The Road to Victory – Spartans History

[Snowflake]

Kody and I discussed a little about the narrators' roles after I came back. And we decided that Kody would focus more on the IC stories and the newspapers, etc., while I would put some efforts on recording the team's history.

My plan is I will post a paragraph for each Spartans turn here, and then after receiving your comments and everything, I will bring it back to the CMN forum, encorporate it in the history thread which would include other teams. When time goes by and Spartans feel that the information consisted for certain years is not confidential to a certain team or all the teams any more, the history of the relevant years will be shared with the relevant teams.

I haven't been following the game play closely, so it would take me sometime to back construct the story. I'm very thankful that Googlie has started the turn reporting thread here. That would be mostly helpful. When I catch up with the game hopefully it will become easier for me.

I'm using IC format for the history so that it won't be too boring to read, also it won't be too identical with the turn reports. Please let me know if anybody has any objection or suggestions about any details in the writings. Also some years I will write more in details and others I will cover briefly.

I would also appreciate if somebody feels like to contribute a little to the writings or suggestions of ideas to cover important events.

[Snowflake]

This is what it means to be a Spartan. It's not the killing or the suffering that matters. It's the purity of focus, without fear of death or pain.

[Snowflake]

2101 Spartans

“Strange alien object found, sir!” Inside the headquarters of the Sparta Command, leader of the rover team Captain Zeiter reported to Lt. Colonel Maniac.

“What do we Spartans do when we find some strange enemy units?” Maniac asked, his eyes looking straight at Zeiter.

“Attack! Sir!”

Pleased with the answer, Maniac put his cigar back into his mouth. “Very well. You have your orders, Captain.” A wink appeared inside his eyes.

The initial days had been rather harsh following their crash landing in the new planet. They didn’t have much supply with them except the one unity rover, which he immediately dispatched out to explore their surroundings and to find more resources. But Maniac loved the excitement that an unfamiliar situation would bring to him. He glanced at the crimson colored fungus field just east of the headquarter. He would love to go into it and see what it was made of. Perhaps another day …

Rounds of bullets were splattered toward the strange looking black pod. It sat still without any indication of being damaged. It looks awfully like a unity pod, I would swear. Captain Zeiter thought to himself. I wish we were not trying to destroy something that were sent to ensure our very surviving. Zeiter shuddered at the thought of possible punishment that he could get if he made a stupid mistake. “Hold your fires!” He shouted.

Captain Zeiter stepped out of the rover and approached cautiously toward the object. “Boom!” A huge explosion was heard when his hand was about to touch it. Clouds of smokes enveloped everything. The soldiers looked at each other in shock, deciding whether they should try rescue the captain. Wild exclaims of Zeiter were heard from the thick clouds. There was something strange about his screams that prevented everybody else from rushing into the smokes in haste.

Five minutes later the smoke was diffused. Appeared in front of them was a strange gold brownish structure that was pointing toward the sky, and an ecstatic Zeiter who was dancing and singing in front of it. The soldiers shouted happily when they run to join their Captain.

Two hours later Lt. Colonel Maniac received a report through his quicklink. “Strange alien object turned out to be friendly. Construction materials unknown. Surroundings extremely rich of all resources. We are saved! Victory for the Spartans! We are moving out!” Maniac was baffled. This kind of high morality was rather unusual, even for a Spartan. He better send some people over to investigate that alien object. Perhaps he should even disperse more resources toward scientific researches. Understanding the planet was important, even for the Spartans. 60% should be quite sufficient …

[Snowflake]

I'm feeling so unfamiliar with the military spirit part of the Spartans. I would greatly appreciate any comment, corrections, and suggestions.

[Zeiter]

Sounds good so far.

Something I was wondering: Instead of just analyzing what was actually played, maybe we could also record in our history books the main points of debates and discussions on various decisons. For instance, we could mention the various proposals for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th bases, briefly summarize the discussions that took place, and finally explain what proposal was actually played. That way we could go back and look at our decisions after seeing the big picture and the whole scheme of things, and analyze if they were good decisions or not. I think this would increase the learning experience potential of this ACDG.

[Snowflake]

Yes, that is exactly what I'm looking for. I would appreciate some links to the posts where these kinds of discussions were taking place.

[Zeiter]

Well, so far most of the heavy discussion has taken place in the general game discussion thread. I know it's like 10 pages long, but it's all quality posting about strategy, no needless spam to waste your time. If you read through that thread, I think you'd have a good idea about things that have happened so far. The main points of discussion have been, off the top of my head:

*Do we build formers immediately, or wait?
*Do we build just CPs early on, or should we utilize our mobility advantage and also pay attention to pod popping and build some rovers too?*
*What do we research: doc:flex or something else?
*Where do we put our 3rd and 4th bases? (This actually garnered some rather heavy analysis, with Googlie putting together a color-coded proposal diagram.
*What do we research: applied physics or social psych?

Those are the things I can think of off the top of my head. Just reading the discussion thread will get you very acquainted with our Spartan history so far. Also looking at the map thread would give you a visual depiction of how our empire has grown. And if there's any other way I can help with this history of Sparta project, please let me know.

[Snowflake]

Exactly. Thanks!

As for ways to help well you can always write a few pieces that I can encoporate into the history record.

[Zeiter]

These are all of the threads with relevant strategy discussion:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=117564

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=119271

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118154

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118683

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118671

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3174148#post3174148

[Zeiter]

Here's a short, to-the-point summary on our first 3 years. I know you were planning on doing most of this in the form of an IC story, so I could elaborate or spice it up a little, although it is much easier and faster for me to do it this way, at least initially.

---

Upon landing on Planet with 2 CPs and 1 rover, the Spartan high command was already faced with the decision of where to found the first two bases, and where to explore with the rover. As the landing was situated on top of a large mountain range, it was generally agreed that the rover should head west, where it would encounter rainy terrain suitable for future bases. Two proposals were put forward for founding the first two bases: moving both apart in 2101 and planting both in 2102, or planting Sparta Command on the first turn, then moving the other CP away and founding the 2nd one in 2103.

Mostly everyone in the Spartan faction agreed on a general policy of close, 2-3 tile base spacing, which would not be in a rigid pattern, but which would be tweaked as needed. It was hoped that such close base spacing would translate into earlier and greater production, which, it was hoped, would help to offset the inherent Spartan industry penalty.

Finally, the decision was made to plant a base in 2101. There was a pod directly to the north, and planting the base, then popping the pod, would yield good results, which could be harvested immediately. It turned out to yield a monolith, much to the delight of everyone.

The other CP was moved to the north, where it encountered a river, and then to the west onto the river (see map). The CP was moved 2 more tiles along the river to separate it as much as possible from Sparta Command. The Spartans then founded their second base in 2103, named Santiago Citadel to honor their injured Colonel.

It was widely agreed that the first research assignment would be Centauri Ecology. It was thought that formers would be one of the first things to be built, although soon it was apparent that formers would not be immediately needed, as the surrounding terrain was already very productive, and needed little improvement.

Thus were the beginnings of the Spartan Empire.

Edit: Added the bit about picking Centauri Ecology as first research priority. Also added in base spacing policy.

[Snowflake]

Thanks so much Captain Zeiter! This is indeed very concise and valuable. I still need to rework it into the IC format that is consistent with what I wrote for the other factions, but the information consisted here is exactly what I need.

[Snowflake]

2102 Spartans

Lt. Colonel Maniac read again his report to Santiago. He knew that she would not read it any time soon. However he felt that he was looking forward to one day when he would hand it to her and be rewarded by her approving smiles that were so rarely seen by any Spartans.

Upon landing on Planet with two colony pods and a rover, the Spartan high command was already faced with the decision of where to found the first two bases, and where to explore with the rover. As the landing was situated on top of a large mountain range, it was generally agreed that the rover should head west, where it would encounter rainy terrain suitable for future bases. Two proposals were put forward for founding the first two bases: moving both apart in 2101 and planting both in 2102, or planting Sparta Command on the first turn, then moving the other CP away and founding the second base in 2103.

Mostly everyone in the Spartan faction agreed on a general policy of close, 2-3 tile base spacing, which would not be in a rigid pattern, but which would be tweaked as needed. It was hoped that such close base spacing would translate into earlier and greater production, which, it was hoped, would help to offset the inherent Spartan industry penalty.

Finally, the decision was made to plant a base in 2101. There was a pod directly to the north, and planting the base, then popping the pod, would yield good results, which could be harvested immediately. It turned out to yield a monolith, much to the delight of everyone.

A river was discovered to the north of the monolith. The R-112 CRV rover team was ordered to explore further down the river, and discovered mineral rich Garland Crater at the southwest end of the river. The second CP was moved toward the river.

It was widely agreed that the first research assignment would be Centauri Ecology. It was thought that formers would be one of the first things to be built, although soon it was apparent that formers would not be immediately needed, as the surrounding terrain was already very productive, and needed little improvement.

Maniac put down the report, making a mental note to himself that Captain Zeiter’s rover team should receive a promotion. He stepped out of the command center, into the darkness outside. The two moons, Nessus and Pholus, floated in the sky, overlooking the dark landscape. The night air delivered vague shouting of Spartan soldiers from the distance. A new rover team was being trained.

[Zeiter]

I hope this section isn't too brief, and I hope I didn't forget anything big. BTW, great job on integrating the last section into the IC format.

The Spartan Empire: 2104-2119.

Early on the Spartan high command decided to set energy allocations to 30% econ, 10% psych, and 60% labs in order to maximize early lab output. The 10% psych was thrown in so that less energy would be wasted due to inefficiency. This energy allocation setup continued for most of the early game. Because of this and labs from popped pods, the Spartans researched rather quickly in the early game, researching Centauri Ecology in 2104, Doctrine: Flexibilty in 2110, and Information Networks in 2118.

There was some debate concerning whether to first build scout patrols or scout rovers. The Spartan high command quickly came to a consensus that the extra movement point of the rover would be well worth the extra mineral row, as those extra moves would translate into:
*Increased pod-popping (and thus more goodies)
*Faster exploration
*Earlier contact with other factions.
Thus, scout rover production began immediately in both bases. Everyone agreed that rushing the rovers would give some turn advantage, as the rovers would be popping more pod goodies earlier, so both rovers were given rush payments, getting them built in 2104 and 2106.

Before many of the pods were popped, production in the nearest base was switched to a command center (if this could be done without retooling penalties). The hope was that there would be a materials pod, which would complete the command center. The command center could either be used to produce instant veteran troops, or it could be scrapped for 30 ECs. In MY 2107, the Spartans were fortunate enough to get a materials pod, and thus a completed command center in Santiago Citadel.

After building the two rovers (and getting the CC auto-completed) colony pods were designated as the next build priority in both bases. Many excellent future base sites were found. Buster Crater was soon explored, and it was agreed that a base needed to be built there as soon as possible in order to harness the +1 minerals per tile (as well as the +1 energy due to the river there). Some also wanted a base planted to the north on the Rio Grande delta. Others argued for a coastal base south of Santiago Citadel. Yet another option was pondered: building a base 2 tiles north of Sparta Command. A nutrient bonus was discovered NW of the crater, making the western crater tile an ideal spot. Everyone was also eager to get a gun foil out on the high seas as soon as possible. Thus, Gythium Harbor was built in 2115, and Sector Craterwest was built in 2118.

Early on, the Spartan high command received a transmission from the Pholus Lunar Outpost, notifying them of the coordinates of The Hive. According to the transmission, the Hive HQ was located some distance off to the southwest. It was rumored that one of the other factions had accidentally come across this information, which the PLO immediately demanded be shared with all factions. Nevertheless, with this new information, everyone agreed to make scouting in that direction a top priority.

The rovers were successful in killing several mind worm infestations during their scouting, and had earned the Spartans some ECs. The Spartans used the ECs to:
*rush the gun foil at Gythium Harbor, which was completed in 2118
*rush a former at Sector Craterwest, which was completed in 2119. This former would be used to forest the nutrient bonus, and to plant farms in the crater.

The Spartan military was extremely clever with its troop movements, planning paths for some of their rovers that would lead back to the cities before the cities reached size 2 and had drone riots. In several instances, the CP's were then rushed to completion with whatever ECs could be scrapped together, and the rovers could set out again after only staying 1 turn for drone control duty. Such tactics helped maximized early Spartan expansion, production, and exploration.

In 2118, the Spartans received another pleasant surprise: a Battle Ogre MK1. Everyone in the Spartan faction was extremely happy with the news.

As research on Info Networks neared completion, some debate arose over what the next research priority should be. Planetary networks would not be an available tech choice (due to the mod 3 rule), so many in the Spartan faction favored researching applied physics. It was thought that having laser weapons would help them bully, or if need be, conquer the other factions – especially Yang. Then, it would just be a short hop to nonlinear mathematics and impact weapons. Social psych was also discussed as a possibility, as that would set up a potential population boom beeline, and would eventually lead to some rather useful techs, like Intellectual Integrity (which would give the police and trained ability – very helpful to the Spartans). Questions were raised regarding the feasibility of a Hive invasion. Because of the perimeter defenses, Yang would be much more difficult to conquer, so it was argued that pursuing a weapons-oriented tech beeline would be of little use. However, the general consensus was that laser weapons would be nice to have. And, of course, Yang wasn’t the only potential target. With some transports, a sea borne invasion of laser or impact rovers targeting the other factions would become possible. In addition, it was thought that just the threat of laser or impact weapons would make the other factions more compliant with the Spartan Empire. Furthermore, a Hive invasion was never ruled out. Thus, applied physics was chosen as the next research priority.

As the year 2120 approached, the Spartan faction was off to a great start: it had 4 bases, 3 scout rovers (with a 4th to be completed next turn), a former, a gun foil (with another soon to be completed), and a Battle Ogre MK1. The Spartan faction was strong and firmly established on Planet, and everyone was greatly satisfied with the progress they had made. Now all eyes were turned to the southwest, where the Spartan high command expected to meet Yang at any point now…

[Snowflake]

2103 Spartans

Major GeneralTacticus straightened up and circled again, keeping his eyes fixed on his opponent, a young Spartan soldier. The young man panted heavily, shifting his weight back and forth on his two legs. Suddenly GT lunged forward, ducking his head and grabbing his opponent’s forward leg, shoving his opponent down onto the mat. He felt a hard blow to one shoulder, as if he had been hit with a sharp stone. The soldier squirmed fiercely under him, but GT quickly wrapped his arms and legs around his opponent, keeping close against his center of gravity. “Surrender, soldier!” GT shouted. “No!!!” The soldier screamed while violently trying to jab his elbows at GT.

GT held the young man in a submission hold tightly for a couple of minutes, feeling the body under him like a wild animal that was captured. He suddenly released the hold and sprung back. “Get him away!” The young soldier lunged toward him with hot red eyes when two soldiers came and grabbed his arms, dragging him away.

He’d make a fine soldier. GT wiped his sweat with a white towel. A messenger came in and saluted, “Lt. Colonel Maniac is here and he wanted to see all the officers, Sir!” GT nodded. What is Maniac doing here in Santiago Citadel? He frowned.

“Thunder!” The guard shouted to GT. “Lightning.” GT answered.

“Major GeneralTacticus.” The guard saluted and GT casually signaled back. He went in the temporary hub that was used as the command center for the newly founded base. Major Jamski, Major Skanky Burns, Major Googlie and Lt. Commander Dissident were already there.

“I don't amwat to talk allt ahtz, But what wis ther quickest way to getot IMOACR WARPIN!? Thasts wahapt er wanrt! thane we can co anc give the ozerh tofactions a gpod KILIBN!” Jamski spoke with a square bottle of xenobrew in his hand.

Maniac dismissed Jamski’s rambling and turned into GT. “We are planning the next research direction. What is your thought on what we should be doing after we get Centauri Ecology next year?”

GT quickly calculated in his mind. “The Spartans have never focused on scientific research before. Our scientists need time to improve themselves. In the mean time, I’m confident that there would be other factions that have survived the planet fall. I suggest that after we have researched CentEcol we first research Doctrine: Flexibility. We already have the prerequisite tech Doctrine: Mobility, so it shouldn't take too long. Then when we get DocFlex, we should build some gun foils. Their task should be to explore and find other factions. If they are friendly to us, they'll hopefully be willing to trade the prerequisites of IndAut to us in exchange for the valuable tech of DocFlex, and we won't be left behind.”

Maniac nodded approvingly, “Just in case they refuse to trade though, probably after we get DocFlex we'd better start researching to PlaNets ourselves, so that if necessary we can build probes to obtain IndAut by other means.”

“Good point,” interjected Lt. Commander Dissident, “If we have any serious desires to attack another faction, nonlinear mathematics is a must.” He waved his right hand to emphasis his point.

The room fell to a moment of silence when everybody was considering this serious proposal. “Hmmm, I don't think we are really in a position yet to take on anybody. I would go with Maniac's tech beeline, so my vote for next tech would go to Social Psych.” Major Skanky Burns pondered.

“Not Social Psych,” Major Googlie corrected, “We are going to get Centauri Ecology next year, and will switch to Doc Flex, then beeline to Planetary Networks thereafter.”

“It’s decided, then.” Maniac stood up and looked at the majors in the eye, reinforcing his authority. “Meeting adjourned.”

[Snowflake]

I have to borrow some wordings from somewhere. And still I lack the words to describe the brave Spartans behavior. Like how one salutes and such. Please whoever read this, be kind to point out any changes that could make it read better.