- We have a lot of partially-built Quarantine3 placeholder huge ships around the empire. This isn't ideal, but I didn't want to pay maintenance on defenses we didn't need, and thought we might need a real fleet at any moment. If you want to preserve these prebuilds for a time when we really need them or have better options for ship construction, you may need to redesign the placeholder ship whenever new tech comes in (the Quarantine3 has already been redesigned post-omega-bombs, and if we do build one, it should be able to hold its own in a fight - although taking on Meklar dreads is still going to be a nightmare; I'm not sure what design I would use without knowing which ones we'd be facing).
- Don't be afraid to scrap any or all of our existing designs (although ... probably not all at once) if you need the design space for a brilliant plan or the scrap metal for an emergency. Note that we do have a few hundred BCs in the reserve to work with already.
- We just got peace with the Alkari last turn and the Bulrathi the turn before. The Mrrshans haven't sent anything our way yet, but they were dragged into the war by a since-broken Alliance (all the way from Peaceful relations!) three turns ago and so haven't had much time to prepare.
- We haven't invested anything in Weapons (Pulson Missiles) research yet; Omega Vs just came in on the interturn! I think I'd prioritize Computer research ahead of them for now - and I'm really looking forward to Ion Drives! (And Zortium armor, but mostly for miniaturization purposes.)
- I'm probably leaving a bunch of things out, but ... good luck!
Roster:
- Ianus (Skipped until we hear from you - I hope all is well!)
- shallow_thought (Skipped, I think, based on your most-recent post here? If you've changed your mind but Arnuz has already Got It, we can make it a swap...) - Arnuz - UP! (Unless shallow_thought says otherwise before you post a "got it")
- utwig - on deck if you're still in; let us know!
- Cyneheard - on deck if shallow_thought and utwig still want to sit the rest of this one out...
- RefSteel - just played
Congrats Refsteel, that was brilliant as well as immersive. Now let's see if I can bring some challenge back to the next emperor, it's getting too easy ;-P
Just as I thought I'd got out, they pull me back in !
Skip me for the moment, but Ref has definitely rekindled my interest - I'll either slot back into my usual place on the next rotation or step in to cover if someone else needs it.
It may have looked easy, but that is because it was done correctly - Brian Moore
In space, only the water-bear can survive, but then they can survive for years. I have decided the form of a tardigrade for my retreat from the duties of command, without considering that without much of a brain I'd forget how to turn back. But this has given to me calm, finally, after those crazy years...
Suddenly, something that shouldn't happen does - a thought passes through my few ganglia. How can that be? Immediately pain comes back, with the consciousness that I've left my business unfinished. Apparently our shapechanging monitoring tech has advanced enough to identify me and pull me out of the moss where I was clinging. I am required again, and I submit to ten more years of disgusting contact with aliens.
2490
Reading the reports, I find myself in agreement with my predecessor on tech priorities, but I would also like some force fields for our huge design despite the lack of miniaturisation. Hopefully the shipyards building ship parts can be left untouched until we have all we need to make a spaceship that won't fold when looked at. Plus a new battle computer would be barely enough to pull us out of shame, these computers were the same when I went in hibernation! But this means two tech advances in computers.
The map situation is dire, but at least the budget drain that's been Keep Out now belongs to someone else. We have fixated on the cyborgs. It's clear that we can't beat them anytime soon. What else is there? Well, those terrible furry disease ridden felines have conveniently declared war on us, forcing the decision. They're rather weak with only two planets but they've been inactive for so long that we have no idea of what their ships look like! I use the few scrap parts on Shelter to build three battle scanning ships.
2491
I send the new Scan ships towards the Mrrshan planets, and I promise some criminals their freedom if they'll come back from the alien worlds with reports of their technologies.
Sand line has an alkari fleet hovering. Where are the Meklars? I send the colony ship prepared by my predecessor just for the eventuality.
2492
Sand Line is popular, 3 colony ships are going for it as well as some meklar transports.
2493
We have Sand Line again. Unfortunately, a lot of enemy ships are coming for it. The nebula helps a little, we have six years before the meklar transports arrive. I decide to go for it and I send population to the colony from Nazin and Imra.
2494
Four years till a largish alkari fleet reaches Sand Line. I don't think that we can have even a single base in time. Three Meklar dreadnoughts are going for Keep Out.
2495
Good news! One Meklar dreadnought remains in orbit over Keep Out. There's hoping that it bombs the colony to nothingness!
2496
Out of the blue, the Meklar propose peace?! I'm more surprised than relieved. Hopefully we can deal with their 24 incoming transports. I make a mistake and start hoping that we'll hold onto Sand Line. Never hope! Meanwhile, the Meklar dreadnought keeps bombing poor Keep Outians.
Our scanning ships reach Gorra and Fieiras. The Mrrshan are pathetic, they are still alive only because of the alliances with their neighbours. We should strike them before bears and birds realise this possibility.
2497
ECM Jammers IV break through! I immediately start to research Battle Computers VI, finally we'll be able to count the enemy ships attacking us. We spot Meklar transports aimed at Keep Out...
2498
The Alkari fleet bounces back, towards Keep Out. The Meklar dradnought has left the system?
2499
Lots of good news! Zortrium breakthrough, then we can only start IIT V. Meklar transports attempting to land on Sand Line were all destroyed! The cyborgs have colonised radiated Rha, but the Bulrathi are already sending there a ship. Then, there are more Meklars dreadnoughts and transports headed towards Keep Out, where the alkari have accumulated quite some population. It's wonderful to look at all these aliens killing each other! It gives such a sense of calm!
... AAHHH The meklars are coming for Waters Edge. Ops. They have 404 bombers, too. Oh ok, that's not that bad, I build a bit more missile bases, using some reserve credits as well.
2500
We lose two bases at Waters Edge to destroy all the cat bombers. We then discover Impulse Drives! We have such a small area to control that intergalactic stargates seem useless, I go for an even faster drive. An ameba is detected. Then there is a voting, where we're more or less on par with Smurch of the Bulrathi. Of course we don't even show up to the votation.
I feel rather satisfied. Soon we'll enjoy the fruits of our research in force fields - we've been using our previous momentum with minimal investment for two turns here, all of our focus should be in computers, to finally be able to use all of our ship parts on something worth flying. Waters Edge is putting everything into factories and I wouldn't see a reason not to keep pouring our still abundant reserves into it. We don't have a fleet to speak of, but so far that's not proved to be so bad.
I feel so positive that before giving orders I decide to relax and turn into a lobster for a bath. Damn, I forgot again the issue without advanced brains. I hope that my successor won't eat me...
Looks like some great turns, Arnuz, and I loved the report! It's fun to think that Darloks take it for granted that any especially beautiful or interesting but unintelligent creature they encounter has a good chance of being a fellow Darlok who got too curious about what it would be like to look and feel that way!
It's taken a lot of good luck - and good play that encouraged it, took advantage of it, or both! - to make it through this last quarter-century, and we're still not out of the woods, but we're getting so tantalizingly close to turning this around again when it was all but lost not very long ago. We're no longer even last in technology! (Poor kitties...)
If we can just pick up that new battle computer (and hopefully Pulson missiles) before the Meklar decide to come eat us for real....
We really might have a chance here, guys! (Unless I just jinxed it, of course. And that is still a pretty big "if!")
(Also, wow, we have a lot of cash in reserve!)
Roster:
- Ianus (Skipped until we hear from you - I hope all is well!)
- shallow_thought (ready to jump back in next turn and hopefully add to the turnaround!)
- Arnuz - just played
- utwig - (Skipped for now) - Cyneheard - UP!
- RefSteel - on deck
Good luck, Cyneheard! We may still need it! But if it keeps up just a little longer ... we might reach a point where we can make our own!
Yeah, pulsons would make quite a difference, but that's a big investment. Up to the next poster, but the decision isn't easy: pulsons first, or cat hunt first?
It's true, don't say cat till it's in the bag. Otoh a nice war with the cats might help keep the Meklars friendly, and I'm more afraid of them than of the others combined. The peacefulness of the others isn't going to last anyway, with one of them at war with us. And, from Fieiras we'd be able to go for the silicoids, probably another easy target.
But yeah pulsons would definitely secure our planets against those ARS huge ships and make our ships even better, perhaps allowing us to fit neutrons in fighters? Not sure, but for Fieiras we'd need a plan to defend it until it builds bases given its position...
Anyway for me the biggest takeaway of the set is: poor planets in the middle of things are great! Alkaris and Meklars have lost a LOT in Keep Out :D
I pushed on Pulsons, they're about halfway done. Didn't try to go after the Cats, because we didn't have a chance of holding those two worlds.
2500:
Top off factories in About Time and Waters Edge. Switch Sand Line to Shields – 12 factories a turn is such a slow payoff and we want a chance to holding.
Research: Switch from Ion Drives (nice but not a huge upgrade over Impulse) to Pulson missiles (20 bases + Pulsons = Meklar aren’t much of a threat).
Drop some reserves in Sand Line as well. Switch Quarantine3 to QuarantineV – more guns and Impulse Engines.
2501:
Meklar take Keep Out. Not touching it right now, because the Meklar not being at war with us is a Good Thing.
2502: Sand Line finishes its Shield and a Base. Keep on getting bases up (I’ll get to ~10, then go for factories I think). Then I realize that we’ve neglected Nazin’s shield when 2 of its bases get sabotaged. Let’s fix that ASAP.
2503: Waters Edge is at 20 bases. I’m happy with that. Switch About Time to bases to get it to 20 as well.
2505: Clear out a small Meklar fleet attacking Waters Edge, no casualties.
2508: Accept peace with the Mrrshans.
2510: Two more quiet turns. Nothing too crazy. Biggest question is:
When do we go after the Meklar? Keep Out and Rha (we almost have Radiated) are vulnerable, but I’m not sure if I want to get in a shooting war with the Meklar without Pulsons though.
Also keep in mind that we're currently in 2nd place on population.
Great turns, Cyneheard! We might actually have a window here to try (dare I say it) ... another gambit. Let's see if I chicken out. (Or if it works, or spectacularly fails....)
In any case, I've got it!
Roster:
- Ianus (Skipped until we hear from you - I hope all is well!)
- shallow_thought - on deck
- Arnuz - just played
- utwig - (Skipped for now)
- Cyneheard - just played - RefSteel - Playing Now!
!