Lal

[Ersatzflo]

please post progress reports, taunts and random thoughts regarding the ongoing Lal challenge.

[mark13]

continued from previous thread....
Log no. 4 - Brother Mark of the Peacekeepers:

2210: First behemoth class rover rolls off the production lines
2211: Thought about probing Marr for tech - but thought better of it - he is just too close to me at the moment....
2213: U.N. Planetary trust founded as a size 3 base, just to the south of the HQ on a bit of raised land.
2214: The Believers have been eradicated - down to six factions. Yang has a 6-strong Laser stack on my border - no match against my 7-strong Impacts.
Planetary Energy Grid initiatedat U.N. Health Authority - ETA 15 turns if everyone pulls together...
2216: Mass upgrade of all Scout Skirmishers (1-2-2) to the new Trance Plasma Skirmisher (1-3t-2)
2218: Tech! Intellectual Integrity - probed from University.
Hive has impact weapons.....
2219: Tech! Doctrine: Initiative. Oh joy.
2222: Planetary Energy Grid completed - so much for 15 turns - LOL
2223: Maritime Control Centre begun at U.N. HQ - ETA 12 turns-ish
2224: Tech! Gene Splicing - traded with Yang for adaptive economics - it's one step closer to EnvEco....
2225: Marr demands 150 credits - not a huge ransom, and I'm not prepared to risk another war - I accept....

Status report - M.Y. 2225:
Security Nexus:
1 Scout Patrol - no idea where
1 Battle Ogre Mk1
8 Impact Rovers (4-1-2)
5 Impact Infantries (4-3-1)
2 Trance Plasma Sentinels (1-3t-1)
3 Behemoth Class Rovers (4-3-2)
10 Trance Plasma Skirmishers (1-3t-2)
2 Empath 3-Res Hoverboats (1e-3r-4)
2 Skimship Probes

The state of our economy:
Income: 130/yr
Maintenance: 42yr

Laboratory status:
Researching Ecological Engineering
Techs in 10, next in 4

SPs:
Virtual World, Human Genome Project, Weather Paradigm, Planetary Transit System, Planetary Energy Grid.
Hive has Command Nexus,
Usurpers have Merchant Exchange.

Score breakdown:
Population: 57
Technology: 23
Commerce: 27
Secret Projects: 125

Score: 232
Running Demo/FM/Survival at 50/0/50

Power chart:
Peacekeepers
Caretakers at 4/5
Hive at 3/5
Usurpers also at 3/5
Pirates at just over 1/2
University at 1/2
Believers eradicated.

A few thoughts:
must lift the energy restrictions. First and foremost, that is the main aim of the next 15 or so years. I have sloars and echelon mirrors everywhere. Any SPs I could grab along the way would be nice, of course. Expansion efforts are going slightly behind schedule, as enemy waters are hampering my land-raising efforts.

Diplomatically, things are interesting. Svensgaard is p***ed of at me for whatever reason, and Yang doesn't particularly like me, but is aware of my inherent military superiority.

The aliens are hostile, to say the least, but I would regard my bases as well defended enough to cope with such a threat.

[Capt Dizle]

M.Y. 2235

I am not doing badly for a guy who hasn't played in a long time. I set up 12 bases, well, one was the Hive captured from my submisssive pactmate. I have perfected 10 of those to the point of having tree farms built. Pop boomed and everything was looking okay.

Then all hell broke loose. Swen, the knave, decided to join with the bug eyed monsters to eliminate civilization as we know it.

I just happened to be ready to research SFF and started to mobilize. Followed up by researching DAP.

Have taken 11 Pirate bases and one of Miram's as well.

I will have chaos weapons shortly. Building hybrid forests in the interim. Since the aliens have only 3r defenders, I think that I might make some headway with them after I finish the subhumans.

Tech is coming every three turns. Running Dem/Green/Knowledge at 10/90. I have set all of the captured bases to stockpile energy. PEG gives a nice boost.

Life is good on Chiron.

jt

ps...

Alpha Centauri Score

Pop 196
Commerce 25
Tech 30
Secret Projects 200
Total 451

[This message has been edited by jimmytrick (edited November 14, 2000).]

[WhiteElephants]

Here's a brief 2200 update:

9 bases 63 pop (and rising)
18 total techs
133 tech points per turn
new tech in 8
Synthetic Fossil Fuels next turn
32 energy credits per turn
pact with Zak and Sven
Vendetta with Yang, Mirium, and the Caretakers
No sign of the Usurpers yet
I hold the Planetary Gov.

I opted to end expansion at 9 bases and go for more infrastructure. This could be my downfall, but my original plan was to take Yang's bases out from under him. Unfortunately, Yang had High Energy Chemistry against my Impact Weapons. I'm going to get Synthetic Fossil Fuels next turn and make my way to Doctrine Air Power to put some hurt on Yang. I see his demise in the near future.

The reason I decided from the beginning that Yang must die was because I knew I'd be running Demo and Yang is just relentless anyhow. I also like the lay out of his continent. Nice special resources. I to tried to get a base on the energy ridge, but only managed to plan one on the isthmus that connects both our continents. Yang has massed several troops on two seperate occasions to attack this base and was severly beaten down. I lost one plasma garrison to his 15 odd units.

I haven't run Free Market because of my war footing with Yang and the drones it creates. In hindsight this may also be one of my mistakes. Had I prepared for FM and ran it I think I would have several more techs and energy than I do at the expense of the content citizens I have. I noticed Mark13 is bringing home quite a chunk of change from it. Right now I'm satisfied with Demo/Planned which is suitable for the war I'm about to wage on Yang. I haven't begun raising much land as of yet. There are still boreholes and mines to be dug to support the war with Yang.

[mark13]

Oh well, my game is being put to shame, as usual....

But no, I researched the wrong techs early on. Yang will fall when I get D:AP, with a bit of luck. But those energy restrictions are a real pain in the a$$...

I also need tree farms. Oh boy do I also need tree farms.
[This message has been edited by mark13 (edited November 14, 2000).]

[WhiteElephants]

O, forgot to mention that I have the Weather Paradigm and The Human Genome Project. Lost the Command Nexus to the Hive, The Empath Guild and the Virtual World to Zak, and I think it was the Caretakers who nabbed the Merchant Exchange.

Jimmy -- I'm curious, how did you managed to force Yand into a submissive pact? I imagine it was early in the game. It looks as though you approached the game as a momnetum faction, but I can't be certain.

Mark -- I noticed you have quite an impressive army and yet they aren't doing you much good as far as acquiring more resources. You might have over done your defense it seems. I am handling Yang quite handily with 4 impact rovers and 3 plasma garrisons, though I'm not in your shoes so I can't say what it looks like at your end of the barrel. But besides those units I've metioned I don't much else. One more plasma garrison and a bunch of scouts. I think that if anyone lands on my continent I'll have time to upgrade those scouts to plasma anyhow so I tend to focus on facilities instead of units that are just sucking up support minerals. Now I could understand if you were prepared to mount an offense, but it seems from your posts that you are just trying to hang on. Just my two cents.

[mark13]

WhiteElephants,

I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head there. I was very weak militarily early on, and it seems I may have over-compensated. Yang has quite an impressive army as well now, and has about 10 impact infantry on my border, so my stack is going to have to stay. The resources aren't much of a problem, although I am suffering from a lack of technology.

It appears I will have to have another go at this one, once I'v played this one out... :evil grin:

[Googlie]

I'll post a fuller state of the nation report, but here's the crucial five years I've just played:

2199: Subverted two Yang plasma sentinels at Pillar, and a Rover at Court of Justice

2200: Yang wastes three rovers on defended probe on mine outside Great Collective
But he also takes out my skimship probe at Enforcement Base - lands and wastes a rover there too

2203: CRIPES. On tile 64/16 (next to Pillar of Rights) yang has assembled an invasion force of eight 2-2-1's, six 2-1-2 rovers, two 1-3-1 sentinels and an odd 1-1-2 rover. I'm defending with four 1-3-1's, two 2-1-2 rovers, the Ogre Mk 1 and three probes

2204: Lost Pillar, but valiantly defended and took down many of Yang's troops with the fall - he's in the base with four 2-1-2 rovers, having wasted (invested?) all his other units in the conquest.

Like Mark13, I think I'll be playing this one again and doing things differently (not that it's over yet by any means, just a setback)

G.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Vice President Lal Gore checking in. Unfortunately count data is quite accurate through first 100 years at the polls but we have a 99% accuracy on the 100 yr. mark.

Highlights 2106 World Election starts - Un HQ renamed Democratic National HQ. Other base renamed Lieberman's Retreat

First tech Centauri Ecology 2109 ish
Discovered Internet (net Nodes) 2116 ish
Beelined next dsicoveries as Industrial Base and Industrial Econ made switch immediately to improve world wide trade via a free market no tarrif arrangement. Governor Greenspan is happy with inflationary practices and economy starts to flourish

Beelined to Industrial Auto completed by 2150 ish
First SP completed 2150 ish as well

Again many apologies to the masses but the tallies are not yet complete. What we have so far by MY2200 is:

10 bases: Population 41
Bases are: Democratic National HQ
Lieberman's Retreat
The Will of the People
Little Rock's Pride
Environmetnal Initiative
Watergate Exposed
271 Electoral Way
Hillary's Revenge
Pro Choice Haven

1 more base to be added soon

SP's to date:
PEG
PTS
Merchant Ex
WP
HGP

Lost to UoP - VW

Economy - NI 77/yr
Tech Cost - 943
Turns/tech = 6 Next tech in 3 (SothB)
Reserves 122

Techs Total - 19
Infrastructure -Tree farmed 1/2 of all bases and am making swith to Demo/planned/wealth.

Precious little tech gainsed from pods or by trade as I was too powerful by the time I met other factions (damn partisan politics if you ask me )

Inthe process of probe actions against Sven for 3 techs

Voted governor in my 2198 - no need for recounts on that one although I beleive it may be challenged in 20 yrs.

War maybe in the future 'gainst Republican guards of Yang.

[Googlie]

2230 report

The war with Yang progresses well. While he keeps throwing his troops at the neck of land separating our empires, and takes horrendous losses, our valiant naval corps has been wiping up his sea bases, having captured five and re-educated the population. Three times now he has asked for peace, but Lal the Vaccilator has proven to be quite intransigent in this and has steadfastly refused.

We are confident enough of the outcome of this war that many of our bases have focussed their efforts into building creches and research hospitals. Soon we will take to the skies.

Our next target will be Miriam. We cannot forget the ruthless manner in which she onliterated our fledgling base at the Manifold Nexus.

2230: State of the nation

16 bases
50 pop
24 techs
explore 36%
discover 30%
build 27%
conquer 19%

SE settings: 0/10/90
Tech per turn = 120; turns per tech 10 years; next tech (DAP) in 6 years
Energy per turn: -15 (deficit financing for ten turns)
Reserves: 195

WP, ME, CN, CDF and MCC built
PTS overbuilt (lost to Pirates) but will deliver an "instabuilt" SP

Units:
1 colony pods
6 formers
2 scout patrols
13 plasma sentinels
13 supply crawlers
4 impact rovers
4 impact squads
I laser infantry
1 unity foil
2 plasma hoverboats
5 impact skimships skimship probes
4 probe teams

Pacted with Zak
Treaty with Sven
Vendetta with Marr, H'minee, Yang and Miriam
Still planetary Guv
Strongest power on Planet

AC score: 229

[Capt Dizle]

From WhiteElephants,

"Jimmy -- I'm curious, how did you managed to force Yand into a submissive pact? I imagine it was early in the game. It looks as though you approached the game as a momnetum faction, but I can't be certain."

Pure luck. You asked so I'll tell you, but before you read this get a bag in case you need to throw up.

Flo left us a rover so I used it to aggressively explore eastward. One of the first things you need to determine is whether or not you share a land mass with another faction. It is crucial to just about every decision you make after you found your first 3 or 4 bases.

Stumbled across an undefended Hive (size 2)with that rover. I am sitting adjacent to the Hive with one movement point left. You can guess what I did.

Switched production to a scout and moved the rover to a rocky/fungus tile just to the northwest of the Hive. Purpose: early warning of the inevitable approach of Yang's troops. Built another scout and then a probe.

A Yang recon rover shows up and attacks my rover and LOSES! Love rocky squares. I decided to move west to find Yang. Shortly thereafter my rover and accompanying probe spot a Yang base. Next turn a 2-2-1 pops out. I then bribe that unit to join the dark side. This is when I post about the rules.

I resume and note that Yang has only one unit defending. I move the 2-2-1 one square away and start moving up my scouts. Very soon therafter I move the rover adjacent so that I can peek inside and see what Yang has built. Yang pops up and then demands something or another to spare me, I forget exactly what...and when I tell him to get stuffed he submits.

I never attacked him at all. Isn't that sickening. Yang is a wimp!

So, I was able to play builder without any concern. The other factions can threaten all they want but if they are not on my land mass, I always tell them to take a pisser.

I never built any military in my own bases in this instance, I rushed the scouts from the Hive though. Most definately not momentum, just opportunistic.

I am going momentum now, with needlejets and chaos in three turns. Would be a crime not to. No one else has DAP yet, unless its the alien I haven't infiltrated and they are to far away to worry about now.

jt


[This message has been edited by jimmytrick (edited November 14, 2000).]

[Googlie]

2250:

As was to be expected, DAP proved to be a tremendous catalyst in persuading Yang that war was futile. he surrendered in 2239, the year that our prototype needlejet took to the air.

We then turned our attention to the Usurpers and the Pirates, our nearest neighbours (who are warring with each other). Two bases were captured from the Pirates, and one Usurper base obliterated. We also successfully probed a tech from Marr, but on a second attempt lost our skimship probeteam en route when they stumbled into a Usurper plasma hoverboat.

We also turned a Pirate destroyer transport that is now being outfitted with the rovers that will take the battle to Miriam.

Our biggest disappointment has been our inability to use the ever growing accumulation of minerals on the obsolete SP still being built (maybe we should just continue and swoop the Ascent on one turn without crawlers or energy)

Zak has proved a loyal ally, duly declaring vendetta on Sven and Miriam, and periodically harassing their bases, but Yang hasn't been much help so far. I may have to consider gifting him back his five bases to strengthen him and make him a more profitable vassal.

Shorter summary for 2250

21 bases
67 pop
27 techs

Tech per turn = 134; turns per tech 12 years; next tech (Ecol Eng) in 9 years
Energy per turn: 10
Reserves: 121

WP, ME, CN, CDF and MCC built
PTS still being overbuilt but will deliver an "instabuilt" SP (still haven't got a tech that will let me use this massively financed obsolete SP)

Units:
25 non-combat (formers and crawlers)
34 land combat units
8 sea combat units
4 probe teams
7 missile penetrators

Yang is subservient
Pacted with Zak
Vendetta with Sven, Marr, H'minee and Miriam
Still planetary Guv
Strongest power on Planet

AC score 263


[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited November 15, 2000).]

[mark13]

Log no. 5, Fall 2000 Challenge - Brother Lal of the Peacekeepers:

2225: The great offensive shall commence. Yang has declared war, and we will pile troops in as swiftly as possible.
2227: Bioadaptive Resonance probed from the University.
2228: Closest Hive base mind controlled - along with about 8 units - LOL
2230: Tech! Ecological Engineering - won't let me research EnvEco though! Aaarghhh!!!!
Socialism Tunnels taken from the Hive - lost two infantry in the attempt, though.
2231: Port Yang taken from the Hive with my entire navy committed - one bribed ship....LOL
2232: Perimeter Defense disabled at Fellowship City making it a matter of time before that base comes under PK control - MWAHAHAHAHA!!!
2233: Tech! Cyberethics, probed from Yang. Switch to Knowledge....
Fellowship City taken - 3 units lost when they should have won - drat! - but apart from that everything aok.
2234: PD disabled at Great Collective
2235: R-Laser rover prototyped

Security nexus:
1 Battle Ogre Mk1 @ 10%
1 Impact Rover 4-2-2
1 Plasma Coastal 2-3-4
8 Impact Rovers 4-1-2
4 Impact Infantry 4-3-1
2 Trance Plasma Sentinels 1-3t-1
2 Behemoth Class Rovers 4-3-2
10 Mobile Plasma Garrison 1-3-2
1 Plasma Sentinels 2-3-1
1 Impact Skimship 4-3-4
1 R-Laser rover 6r-1-2
2 Skimship probes Probe-1-4

Income +114/yr
Techs every 13 (ouch!) - next in 8 (Planetary Economics)
17 bases, 4 conquered
SPs: HGP, WP, VW, PEG, PTS, MCC in 1

Top of powerchart ahead of Caretakers (3/4) and Pirates (1/2)
Treaty with Svensgaard, Truce with Marr, Vendettas with everyone else, Miriam eradicated.

A few ramblings:
With the Hive conquest half-way to completion, I still can't lift the energy restrictions. The only reason I resorted to attacking Yang was because I needed to expand, and I am able to do it through conquest. And it wouldn't let me research EnvEco - drat! - that could put transcendence back another 30 years easily.

The plan after the Hive conquest will be to dig in and build, although how easy that's going to be is anyone's guess.

[big_canuk]

First 50 Years

2106 to 60/30/10 tech in 2 turns
2108 cent ecology take inf networks
2110 destroyed spore launcher, hurry former at UN Head
2113 Inf Networks, take Planetary Networks (probe teams)
2117 Establish UN Pillar of Rights at 54,26
2118 Lost independent scout to a spore launcher ~5:3 odds Path to base at 59,27 blocked, redirect CP to Neck
2119 Unity rover from pod!
2120 Planetary Networks take Ind Base
Dispatch another spore launcher
switch to planned
2123 UN Haven City @ 63,17
2125 hurry formers at Haven, CP at Health
2129 UN Data Aquisition @ 58,18
UN Settlement @ 59,27
2130 Ind Base take Ind Economics
2131 Hurried 3 formers
2135 UN Amnesty Town @ ?
2136 econ to 40/0/60 (l less lab, but 3 more ec)
2138 Ind Economics take Ind Automation
Switch to Free Market
Ind Auto ETA in 5 yrs WhooAhh!
Watch base size, max 2 and drone riots
Go to 12 bases
2141 Hive contacted me second time(first time I refused) to trade techs. Don't want to irritate Hive, and starting to worry about secuity, so traded to get Applied Physics, and Doct: Mobility

Switch econ to 50/50
2141 UN Soc Council @ 52,16 (tech/turn = 20)
2142 Lost ind scout to MW - Arrghhh!
From now on mostly rec tanks, with eye to switching to crawlers, even at to cost of a few wasted mins, or hurrying the more advanced ones.
My might is formidable, with only 1 unity rover, scouts, and formers, (but lots of them)
2143 Industrial Automation take Soc Psych
Sven will sell me Flex for 100 but not trade
UN Court of Justice @54,20
2145 UN Cr Tribute @ 50,10
pop pod by base, Social Psych!!!
switch to rec com and hurry at UN Data to avoid drone riots
Zak starts Virt World (guess ETA ~2165)
take Ethical Calc as new tech to research
2146 UN Enforcement Base @56,12
Missed drone riots on growth at UN Haven
2147 Popped pod for 50 ec
Switched to wealth
2148 Hive just took Nut bonus rocky square from me by moving the border. Great Collective only 3 squares away. Hurry rec commons to avoid hunger, plan on building a 2-1-2
Popped pod by a base for 100 ec!
Hurry rec com at UN Amnesty, (growth nxt turn)
Start recon rover at UN Haven City
2149 UN Disaster Relief on Garland Crater Island, @ 45,9

State of Nation at 2150

bases 11
pop 16
tech 10
comm 6

score 32

SE:
tech/turn 39, turns/tech 8, next tech 3 (Eth Calc)

Energy 50, inc 33

NO SPs yet

Units:
CP 1 active
formers 10 active, 1 in prod
scouts 11 active, 1 in prod
crawlers 5 in prod
un rover 1 active, 1 lost
un foil 1 active,
rec rover 1 in prod

I'm tech leader, might potent
1st H'mnee
2nd Lal by whisker
3rd UoP by whisker
4th Usurpers
5th Sven
6th Hive
7th Belivers

pact with Sven
treaty with Hive
Sven and Hive fighting, let them so Hive stays busy

Studied new map from Sven:
take last CP to Monsoon Jungle Penninsula 44,30 or 40,34.
need sea base to take geothermal shallows
need 100 ec for flex from Sven
eyeing borehole cluster on island to east

2152 Conq Marr starts WP ETA 2167
Bought flex from sven for 100 ec
2153 Sven's at war with Usurpers
Ethical Calculus take Gene Splicing (not High Energy Chem, though I thought hard)
Dem now?, wait for few more crawlers so support hit is covered and to found base.
2157 Monsoon jungle conected to Miriam - too bad - go anyway!!
2158 Usurpers build ME Argghh
2166 Build VW
2169 Give Miriam Doct Flex
Switch to Democratic

2170 State of Nation

bases 11
pop 31
com 8
tech 13
sp 50 VW, WP

score 102

SE:
Dem/FM/Wealth 50/0/50

tech/turn 64, turn/tech 8, nxt 2ys (Ecological Eng)

Inc 55
Maint 13 ??(10 rec com, 3 net nodes??)

net inc 42

Units:

Col pods 1 active, 2 in Prod
Formers 11 active, 1 in prod
scouts 14 active, 1 lost
crawlers 28 active, 9 in prod
un rover 1 active, 1 lost
un foil 1 active
sea former 1 active
rec rover 1 active

Might Unsurpassed!

2173 Cash crawlers to PTS
Switch to planned
Hurry Net Nodes and others
2174 Build PTS
Pact with Sven ended
2175 back to FM
2176 Un Humanity Base at ??
2177 UN Info @ 40,8
2180 Env Economics!! take High Energy Chem (finally)
2182 Usurpers (at war) land with 2 recon rovers
2184 Last of Usurper landing destroyed at cost of rec rover, 2 crawlers and a probe team

thats all for now folks.
I've got a great start. Question Is:
can I hold my 2 bases from H'mnee in the Jungle. prolly not but not too much sweat. Yang is more of a concern. Will go straight High energy chem, synth fossil fuels, Doct: AP if I can. Once to Synth foss fuels, I should be ok. I have been building Net Nodes like crazy, so my research is pretty good.

[This message has been edited by big_canuk (edited November 15, 2000).]

[Capt Dizle]

M.Y. 2243

Alpha Centauri Score

Pop 225
Commerce 41
Tech 35
Secret Projects 225
Total 526

Swen has been captured and interrogated. Miriam is hold up in her last base, Redemption Base. She won't get any.

Thirty-two bases under Peacekeeper control. A fair number of smaller bases destroyed. X Chaos penetrators are in production for the Marr campaign. Hybrid forests are built in the main bases.

I feel like I am soon going to run out of tech to steal, but with tech coming every three turns, who cares.

I am trying to estimate how long it will take to run the table. Thats hard to do, Marr has lots of troops in his forward bases and some perimeter defenses.

Perhaps 25-30 years? Its possible that Marr could turn to be a handful and hold out for a long time. The size of the map is more likely to be a problem.

jt