Bleh. Still can't take screenies in XP even with Kylerean's screenthief program. Maybe I'm cursed to blind everyone? I really like reading everyone's reports. Haven't finished everyone's but here's my longwinded report, though I'm sure I missed a few things. Some strange events, like the temporary alliance allowing a klackon escorted colony fleet to arrive in Jinga before I explored it (including colony ship) yet not actually settle down: !?!?! :blink: !?!? Um. I was hoping for diplomatic relations, instead, I get a free planet
I uploaded my saved games at various points here:
http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/myhome/DraRBDImp1.zip
If anyone would like to take a peek, there's also a post-victory mop-up game in progress with fully upgraded everything, just for kicks. Though in that game, I got a Nova event also, but did not expect the research cost to be greater than base un-rushed production, so... Primordius went supernova in that game and I lost the population lead for a while. Space Crystal also came, and ate up Jinga unexpectedly. Tried sending ships to attack. Nada. It was Killed off by 89 missle bases at another star system of mine later.
High-lights and interesting notes first: I did not get ANY terraform tech until much later. No pop additions until +50 stolen from someone else. Luckily, my Alkarans were quite the little thieves this game. The tech layout had its similarities, but vastly different in signifigant ways. No +10 through +40 pop terraform at all makes a tremendous difference. Other gaps in tech as well, making every game different. Looks like tech isn't predetermined for the same saved game, all the more interesting. Edit part deux: Apparently I did get +10 terraforming eventually. Not sure when, definitely not when it could've helped though.
Never did settle the toxic and radiated planets in border country and deep within my "rear." Silicoids got laan, mobas, ajax, denubius and gorra eventually but not Jinga!. I wanted their planets, but I knew I was too lacking to take it. Or thought I was. After getting "Planetary V" shields, I was set and victory was nearly assured in my mind--and MOO apparently also knew, and handed me the diplomatic victory plate =) I was way behind in tech, having done no research than Range 5 for oh... about a hundred years. No fleet. Just crack troops, bases, babes and buildings. Ecology is for Alkaran baby making--i.e. farming & processing lots of
for lots of :wub: :wub: hehe. So I was on par for production and population for a while in spite of being behind in star systems, technology and eventually population (but by then, I could surpass production and technology research). Busy beavers build and
:wub: :wub: :P :D That won the game.
So. The "actual" longwinded report:
2300:
Designed a Colony Ship-R retrofitted with 2 Heavy lasers and a weaponless scout ship. Maximize everything for industry. I will not be doing any serious research for the next oh... say 50+ years. My flighty Alkari, bask in your ignorance. Scouts and colony ships sent out, toward the 2 Green stars in the north, and the Blue to the south
2303:
Discovered what? Colony ship finds Kailis. Ugly little minimal. BOOO BOOO! Scout finds Quayal. Nice little dust ball, maybe later. Ugly little planets. No. and No. I don't want these.
Next turn:
Hoo ha! 95 Pop Terran named Bootis! I want this planet! This is the start of what would be the 'Great Northern Expansion.' I recall Sirian saying something about 100 factories... little did I realize this was not production. For the next century or so of Drasca's rule over alkari, Id punch planets up to 100+ production, but not factories. Faster start-up times, worse long term production. Ooops. Maybe. Maybe not. Some objectives needed to be rushed. Many turns saved by not waiting to build up 100 factories early on, vs saving a few turns per colony ship later--which is marginalized by fewer and fewer colony ships required... but this only applies to simple expansion. I'm still lacking in everything else.
Oh god. I find out everything is 4 parsecs away! The next range tech is 5! Time to do some real research you birds! Max propulsion. I want that planet! Kick it up to 100 production, research, and grab that hit up the new heavy laser packing colony ship-R's!
2319
Yes! Range 5 tech! Bootis will be mine! Equalizing tech. Hmm. Farmer's gambit equalizing. Only researching Computers, Planetology and Construction for now--with what little research is being done.
2321
With materials and pre-construction spent on a colony ship, we made 8 Pelican scout ships and set them to every star in range. Colony R is in production, T-minus 10 years.
2322
Bootis is Mine! --and the Silicoids arrive with their usual threats.
I need more scouts. 40 million head to Bootis and a 25 BC TA is accepted by the Rocks. I see they're aggressive expansionists... and I'm xenophobic about them throughout the entire game. But, you know what? The hammer never falls. Not until post-game where I'm simply too bloated not to be attacked, and its all out war between everyone.
2325
Discovered Primordious. Awesome Planet! I want it. Now. Discovered the asteroid systems, and understand I will not be able to cross the center. More systems to the south discovered, and scared off Meklars. I figured them to be in the Southeast corner. I figured wrong, but they're scared off for now.
2328
Denied Denubious from Rock Colony ship
They'll be chasing this one for a while over and over. Deny Proteous from Meklar colony ship.
2331
I need more scouts to jock block the silicoids. This works until they are able to produce those Large Missle packing colony ships with escort warships of the same a hundred turns or so later.
2332
I've decided:
I WANT THE NORTH. I will cease major southern expansion in preference for the North. Those vast playing fields of planets will be mine. The Terran Primordious is just out of range, and I'm sending the Colony R that I've noticed completed one turn ago to Incedius, to hop over in range of Primordious.
More scouts--need bases.
2334
HOLY! The North is rich. I only want it more. Discovered the rest of those pretty pretty planets.
2336
Spray hosed scared off those Silicoid Rocks back off my Laan. Go NIMBY: Not in my back yard! Hmm. What did I spray hose them with? magma? :D
2340
My flying birds are now flying fish. Or fishy fliers. Settled the Ocean world Incedrius. What a pretty water park, but I'm vulnerable, will my Alkyries be all wet or enjoy a daily dip in the planetary pool?
2343
Altar--Play the planetary tourist hop game. I don't need to yet, but I'm sending 20 mil to the half-full Bootis, as Bootis is sending pop to Incedrious. All in the expectation to send population to Primordious... my pretty.
2347
Bootis is on High defensive alert. Factories are finally at a decent level, and we're going to have our first missle base in 3 years. I admit, I'm expecting an attack from the Silicoids---> THAT NEVER HAPPENS!!! Well not quite never, but the Rocks and I are quite chummy in spite of their "Aggressive Expansionist" personality.
2351
Got another Colony-R up and running. This one's headed to the south. I'll need more scouts, this time I can dial up 10 at a time with my production capacity, and send them right after the colony in expectation of exploration. Save me a few turns. Heading to Maalor.
Between 2351 and 2351:
What the!??! I lose? GNN report says my last colony was destroyed. Did a high council happen without me? Insta-lose. See death screen. Ok, I reload. No random event this time. It made absolutely no sense. I was somehow genocided while having multiple star systems. Did everyone rebell without telling me? Did all my Alkari fly into their respective suns? MOO went to the birds.
2352
Primordius settled!! Wahoo! Mine mine mine. Decide to go 1.2% spying on Silicoids. I figure they'll attack sooner or later anyway. Upgraded TA to 75 BC while I'm there.
Turn 53 turn 54 turn 55. Settled Maalor, Two missile bases up and running at Bootis, new colonists tranports en route to Primordious, Good good good. Bootis is at 105 production, and I let that rise slowly.
2356
Scouts at Maalor. Time to explore the great southern expanse! Incedious and Primordious still at the infant industry stage. Altair running Colony ships off its spacedocks, ready in 4 turns. Bootis ready to make its first in 10 turns.
2359
I think I might have the entire eastern half if I'm lucky. Decision: Expand south with Altair, Expand north with Bootis. Needless to say, this general plan will be turned on its head upon first confrontation with the enemy: Meklars.
2362
Found and made contact with Meklars. They control the south central area. 100 BC TA made. I decided I might not control the southern expanse after all.. Upped spying espionage to 4 percent split between the Meks (mex?) Mek Bots and Rocks.
No more southern expansion. Hmm Mex would fit the meklars well here.. heh.
Several High Council votes occur. Msshrans vote for me. So do Sakkra sometimes. Looks like Meklars and silicoids have some enemies. As it turns out, it was a Meklar -- Msshran alliance, not Silicoid Msshran like Sirian's. I wasn't even sure if Meklars even knew the silicoids existed... asking proposing them to make war with silicoids... they did not. Not until much much later, and I'm in the middle.
Note to self: never allow Silicoids any range techology. Always avoid. That much I knew. They could take anything if they dared, and an Expansionist Silicoid is an ugly one. Even uglier than normal. Under any other circumstances, they should've and would've attacked me. For some reason, I'm still scratching my head as to why they did not throughout almost all of the game.
2365
Found Omicron. OMG its beautiful. I want it. its just out of my range, but peeking into diplomatic channels and spy reports, its out of the Meklar's range too. They don't have range 5 yet, they have range 4. I have range 5. I can take it with a planet hop, if I dare take their planet Simius first. Dare I? Will I invade Simius by transport, take its 2 population and just so I can hop on onto Omicron for a land grab? Let's try it!
2369
Ooops. I made a diplomatic faux paus. I got caught with my hand in the Meklar technology cookie jar. I stole ECM jammers I and now the Meklars are mad. Actually, this is good for me. Invasion will cinch war, but since my nearest planet is 5 parsecs, a whole whopping 1 parsec away from their highest range tech, they can't touch me. hahaha! Neener neenr neener Mex bots :P
Up for settling are Helos and Kailis, colony ships en route.
2370
I must've really made them mad. They withdrew their ambassador.
Invasion failed, they have hand lasers and more population that I thought. That's for trusting the old military intelligence scout reports... but since that planet is currently undefended, no missle bases or orbiting ships...
Ba-bombs! yes! little toy whiz nuke bomb fighters. Strap on one each get ready to blow! A whole 33 of them using material meant to go make a Colony-R ship.
2371
Helos and Kailis Settled.
Woohoo! Trade anti missle rockets that I stole off Meklars for, get this, Hyper V rockets!!! I have had about little to no research up until now. Silicoids have better. Hyper X, either that or in the works. Hoo ha. Good trade. I can shoot stuff down now.
I'm amiable with the Rocks. No more spying.
Mex bots have 2 Large sized 100 hp cruiser ships orbiting Simius for defense now. Bombers already en route, so I can't change that. Oh well, retreat when they arrive. Other scout shits en route will retreat as well.
Bah! I got spy attacked! Time to up home security to max for a turn and flush them out.
2379
I can't believe my luck! The Mex bots left Simius undefended! Woohoo. Commence Bombing. A whopping 2 pop per turn, plus the population growth penalty for orbiting enemy ships--I think =) Good.
Stole Hand Lasers. Now my troops will be on even terms with you robotic menaces. Ha ha. Gropos, away!
Colony Ship ready at Altair. Sending to Ajax, the last habitable planet in range not occupied by the enemy.
Its time to consolidate my gains. Max industry, pump missle bases, finally research some tech. I'm half behind meklars and a full 3/4 behind the Silicoid researchers. Dumb rocks are smarter than we are. Don't ever say dumber than a rock in my game. They're the smartest creature around, and will blow you to high hell with their huge ships and large missle bays.
2381
--Damn. I find out Rocks will get Ajax. Soon, they'll will call my hall monitor sash bluffs at the toxic and radiated planets, and move in with escorted Colony ships that have large missles themselves.
2411
Got Omicron. Mex took Simius a while back, and I played ping pong with the transported Alkari that invaded Simius and the Mex system north of that. Meklars are dug in and here to stay. I don't have a fleet. I don't have the tech for a fleet. But the good news is, I managed to build and send a colony ship toward Omicron, and it just arrived this turn, after travelling from one end of the galaxy to the other, from the "we got here first, Silicoid claimed Ajax" all the way to Omicron on its little level 1 nuke engines.
Great fantastic news. This will be my stronghold into Meklar territory for the rest of the game.
2412
Meklars offer peace. Probably after noticing my Omicron. This does *not* help them, unless they're facing a war somewhere else--and I happily oblige. Maybe that explains their quick unexpected retreat from Simius earlier? Or maybe they were scared of a bunch of buzz bombers =) Don't know.
2419
Stole Death spores from Silicoids. This could come in handy later. No diplomatic repricussions and I'm overjoyed. I play my hand too far though, and stole jammers too.
Uh oh. now I'm in trouble. They've withdrawn their ambassador. Time to hide. Heh. First time I notice Msshrans voted for me. They must've hated the silicoid rock'n'roll empire. Almost won, almost lost. Tie votes.
2475
After much much much consolidation, 14 votes in my favor, I can cast 10 votes, and there are only 33 total. Officially, I win. They recognize me as their superior... or at least hate me less than the other guy. I win.
Diplomatic victory for me.
Unofficially: I reloaded to come back and get revenge at the rock empire. They're in my face for too long... even though I'm the one who provoked them =) They were actually the nice guys to me for the longest time, and I couldn't believe their friendship. Nope nope. I'm paranoid at their personality. The post-game mop up saved game is in the works too.
All and all, this has been fun and I will finish reading the other AAR's eventually.
There you go Sirian, more data stew for the pot, Mix in what you will.
Although on higher levels, this would have been a reasonable amount...
h34r: