Tweet
I just don't understand the way the other teams are treating us right now (MY 2193). They're simply being too nice. Let's see...we've attacked every single faction at least once. The average time in between attacks is about five years. 
We've broken treaties, asked nicely for them to be restored and promise to never do it again, and then done it again the first chance we got.
In a way, this game right now is a little like pre-World War II. We are Germany. Morgan is Britain. The Gaians are the U.S--a rising Great Power with a booming population. The Hive is the Soviet Union (thinking of it all in this way, it seems to me that it is even more imperative that we don't attack the Hive or the Gaians. Having threats on two fronts is baaaaaaad. We need to take out the Morganites first). The Data Angels are France--a former Great Power now battered from a previous war which is confined to purely defensive operations (the Maginot line).
Right now we are being appeased every step of the way. When the Gaian AI automatically declared vendetta when we attacked the Data Angels, the Gaians reinstated the treaty. When we probed Morgan for bioengineering, they reistated a treaty. What can the other teams possibly gain from such measures, in their minds? Are they thinking that, if they can just reach a certain threshhold in development, they will be secure and ready to out-build and out-research us into submission? Or are they quaking in their boots and are just trying to stave off a beating for a little longer? But surely, they know that as long as they operate under this paradigm and do nothing to prepare for a future confrontation (such as institute a militarization plan), they are putting us in a stronger position with each successive retreat on their part.
Right now for the other teams it must seem to them, "All we want is BioEng, we promise. This will be our last demand! Give us BioEng, or resist and possibly get killed." Then in six turns for the Gaians it will be, "Do not interfere with our liberation of Morgania, who have been threatening and provoking us. That is all we ask. You are too distant for us to even consider attacking. After we liberate Morgania and acquire the lebensraum that we need, there will be everlasting peace and a fulfilling journey towards transcendence for all of us." And if they do reinstate a treaty after that, I'll be flabbergasted. Surely they would figure out that the next thing they could expect from us would be that huge Morgania invasion force showing up on their shores and choose to resist us.
According to Derrick Jensen, the Jews who participated in the Warsaw Uprising had a higher rate of survival than those who didn't. Operating with this in mind, the other teams should have begun to jointly resist us at least when we attacked the Data Angels, if not earlier. If they had all declared war on us then, I wager they could have taken us out. But after the Morgan invasion, it may be too late.
So, why are they acting like this? My hypothesis: the no cooperative victory allowed. I believe that this is the number one factor with regards to why they don't band together wholeheartedly at this point. They are still worried about the aftermath of an anti-Sparta Grand Coalition. Each of them wants the other team to take the brunt of a Spartan invasion so that, if the Spartan invasion stalls like they probably hope, and it becomes a bloody stalemate which drains the economies of each side, then the team not involved can race ahead of the warring factions in terms of infrastructure, labs, etc. and snatch up the top spot.
The problem is, I think they underestimate our capabilities for rapid militarization rapid invasion, and thus taking out an entire faction in the matter of a few turns, leaving the remaining Great Power up a creek without a paddle. It is just as it was with Germany. Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union thought that Germany, if it got into a war with France, would wage a slow battle of attrition which would drain the economies and manpower of both nations, allowing the other Great Powers to swoop in and save the day at the most profitable moment. However, Germany crushed France in a matter of months, leaving Britain and especially the Soviet Union freaking out, considering that they were probably the next targets. I predict that, if our invasion of Morgania is successful, then the Gaians will find themselves in this exact same situation.
But then, in World War II, there was always the U.S. sitting back, ready to jump in and save the day if needed. Perhaps, then, we should watch out for the Hive, as Chairman Yang could play that same role. For instance, when we attack the Morganites, the Gaians, in addition to declaring war on us, could bribe the Hive to attack us as well. Therefore, I suggest that, even after we get our Morgania Invasion force ready in Laconia, we keep on building military units to deal with the Hive and the Gaians down the road, as well as to send reinforcements to Morgania as needed.
Regardless of how this all plays out, it's an interesting investigation of human psychology and sociology and of the way political entities in the real world interact with each other.
We've broken treaties, asked nicely for them to be restored and promise to never do it again, and then done it again the first chance we got. In a way, this game right now is a little like pre-World War II. We are Germany. Morgan is Britain. The Gaians are the U.S--a rising Great Power with a booming population. The Hive is the Soviet Union (thinking of it all in this way, it seems to me that it is even more imperative that we don't attack the Hive or the Gaians. Having threats on two fronts is baaaaaaad. We need to take out the Morganites first). The Data Angels are France--a former Great Power now battered from a previous war which is confined to purely defensive operations (the Maginot line).
Right now we are being appeased every step of the way. When the Gaian AI automatically declared vendetta when we attacked the Data Angels, the Gaians reinstated the treaty. When we probed Morgan for bioengineering, they reistated a treaty. What can the other teams possibly gain from such measures, in their minds? Are they thinking that, if they can just reach a certain threshhold in development, they will be secure and ready to out-build and out-research us into submission? Or are they quaking in their boots and are just trying to stave off a beating for a little longer? But surely, they know that as long as they operate under this paradigm and do nothing to prepare for a future confrontation (such as institute a militarization plan), they are putting us in a stronger position with each successive retreat on their part.
Right now for the other teams it must seem to them, "All we want is BioEng, we promise. This will be our last demand! Give us BioEng, or resist and possibly get killed." Then in six turns for the Gaians it will be, "Do not interfere with our liberation of Morgania, who have been threatening and provoking us. That is all we ask. You are too distant for us to even consider attacking. After we liberate Morgania and acquire the lebensraum that we need, there will be everlasting peace and a fulfilling journey towards transcendence for all of us." And if they do reinstate a treaty after that, I'll be flabbergasted. Surely they would figure out that the next thing they could expect from us would be that huge Morgania invasion force showing up on their shores and choose to resist us.
According to Derrick Jensen, the Jews who participated in the Warsaw Uprising had a higher rate of survival than those who didn't. Operating with this in mind, the other teams should have begun to jointly resist us at least when we attacked the Data Angels, if not earlier. If they had all declared war on us then, I wager they could have taken us out. But after the Morgan invasion, it may be too late.
So, why are they acting like this? My hypothesis: the no cooperative victory allowed. I believe that this is the number one factor with regards to why they don't band together wholeheartedly at this point. They are still worried about the aftermath of an anti-Sparta Grand Coalition. Each of them wants the other team to take the brunt of a Spartan invasion so that, if the Spartan invasion stalls like they probably hope, and it becomes a bloody stalemate which drains the economies of each side, then the team not involved can race ahead of the warring factions in terms of infrastructure, labs, etc. and snatch up the top spot.
The problem is, I think they underestimate our capabilities for rapid militarization rapid invasion, and thus taking out an entire faction in the matter of a few turns, leaving the remaining Great Power up a creek without a paddle. It is just as it was with Germany. Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union thought that Germany, if it got into a war with France, would wage a slow battle of attrition which would drain the economies and manpower of both nations, allowing the other Great Powers to swoop in and save the day at the most profitable moment. However, Germany crushed France in a matter of months, leaving Britain and especially the Soviet Union freaking out, considering that they were probably the next targets. I predict that, if our invasion of Morgania is successful, then the Gaians will find themselves in this exact same situation.
But then, in World War II, there was always the U.S. sitting back, ready to jump in and save the day if needed. Perhaps, then, we should watch out for the Hive, as Chairman Yang could play that same role. For instance, when we attack the Morganites, the Gaians, in addition to declaring war on us, could bribe the Hive to attack us as well. Therefore, I suggest that, even after we get our Morgania Invasion force ready in Laconia, we keep on building military units to deal with the Hive and the Gaians down the road, as well as to send reinforcements to Morgania as needed.
Regardless of how this all plays out, it's an interesting investigation of human psychology and sociology and of the way political entities in the real world interact with each other.
Poor things.
Comment