The Morganites...they arent so bad

[XxShatterxX]

Personally I like the Morganites. But thats because they suit my strategy. I am a person who waits until everything is perfect to use my master plan, and my strat usually works. In the begining to mid game I am basicly at the bottom of the power scale, only because I am building projects, and making money, then once all is ready i come flying out b***h the other factions. But thats me. I am not typicllyy aggressive...unless I am attacked in which case all my resources go to kicking the factions ass. My view is, that when i enter a war, i enter to win. And I'll only enter a war if it either A) provides me with resources or some kind strategic position, or B) helps me erradicate the faction. And I fight until I've won, unless I'm in a good mood and that believer b***h can maybe buy her way out of death.

X.

[D4everman]

In my recent games Morgan has been a number one pain in the keister. I'm going to make plans to exterminate him in my latest game...the jerk sent a probe team over to my territory that I only managed to catch at the last possible instant before he could do some damage. Some "friend".

Like the daleks say "Exterminate! Exterrrrrminate!"

D4

[Kassiopeia]

Originally posted by XxShatterxX
Personally I like the Morganites. But thats because they suit my strategy. I am a person who waits until everything is perfect to use my master plan, and my strat usually works. In the begining to mid game I am basicly at the bottom of the power scale, only because I am building projects, and making money, then once all is ready i come flying out b***h the other factions. But thats me. I am not typicllyy aggressive...unless I am attacked in which case all my resources go to kicking the factions ass. My view is, that when i enter a war, i enter to win. And I'll only enter a war if it either A) provides me with resources or some kind strategic position, or B) helps me erradicate the faction. And I fight until I've won, unless I'm in a good mood and that believer b***h can maybe buy her way out of death.

X.

That strategy applies with all factions in SMAC/X. It would be stupid to engage vendetta just 'cuz you don't like Miriam's guts. And no one enters a war they can't win... And getting submissives is almost in every situation better then whacking your opponents.

[D4everman]

Some factions cry out to be exterminated. Miriam is one of them. She came to me at the start and demanded 50 credits. Wanting peace I gave it to her. A few turns later she came back wanting 50 more.

Time to die. And theres sunspots too.....many believers will be put to the sword.

If Morgan gets uppity he's getting the same. I'm just not gonna take it anymore! This time its personal!

D4

[mrdynamic]

I used to be 'a nice guy'. They ALL ef you eventually. Giving them money or tech to keep them off of you just gives them longer to get ready to crush you. They will milk you for all your worth. When the milk run out they will kill the cow. Erratiacate the first faction you meet, and if someone calls vendetta, dont quit fighting them until the give you something to quit or submit.

[D4everman]

Agreed. I started a game and things worked out. I was top dog, and made buddies w/ everyone. Miriam was friendly for a long time. I refused but eventually traded nonlinear mathematics with her seeing how she was being so civil. MISTAKE! (and I SHOULD have known) A few turns later she wipes out my pact mate Domai and then declares vendetta on me...and gets Deidre and Aki to join her! I swear if I survive their combined forces Miriam will Die, die DIE!

[Kassiopeia]

It seems that some code cruncher's gonna make another tweak, with a weaker AI!
Come on, if the AI can beat you up that means that you are stupid or the AI is very able. I see no reason to rant about that, at least to rant about it seriously...

[EtheMind]

I think AI is just plain idiot. But in fact this is a very hard game, I think it is. It's just that I've been playing them since the Civ2 was released. I'm going to alter AI factions a bit more aggressive. I'm running out of challenges when confronting AI.

But I can certainly understand if someone's having a hard time, it sometimes surprises you. Well...not really, you surprise yourself with your stupidity. But what's the difference anyway?

[Avenoct]

Jumping in with the Finn's, EtheMind, check out Ned's post about : AI is Tough!
In this, making the factions more passive makes them better agressors...in an ironic twist to the original topic of this thread. If the AI plays in this way:

I am a person who waits until everything is perfect to use my master plan, and my strat usually works. In the begining to mid game I am basicly at the bottom of the power scale, only because I am building projects, and making money, then once all is ready i come flying out b***h the other factions

it too can come out like gangbusters, and it's possible to make the AI at least appear to play this way.

Apparently the AI is programmed well enough that it surprises some people when it gangs up on them (when they are higher up the power graph). That's great! Once you realize that it's the AI's opinion of who's the toughest that matters in their choosing who to attack, the game plays a little differently.

Happy Crawlering!

-Smack

[Mr. President]

I'm in a game now, on Talent level, and Morgan has, as usual, backstabbed me hideously. First we were Pact Brothers against Lal, who was showing dangerous signs of spreading his bleeding-heart humanitarianism across the planet. We did well, capturing a couple of Lal's cities, and all of a sudden Morgan calls me up and says he can no longer stand my green idealism and cancels the pact. Fine.

Two turns later he calls me back, and says he wants a pact again. Also fine. The war against Lal is slowing down, so I accept the assistance. Second time around, we conquer the Peacekeeper heartland and force our sanction-imposing, policeman-hating colleague into the Arctic. As soon as this is finished, Morgan cancels our new pact! Jerk. A little after that, I asked him to withdraw after a blatant violation (four ECM Gatling Squads, two Trained Gatling Squads, and two Missile Artillery units enter the highlands near one of Lal's former bases) of my territory, and he declares war. Fine. So now we're at war. I seize three of his bases, and all of a sudden he's playing the peacenik. Moron. He comes crawling to me and we sign a peace treaty.

Currently I'm at peace with Morgan, but I know this won't last. He can't abide anyone having a Green economy, and he can't respect friends and allies. (Funny how we assign such human traits to people who exist only inside a computer.)

[EtheMind]

If your playing with opposite ideology, other factions wont' stand it for long. This is something i understand. And alliance between two different ideologies can't really happen at Transcendi.

It's when your centuries friendly pactmate with no hurt feelings towards your ideology cancels the pact and declares war that makes me furious. Whether I accept surrender depends pretty much from my social choices, no use to fight if your Democratic hardliner, war's expensive, but if you prefer oppression there's no reason not to conquer last of him/her. Dictatorships don't usually get much commerce bonus anyway....funny how you always presume you're winning.

And, thanks Smack, I'll see to it.