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I’ve played SMAC since it came out in 1999 but have never won by cornering the energy market – a huge oversight on my part. For some reason I thought this would be hard, and it was not in keeping with my eco-weenie Gaian tendencies.
I’m finishing a PBEM game as Morgan and had the joy of cornering the energy market, which is a very Morgan thing to do. It was ridiculously easy. I essentially bought every city on Chiron for about 8900 energy in MY2295 (and could have done it 20 years earlier). What gives? I know there is a 20 year lag time after cornering the market where your capital can be obliterated or taken and that this will invalidate this ‘win’, but that is not a question since I now have lots of ODPs up, Space Elevator (preventing across Planet drops), aerospace centers everywhere, and the best troops money can buy. Morgan Industries is a coastal base, but is protected by oodles of sea trawlers harvesting loads of energy. Anyone taking that route would be detected 20 sectors away. Also, I’m pacted with everyone (including the other PBEM player) except for the Hive, who in MY2302 is down to one base. What, me worry?
Anyway, regardless of my situation the energy required to ‘buy’ every city on Chiron is stupendously low. I generated this amount is about one year at Dem/Green/Knowl/Cyb by setting my economy to 80% energy (zeroing out labs), and keeping 20% to psych to keep my GA going. Usually hostile takeovers are hideously expensive, but I could have managed this amount of energy in any of my later Gaian games. Moreover, wouldn’t my loyal pactmates (including the lovely Dee, who has been pacted with me for over 100 years, even when I was FM) object to the hostile takeover? Apparently not – they all love me!!! I am Morgan – Giver Of Gifts, And All Around Good Guy!! Apparently everyone does have their price – (insert maniacal laugh here)!!
Hydro
P.S. – as a side note, this was the most amazing game I’ve every played as far as diplomacy goes – I was pacted with every faction except the Hive. I kept a seething Dee in line by copious gifts when I was FM (the trade along paid for the bribes, and later as Green), and with Aki as a submissive and Zak (when I converted from Wealth to Knowledge) and Lal (as Dem) my best buddies I was allied with everyone. Even the PBEM player (Spartans) were Pacted with me. Now, you may ask why would he do that? Simple – he was in a death struggle with the Hive, who had just absorbed the Peacekeepers (who I kept alive by gifting bases). He couldn’t build infrastructure and keep off the swarming hordes, so he came to me for loans and gifts – hence the Pact. It served both of us well, and the energy invested was a small price to pay. I could have let him slug it out, but that wouldn’t have been in character – it was an investment in peace (yes I know, that is a rather abstract concept for Morgan, but cut me some slack; I’m a Gaian at heart).
I’m finishing a PBEM game as Morgan and had the joy of cornering the energy market, which is a very Morgan thing to do. It was ridiculously easy. I essentially bought every city on Chiron for about 8900 energy in MY2295 (and could have done it 20 years earlier). What gives? I know there is a 20 year lag time after cornering the market where your capital can be obliterated or taken and that this will invalidate this ‘win’, but that is not a question since I now have lots of ODPs up, Space Elevator (preventing across Planet drops), aerospace centers everywhere, and the best troops money can buy. Morgan Industries is a coastal base, but is protected by oodles of sea trawlers harvesting loads of energy. Anyone taking that route would be detected 20 sectors away. Also, I’m pacted with everyone (including the other PBEM player) except for the Hive, who in MY2302 is down to one base. What, me worry?
Anyway, regardless of my situation the energy required to ‘buy’ every city on Chiron is stupendously low. I generated this amount is about one year at Dem/Green/Knowl/Cyb by setting my economy to 80% energy (zeroing out labs), and keeping 20% to psych to keep my GA going. Usually hostile takeovers are hideously expensive, but I could have managed this amount of energy in any of my later Gaian games. Moreover, wouldn’t my loyal pactmates (including the lovely Dee, who has been pacted with me for over 100 years, even when I was FM) object to the hostile takeover? Apparently not – they all love me!!! I am Morgan – Giver Of Gifts, And All Around Good Guy!! Apparently everyone does have their price – (insert maniacal laugh here)!!
Hydro
P.S. – as a side note, this was the most amazing game I’ve every played as far as diplomacy goes – I was pacted with every faction except the Hive. I kept a seething Dee in line by copious gifts when I was FM (the trade along paid for the bribes, and later as Green), and with Aki as a submissive and Zak (when I converted from Wealth to Knowledge) and Lal (as Dem) my best buddies I was allied with everyone. Even the PBEM player (Spartans) were Pacted with me. Now, you may ask why would he do that? Simple – he was in a death struggle with the Hive, who had just absorbed the Peacekeepers (who I kept alive by gifting bases). He couldn’t build infrastructure and keep off the swarming hordes, so he came to me for loans and gifts – hence the Pact. It served both of us well, and the energy invested was a small price to pay. I could have let him slug it out, but that wouldn’t have been in character – it was an investment in peace (yes I know, that is a rather abstract concept for Morgan, but cut me some slack; I’m a Gaian at heart).
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