OSG 32-A: Two games with one bird

[Ianus]

I thought Range 7 would get you some decent war tech from the friendlier AIs.  Ah well.

The rocks already have Range 7 so that is out, and no one else really has much in the way of tech that we need. The cats are pushing Weapons really hard; they are up to Fusion Beams already. We just started researching on that rung of the ladder ourselves although I focused Planetology instead. No one else has anything even remotely desirable.

If diplo win is available should we take it? I'm normally a fan of pushing on to at least domination (50% of votes directly owned); I guess we might actually have that by the vote. However, I'm not sure how much fun/challenge is left in this game.

Yeah I would say that this game is effectively over. If we can't (or don't want to) win the 2425 vote the plan of action would be to keep pushing up along the NE edge of the map and roll up the Mrrshan empire. They have four or five nice stars in their cluster. At the same time I would build a second fleet in the SW to roll over those Poor planets and then swing north to hit the Bulrathi, Sakkra and whatever pieces of the Silicoid Empire are in there. We are first in tech or maybe tied with the Silicoids and our worlds are all well developed and ready to crank out research, or ships, or both. Our current ship designs, while basic, are more than a match for what I have seen so far, and we are one generation of tech away from Auto Repair-Repulsor Beam Huges, which should be more than enough to destroy everyone. Basically all we need to do is hit the Mrrshans to get Fusion Bombs and Fusion Beams and we will be unstoppable.

If we want to do that and slug it out to Domination I am fine with that. Personally I would rather start a new game on Impossible and play something a bit more challenging, maybe as a power race for fun, but I leave it up to the next player. Maybe post the save from 2424 before the vote and people can play on if they want to. If there was interest we could all play out the game individually and compare how we do. Of course we may not win the vote at all...

[Dark Savant]

I'd vote to wrap things up by 2425 if we can, so we can get going on an Impossible game.

[shallow_thought]

Nice setup and execution, a diplo win could very well happen.

I am around shallow_thought you can skip if necessary.

Great - can you pick this up? Turns out I have to cook tonight, which would have made things a real rush.

[TheArchduke]

Picked up.

[TheArchduke]

2420

I send an invasion force to Yarrow and split up the southern fleet to cover Morrig.

I find that Repulsor Beam is a waste of time and research.

A lot fiddling with terraforming and then off I go.

   

2421

The still, one turn away from being conquest, Yarrow colony goes mineral poor.

   

Yay?

2422

Controlled Tundra is conquered off Yarrow. Nothing much of worth left in those guys.

Thrax next.

2423

Thrax occupied in space.

2424

And the Cats denounce our actions and I forget that destroying an empire ruins relations with the other.
Thrax is taken. Damn.

2425

Well screw you, too. I move on to the cats.

Council vote is 12/26

It was a long shot anyway, relations were not high enough with most others.

I shuffle a lot of pop around.

2426

Using the bombers as a bullet catcher, I decimate the mrrshan fleet and siege the planet.

   

The Silicoids declare war.

2427

Another battle at Simius.

Automated Repair System pops.

The ground battle at Simius is close then I would like, but it is a success.

   

Deuterium fuel cells.

Being overconfident, I move onto Fieras.

2428

17 missile bases! I retreat. They have merculite missiles. They will do nasty damage.

2429

For range 7 I get anti missile rockets from the Sakkras. Sabotage!

   

2430

Improved Robotics IV pops, BCV next. NAP with the Sakkras.

IN any case, I doubt the AI can offer serious opposition but our designs are not good enough to make headway against the big amounts of missile bases of the AIs homeworlds.

Either we build 1000 bombers or boost our designs.

[TheArchduke]

Save.

[Ianus]

Well nuts!  I guess it was a pipe dream all along.  Out of curiosity I loaded up the save and played five turns without killing the bugs and just building population and STILL no one would vote for me.  I don't understand why that happened when we were shellacking the Klackons who everyone is at war with.  I guess we must have hit the empire size threshold where our war against the bugs was only enough to slow everyone's dislike of us.  Well, lets destroy the cats then.  With Repulsors coming online we should be good to roll over whoever we want.  I would suggest building a cheap fleet of smalls with Inertial Stabilizers and stealing Fusion Beams (and Bombs) from the cats while waiting for Auto Repair to be discovered.  Then we will be able to build an unstoppable fleet and conquer the galaxy .

[shallow_thought]

Well nuts!  I guess it was a pipe dream all along.  Out of curiosity I loaded up the save and played five turns without killing the bugs and just building population and STILL no one would vote for me.  I don't understand why that happened when we were shellacking the Klackons who everyone is at war with.  I guess we must have hit the empire size threshold where our war against the bugs was only enough to slow everyone's dislike of us.  Well, lets destroy the cats then.  With Repulsors coming online we should be good to roll over whoever we want.  I would suggest building a cheap fleet of smalls with Inertial Stabilizers and stealing Fusion Beams (and Bombs) from the cats while waiting for Auto Repair to be discovered.  Then we will be able to build an unstoppable fleet and conquer the galaxy .

Victory through blood and death it is then. Shame .

Just to make it clear, treat me as a full skip and roll round to DS again if he's available. I've got a family wedding to attend and will struggle for time for days. Also, DS may want the chance to vent some anger and frustration on something, and this looks like the perfect opportunity .

[Dark Savant]

Victory through blood and death it is then. Shame .

Oh well, I suppose we can deal with that.  

We don't need that many new-generation bombers, do we?  Shouldn't ECM III and Inertial Stabilizer suffice on top of max-maneuver Fusion Drives and the Alkari defense bonus to evade most missiles?  I'll have to see what our new enemies actually have.

Just to make it clear, treat me as a full skip and roll round to DS again if he's available. I've got a family wedding to attend and will struggle for time for days. Also, DS may want the chance to vent some anger and frustration on something, and this looks like the perfect opportunity .

Without saying too much, PB38 was one big mistake combined with a lot of "you have to be kidding me".

This is an "I've got it", since as it happens I now have some extra free time.  

[Dark Savant]

Year 2430 - Pre-Flight check

It turns out I can't play fully until this evening, but I can do some pre-flight checks now.

Wow, diplomatic relationships are pretty much irredeemably awful just for being too big. I'm used to playing at Large or Huge maps at Impossible where it takes far, FAR longer to reach that stage.

I adjust spy spending -- I like to get spy vision even on One Planet Empires.  I tell our spies to pursue Espionage on the Silicoids and the Mrrshans; it probably won't do much either way, but why not?

+1 tech level trade time:

• Neutron Pellet Gun to the Sakkra for Nuclear Engines.
  
• Hand Lasers to the Sakkra for Improved Terraforming +10.  (Yes, I grab stuff like this too whenever I can.)
  

The Bulrathi ask too much for what they have, and we're at war with everyone else.

I scrap our dated warp-1 fighter designs.

I move a lot of research spending over to terraforming and factories for the short-term.

I could move on the Mrrshans now, bypassing their home planet in favor of Selia, but I'll wait at least one turn to see what all those ships they're moving around are up to.