Imperium 36 - Z Gentle

[Zieman]

Start: Scrap unnecessary ship designs, pour reserves to speed up industry.
2305-06: Build one Scout, since now we have enough industry to do so.
A few years later opened research with 14 RP spread evenly to all options:
Computers: Battle Computer Mark II (only option)
Construction: Reduced Industrial Waste 80% (took it over Improved Industrial Tech 9)
Force Fields: Class II Deflector Shields (only option)
Planetology: Improved Ecological restoration (took it over Controlled Barren Environment)
Propulsion: Hydrogen Fuel Cells = Range 4 (took it over Deuterium Fuel Cells = Range 5)
Weapons: Hand Lasers (took it over Hyper-V rockets & Gatling Laser)
Concentrated on getting Range 4 with trickle research until 200 factories are ready and one colony Ship is built.
2325: Got 1st Colony Ship produced, sending it to Anraq (Arid 60 normal),since Tao (Arid 90 normal) and Centauri (Terran 100 normal) are just out of range. Range 4 well in percentages.
2326: Chased away an Alkari Scout from Centauri. Directed as much research as leaving Range 4 at 10% to Construction & Planetology evenly, those waste reduction and cleanup techs will help A LOT.
2327: Range 4 pops, going for Nuclear engines (over Range 6 & Inertial Stabilizer). Gotta build a couple of colony Ships first though.
2327-28: Getting my 1st colony up brings me in contact with the Sakkras. Oh dear, I've made a beginner mistake by failing to scout Esper (& block Sakkra colonizing it). ARGH! They have now 4 planets. 25 BC trade pact formed.

2330: Sakkras try to poach Anraq, good I sent 40 million colonists there right away.
2334: Now they've sent troops, maybe I can return the favor...
2338: Defended Anraq succesfully. Third Colony Ship on its way to Tao, built a few Scouts. Switched research to Weapons, going to try to grab Esper with Hand Lasers .
2343: Blah, Esper is Ultra-Poor. Not worth grabbing yet. Anraq weathered another invasion, if the lizards try once more I have to start threatening them.
2347: Spica (Tundra 45) scouted. I'll leave that Scout parked there.
2349: Waste Reduction 80% pops, going for IIT9 (cheap alternative, bound to finish quick). IER also in the percentages.
2351: IER pops, Terraform + 20 next (see no need for Barren yet). 2 Inferno Ultra Richs & one Radiated average spotted so far. Time to build some factories as we now home decent cleanup tech.
2358: Hyboria (Terran 90 normal) scouted 7 parsecs away west. And I thought this was Alkari homeworld. IIT9 pops next year, Duralloy Armour is the only choice now.
2360: Meklon at 400 factories, already having a production advantage over the lizards.
2372: BC mk2 & Terraform +20 pop, IRC3 & Controlled Inferno next. Anraq got 240 factories ready a couple of turns earlier. Centauri also at 400 factories. Hyper-V Rockets & Class 2 Deflectors pop in subsguent turns, going for Ion cannon & Personal Deflector Shield. Main research focus on Inferno landing now.
2376: Got Nuclear Engines, Range 5 next. Duralloy on percentages. Both Meklon & Centauri will max their factories with 120 pop once I hit the Next Turn button.
2377: Meklon & Centauri maxed for now. Duralloy pops, making new LR Colony 2 design possible. Battle Suits next.
2380: Anraq maxed. Built some Gnats (Small, reserve Fuel Tanks, 1 Laser, Nuclear Engines) to scout the surroundings of Hyboria. Tao maxed next turn.
2382: IRC3 & Inferno landing at good percentages, diverting research to Construction.
2383: IRC3 pops, Improved Space Scanner next. Hyboria colonized, brings us in contact with the Alkari. Got 75 BC trade with them.
2387: Infero Colonization pops, time to grab some planets! EER next, IT+40 seemed too expensive at this stage.
2388: Got Range 5, Sub-Light Drives next.
2393: Colony formed at western Inferno Gion, brings contact with Mrrshan who are allied(!) with Alkari. Kitties willing to accept 50 BC trade pact.

2394: The other Inferno, Dolz colonized. Improved Space Scanner pops, going for BC5 next. A couple of Psilon Colony Ships detected, one bound to an empty system and one to unexplored system.
2395: Nyarl & Spica colonies formed, bringing us to 9 colonies & triggering a GNN report. Yet another brainiac Colonist spotted, again heading for an empty system.
2397: The unexplored system turned out be an Artifact system! And I got Controlled Radiated Environment there!


Colony ship already enroute, will beat the brainiacs here, probably will need some defenders too. Sub-Light Drives pop next turn, going for Inertial Stabilizer.
2401: Ion Cannon pops, Ion Rifle next. Keeta (Toxic 40 Rich) colony established. Psilon Colony Ship drives my Scout away from Kulthos (the Artifact world), but reinforcements are already en route. Battle Suits pop next turn, I go for Automated Repair Unit.
2405: Neptunus (Radiated 30) colonized. Personal Deflector Shield pops, good timing. Class V Planetary Shield next. EER pops next turn, chose T+40 as next research project.
2409: Battle Computer 5 pops. ECM 5 next. Psilon invasion of Kulthos thwarted.
2413: Ion Rifle pops, going for Neutron blaster. In the meantime the Kitties declared war. I didn't want them dragging the Birds along, so I asked Alkari to join the war on my side, they demanded only Improved Space Scanner as an incentive... Traded Duralloy Armour and Enhanced Eco Restoration for their Neutron Pellet Gun and Range 6.
2415: Automated Repair System pops, time to kick some furry butt! Zortrium Armour next.
2419: Conquered Kakata (U-Poor) & Colonized Vox (Radiated 30 Rich). The latter brought contact with Psilons & Darloks. Both are willing to initiate trade, brainiacs 50 BC & cloakmasters 75 BC. No stopping the gentle Meklars now:

2421: Alkari Warbird enroute to Vox, as is my new dreadnought, the Protector. Planetary Shield 5 pops, Class 5 Deflectors next in line.
2426: Hehe, Sakkras want to play war games after I turned down their proposal for a Non-Agression Pact twice. I knew the lizards weren't up for anything good!
2430: Looks like the others weren't too happy about snuffing out the kitties, even if they were at war with them... Alkari & Darlok deklare war - byebye! Time to build some planetary shields and then roll out a new generation of Behemoths.

2434: T+40 pops, Atmospheric Terraforming next. Really terrific tech tree :D. Did steal a couple of minor techs from others, nothing significant.
2435: Meklar empire outstripping all the other races with 17 colonies. Psilons declare war for that. Zortium armor pops next year, IIT5 next.
2443: Stinger Missiles. Omega-V Bomb next. Class V Deflectors next turn, going for Personal Absorption Shield.
2445: Alkaris sue for peace. Suits me. For now.
2447: The early oversight of Esper has now been rectified.
2450: Glassed an offshoot Psilon colony, they had too many ships heading there, no use invading. Atmospheric Terraforming pops, Advanced Soil Enrichment next.
2454: Peace with shapeshifters. IRC5 operational, BC7 next.
2457: Rha captured from Sakkra.
2462: BC3 stolen from Psilon. Own research: Omega-V Bomb -> Auto Blaster. Personal Absorption Shield pops next turn. Class VI Shields starting.
2465: Finished researching IIT5 and stole IIT6 from Psilons on the same turn .
2467: Imra liberated from those slimy lizards, Sssla next on the line. And brainiac Vulcan colony.
2468: Sssla is ours! Birdies didn't like that, they decrared war. I didn't even genocide Sakkras yet...
2470: Got BC7, going for ECM7. Darloks declare war.
2471: 27 planet announcement at GNN. Captured one Alkari & one Psilon planet, 4 techs from Alkari (BC4, Anti-Matter Bomb & Soil Enrichment being notable), nothing from the brainiacs. Adanced Soil Enrichment pops, Advanced Eco Restoration next. The so called Sakkra "empire" is about to cease to exist.
2478: 3 turns until last non-Orion planet is colonised. Eliminated the lizards, captured a couple of Darlok, Psilon & Alkari planets in the meantime.

2480: Willow (Jungle 75 poor) will be colonised once I hit the Next Turn button. I fully expect to be able to vote myself as the new emperor all by my self.
And so it is. 41 of 50 votes are mine. Conquest victory 2480/81.

2480 save attached.

[RefSteel]

Whoa - Controlled Radiated from Kulthos in 2397! (In my Average playthrough, my scouts reached Kulthos in 2400, and it was already a Psilon colony!) I'm glad that worked out actually, since (at least for your game) it ... uh ... covered up my failure to add Controlled Radiated to the player's tree for the Average game. In any case, it looks like you won in a romp from there; nicely done!