RBSotS1 SG2

[haphazard1]

Finally played 5 more turns and wrapped up my set. Apologies once again for the delays.

Turn 175 (continued)

- Offer NAP to distant Tarka, but it is refused. They say "There is blood on the wind" which is not very promising.
- Deploy the Nakbe gate.
- We have a new trade route at Ko'Rorkor, and I add one at the home world as well to soak up excess freighters. Izketot can still build 3 mega freighters per turn, there is just less unused IO, so this seems worthwhile for now.

- IBT at Sunoma YACNCD. But we send in a wave of shuttles behind Deflector CRs and wipe the planet clean of Liir imperials, plus clearing the remaining Liir ships.



- IBT at Kuo'Dai 5 more Tarka CRs have shown up. And YACNCD. But as this was an older, non-armored ship it was not really a surprise sadly.



We do eliminate a bit over half the remaining Tarka imperials. We will just have to finish the job with DE CnC.

- IBT at Nakbe the gate is not attacked.
- IBT the local Tarka kill two more in-transit gates.

Turn 176

- At Kuo'Dai we use all but 49 of two repair ships' capacity (32000)! But we will continue to fight.
- Deploy a gate at Sunoma, and build biomes across the empire for the new colony.
- Move a sizable force through the new gate to Nakbe.
- The distant Tarka says they are willing to listen. So I offer an NAP again and this time they agree.

- IBT at Kuo'Dai YACNCD -- both DE CnC are destroyed. I seem to be completely unable to keep these guys alive. (Admittedly DEs against fusion warhead planetary and satellite missiles is pretty harsh.) But we manage to wipe out the remaining Tarka imperials!



Still a fair bit of mopping up to do to clear sats and ships. And more Tarka reinforcements are on the way in ones and twos. But the heavy lifting is finally done.

- IBT at Nakbe we kill most of the local Morrigi force, taking no losses.



- IBT the distant Morrigi finally get around to killing one of our old stranded RLaz DEs they have had a fleet at for many turns.

Turn 177

- The local Morrigi say "We would seek more opportunities with you." Hmmm. I offer a ceasefire and they agree. But we probably should not count on it lasting.
- Especially as they have 34 DEs and 4 CRs inbound for Kaa'Vaalu, 3 turns out.
- Shuffle more ships to Kaa'Vaalu for upcoming defense.
- Build some more mega freighters.

- IBT at Kuo'Dai we get a decent draw of ships (no CnC, so this is random) with a Deflector CR and some combat DEs. We clear out some sats (3 LD + 1 MD), one HCL-armed CR, and a random DE while losing 2 DEs -- not bad. I decide to risk deploying a gate (we have 4 with us) as we really need CnC.



- IBT the distant Morrigi destroy an in-transit gate.

Turn 178

- The local Morrigi renounce the ceasefire. Big shock.
- The distant Morrigi are joining the party with 5 DE + 3 CR inbound to Kaa'Vaalu next turn.
- Drop 8 biomes on Sunoma, expanding our empire once again.
- A gate fleet which amazingly survived arrives at Adena, which is owned by the distant Tarka. We deploy the gate.
- Build some gate/tanker pairs to send to Adena for dispersal on the far end of the barbell.
- Shuffle forces and organize a strong defense force for Kaa'Vaalu.
- More mega freighters, shuffle some excess DE freighters.
- We are unable to repair completely at Kuo'Dai despite 2 repair ships. Fighting here continues to be brutal.

- IBT at Kuo'Dai we position our ships in front of the gate and use them to eat missiles. We lose 2 DEs and get command sections blown on 2 CRs, but the gate survives.



- IBT at Kaa'Vaalu we lose 32 million imperials + 16 million civilians but crush the entire distant Morrigi force while losing one swarm DE.



- IBT at Nakbe 4 races are present (us, other Hivers, far Tarka, far Morrigi). We do not fight, and let the far Tarka and far Morrigi blast one another.

Turn 179

- Sunoma is now part of our empire.
- Build another gate/tanker pair for Adena, some mega freighters, and some biomes (for Kuo'Dai, hopefully).
- Shift some CnC ships to Kuo'Dai to speed up clean up efforts there.

- IBT at Noshu we destroy one local Morrigi DE while taking no damage.
- IBT at Kaa'Vaalu fighting is heavy against the local Morrigi. The planet loses 237 million imperials (plus about half that many civilians). We also lose the gate of course. But the enemy is mostly destroyed as well, along with all their damn drones.



We lost one DE and some light sats. I should have built medium sats before this enemy force arrived.

- IBT at Kuo'Dai we clear all but one medium sat, and also shoot up 6 freighters for a nice 150K cash infusion.



There is a bit more mopping up to do, but with CnC back in place it should be done next turn.

- IBT at Shononu we smash two local Tarka CRs for no losses, and no damage to the planet.



Turn 180

- Gate Amplifiers goes over budget.
- Our mining ships at Miirio are full. I send them to Izakis to restore a bit of IO there so it can support more trade routes. Send them back to Miirio afterwards, there are enough resources for another round.
- The local Tarka have 31 CRs incoming to Shononu in 4 turns. We still have sizable forces there, but make sure to shuffle in some additional CnC, repair ships, etc. as needed.
- Send 5 gate/tanker pairs out from Adena to planets further into the other half of the galaxy. We also have a couple more gate fleets about to arrive at planets further away, so we will probably want more gate/tanker pairs to keep pushing gates through the far Hiver and far Tarka systems.
- Build some sats at Kaa'Vaalu, including a couple mediums. Like Shononu, this planet seems to be a continuing target of aggression. Also repair the infra damage.
- Move a few biomes to Kuo'Dai, but we should build a full round of them to really get the planet going. Sunoma is doing pretty well but could maybe use a couple more as well.

We really need PD. Fighting the Morrigi and all their drones is a pain, plus of course missiles. I used a bunch of old swarm DEs at Kaa'Vaalu and it worked reasonably well, but I could not get enough damage on the CRs and they were able to reach the planet and kill a lot of our population.

But overall we are doing pretty well. Two high-quality systems conquered and added to our empire. A gate deployed farther towards the other end of the galaxy with more to come. :dancing5: And finally some new gates to increase capacity, with Gate Amplifiers nearing completion to really boost our network. Remember to build another gate for Kaa'Vaalu, although I think there is at least one in the fleet there.

[Mardoc]

But overall we are doing pretty well.

I've definitely got to agree Those invasions came a lot closer to the edge than I expected; well done to make sure they landed on the 'victory' side of that edge! Perhaps point defense will make enough of a difference in future that we don't need to supply half the fleet as CnC just to handle the casualties .

A minor detail - it's not actually T190 as per the name of the save . It may have felt like 20 turns, but you got all that done in just 10.

I suppose this means we need some new goals . I think my vote would be to research up to Point Defense, and then finish off the local Liir. Follow that up with the local Tarka, and see where we are.

When I opened the save just to look around, the distant Tarka faction proposed an alliance. Should we take them up on it? It would make victory come a lot sooner...but personally I'm enjoying the ride, and wouldn't mind fighting our way to a conquest victory, or at least a victory that involves everyone surrendering instead of allying. Besides, we still haven't gotten to see any of the AM era toys.

[haphazard1]

I've definitely got to agree Those invasions came a lot closer to the edge than I expected; well done to make sure they landed on the 'victory' side of that edge! Perhaps point defense will make enough of a difference in future that we don't need to supply half the fleet as CnC just to handle the casualties .

PD will hopefully make a substantial difference, as the CnC ships were getting killed entirely by missiles. Just one after another, all targetted at the CnC until it died.

When we were fighting fleets, I had no trouble keeping the CnC alive. But those launched from the poles planetary missiles are nasty.

Our forces at Kuo'Dai are actually still quite substantial, despite the losses we took. But obviously they needed more CnC. We should probably build a few more, just to restore the proper ratio among our fleets.

A minor detail - it's not actually T190 as per the name of the save . It may have felt like 20 turns, but you got all that done in just 10.

Ooops. Typo on my part in the file name, it is of course T180.

I suppose this means we need some new goals . I think my vote would be to research up to Point Defense, and then finish off the local Liir. Follow that up with the local Tarka, and see where we are.

Finish Gate Amplifiers so we can move substantial numbers of cruisers around, then PD. We could go for HCL as Zed-F recommended, although our APMD seem to be doing pretty well on damage so far. I have never gotten to HCL, I think it unlocks a new section of some type as well as the weapon?

(Just checked the wiki, it opens 2 new sections, Battle Bridge and Blazers.)

We could also go for Enviro Tailoring and hope to get Arkologies. Or go through Mega Strip Mining to try to get MagnetoCeramic Lattices to toughen our ships further. Or a bunch of things...Morrigi xenotech 2? More economic techs?

When I opened the save just to look around, the distant Tarka faction proposed an alliance. Should we take them up on it? It would make victory come a lot sooner...but personally I'm enjoying the ride, and wouldn't mind fighting our way to a conquest victory, or at least a victory that involves everyone surrendering instead of allying. Besides, we still haven't gotten to see any of the AM era toys.

I would not object to an alliance with the distant Tarka. If they are offering, I guess the distant Hivers would also be allied? This would give us excellent safety to fight the local Liir and both Morrigi. And there is every likelihood that the alliance would not last anyway, so it is unlikely the game would end anytime soon.

[Mardoc]

Our forces at Kuo'Dai are actually still quite substantial, despite the losses we took. But obviously they needed more CnC. We should probably build a few more, just to restore the proper ratio among our fleets.

Substantial enough that we could replace a few admirals and then ship them off to a Liir world as is? If so, let's!

Finish Gate Amplifiers so we can move substantial numbers of cruisers around, then PD.

I was simply assuming we wouldn't throw away the progress on an overbudget research project . Given that amplifiers are literally to the 'any turn now' stage, definitely finish them first.

We could also go for Enviro Tailoring and hope to get Arkologies. Or go through Mega Strip Mining to try to get MagnetoCeramic Lattices to toughen our ships further. Or a bunch of things...Morrigi xenotech 2? More economic techs?

Apparently arcologies are a 90% odds tech for Hivers, we're tied for most likely to have it. Of course that was also true of Point Defense .

I think Point Defense would get us to a point technologically where I like our odds of taking on anything we've run into so far, so my vote would be to try for Arcologies next, and military afterward.

[Tyrmith]

Alright, I'm sorry guys, but would it be possible to switch with someone? I'm expecting the soonest I'll be able to play is Monday (maaybe sunday, I'm not sure). Apologies for delaying things.

[Zed-F]

I only have a i-device, not a computer with SotS, until Sunday afternoon or evening. Mardoc and Haphazard, if you think you can get another turn each this weekend, feel free to go ahead.

I agree with the plan of finishing Gate Amps, then PD. The HCLs are for battlebridge section, which is much tougher and better armed than any of our other currently available command sections. HCL technology is cheap at this point in the game, so I would get that after PD and then go for the more expensive arcology tech path. Of course extra armour would be nice too.

As for possible alliances go, I'm good with keeping the NAP or upgrading to alliance. As we've seen the diplo situation is pretty fluid; maintaining alliances with more than one ally over the long term isn't necessarily easy. If we keep the Hivers as allies and lose the far Tarka because of our war with the near Tarka, I wouldn't be surprised.

[Mardoc]

I only have a i-device, not a computer with SotS, until Sunday afternoon or evening. Mardoc and Haphazard, if you think you can get another turn each this weekend, feel free to go ahead.

Well, how can I resist an offer like that? . Playing now, should be done by evening, assuming no new massive battles to worry about. Turns go much more quickly when they're preparing invasions than when they're executing invasions.

That said, I've got a number of errands and chores to do as well, so I'll check in here frequently for any more comments/suggestions, and to post my progress.

I agree with the plan of finishing Gate Amps, then PD. The HCLs are for battlebridge section, which is much tougher and better armed than any of our other currently available command sections. HCL technology is cheap at this point in the game, so I would get that after PD and then go for the more expensive arcology tech path. Of course extra armour would be nice too.

As for possible alliances go, I'm good with keeping the NAP or upgrading to alliance. As we've seen the diplo situation is pretty fluid; maintaining alliances with more than one ally over the long term isn't necessarily easy. If we keep the Hivers as allies and lose the far Tarka because of our war with the near Tarka, I wouldn't be surprised.

Oh, ok, I thought you actually wanted to use HCL's, which confused me after all our work on ballistics, and likely continued work on ballistics. I'll grab it, then, before the next design, which will probably still be APMD based, with battlebridges and PD.

And I'll bow to the consensus and accept at least a temporary alliance with the far Tarka.

Other goals

• Continue our Megafreighter upgrades
  
• Hopefully, get started on Arcologies
  
• Settle Kuo'Dai
  
• Defend Shononu (again). Defend the rest of our empire, for that matter
  
• Keep mining
  
• Keep pushing gates into our 'ally's space
  
• Prepare another invasion fleet, for a Liir world, this time making sure to have lots of CnC and repair ships along
  
• Design and start building the nucleus of a new fleet for further invasions
  

[Zed-F]

Battlebridge does include a pair of HCLs, so we will be using them. It also includes 4 medium turret mounts, so it has more firepower than hammerhead, has better arcs than strafe, and is better armored than either. Plus the HCLs are good at popping deflector CA command sections and providing burst damage to quickly take out priority targets like CnC, so an improvement all around.

[Mardoc]

T180 - Yikes, CR freighters do cost an arm and a leg! Which reminds me - what should we do with the displaced DE freighters? Scuttle? Keep them around on the premise that we'll be gaining a bunch new trade routes shortly from Arcologies (fingers crossed) and the new conquests? I'm liking the second approach, for now. Maybe a later turnset can scuttle excess freighters, but for the short term we can still probably use them. Still...we've got 3 million in income, and compared to the list of things I want, it feels like nothing.

For some odd reason, the AI does not propose alliance this turn when I open the save. Perhaps that's a random function. I will not propose it myself, since I don't trust the AI to stick to something that's not its own idea.

Lots of killing interturn, doesn't really count as fighting when we don't take damage, does it? And Gates are starting to arrive in the far end of the galaxy. I think you really did break the logjam, haphazard! (or maybe it's Tyrmith's success? Hard to know who did what when everything takes so long to finish).

T181 - For some reason, the Biomes at Kuo'Dai won't settle. I can't find any reason for that, unless maybe it's the one Tarka DE still in orbit that we didn't manage to kill in time? Maybe I should autocalc this battle next turn to make sure we get a clean sweep.

[Mardoc]

T181 (con't) - shuffle ships around, hit enter

T182 - Autocalc Kuo'Dai, clear all the Tarka, and yep, we can colonize this turn. It was probably the ship in orbit.

We dump 2000ish worth of mined resources on Izakis, which goes up to 560 resources. Is Mining that inefficient, or did I find a bug?

Our trade income now ties our colony income - soon it will be significantly greater! Well...soon if you're ok with that meaning a rate of 3-4 CR freighters/turn, since we go broke if we try to spend more. Still - the wiki says payback period on a Hiver CR is 19 turns. We can probably multiply that by 1.33 to take into account our reduced econ settings, but that still is only 25 turns for a CR freighter to pay for itself, and everything afterward is pure profit. It's just a little painful at the current stage, that's all. Still, given the choice of 4% return on investment in freighters vs 1% in interest, it's clear there's no point in keeping cash on hand for anything but morale.

T183 - Kuo'Dai is founded, and CH immediately reduced to 183. I love Biomes .

Gate amplifiers finally come in, and we start on Point Defense.

T184 - Shononu is a bloody stalemate, I should have been more active about directing the fleet. I'll try to do better next round.

T185 - Better showing at Shononu, we'll win this, eventually. Kill two Tarka CnCs.


And...it looks like the Morrigi have begun commerce raiding. We lose three freighters, and the time runs out before any of our ships can get near the field of battle.

We really ought to do something about that. But what can we do? I've seen references to Q-ships and to escorts, but I'm not really sure how to apply either. I'm going to take a break here, therefore, and hope for input.