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Imperium 13, the long way around

Will be interesting. Won't be my first impossible win; I completed a win as the Meklars on a very favorable map, and was in an offline game as the Sakkra that's actually on hold for looking too easy (popped controlled dead from artifacts, able to settle half of a standard map peacefully). But I'm still learning the ropes, and I think the birds have less advantages than those two races.

I tried to play with events off, but frequenly forgot, despite saving the game as "Imp 13 Alt-Events".

Send colony ship blind to the eastern star, it's a marginal size 30. Order up scouts in 2304.
Results:
[Image: 2312Map.png]
Cursor is at Orion. Next turn open Prop, Range 5 is only choice. Get it to %s with trickle research but it takes till 2331 to pop. Still no scouts from other races.

Map from the range 5 scouting is promising:
[Image: 2338Map.png]
Two of those northern terrans planets are fertile to boot. I've just chased Meklar and Bear scouts from the barren in the center of the map. Start encountering Sakkra worlds to the south, and in 2344 the settlement of Drakka (ocean near center in the screenshot) brings formal contact with them; minimum trade signed. They declare war the next turn frown When my colship reaches Gienah a few turns later, I actually don't settle it - I won't be able to defend it against any threat for a while, and it could be put to good use in the north. Sure enough, Sakkra warships chase my scout from the area and soon after it's a Sakkra colony.

Begin settling the north, am highly irritated to find that the NW fertile is 6 away even after settling the closest world, and thus out of range for quite a while (IS was only choice after range 5). However, that's one fewer colony ship I have to build, allowing Altair to put in one turn of research to pop Hand Lasers (go for Hyper V) and it will now put some into reserve. Unusual move this early in the game, but I think that a single missile base on my undeveloped frontline worlds will make all the difference.

Another unusual move when I settle the other Fertile world - I send nearly half of my homeworld pop there. Sucks to have a lot of empty factories, but I don't have any other worlds capable of doing so, a byproduct of REX + a very small 2nd world.

The Sakkras took their sweet time coming after my border worlds, and I was able to get to one base at each (with a steep price in factory growth curve of course, plus lost $ going into tech from the homeworld). I felt pretty good when I saw 4 mediums + a colony ship incoming; one base should hold against that (especially since I was close to hyper-V's). Then I realize that that fleet is going to colonize a Barren world, while 5 larges are coming for Drakka. Crap:
[Image: 2365Attack.png]
I was close to getting class II's but against the heavy lasers they certainly wouldn't be enough; my one base is easily killed. Strangely, the Sakkra agree to peace immediately. I don't know if this means they send transports. I see some (but only 28, will be able to survive one round easy) and go to all eco spending for a few turns, then realize those are going to the barren world they just settled. So the only loss from that episode is the one base, plus 5 million birds and 15 or so factories from one round of bombing. I resign trade and gift them Hyper-V's (my thinking was that I wouldn't be attacking them until those were obsolete), hoping that and their Pacifist personality will keep things peaceful.

Map a bit later, 2377
[Image: 2377Map.png]
The cursor is pointing to two more available planets, size 40 and 65, the smaller one rich. Altair just finished colony ships which will take a long time to crawl there. Imp. Eco has come in and I'm beginning Tundra (only choice but that's ok as there are 3 tundras around including a UR). Really hope that +30 is in the tree though. Things are looking up, my 2nd world has finally maxed factories, Altair is almost back up to full pop, other worlds are standing up nicely.

Of course, things go wrong immediately, when an armed Darlok colony ship chases me from one of those eastern planets, and Sakkra declare again in 2380. Darloks double my proposed trade agreement, maybe that means they'll leave me alone. I do get a colony on the rich planet and am able to stand it up quickly.

Here's a 2400 map:
[Image: 2400Map.png]
The Darloks took the eastern tundra world on the turn I finished the ship to go there. In the south, the sakkra haven't settled the UR tundra world but a continuous blockade of warships there has kept me from settling it so far, also snagging a dead rich world. Also, I forgot to turn off events for one play session, long enough for Firma to become poor.

Darloks DOW's me this turn. There is some good news though. The Sakkra have sat on their hands after I repulsed one minor attack; although they now have some Huge design running around that's frightening. And the galaxy appears to be in a all-way conflict, Alkari + Bulrathi + Meklars vs. Sakkra, Psilons, Darloks. I could get the bears to love me, if I had any offensive capabiliity.

Techwise: I have IS + Hyper-X in %s. I'm pretty pissed at the planetology tree; only choice after Tundra is enhanced eco. The odds of having only one choice in each of the 1st 3 rungs is only 3% and I am really hurting for lack of + terraforming.

Darloks attack my rich world. I have 3 hyper-x bases. They have one large with some heavy lasers and nuke missiles which is shot down easily, and 120 mediums with gatling lasers. Those only do 1-4 damage per shot, halved against planets, but I had forgetten about the effects of nebulas, so they go right through and wreck my bases. This annoyed me enough to stop playing for a while. Then I saw someone's comment in the game thread about Altair being in a nebula, making me realize why my shields didn't help me.
Anways, the Darloks bombed that world to near-crater status then took it in an invasion. At the tundra UR, my first invasion wave met equal numbers of Sakkra but they had Zortium Battle Suits and fought them off easily. I built a handful of nuke bombers in hopes of blasting it oblivion and refounding, but got chased away by unbeatable fleet before they could crawl there. In good news, the Sakkra agreed to peace paying me 1100BC, but still didn't like me.

IIT8 gave me enough space to put reserve tanks on a colship and settle the big Fertile in the far corner in 2416.

Sakkra declared war again and this time, pulled no punches:
[Image: 2422DrakkaBattle.png]This is against Drakka, the ocean in the SE of my territory. At base size 75 it's one of my better planets, and has the most defense bases (11). But that matters not at all; on the scan I knew the world was toast from all the fusion boms on the huges, but even before those get into play their opening missile volleys destroy all bases before my scatter pack V's even have a chance to kill the mediums. The world is glassed.

This turn I finally got the tech trade I wanted - IS to Bulrathi for +30 terraforming. It is kind of cheesy how much the AI values this tech but with no +terraforming so far I was pretty desperate. I built up all my worlds; no number of bases I can build will make a difference against those dreadnoughts so all I can do is hope/pray they go after their other wars.

In 2425 it's Sakkra vs. Bears. I vote for Bears; would have liked to vote Sakkra in hopes of peace but it would have put them over 2/3. A few turns later I meet the cyborgs, appears they captured a Darlok world. It's only their 3rd so they probably won't be doing too much. I was ranked above the Psilons in production in a GNN report so they probably aren't doing well either. Was also able to sign Darloks to peace with no further action on that front.

The Sakkra sent fleets at Altair and Firma. The latter had turned poor so I had stopped really trying to defend it. I traded IS to the Darloks for Planet Shield V and poured my reserve from the Sakkra peace treaty into Altair in another desperate move, forgetting that Altair was also in a nebula. Still, my bases did better here, taking out one of the Sakkra huges (they brought one of each of those in above screenshot), and may have gotten a 2nd if not for the stupid stack of 200 smalls with lasers (2 moves, unlike the big ships) being able to destroy the last bases. I would have still lost to the fusion bomb hordes (the huge ships had 3 shields, so my missiles would only be half as effective), but this was also frustrating. But it didn't really matter, there was another group of 7 huge ships following that bombed out all the factories, 22 lizards were enough to beat 55 birds remaining; they also took Firma easily.

It gets worse...a group of small frigates move in at high speed and attack my 2nd world before it can get a planet shield up. It would have made the planet invulnerable to their fusion beams, but instead it is mostly bombed out, and a winning army is on its way.

But then it gets better. After adding the shield to each planet, the Sakkras make no more attacks, and eventually propose a peace treaty which I take. I finish enhanced eco and Imp. scanner, and pursue RC4. The 2450 vote is again sakkra vs. bears, again I can't vote for the Sakkra and abstain. Enhanced eco is great trade bait - I get BC4 from bears, Duralloy from Meklars, and Inferno from Darloks! Tilted somewhat in favor of the AIs but it plugs cruical gaps, and the rich inferno is still open. I do manage to get it, terraform to size 40.

It's quite dull for a long while. I play farmer again, all my worlds up to about 15 bases and stop. That's not that much, but I'm stuck on scatter packs, and my most likely attackers (sakkra, darloks) both have class V shields, so no amount of 6-damage missiles is going to help much. They stay at war with Meklars and Bulrathis too. Soil Enrichment and RC4 give a huge economic boost. Finally, after the 2475 vote (just like the two previous), I've learned AM bomb, auto repair, speed 5 engines, and am ready to roll against the Darloks. Build 3 auto-repair huges with bombs and heavy ion cannons (I'm not impressed by their fleet very much. I'm researching Megabolts but I don't think they'll be needed). I also trade the darloks range 8 for battle suits right before attacking, which equalizes our gropo tech.

In 2491 I hit Guradas as first target. It's stayed small and is constantly getting pop sent away, only 10 bases and a few medium ships; easy pickings. I get ridiculous luck on the invasion; world has only 60 or so factories, but I loot Atmospheric Terraforming AND Adv Scanner (as well as not-needed Dead environment.)
They recently got planet shield X, but that doesn't really matter against antimatter bombs.
I take first two planets easily, then my old steppe rich world back at the cost of one dreadnought. I pick up IIT6 and class V shields as well.

Here's the map as of this situation:
[Image: 2503Map.png]
Good news: Zortium and Megabolts are in, can design a better ship.
Bad news: Still no missile upgrades! I'm worried about the Sakkra attacking again...The Darloks are allied with the Sakkra, and refuse to make peace. Darn. But the lizards agree to a NAP, saying they remember my tribute of HyperV's from ages ago! I'm really kind of floored that the game's AI's are programmed to have that kind of memory. Then I find the lizards would trade me Andrium armor for inertial stabilizer; I decide that's too explotative.
The Psilons recently declared on me, which is great because they're my next target. They are way behind in tech (not sure why, there territory isn't huge but isn't sad either) so I can run over them easily.

My dreadnoughts shred Darlok and Psilon worlds. By 2525 I'm nominated, but votes from the bears and borgs aren't enough. I had signed alliances with each, but broke them when they asked me to declare on the Sakkra. The lizards have been peaceful forever, and after getting Hercular missiles and building new rounds of bases I feel safe there. The Meklars DOW for some reason and I get a field test:
[Image: 2534Battle.png]
21 bombs are scary, but a good size Hercular battery has no problem smoking one huge before it closes.

By 2532 I've reduced the Psilons to a tiny Inferno in the corner; still I have to give them Megabolt for peace. Looted their whole tech tree, but Fusion Rifle was the only useful bit. My luck agains the Darloks continues when I take an UR world on the eastern edge, stealing all their remaining techs including the gems of planet shield X, RC5, and Reduce Waste 40%. I get in a pretty comical battle against them at one world, where my dreadnought barely survives (they had a new large design with many Megabolts; first ship that was a danger to me since the beginning of the war), doesn't have quite enough bombs to destroy all the bases. However, the new Darlok ship had froze it with a warp dissipator, so I had to let the battle run 50 turns or whatever since I couldn't retreat! But it was enough - the last bases only shot down a few of my transports and the world is captured.

Sadly, I had expanded to the point where relations began to plunge (although no explicit "you're too big" warnings yet), ending my hope of a Domination victory with the Bear vote. They DOW me instead, and I cry a little on the inside.

The bear war against me may have cost me the win in 2550; but I would have declined anyways as I have unfinished business with the Sakkra. Right around this time I have HEF+ warp 6 pulled in and start new dreadnoughts with long-range auto blasters and combat speed 4. Incremental improvements are made as I pick up more tech, but I forget the advanced autorepair I looted from the lizards. The nebulas make a big difference in my retaking of my former worlds - at Altair, I destroyed 50 Pulson bases without a scratch, as the ships can fire their guns at the world twice before taking any missile hits and with no shields those guns do a lot of damage. At the non-nebula worlds the pulson bases and ships hurt me a lot and I do lose some dreadnoughts, but I have 6 rich and 2 UR pumping them out. I also lose a newly captured world to a horde of small death spores. But by 2565 I am pretty well set, having taken back all of my worlds plus a few more, and destroyed enough of the Sakkra fleet to feel secure.

I had hoped to use my previous friendship with the bears to win the next vote, but my offensive against the Sakkra promoted the bears to election opponent. Wound up dragging things a bit until 2600; had never really gotten as high as I was in tech before and had some fun playing around. While there was no way I was going to lose, the game managed to give me some good challenging times; every now and then I would underestimate an incoming fleet and almost lose a world, the bears got Powered Armor which made invasions nearly impossible (using star gates to reinforce, so could not wear them down over multiple turns). Eventually the bears and lizards, enemies since time immemorial, made peace and became allies; I gave up trying to get vote support and bombed out a few bear worlds. Neutronium bombs + subspace teleporter was disgusting, getting to destroy 50+bases without them getting a shot off. Check this out:
[Image: T2590Ursa.png]
It was bombed this far just from the tactical screen! I think it was at 175 pop/ 875 factories before or so.

Those glassings + finishing all the Planetology tree gave me enough for a conquest win in 2600.
[Image: 2600Win.png]

This was only my 2nd impossible victory, and was a lot of fun. However, I must say that the balance on this difficulty leaves something to be desired. The Sakkra offensive was totally devastating, taking or glassing 4 worlds in a handful of turns, then they just...stopped... and left me alone long enough to expand through the weaker AIs and reach a dominant position. Granted, the rest of my planets had (functional!) shielding and scatter pack bases, but they had a lot of huges with fusion bombs and almost certainly could have rolled over more worlds as long as they didn't come in piecemeal. Seemed kind of cheesy that they left me off the hook that easily (although they were at war with others practically the whole game - some pacifists!). But on the other hand, with the bonuses the AI has on Impossible, a strategy of maximum aggression towards a much weaker player early on would truly make the difficulty live up to its namesake, and not be much fun either.
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Great game, and with a comparable background to me regarding impossible games.

It's strange how the AIs develop. You gut stunted Psilons - mine ended up quite strong. Your Bulrathi were nasty, mine were also-rans. You made war against the Sakkra and the Darloks, I against the Sakkra and Meklars. But the AI alliances were quite favouable to me in the end, since all the other races warred against the Sakkras and Meklars too, enabling a diplomatic win once I had bombed the Sakkra out of their veto.

Overall tech pace seems to have been slower in my game. I had reached Herculars by the end, but by no means finished the planetology tree. I think it was due to the heavy use of bio weapons from several AIs, causing lots of lost planets (and no qualms for me in trading away BTA for high prices!). In your game they seems to have used normal nukes instead.

Interesting that you went for huges. I think it was superior to my all-fighters-all-the-time strategy, but then I never really went for holding and conquering lots of planets.
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Nice win - amazing after losing your homeworld. It shows the AI has no killer instinct and if you can grab enough planets to survive, you can eventually turn the tables. You must have perseverance at impossible, it is so much sweeter when coming from behind. Well played.
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I predicted at the end of my report that anybody who had the Sakkra go at them early would have a rough time of it, and looks like that describes your game in spades rolleye Excellent work to hang in there through the adversity, though, and make a brilliant comeback! nod

I think this game proves once and for all just how much the AI values expandability. Your Sakkra were completely boxed by the Bulrathi in the South, and the Darloks (strong Darloks? wow) in the East. They were pacifistic, but once they were out of room BAM! they declared on you. Even tribute and trade after the first war wasn't enough to keep them off your back. Boxing in the AI is the surest move to piss it off.

Congrats on a fine win!

dathon
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."
"It is not the fall that kills you. it's the sudden stop at the end." -- D. Adams
"Don't you hate it when your boogers freeze?" -- Calvin
"Very funny, Scotty, now beam back my clothes!!"
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Great job persevering through the crushing Sakkra war and coming back to win! Very well played! It's just possible the "pacifist" lizards' constant wars with other AIs were what prevented them from putting together the SoD they needed to finish the job in that first war, together with your high-shield out-of-nebula defenses convincing them not too attack with smaller fleets.

The nebulas and Alkari racial bonus meant a clear advantage for fighter defense fleets over bases in this game, especially when runaway Sakkra started showing up with bombs/spores and serious heavy beams. I built just one missile base in my entire game - I have never, never had so few on Impossible before, no matter what the size of the galaxy - and that one never even saw combat! (Had I known what was on the Sakkra Titan huges sooner than I did, I wouldn't even have built the one base!) All in all, a very unusual map, and one that you played very well after the initial setbacks.
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