Morgan

[Meister Flo]

This is the follow-up to Zakharov.... Open challenge for all of us to learn.
You are Morgan on the huge map of planet. Your goal: win the game as soon as possible. By transcending, planetary conquest, or an energy monopoly. It won't be easy; too much riff -raff made it to planet: The Drones, Chairman Yang, Sveensgard and Miriam are your fellow human factions. Last year two alien craft made a landing, too.
Start: 2106

drop me a line if you want the file:
wienerf@king.alfred.edu

[Meister Flo]

couldn't restrain myself from starting.

2150 stats, ok start (for being the CEO)

8 bases, 15 pop
7 tech, 19 research give breakthrus in 9
14-3 income
15 units active

2170, 20 years of zero growth due to drone and native life trouble on top of a *vastly* superior opponent. 15 of my units were destroyed. This game will be long and brutal.

11 bases, 21 pop
10 tech, 48 research give breakthrus in 7
43-7 income
24 active units
1 SP

[Velociryx]

Flo!!! You KNOW I gotta get in on this! In fact, this will be the very thing that is the catalyst for my finally just going on a continual quest until I FIND a copy of SMACX in this town!
-=Vel=-

[Capt Dizle]

I am doing a 10 day project that is going to take six weeks. Sigh.

I promised myself that I would not start another game until I finish. So...I'll have to start later. Good hunting.

[Meister Flo]

good hunting ?! Lol
my first attempt was terminated in 2187 with the loss of Morgan industries. What a pathetic performance ! The caretakers absolutely hosed me (win/loss record about 10-1 with the same weapons. They had the Nexus + their inherent combat bonus, i never wanted to use gas + poor SE choices on top). stooopid. REVENGE !
Learned three important lessons from my first SMAX game:
-the aliens are painfully strong starters
-they will *never* honor a truce, gas 'em while you can
-yea, clinging to FM/wealth to the bitter end falls under the category brainfart

Reboot, at 2150 again. Things look much better this time. Researched some conquer tech this time, and are establishing a defendable border.

Dale, whattabout a weekend session ?

[Meister Flo]

2nd and last try:
unbelievable that this is the same game. I almost fell for the dark charm of the ICS strategy (x+3, y+2 is that i'm aiming for city spacing. true ICS would be x+3, y+0 i believe, or slightly less) Its paying off.
Made the switches to Dem. and FM much later, after finished rec. commons, in fact, and haven't discovered Wealth in 2185. Built many more scouts (cashing in a grand total of 1 artifact, but some tech and good money via the wormhunt. And two unhappy Ogres which ended up as SP components )

2150 was:
10 bases, 17 pop
12 tech, discoveries in 15 with 25 research

2170:
15 bases, 32 pop
15 tech, discoveries in 9 with 80 research
only 6 unit losses, but 2 complete SP iirc

the surprise attack happened in 2174 and was easily repelled. I will postpone my counter-offensive till the advent of airpower and without the use of environmentally unfriendly nerve gas. In 2186 the first council elected the good CEO Wiener as its governor, so everything seems under control for now. (Its a good thing that the aliens are not interested in human politics, as H'minn (sp?)- Nemesis - has *3* times the next highest population.....)

[Fistandantilus]

Ok guys, since all my PBEMs are going at a glacial pace I'm gonna take this challenge.
Flo, if you can send me the file I'll show you and that GLOOM friend (Vel, this one is you ) how to play SMACX.

Fistandantilus
member Italian Team [1,0,0]

P.S. Flo, in case you forgot my e-mail is tencati@iol.it

[Meister Flo]

now 5 masochists have the file. I won't post my 2200 yet. (yes, i survived one century this time !). Blind Research makes it charming - haven't scored ind. auto in 2209 yet, but got adaptive economics just when energy banks were scheduled. Still have mineral and energy restrictions. Beatiful !

[Vi Vicdi]

Gimme! Morgan was my first Transcend Victory! I gotta play this!

I even made up a quote:

"You CAN take it with you!"
-- Planetmind CEO Nwabudike Morgan, Epilogue

[Vi Vicdi]

Game 1 goes to the AI's:

Everything was going fabulously 'til the Battle Ogre showed up ...

Game 2, MY 2136:

No one was more surprised than I was when, completely by accident, I took one of the Caretaker's bases, and in the throes of panic she offered me Truce, then, after the bribe of Industrial Economics tech I offered only with great pain, a Treaty.

I say by accident: I was looking for the Battle Ogre when I found the undefended base. I still don't believe what happened. And I still don't know where the Battle Ogre is. I just pray I've got something by the time she realizes I got lucky and sends it stomping through my bases like Godzilla.

To give you some idea of her awesome power, she's #1 AFTER losing the base!

[Fistandantilus]

Well, my first game is in 2230 and I'm not doing too bad. I'll post the stats for this and the previous saves later.

Sure as hell H'minee is a *****. I got a surprise attack in 2139 but managed to repel an attack force of three mind worms with armored formers (upgraded jit at an enormous cost for my royal coffers).
Actually a human oppenent would have trashed them easily but the AI does not understand the importance of timing and strategic positions (I had the time to heal the formers with a monolith betwenn the attacks ).

Nevertheless the early attack slowed my expansion and Domai 'The mute' (always refuses to speak with me) beated me to the Human Genome (THIS MAKES ME MAD!!!).
However I got the WP and the VW shortly after.

Around late '70 I was cranking out crawlers but still lacked Ethical Calculus!!!! My expansion ended about that time 'cause the Pirates were getting exited by my SE (Wealth) and landed on my continent. So I were squeezed between the Caretakers and the Pirates with lot of native worms lurking just outside my borders.
After this... well.. I'm not going to spoil my game that much now, stay tuned .

Fistandantilius
member Italian Team [1,0,0]

[Fistandantilus]

Wow, I cannot even insult an alien? ROTFL!
Next time I'll write in Italian so nobody can moderate me!

Fistandantilus (back to ACOL )

[Vi Vicdi]

2150: On-again, off-again (mostly on-again) war with Caretakers slowing expansion -- only 6 bases. Lost Caretaker base to massed 1-3r-1 infantry. Given the huge buildup of forces preceding this attack I knew it was coming.

Using probes during truce to steal tech. Renewed hostilities are inevitable anyway, so I might as well have 3-Res defenders when things get sour again.

Got Free Market 20 years ago, but have never had a chance to use it: H'minee likes to attack with native lifeforms.

I got the Weather Paradigm, but other factions got Genome, Cmd Nexus, & Merchant Exch, and I'll probably not get VW, either.

At least the Battle Ogre got banged up a little. I'm following it with a 1-2-2 Rover, to keep it ZoC-locked out of my territory.

I've got all the prerequisites for Industrial Automation, my research priority is set to "Build", and my fingers are crossed.

[Meister Flo]

Slow game. The energy restrictions hurts badly by now. The 30th base was established in 2228, size 3 thanks to the transit system.
So, the stage is set for treefarms and exponential growth, but the tech refuses to show up. Preliminary work (roads !) on the energy park has just begun (2228).
A breakthrough only every 5, + some minor contributions from my brother Ulrik. 2213 ind. auto was finally discovered, nothing useful since, even if my generals disagree.

Those mad scientists, on the brink to environmental economics, or at least airpower, made me the generous gift of *Silksteel Alloys* in 2227 ! The stockmarket crashed immediately after that.

The front holds regardless. The border city changed hands quite a bit due to heavy probe actions, and was almost destroyed a few times back in 2200ish. Finally the opponent went broke, and i gathered 3 probes in the town which hasn't seen any crisis since. I am attempting a counterattack on her weak underbelly right now to establish a base of air operations (soon to come....).

[Vi Vicdi]

Morgan Industries Centennial Report, MY 2200

Politics:
Integrity Noble, Might Sufficient, Planetary Council Votes 38

Drones: Truce / Seething
Believers: Truce / Seething
Pirates: Vendetta / Seething
Caretakers: Vendetta / Seething, Infiltrated

#1 Tech, Mil, Pop: Caretakers
#1 Wealth: Drones
#1 Territory: Myself
Overall: Caretakers, Pirates, Myself, Usurpers, Drones, Hive, Believers

Security Nexus:
Colony Pod 1 Prod, 2 Lost
Formers 12 Active, 5 Lost
Scout Patrol 2 Lost
Transport Foil 2 Prod
Supply Crawler 18 Active, 2 Prod, 1 Lost
Probe Team 9 Active, 2 Lost
Unity Rover 1 Lost
1/3r/1 2 Prod, 3 Lost
1/3r/2 11 Active, 2 Prod, 1 Lost
1/2/2 1 Active
Sea Former 1 Active, 2 Prod
4x/1/2: Prototyping; 3 turns remaining

38 Population in 12 Bases
Energy Reserve: 195 Net Income: 26

Breakthroughs Every 12 Years; Next Breakthrough in 4 Years

Explore: Doc:Mob, CntriEco, PrgnPsych, Doc:Flex, EthCalc
Discover: Biogen, InfoNet, PlaNet
Build: IndBase, SoclPsych, IndEcon, IndAuto
Conquer: AppPhys, NonlinMath, HiEnrChem, FldMod

Secret Projects:
The Weather Paradigm
The Planetary Transit System

Alpha Centauri Score: 208