Atrocities! (Why does nobody like me?)

[Mars_Col_44]

Alinestra,
I also noticed that these atrocities have lasting effects.
When I gassed Santiago's troops, it was a desperate situation (they had fusion when I did not). At the same time, I slapped some virus on Morgan since he kept invading. Now, they won't forget, won't surrender, even tho they will eventually lose. And these atrocities occurred so many years ago!
Geez. And Santiago was the one who suggested that we drop UN sanctions! Now we have reinstated the charter, and they won't forget. Man!

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Service means Citizenship. I'm doing my part!

[Adam_Smith]

I tried to get some free bases from my subs in SMACX v.2, because of the discussion here. I was Cha Dawn, and I forced submission from both Lal and Morgan early in the game. Neither one of them would give me any bases for free even after I threatened them. Lal sold me a newly founded base for 36 ec. I bought it, because it was a good deal. It was closer to my HQ than it was to his. Morgan wanted 200+ for his base. It was closer to his HQ than mine. I didn't buy it.

At any rate, I never tried to get bases from my subs before. Even if you can't get them for free it's a good idea to get some strategic bases for cheap. Thanx to bringing it to my attention.

[Alinestra Covelia]

Alternatively, you could just do what I sometimes do (usually to factions I trust and don't intend to betray):

Trade a reasonably nice sea or land base on the fringes of your empire, for a rival base near a trouble spot (either present, or planned ). Pile on the defences in that base, then launch an all out attack from there.

The enemy factions don't seem to count strategic locations as a major factor in a trade, so giving them a series of easily-isolatable bases can prove helpful. At the first sign of insurrection, recapturing those bases can be very easy indeed.

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Machines: outthinkable YES outfightable NO.
Men: outfightable YES outthinkable NO.
Allie Cove: outfallable INEVITABLY

Homepage http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk (Shared)

[Helium Pond]

Re: freeing leaders. In my current SMAX game, I freed Domai from Roze. I'd been reading this thread, so I looked around the map, searching for a new Drone city somewhere. I didn't see one.

So I gave him a base, and as soon as I did, I noticed a small Drone base way up near the north pole, in an area I hadn't explored before. It seems probable that his base had been there all along, but since I hadn't contacted him over the comm, he hadn't shared his map data with me, so I couldn't see it.

So, just some more data for the puzzle. By the way, I later Pacted with Roze, but was unable to get Domai to call off his own Vendetta against her. Seems like freed leaders have an unbreakable Vendetta against the faction that eradicated them. Can anyone else confirm this?

[Sinapus]

When you free a faction leader, they get a pod or two and some units and get set up somewhere on the map. Sometimes it takes them a few turns to find a spot they like and set up a new base.


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|"Anything I can do to help?" "Um. Short of dying? No, can't think of a |
| thing." -Morden, Vir. 'Interludes and Examinations' -Babylon 5

[Alinestra Covelia]

It is possible (this just struck me) that in my game, H'minee's base materialized somewhere near the Cybernetic Consciousness, who then crushed them the next turn.

Maybe I just never got to see it.

This is strange, because I thought that satellites revealed all bases to you anyway...

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Machines: outthinkable YES outfightable NO.
Men: outfightable YES outthinkable NO.
Allie Cove: outfallable INEVITABLY

Homepage http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk (Shared)

[Qualicide]

no PBs? we all know thats the REAL reason for repealing the charter dont we?

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http://thangorodrim.angband.org/angband.html (alright meybe i didnt make it)

[Alinestra Covelia]

Actually, I think PBs still make people hate you more. They just don't automatically all vendetta on you if the UN Charter is revoked. Certainly the factino you nuke hates you forever, and Planet seems to go berserk on you.

Anybody prove this either way?


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Machines: outthinkable YES outfightable NO.
Men: outfightable YES outthinkable NO.
Allie Cove: outfallable INEVITABLY

Homepage http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk (Shared)

[Adam_Smith]

I've only nuked a faction without repealing the UN Charter for fun. That is, I didn't think I had a chance in the game anymore so I just nuked someone and quit. I too would be interested to know if anyone has done this and won. I'm not talking about when you already have everything set to win, but at a time when the other factions are still contenders.

[stuntman19]

In one of my first games of regular smac I was the Hive and Lal was about twice as strong as i was. I had the PK's infiltrated and he was about to throw up a bunch of ODP's so I launched a wave of 4 PB's at all his major cities on the same turn. It was pretty fun as I had a treaty with PK's and several pacts with others and U.N. Charter was still in place so my integrity went to wicked,everyone turned on me and natives went berzurk. I ended up winning by conquest some years later, launching several more PB's. The biggest problem was handling the natives as eco-damage and global warming went crazy. Sorry to say I didn't save any of the files. Sorta wish I was as new to the game again as the AI never gets a big lead anymore.

[Qualicide]

i just nuke people for the fun of it...

[Fitz]

I bet you do Qual.

I've nuked factions several times and gone on to win the game, but usually it's a conquest of the few remaining enemy bases the turn after the nukes fly.

There's nothing quite like nuking 50 bases in one turn.

[Neptunus]

All this conversation makes me think about a Wonder in that (silly) CtP that eliminates all nukes in the world. That's the only point that CtP is better than SMAC. (And I was wondering all this time ... in what aspect may CtP be better than SMAC)...

[Alinestra Covelia]

Eh?

The Nanite Defuser?

No way! It had a stupid power, had absolutely $hite plotline behind it, and was quite obviously the designers sticking something in for the effect and not with due regard to the consequences!

If you have nanite technology, there must be many more things you can think of doing for the good of mankind than just targeting a few specific weapons. What about Jesuslike miracles of turning rocks into bread, or dust into water? How about things like cutting all mineral costs in half?

CtP's programmers weren't interested in making a realistic game, and it shows. They were just interested in making a game for players and not for thinkers. In the end, I am happy that finally people realize what a con CtP is and how lowbrow its gameplay. I was personally scandalized when I saw that Alpha Centauri was considered a mere "copy" of Civ, yet CtP was hailed as a "masterpiece of innovation".

An exercise in name-milking is what it really is.

Innovation, my arse.



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Machines: outthinkable YES outfightable NO.
Men: outfightable YES outthinkable NO.
Allie Cove: outfallable INEVITABLY

Homepage http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk (Shared)

[Neptunus]

AliCove Correct ! But you don't seem to get my point. Well, my copy of CtP is gathering dust somewhere in my PC room, with the most probable conclusion to become a really nice and practical tray for my coffee mug at the office, ... but my point was actually that I wished there were NO PBs in SMAC.

Using them just for the "cool" animation isn't something to be taken seriously (the animation itself makes me shiver).

Using it to wipe out a big and strong enemy base ... well ... what's more exhilarating than attacking the base with a dozen choppers and just walk in adding one more chunky base to your empire (what a waste if this was gone once and for all).

Using them to demoralize your enemy and force him to surrender... no way, you get all others turn against you...

Using it to put an end to the game... again that's no reason to use them. One can just quit...

So what's so thrilling using PBs ????????