, 2018 05:59
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Yeah, that's just about the size of it.
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May 24, 2018 13:36
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Episode XII: 2500 -  The Klackons have expanded considerably even as our fleet gradually ramps up.  Attacking the Sakkra(the only option within range) should help get our relations improved with the Klackons and Meklar. The twin bonus of extending the time of peace and increasing our holdings makes it a no-brainer.  Base maintenance was near 12% and has declined slightly. Trade is nearing it's high point(was 700+ BC at the most) and the reserve is recovering ever-so-gradually.  The impact of the next couple of advances will be considerable. We'll be able to snag that other rich planet with the enhanced range, as well as scouting out other potential possibilities. Then Soil Enrichment will give our economy a boost once implemented. The Repulsor Beam won't be of immediate benefit; I haven't seen any designs that convince to deploy it just yet, so that figures to be less immediately valuable.  ** Alkari -- 16(+1) ** Klackon -- 16(+3) ** Meklar -- 10(--) ** Mrrshan -- 8?(-1) ** Sakkra -- 4(-1). ** Bulrathi -- ?? Klackon size and Meklar industry remain a threat. I've got to seize what I can of the Sakkra scraps ASAP.  Our current array of ships here. I need to build some of the better Colonizers and get rid of the old ones, but haven't had a chance as yet. I also want a new primary combat ship to take advantadge of some miniaturization. Right now though the main focus is getting up to 50 bomber-destroyers, which we are close to. The Sakkra don't possess planetary shields, so even nuclear bombs should suffice against them. The Meklar left Omicron, and both we and the Klackons had the same idea to seize it. The Meklar have Toxic Environs, but just acquired it fairly recently so I don't think their colony ships have been upgraded for it, and Omicron is Inferno. This rich world was definitely worth fighting over in my opinion. They weren't even willing to put up a fight. That was only part of the battle though, as that colonizer I brought along only is Tundra-capable. I'll need to hold orbit long enough to get one of the newer ones here. Instead, the Sakkra got there first, doing the work for us. In response to us tearing up the Non-Aggression Pact, they intoned that our empire would 'crumble under the weight of our own broken promises'. I doubt that.  2503. We maintained orbit over Omicron, and transports from the research world Draconis(ultra-poor) were incoming to seize it. Now though it was time for a second Recon Rush, almost exactly two centuries after the first one. Most systems would be occupied of course, but any radiated ones are probably still out there, and we might run into Orion as well. The HEF is up next.  Your bluster is predictable, useless, and foolhardy in light of your lack of relevance. Mrrshan contact was re-established as well. Trade deals are inked with both. I hesitated a bit on those because I don't know how long they'll last. More likely I'll want to take out these bit players before dealing with the real threat. But we'll see, at least it keeps things calm for now.  We're actually slightly more advanced than they are.  There aren't nearly as many places that I need to go scout out now: only one in fact. I was hoping for a bit more opportunity than that. Those two blue stars along the very bottom must hold Orion by process of elimination. The Bulrathi hold five worlds, similar to the Sakkra.  Another year, and Omicron becomes our 17th and second rich world.  And GNN notes the development. The Sakkra declare war, promising to 'cure the galaxy of the Alkari madness'. Their Bulrathi allies probably join soon, though I could care less really. And events elsewhere break contact with the Mrrshan once again. We have now officially joined in the galactic conflict that has raged for nearly a century, though really this is just a precursor conflict. Once the minnows have been gobbled up the real fun begins. Most important is that we improve our share of the galaxy to get over the Council veto minimum. Or, failing that, swing one of the Klackon/Meklar pair to our side. The minor races are certain to oppose us now that we've shown our hand.  This is trouble if it comes into our territory. I don't think we've got the firepower to effectively handle it yet. I'll need to watch closely for its approach. Something happening every year; the Sakkra come for Proteus, our smallest and first colony, in 2506.  https://youtu.be/sAks6qeSLnk One base lost and we didn't do much damage to them, but our defensive capabilities appear to be sufficient against the lizards.  We're not ready for it, but we've now found Orion if we need to go for that treasure later.  Still the same year. 18 systems, 3 of them rich.  And we still aren't done. Don't make me fry your circuits, Meklars.  Extreme upper-right corner. I'm pleased to let others deal with this. I decide we can afford to scrap the other recons and the pair of Warhawks, our oldest cruiser design.  The one on the bottom is our latest design. Now I can fit a heavy blast cannon on a destroyer with all the most important other components, though I did have to forego the battle scanner which I hate doing. Still it gives us more bang for the buck in terms of getting the weapons out there, and increased defensive capability over the Wareagle. Soil Enrichment shows up the next year. Atmospheric Terraforming will be next, but this should already give us a significant boost, including population that we need for the next vote. Nine systems are converted immediately, at an estimated gain of about 150M population eventually. Essentially it's the equivalent of adding another max-size planet(max for current tech, that is) to the empire.  The Repulsor Beam allows for a trio of new choices. Continuing the fortifications-first strategy, I select Class X Planetary. We're doing well for now, but we've got bigger fish to fry than the Sakkra and I want to make sure we stay secure. It'd be really nice to have a better missile than Hyper-X Rockets to choose from also ...  Our economic, and as a result technological, parity with the other powers is clearly slipping. I think we can turn that around, but in 2510 I tried another round to tech trading. I didn't see much that was useful, but this definitely will help -- a 40% reduction in waste cleanup costs for us. Repulsor beam was the price. We also acquired Hyperspace Communications for the lesser Improved Eco Restoration.  2512. I sent the remaining cruisers and all the bombers, leaving the new destroyers behind at Omicron for defensive purposes, three years previous. In the interim defenses were gathered here, but despite the speculative and risky nature of the attack I thought it was worth the risk. Firma is a fairly good-sized ultra-rich world, the only prime industrial real estate that I've discovered which I don't control yet. It's the one Sakkra system that I covet and somebody else is going to take it eventually if I don't. https://youtu.be/QW0aLmm3mfk Close, but not quite enough. Just need more firepower against their bases. With the defenses weakened, transports could probably get through -- mine or someone else's. Problem is there's a nebula in the way, so it will take some time to get there. I also built more bombers in case that didn't work. I definitely don't want to be softening the system up for the Meklar or Klackons if I can help it. The next year the Sakkra redirected more ships there, basically ensuring that the 90+M transports I sent would be dead on arrival. They also retaliated against Omicron, giving our destroyers their first combat look. https://youtu.be/lFgfVALHOkM The end result of all this is pretty much maintenance of the status quo. A whole lot of sound and fury signifying not much in that fight, with a lot of firing going on but neither side able to inflict much damage. The Firma campaign results in us losing a sizable portion of our fleet, over half the defending missile bases being destroyed, but no territory changes hands. Yet.  This is still an exaggeration, but it was a legit threat. I can't see details but I do think it was around long enough to menace a planet or two. Meanwhile a small fraction -- 11M out of 91M -- of our transports did make it through on Firma, not nearly enough to take the planet though. In 2517, dual Sakkra strikes at Proteus and Draconis were both repulsed. Which is to say, they ran away like cowardly fools, but I don't think they would have found any success if they hadn't. With planetary shields being built now on Omicron, my goal was to sally forth to Firma as soon as that was completed.  Armored Exoskeleton is the first of the next wave to complete. Cheaper factories is the only thing moving the ladder forward and definitely serves our interests. That'll cut the cost in half, and I'm expecting/hoping for more robotics soon which will make it useful.  Good luck with that. I expect the Bulrathi to join soon as the three minor races have banded together once again. The latest reports indicate their beam weapons are a little better than ours, engines a little worse -- overall a wash between us and the Mrrshan in a fight.  The Anti-Matter Bomb arrives in 2521. Only the last two here will move things forward. I'll take the Fusion Rifle, gambling that the latest acquisition will be enough for a while. I think it will be. A turn later, we were back at Firma for Round 2. https://youtu.be/_kI8jiJoTQ4 Well that sucks. Sakkras have upgraded their shielding in a big way. All of our current ships are useless against them. And the Bulrathi join the war. Ok then. I get rid of the last of the cruisers and the current, useless bombers, and design a new bomber line.  The Space Gull is the same as the other destroyers, just with a battle scanner crammed in. I'll make a second version of it as well. Anti-matter bombs carry plenty of payload to get through the Sakkra shielding at least most of the time(10-40 damage, 15 shields on their planets) so we should be ready to roll again once I can get them in service. The lizards went from no planetary shields to Class X recently it seems. Good for them. Not good for us.  I decide to frame the Sakkra here on the espionage success(Bulrathi). I'm just hoping to split up the alliance here really. High Energy Focus comes in at the same time. Time to improve our engines again with Anti-Matter Drives. I'm very nervous ahead of the next Council vote. It's going to be us against the Klackons, the three minor races siding with them because of our war with the Sakkra ... the Meklar are the swing vote. Right now I don't think we've got the necessary population to survive without them at least abstaining, so I throw the kitchen sink at them in terms of bribes. ** Soil Enrichment -- good enough that I'd prefer not to, but it's all they are interested in. ** 4.7k cash -- almost all of our reserve. They didn't want any other tech. This gets them up to Relaxed ... they also agree to sign a new NAP. I'm hoping that's enough for them to at least abstain. INT-986, after being our longtime foil in the High Council, literally holds the fate of the galaxy in it's silicon grip.  The lizards start off the voting in what is the first real threat I've faced in a long time.  We have more votes than them, but not enough more. Probably 17 I'm going to guess. We'd need 19.   All as expected so far, the only thing I wasn't sure of was the numbers. What say you, Meklar ambassador?  Bribery FTW!! If they'd voted Kaxal, the bugs would have won with two votes to spare. I probably would have defied the ruling ... but I also probably would have lost. We have 16, pretty much keeping pace at nearly, but not quite, a veto bloc. Three votes shy in this case. I need to sort that ASAP.
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May 25, 2018 01:18
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We're back into it no longer being a foregone conclusion.
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May 25, 2018 09:49
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Well poo poo, now it's a nailbiter until the next council vote.
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May 25, 2018 10:13
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Episode XII: 2525 -  I expected to be rounding the final turn and heading for home by now. Instead things are going against Redwing a bit if anything. At best status quo in terms of our tech deficit, and the economic situation is slowly slipping away with the Klackons doing it through size, Meklars through their natural advantage. Only the Sakkra, who recently acquired Robotics IV, are more advanced in that area that we are -- but if they have it others will soon. Militarily, general computing levels have advanced to the point that our piloting skills are now only a marginal advantage. It's not nearly as noticeable as it was even 50 years ago. So long as we keep the High Council situation under control I'm still confident of eventual victory -- but not at all confident of how long it'll take. There haven't been any open planets to seize in a long time.  This scanner will help but I'm mostly interested in what comes after it in terms of choices. Atmospheric Terraforming has some work left but will result in another round of growth for the other half of our holdings, the hostile systems. Also important is the status of the three rich worlds; Maretta, Omicron, and Helos. They are in various states of development with Maretta finishing up base-building, Helos working on the shield, Omicron in between. When they come online it'll provide a big boost for us.  2528. Another milestone here; Maretta will fund the reserve for some while until that is restored to a reasonable size. Omicron, smaller and less lucrative, joins the effort a couple years later. In 2532, it was time for Firma(again). https://youtu.be/2KY3MEhM7WE The Warbird I haven't mentioned before. I just starting building them. We've reached the point where the Heavy Fusion Beam is no longer prohibitively large to mount. Meanwhile the new bombs proved effective, and on the third attempt we gain control of Firma orbit.  Then there's the Klackons here. Herculis isn't a particularly valuable system, but I'm still not a fan. Once we get the new shields in I think we'll be able to resist their ships, but not as is. There's always a chance they'll just go away: both them and the Meklars were happy with our attack on Firma.  Guess not. A year later, and our ground troops arrive at Firma: https://youtu.be/GajTwbAf-xU A couple of slight improvements there(shields, industrial tech). If the Klackons play nice, and there's a good chance of that with this capture, they gain a system, the Sakkra lose one ... and we get the prize. That's not too terrible.  The Advanced Space Scanner brings with it the usual remote scanning of a couple-dozen systems. I don't really care about that -- but here we can get Robotics V after having missed IV. That'll amount to a 57% production increase when it is researched and implemented. Yes, please. The Sakkra have three more systems; that means two more for us to take. We're going to need more bombers though.  This is really going to be a boon for us I think, esp. on the rich worlds. Fortunately I finished building the complement of bombers I wanted a couple years before it arrived, and the reserve was almost up to the desired level again. A couple of bioweapons were available, but Terraforming +50M seemed a better choice. That'll add 20M everywhere. Two more projects are in prototype right now and a third almost there -- should be a significant reap this last decade before another vote.  2542. Most of the Sakkra fleet was massing at Gienah. Using the 'hit 'em where they ain't' philosophy, I headed to the other system I planned on taking, Quayal.  The attack on Quayal went off without a hitch, and subsequently we were able to sign a truce with Mirana. The Sakkra are without friends and without hope. I kinda know what that feels like ... I didn't even realize it at the time, but the Mrrshan have allied with the Klackons, so that's an added benefit of this deal. The bugs could have gotten drawn into the war.  Class VII Deflectors to move things forward here. Now that we have the next tier of planetary protection, we should be a little more secure. From the Quayal invasion we get: ** Industrial Tech 5(we have 4 being researched, but this will still help in the interim) ** Terraforming +40M(we have 30M, 50M incoming) ** Class III Deflectors ** Uridium Fuel Cells(Range 8) ** Improved Robotic Controls V(sweet! When did they get this?? Particularly nice because we had a long ways to go on the research) ** Dotomite Crystals(Range 7) A full load of tech recoveries here, and we now have both terraforming and industrial upgrades to deal with. This should be a real turning point for the Alkari Empire!! In terms of Computing, we'll turn out attention to Battle Computer Mk. IX.  I always thought this portrait was particularly overdone. Does the armor really need to gleam like Sir Lancelot's?? Anyway, a massive public works initiative followed to expand the capabilities of every planet in the empire, with only a token effort in research distracting from that focus.  The second we stop attacking their enemies, we're going to be plunged into a conflict here I think. The Mrrshan and Meklar had similar words for us. Meanwhile we plunged ahead ...  With most of the Sakkra fleet occupied elsewhere, this was now ripe for the picking. Meanwhile the Bulrathi request peace, and I agree. New acquisitions: ** Industrial Tech 3(less than half the pre-invasion cost of 8 now) ** Controlled Barren Environments ** Battle Computer Mk VI(we're at IV, so this is a solid upgrade while we research IX) ** Inertial Stabilizer(always useful, esp. since it complements our natural strengths)  I thought that would be it for the Sakkra campaign, but they've acquired a small barren system ... and they have another on the opposite side of the galaxy. That being the case, I'd like to seize Klystron as well.  Intelligently attacking on two fronts, the Sakkra strike at recently-captured Quayal while I'm still cleaning up stragglers at Gienah. I had about 40 of the older-model destroyers here on guard duty. Outnumbered, they saved me the trouble of scrapping them by dying valiantly, and taking about 70% of the more numerous attackers with them. I hoped that would be enough to allow the colony to survive until a shield could be put up, or relief ships arrived. At Gienah, same year, the Meklar's attack. Apparently they have forgotten the meaning of the term 'non-aggression pact'. We were too outnumbered here, so I retreated, but lost about half the task force before they could jump out. Anti-Matter Drives are in; Interphased next. Then the High Council met again with the status of our recent conquests uncertain, the Klackons opposing us decidedly unpopular, and the economic investments now six years in the making and starting to wrap up. ** Sakkra(2) -- Kaxal. At least they don't have any clout to speak of anymore. ** Klackons(10) -- They've had a turn for the worse, losing a third of their voting power. ** Bulrathi(6) -- Redwing ** Mrrshan(5) -- Kaxal. I was surprised by this. Perhaps their alliance has been reinstituted? That left the count 17-6 in favor of Kaxal out of 54 total votes. It was not yet over. If the Meklar voted with us, and they've been at war with the Klackons for the last couple of decades, we can win this right now. Once again the Meklar ambassador holds the keys to the galaxy. He saved us last time, and now he can put us over the top ...  And there it is! Our 19 votes, nearly twice any rival and into veto territory, are enough to claim the victory!!  There's some life left in this game to be sure, but the way our economy is getting upgraded, worst-case scenario is that we go on a sizable fleet-building binge at this point and then start going after whoever is juiciest. Been a when, not if, game for quite a while. So it's not totally satisfying but I'm putting this one in my pocket and moving on.
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May 27, 2018 15:23
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This turn made it clear that victory was about to be inevitable anyway, so just taking it makes total sense. Well played.
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May 27, 2018 16:00
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Thotimx posted:I always thought this portrait was particularly overdone. Does the armor really need to gleam like Sir Lancelot's?? Count your blessings, the way the other portraits are it could have been bikini mail... Congratulations, nice game.
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May 27, 2018 16:11
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Good work yet again!
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May 27, 2018 16:22
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Who's up next?
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May 27, 2018 17:00
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Darlocks?
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May 27, 2018 17:44
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Birds stand unmooved
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May 27, 2018 19:44
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That had a few tense moments, but nice win!
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May 28, 2018 01:21
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Congrats on the victory. How useful would you say the Alkari's traits were in helping out? It seems like we're pretty solidly into "traits are useless" territory from here on out...
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May 28, 2018 02:23
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Congrats on the win! I'm also curious about what the Alkari's bonuses ultimately accomplished here, if anything. ... and the trooper's shiny armor is clearly there to reflect laser weapons. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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May 28, 2018 03:12
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Nice win! Well played.
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May 28, 2018 04:15
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The Alkari are big on appearances, I guess. Shiny and eye-catching.
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May 28, 2018 13:05
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rchandra posted:Count your blessings, the way the other portraits are it could have been bikini mail... Didn't need that mental image. TooMuchAbstraction posted:Congrats on the victory. How useful would you say the Alkari's traits were in helping out? It seems like we're pretty solidly into "traits are useless" territory from here on out... Thanks! Traits are less useful certainly than, say, any of the top four races at this point. But never useless. Both Alkari games were slow-starting ones, and their defense bonus is most useful at the beginning so that part wasn't particularly helpful. Their propulsion expertise did help though in getting needed range at the start more quickly. And of course the bad start was counterbalanced by being in a sizable section of the galaxy that was effectively cut off from the rest for a while by dark space, so it just sort of turned into a standard game. It still had an impact in my ships getting hit less than they would have otherwhise, but in terms of it being a huge, obvious effect - that either happens early or not at all. When we get to Darloks, that'll be a case where it's more apparent just because their advantage nearly dictates a different style in terms of aggressive espionage and so on. the littlest prince posted:Who's up next? Per the vote, Mrrshan are next, then Bulrathi, Darloks last. The suggestion was made after the Sakkra game that I make the Bulrathi leader Smurch in a sort of revenge mindset. People wanted Box for the Mrrshan homeworld so I'll be doing that. Any other naming suggestions for the Bulrathi will now be considered, or else I'll just go with the Smurch's Revenge theme if nobody has any particularly strong opinions on the matter.
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May 28, 2018 14:37
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Thotimx posted:Any other naming suggestions for the Bulrathi will now be considered, or else I'll just go with the Smurch's Revenge theme if nobody has any particularly strong opinions on the matter. I'm thinking a different theme for the Bulrathi game: the Emperor should be named Winnie, and live on the planet 100 Acre Wood.
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May 28, 2018 14:56
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Thotimx posted:Per the vote, Mrrshan are next, then Bulrathi, Darloks last. The suggestion was made after the Sakkra game that I make the Bulrathi leader Smurch in a sort of revenge mindset. People wanted Box for the Mrrshan homeworld so I'll be doing that. Any other naming suggestions for the Bulrathi will now be considered, or else I'll just go with the Smurch's Revenge theme if nobody has any particularly strong opinions on the matter. It's all good. Can't wait to see how the bottom races fare.
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May 28, 2018 14:59
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Please consider naming the Mrrshan emperor Hobbes.
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May 28, 2018 15:27
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Angry Diplomat posted:Please consider naming the Mrrshan emperor Hobbes. Second. 
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May 28, 2018 16:35
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Lemniscate Blue posted:I'm thinking a different theme for the Bulrathi game: the Emperor should be named Winnie, and live on the planet 100 Acre Wood. planet names are limited to either 7 or 9 characters (i forget which) but in either case the home planet name will be too long.
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May 28, 2018 17:09
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Bulrathi: Emperor Banjo of planet Spiral.
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May 28, 2018 17:22
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Bloodly posted:The Alkari are big on appearances, I guess. Shiny and eye-catching. Can't preen your feathers when you're encased in steel so you preen the steel instead.
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May 28, 2018 18:54
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Angry Diplomat posted:Please consider naming the Mrrshan emperor Hobbes. It's too late for that unfortunately. That game is already in progress and I chose a different(and probably dumber) name. If I lose though I could do that, but hopefully it won't be necessary.
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May 29, 2018 15:22
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A Question of Size A dozen games down. I, Thotimx, stand 7-5 with the three worst races to go. Will I finish with a positive record? If so, I will need to break a trend. Here's the game so far, by empire, size, and result: I(Psilons, Small) -- Victory II(Klackons, Medium) -- Defeat III(Klackons, Large) -- Victory IV(Silicoid, Huge) -- Defeat V(Silicoid, Medium) -- Victory VI(Human, Large) -- Victory VII(Meklar, Medium) -- Defeat VIII(Meklar, Large) -- Victory IX(Sakkra, Medium) -- Defeat X(Sakkra, Large) -- Victory XI(Alkari, Medium) -- Defeat XII(Alkari, Large) -- Victory Record by Galaxy Size: Small -- 1-0 Medium -- 1-4 Large -- 5-0 Huge -- 0-1 I've lost three straight on Medium, and only won as Silicoids. I also lost, again as Silicoids, in the only Huge game I've played. Two of the medium defeats at least(Klackon, Alkari) I was close to winning only to have the Humans take it in the council. Another, the Meklar one I think, I was on the comeback trail against the Psilons and screwed up, getting beaten in the Council again. I think the Huge one was an outlier -- the Silicoids just had crap planets nearby which is pretty fatal for them. Nonetheless, there are distinct patterns here. That undefeated mark on Large galaxies really sticks out. So at the end, I will challenge myself to reverse these blemishes. We've seen all the super late-game stuff, so I have no need to show that all off again. The distinctiveness of the military races is best seen on a smaller scale(brush wars, early conflicts, etc). So Mrrshan and Bulrathi will be locked into Medium galaxies. Then I'll go Huge for the last one with the Darloks. That could be rough -- they benefit from early contact, which they are not likely to get in that case. In this way, I will be forced to demonstrate mastery over all galaxy types if I am to lug this thing across the finish line. So let's have at it! Mrrshan Preview Medium Galaxy, Homeworld 'Box' as requested. And I have a special Emperor Name to try out. Casting against type here, we are going with 'Nermal' of Garfield fame. The galaxy will come to be dominated by my/our cuteness. Economy: Bog-standard. We're done with economic bonii. Military: The polar opposites of the Alkari, they get a +3 bonus to attack in fleet combat. Diplomacy: Blood feud with the Sakkra, bad relations with Alkari, and they aren't fans of the Klackons or Bulrathi either. Throw in the Darloks and they don't get on well with over half the galaxy. Guaranteed to have at least a couple races we don't like. The Mrrshan are among the worst when it comes to this -- getting along just isn't really their bag. Research: Roughly average. Galactic experts in Weapons(Excellent), but a Poor rating in the important Construction field. Default everywhere else.
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May 29, 2018 15:23
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Thotimx posted:Military: 
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May 29, 2018 17:21
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The latest advance in Mrrshan ground combat tech:  A rare shot of the Mrrshan construction research division in action. https://i.imgur.com/ibJCAz5.mp4 Cythereal fucked around with this message at 17:32 on May 29, 2018 |
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May 29, 2018 17:28
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Our first planetary shield is almost completed.
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May 29, 2018 17:59
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Cythereal posted:The latest advance in Mrrshan ground combat tech: MillennialVulcan posted:Our first planetary shield is almost completed. These are the best posts I've seen in a long time. 
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May 29, 2018 20:53
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I love how the tiger (Is it wild? It looks wild) reacts to the box just like my own cats do They really aren't that far removed, are they? I think I read that somewhere, that domestic cats aren't really all that far removed from their wilder cousins, whereas dogs are humanity's great attempt at LEGO genetics.
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May 29, 2018 21:37
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CommissarMega posted:I love how the tiger (Is it wild? It looks wild) reacts to the box just like my own cats do Indeed they're not (though that particular tiger is in a zoo), though domestic cats belong to a different family from the big cats - notably cheetahs are in the same family of wildcats as domestic cats. How can you tell? Cheetahs meow like house cats, they can't roar. And yes, where humanity sought out and domesticated and bred wolves into dogs, cats... just kinda domesticated themselves. I'm completely serious, humanity had no active part in turning the African Wildcat into domestic cats beyond our settlements providing shelter, attracting food (in the form of vermin eating our crops), and scaring away big predators. The wildcats completely on their own self-selected for docility, ability to live in close quarters with numerous other cats and humans (wildcats on their own are very solitary and territorial), and general willingness to get along with humans. And they will revert right back, a feral cat is for all intents and purposes a wildcat but feral cats will form cooperative colonies when food is plentiful the same way the original wildcats domesticated themselves to take advantage of humanity. Humans sought out and tamed wolves and turned them into dogs over the course of hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. Cats just showed up one day and moved in with us. Mrrshan testing of first shield generator prototype caught on camera. https://i.imgur.com/LLAd7zJ.mp4 Cythereal fucked around with this message at 21:55 on May 29, 2018 |
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May 29, 2018 21:45
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 05:42 |
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I just wanted to say that the amount of work you've put into this game is incredible; just doing the victory runs would take way too long to play and post, so adding in the losses is nigh madness.
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May 29, 2018 22:13
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