ACDG4 Game One: The Sword of the Righteous

[vyeh]

I'm considering the following set of moves, but I'm still trying to value the benefits of rushing.

Diplomacy:
(1) Contact Gaians. Sell Industrial Base for 25 ec.

(2) Contact Hive. Sell Planetary Networks for 25 ec. Take loan of 44 ec for repayment of 1 ec/yr for 57 years.

(3) Rush build the colony pods at Sheng-ji Yang Base for 60 ec and at UN Headquarters for 44 ec.

[vyeh]

Posted 2302 2nd mid-turn save.

Notes:
(Damage may include pre-existing damage.)
#1
(1) O attacks Spartan PT (2304-5), O remains 20% dam.
(2) CBU attacks Spartan stack 2 sq. W, Spartan II 30% dam., Spartan TT 20% dam.
Tactical situation around #1:


#2
(3) II - SotR MW (27-10), II 20% dam., promoted to Veteran.
(4) II - SotR synth police (9-2), II 20% dam.
(5) TT - SotR TT (18-5), TT 20% dam., promoted to Veteran.
(6) O - Morgan scout patrol (64-15), O 50% dam.
(7) TT - Morgan IR (hasty 48-21), TT 40% dam.

Working Man Hold (2 sq. W)
(8) 10% O - SotR TT (81-40), O 30% dam. and promoted to Veteran, SotR TT 50% dam. and disengages 1 sq. S.

After moving O's and TT's 1 sq. S,
(9) II - Uni PR (9-2), II 20% dam., SotR TT 80% dam., Uni IR 30% dam.
(10) 70% dam. O - Uni IR (33-14), O remains 70% dam., SotR TT also destroyed.

Working Man Hold (bunker)
(11) Hardened CBU - SotR/Uni stack adjacent to monolith, SotR II 0% dam., Uni TT 50% dam., Uni TT 10% dam.
(12) Hardened CBU - same stack, SotR II 10% dam., Uni TT 50% dam., Uni TT 40% dam.
(13) Disciplined CBU - SotR stack 2 sq. SE of bunker, PR 40% dam., PT 90% dam., PR 30% dam.
(14) 40% dam. O - Uni IR adjacent to bunker (2-1), O 40% dam., IR 60% dam. and disengages 1 sq. S.
(15) Hardened CBU - SotR/Uni stack 2 sq. S, Uni IR 90% dam., Uni II 10% dam., SotR II 50% dam.

Working Man Hold (monolith S of base)
(16) 30% dam. O - 10% dam. SotR II (35-27), O 70% dam., Uni TT 80% dam., Uni TT 70% dam.
(17) 40% dam. O - 70% dam. Uni TT (3-1), O 70% dam., other Uni TT also destroyed.
(18) CBU - Uni II 2 sq. SE of monolith, Uni II 20% dam.

Tactical situation around Working Man Hold:


Proposed moves:
#1
(1) Load O onto TT and move back to #1.
(2) Upgrade synth police on monolith.

#2
(3) Bombard Morgan Energy Monopoly with CBU. Intent: Keep defenders from healing.
(4) End turn of intel.

Great Clustering
(5) Found base with CP on (42,30).

Worker's Nest
(6) End turn of scout.

Plex Anthill
(7) Found base with CP on (43,41).

Working Man Hold (2 sq. W)
(8) Load 20% damaged O onto intel and return to base (1 mp). Unload O.

Working Man Hold
(9) Move intel with mp remaining to base at (43,41) and end turn of intel. Intent: Garrison new base.

If there are no comments within 24 hours, I'll implement the proposed moves and post a mid-turn save.

[vyeh]

Posted 2302 3rd mid-turn save.

Notes:

Tactical situation around #1:


#2
(1) CBU - Morgan Energy Monopoly, SotR PR 50% damaged, SotR PR 50% damaged, SotR IR 50% damaged, SotR IR 50% damaged, SotR PT 50% damaged, Morgan PT 50% damaged.

Our bases:

Great Clustering
(2) U.N. Humanity Base founded in 2302 at (42,30). 1 excess nut/3 excess min/3 excess energy (1 ec/2 labs).

Plex Anthill
(3) U.N Information Agency founded in 2302 at (43,41). 2/4/4 (2/2).

Proposed moves:

Great Clustering
(1) Set production to scout patrol.

Diplomacy:
(2) Contact Gaians. Sell Industrial Base for 25 ec.

(3) Contact Hive. Sell Planetary Networks for 25 ec. Take loan of 44 ec for repayment of 1 ec/yr for 57 years.

(4) Rush build the colony pods at Sheng-ji Yang Base for 60 ec and at UN Headquarters for 44 ec.

If there are no comments within 24 hours, I'll implement the proposed moves and post a mid-turn save.

[vyeh]

Posted 2302 end turn save.

We will discover Industrial Economics before the next turn. I'll select Industrial Automation.

Remember, because I'm using a Mac, the only time for someone to take over from me is at the end of a turn.

If there are no comments within 24 hours, I'll end the turn and post an initial 2303 save (after activating all the CBU's).

[vyeh]

Posted 2303 (initial) save.

Notes:
Faction dominance

(1) We discover Industrial Economics, which has increased our commerce rate from 1 to 2 and our commerce income from 0 to 2 ec/turn. We currently have 16 ec and are producing 17 ec/turn. (For some reason, probably because Industrial Economics was discovered midway through the resolution of each base, the information screen initially says 15 ec/turn. After you cycle through our bases, it then registers 17 ec/turn.)

(2) Out of a choice of Doctrine: Mobility, Centauri Ecology, Polymorphic Software, Social Psych, Industrial Automation and Applied Physics, we chose Industrial Automation. The cost to research Industrial Automation is 96 labs. We have 8 accumulated and are producing 25 labs/turn.

(3) We produced 2 CP and 3 scout patrols this turn.

(4) The Gaians have 21 ec. Their commerce income has also increased from 0 to 2 ec/turn. They are now producing 11 ec/turn.

(5) The Gaians are scheduled to acquire Centauri Ecology next turn. They will require 66 labs, have 52 labs accumulated and are producing 15 labs/turn. Since the end of the last turn, they have gained Applied Physics.

(6) The Gaians have produced 2 gun foils this turn.

(7) The Hive has gone from Police State to Police State Planned.

(8) The Hive has 127 ec. Their commerce income has increased from 0 to 1 ec/turn. They are now producing 19 ec/turn.

(9) The Hive is scheduled to acquire Industrial Economics next turn.

(10) The Hive has produced an IR, a laser infantry(LI) and a synthmetal sentinel(SS). It has lost a PT and a synth police.

(11) The SotR has gone from Planned to Fundamentalist Planned. This means their probe rating is +3, and we can no longer subvert units.

(12) The SotR has 725 ec. Their income has increased from 24 ec/turn to 25 ec/turn due to a worker in The Holy Fire moving from a 2-2-2 forest tile to a 2-2-3 forest energy bonus tile. They're still getting plenty of commerce income.

(13) They were scheduled to acquire High Energy Chemistry in 3 turns. They acquired High Energy Chemistry and Doctrine: Flexibility. They haven't chosen a new tech to research. They will require 140 labs to acquire that tech, have 52 labs accumulated and are producing 32 labs/turn. They will acquire another tech in 3 turns.

(14) The SotR has produced an II, an IR, an impact squad (IS) and 2 SS. They've lost an II, a scout patrol, a PT and 2 PR. They apparently converted an AA into a tech.

(15) Although our ec and lab production is still less than the Hive and SotR, it has increased dramatically since we adopted an ICS strategy. Initially (2299), we were producing 3 ec and 11 labs. In 2300, the numbers were 8 and 14 (due in large part to founding a 4 pop UN Headquarters with a HQ). 2301: 9, 16 (captured Sheng-ji Yang Base). 2302 (beginning): 11, 21 (founded 2 bases, captured Working Man Hold). 2303: 17, 25 (founded 2 more bases, commerce income increased). This shows the value of ICS (even at the cost of selling techs and taking out loans) and the value of focusing our research (the quick discovery of Industrial Economics).

(16) The SotR can produce II (4-2-1) and IR (4-1-2) for 12 mins, which is only slightly more than the 10 mins it costs us to produce a scout patrol.

World map

(17) wild MW destroys Hive synth police, MW 90% dam.

(18) wild MW destroys Uni scout patrol, MW 20 dam.

#1 tactical situation


(19) (* = shown above, all coordinates relative to #1) 1 sq. SE: Hive scout patrol*. 2 sq. NE: Hive CP*. 2 sq. NW of #1: Hive scout patrol*. 2 sq. W by NW: SotR PT*, PR. 2 sq. W: Spartan TT*, PR, IR, II (30% dam.). 2 sq, W by NE: SotR TT*, IR, IR. 2 sq. NW: SotR IR*, TT; Spartan II, TT (20% dam.)

#2 tactical situation


(20) (all coordinates relative to our units) 1 sq, E: Morgan Energy Monopoly*; 2 SotR PR (both 50% dam.), 2 IR (both 50% dam.), PT (50% dam.); Morgan scout patrol, PT (50% dam.). 1 sq. NE: Morgan scout patrol*. 1 sq. W: Hive synth police*. 2 sq, W: H PT* (sentry/load transport), PR. 2 sq. SW: Hive AA*. 2 sq. S by SW: Hive scout patrol*. Since there is no reason for the Hive PT 2 sq. W to be standing sentry, this suggests that the PR, unlike the Unity Rover, has transport capability!

Southern tactical situation

(21) Hive PT near bunker destroys 90% dam. SotR PT, no dam.

(22) SotR TT destroys Hive PT near bunker, no dam.

(23) Two CBU's in bunker destroy 2 SotR PR's, both 50% dam.

(24) SotR destroys forest near Working Man Hold.

(25) 2 sq. SE of bunker on magrail: SotR TT*.

(26) (all coordinates relative to monolith S of WMH) 1 sq. E (and also 2 sq. S by SW of the bunker): Uni II* (20% dam.). 2 sq. SE: SotR II* (50% dam.), Uni IR (90% dam.). 2 sq. S by SE: Uni synth police*. 2 sq. S: Uni PT*, Uni PR. 2 sq. S by SW: 2 SotR synth police*; Uni IR (50% dam.).

[vyeh]

I see someone has downloaded the 2302 end save and the 2303 save. Please note that I I've edited the preceding post.

I have been adding screen shots to old posts and changing the screen shots from full size pics to "thumbnails." The intent of both of these actions is to make it easier for new comers to catch up. I joined ACDGIII late, so I sympathize with the problems faced by someone trying to catch up.

The screen shots make it easier to understand what is going on without downloading saved turns. The thumbnails make the thread faster to download.

[Mead]

Sorry about being out of touch for a while.

RL happens.

Let me read what's happening and catch up.


Mead

[vyeh]

Originally posted by Mead
Sorry about being out of touch for a while.

RL happens.

Let me read what's happening and catch up.

Glad to hear from you. I was wondering, with the maps for the locations of every base except the Spartan bases, if you know anything more from your misadventure with the scenario editor.

[vyeh]

Proposed moves:
#1: Load CBU, O onto intel, TT and move 1 sq. W (1 mp). Unload CBU, O.

#2: Attack Morgan Energy Monopoly, starting with the units with the best odds.

Working Man Hold:
(2 sq. W.) Load O, II onto TT's and move to base (2 mp). Unload. Move 70% dam. O, II to monolith next to Plex Anthill (1 mp) and repair.
(base) Load 30% dam. O onto intel. Move to bunker (0 mp). Move 2 sq. NE (2/3 mp), 1 sq. E (1/3 mp). Intent: Check to see if any enemy units are trying to sneak up the eastern flank like they did the western flank.
(bunker) Fire undamaged hardened CBU at TT 2 sq. SE. Move remaining units to monolith next to Plex Anthill (1 mp) and repair or upgrade.
(monolith 2 sq. S by SE) Attack Uni II with TT homed to Worker's Nest. Repair O's. Load veteran O and CBU onto the two TT's that didn't fire and move into the bunker SE of monolith. Unload O and CBU.

Plex Anthill: Load O on monolith onto elite intel and move into base (1/3 mp). Unload O. Move elite intel to UN Headquarters (2/3 mp), load CP, move to (42,24) (2 mp), unload CP and found a new base. (In the screen shot below, it is the highlighted square.) Intent: This pushes the border with the Hive north. Because we are pacted with the Hive, we can't create bases in their territory. By creating a base just this side of the border, we push their territory back. In the next turn, we can use the elite intel to infiltrate the Hive. It will then return to this new base and, in a subsequent turn, be moved to #2 to infiltrate Morgan.


Sheng-ji Yang Base: Move the CP to Worker's Nest (2/3 mp).

UN Headquarters: Move the intel to Worker's Nest (2/3 mp), load the CP, move to the square 2 sq. SE of Worker's Nest (1 1/3 mp), unload CP and found a new base. (In the screen shot below, it is the highlighted square.)


If there are no comments within 24 hours, I'll implement and post a mid-turn save.

[vyeh]

Posted 2303 1st mid-turn save.

Notes:
#1


#2

(1) Veteran II - Morgan scout patrol, 16-5 odds, II 40% dam. Hardened II - SotR PR, 36-5, II 20% dam. O - SotR PR, 5-1, O 50% dam. TT - SotR IR, 24-5, TT 40% dam. Synth police - SotR IR, 9-4, synth police 40% dam. and promoted to veteran, SotR PT, Morgan PT and Morgan Energy Monopoly also destroyed.

PK bases

(2) U.N Equality Village founded.


(3) U.N. Planning Authority founded.

(bunker)
(4) 30% O and intel on scouting mission west of base had to stop when they encountered a Uni PT, Uni PR.

(5) Hardened CBU - SotR TT, TT 20% dam.

(monolith S of base)
(6) TT - Uni II, 15-8, TT 20% dam.

Proposed moves:
#1: O attacks stack 1 sq. NW. CBU attacks stack 1 sq W. Load O, CBU onto TT, intel move to #1 (1 mp), and unload. Skip turn of synth police.
#2: Using intel, TT, move 50% dam. O, 40% dam. II, and 40% dam. synth police along river 1 sq. W. End turn of TT. Move CBU along river 1 sq. W (2/3 mp) and attack Morgan scout patrol.
Plex Anthill: Move intel to monolith (1/3 mp), load O, move to base (1/3 mp), unload O, move intel to monolith (1/3 mp), load CBU move to bunker (2/3 mp), and unload CBU.
UN Information Agency: Move intel to monolith (2/3 mp), load CBU, move to Plex Anthill (1/3 mp), unload CBU, move intel to monolith (1/3 mp), load II, move to UN Information Agency (2/3 mp) and unload II.
Working Man Hold:
(monolith S of base) Load O onto TT, move to bunker SE (1 mp) and unload O. CBU attacks Uni/SotR stack 2 sq. SW.
(2 sq. NE of bunker) Unload O. O attacks Uni stack. Load O onto intel and move to bunker (2/3 mp).

If there are no comments within 24 hours, I'll implement and post a mid-turn save.

[Flubber]

Looking very interesting-- If you see the turn downloaded later it will probably just be me-- I might actually play it out fom your start. Since you didn't get expelled from the HIve lands on turn one, it of course changed very very quickly from my experience

[vyeh]

Posted 2303 2nd mid-turn save.

Notes:
#1

(1) O-SotR PR, 12-5, O 50% dam., SotR PT also destroyed.
(2) CBU-stack 1 sq. W, TT 20% dam., PR 20% dam., IR 20% dam., II 50% dam.

#2

(3) CBU-Morgan scout patrol, Morgan scout patrol 30% dam.

Working Man Hold

(monolith S of base) CBU-Uni/SotR stack 2 sq. SW, Uni IR 60% dam., SotR synth police 30% dam., SotR synth police 0% dam.
(2 sq. NE of bunker) O-Uni PR, 7-2, O 40% dam., Uni PT also destroyed.

Proposed moves:
Working Man Hold: (bunker) Move intel with 1/3 mp remaining to Working Man Hold and end turn of intel. Unload O. Move intel with 2/3 mp remaining to Plex Anthill (2/3 mp).

UN Information Agency: Move scout patrol to monolith next to Plex Anthill and upgrade. Intent: Will move to UN Planetary Trust next move. Set production to recycling tank (RT).

UN Planetary Authority: Set production to RT.

Sheng-ji Yang Base: Hold scout patrol. Set production to RT.

Worker's Nest: Move scout patrol home to Worker's Nest to UN Education Agency, re-home, and hold scout patrol. Hold other scout patrol.

UN Humanity Base: Hold scout patrol. Set production to RT.

UN Education Authority: Set production to RT.

Great Clustering: Hold scout patrol. Set production to colony pod.

UN Planetary Trust: Set production to RT. Move worker from 1-2-1 bonus mineral river square to 1-2-1 forest square with progenitor pod.

UN Headquarters: Move worker from 2-1-0 rainy rolling square to 1-2-1 bonus mineral river square.

Diplomacy: Contact Hive and sell Industrial Economics for 50 ec.

Plex Anthill: Move synth police to bunker 2 sq. E of Working Man Hold (2/3 mp) and end turn of synth police. Rush build colony pod for 44 ec.

If there are no comments within 24 hours, I'll implement and post an end turn save.

[vyeh]

Between taking screen shots and editing old entries, it has been awhile since I've discussed strategy.

Technology: There is a post by Maniac in the AC Creation | Civ4-Alpha Centauri forum http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showt...10#post4661510 The pertinent part is

Originally posted by Maniac
This condition isn’t met at all in the original SMAC tech tree. There it is always best to research towards the Industrial Automation, Environmental Economics and Doctrine: Air Power b-lines. Most of the goodies are concentrated there, so the rest of the tech tree is neglected until the three aforementioned tech goals are reached. People often even refuse to trade for some techs because the tech cost increase outweighs the benefits some tech gives.

We expect to discover Industrial Automation in 3 turns (the lab production from the two new bases reduced the time needed from 4 turns to 3 turns). While Gene Splicing (which requires Ethical Calculus and Social Psych) is not going to be very helpful (we don't have any rainy farm squares), Ecological Engineering (which requires Gene Splicing and Centauri Ecology) will be helpful (we have rocky mine road squares and increasing our industrial production is helpful. Environmental Economics, which requires Ecological Engineering and Industrial Economics is not so helpful (we don't have any non-bonus squares producing more than 2 energy. Doctrine: Air Power requires Doctrine: Flexibility (which Lady Haliburt keeps trying to trade to us) and Synthetic Fossil Fuels, which requires Gene Splicing and High Energy Chemistry, which requires Applied Physics and Industrial Base. Besides needlejets, Doctrine: Air Power also gives us the SP88 unit (6-3-2, costs 30 mins). Synthetic Fossil Fuel gives us the Troop Transport Mk2 (6-3-2, cargo 2, 130 mins). Obviously, needlejets and a cheap land unit more powerful than what we currently have would be highly advantageous if we had them and the SotR didn't. Conversely, we would be in big trouble if the SotR had needlejets and the SP88 and we didn't.

Probe team action: Use the elite intel unit at UN Equality Village to infiltrate the Hive (Mead has wanted this since the beginning). On subsequent turns, it will transport the colony pod produced at Plex Anthill and transported to UN Equality Village by another intel via airdrop to the site of the destroyed Morgan Energy Monopoly. Then the intel will probe Morgan (either steal technology or drain energy reserve). Later it can be used to bring reinforcement to #1 and probe the Spartans. Of course, we will probe the Uni's.

Diplomacy: Trade for Doctrine: Flexiblity with the Gaians. Get some more ec's.

#1: Defend at #1, until all SotR/Spartan attackers are destroyed, then move into Spartan territory.

#2: Repair units at #2, then move back into Morgan territory. Build forward base at the site of the destroyed Morgan Energy Monopoly, then methodically reduce Morgan, base by base.

South: Take Uni base at choke point. Once we take the next choke point, we have a variety of choices:
(1) Reduce Uni, base by base.
(2) Drive to SotR eastward.
(3) Drive to SotR westward.
(4) Split forces and do a combination of two or all three of the above.

[vyeh]

Posted 2303 end turn save.

Notes:

PK territory:


Current world map:

(1) Hive - Noncommittal
"Ah, Brother Lal the humane ...
"I will of course speak with you,Pact Brother, but please hurry for I have little time.
"Pact Brother, I am now uploading my most recent world map ...
"Sister Joan d'Arc ... have pressed Vendetta ... . I implore you to send assistance, as my back is to the wall.
"Have you any further business?"

"I have a proposal to make."

"Very well, what do you desire from me?"

"I have urgent need of energy credits."

"I see. And what do you offer in return?"

"Some of my valuable research data, perhaps?"

"Hmm ... I could certainly benefit from Industrial Economics (B2) if the price where right. How would 50 energy credits strike you?"

"Transmit information on Industrial Economics (B2)."

"Have you any further business?"

"I believe we are finished here. Lal out."

If there are no comments in 24 hours, I'll hit end turn and post a 2304 (initial) save.

[Hercules]

No comment at this stage but I hope to take a look in later.