Energy market corner help

[octobre70]

I need some help; I'm the Hive in a MP with a Lal, who's about 20 turns from cornering the energy market (he's got about 10000 credits right now). I know, I know, I sort of lost track of his strategy, so I deserve to lose. But he's offering me to either fight it out or to co-operative victory the game. I'm a distant number 2, with a couple of serious computers, while he's smack in the middle of the map, with no expansion room. Should I fight it out? Is it futile, since it would only delay the unavoidable?

[Vultur]

You can do three things:

You can conquer Lal's HQ. (This would stop him)
You can PLANETBUST him! (This stop him, but you have a never-surrending enemy)

If you have not the technology or the means... peace & love (Yang & Lal... bleah...)

I hope this could help you

[mark13]

If it's an MP, there's nothing like the good ol' PB to the HQ. All pacted and sharing tech one turn, and the next one their empire's in ruins. Very satisfying

Other options....ummm, if you're satisfied with second best, cuddle up to him. But honestly, I'd PB him - you may as well go for broke, nothing to lose, right?

[Cybergod]

What about other players? Maybe ally with them against Lal? Or probably he has already sent the offer around to everyone by now...

If it's just you two, who's the biggest?

20 turns is not a big enouth time for you to change your strategy (unless your are money-bloatted), so I'd syggest PB

PS. I thought that you were banned from using PBs in Apolyton MP games?!

[mark13]

Huh?

Originally posted by Cybergod
PS. I thought that you were banned from using PBs in Apolyton MP games?!

Nope - PBs are a part of the game!

[Avenoct]

Where else but Apolyton is nuking the U.N. Headquarters seen as a good solution to global imperialism?
Hrm...I seem to remember something about New York and a building and a bomb.

Because it's Lal, I'm afraid you're going to have to kill him. Don't sell out to the World Bank!

-Smack

[fluffy]

Re: Energy market corner help

Originally posted by octobre70
I need some help; I'm the Hive in a MP with a Lal, who's about 20 turns from cornering the energy market (he's got about 10000 credits right now).

10K seems terribly modest - in a recent game I checked how much it would cost me, and I was told 319453 credits! Not suprisingly, I went for something trivial in comparison, like transcendence...

The chance of stock market crashes clearing away your reserves makes this victory seem v ery remote, or am I missing something?

[Earwicker]

Good point. Are you playing with random events off (I often do)?

I thought economic victory essentially meant being able to buy off all the bases? Is there a way to increase the value of one's own faction to price Lal out of the market? Or is that amount a set figure, which does not change after the announcement?

It occurs to me that I never explored this avenue of victory and must give it a try one of these days.

But barring all that, I'm afraid I'll side with most of the others here and say to dust off the PB's. not usually my style but if you're going to go down, best to go down fighting . . .

[octobre70]

Re: Re: Energy market corner help

Originally posted by fluffy


10K seems terribly modest - in a recent game I checked how much it would cost me, and I was told 319453 credits! Not suprisingly, I went for something trivial in comparison, like transcendence...

The chance of stock market crashes clearing away your reserves makes this victory seem v ery remote, or am I missing something?

He seemed to be pretty sure of himself, even forecasting victory in 21 turns. Since he's not a boaster, I gave up trying to calculate how he could do so. Events are not turned off, so I could still pray for a crash.

[Fitz]

If he is predicting victory in 21 turns, that means he is planning to enact the 'corner the global market' action in 1 turn. Here are your choices:

1) Drain his reserves in the next turn. If you know him down below the amount he needs to buys the market off, he can't do it.

2) Significantly increase the cost in the next turn. I can't think of any way off hand, but the cost of corning the market is ~= to the cost of bribing every base of all the other factions.

3) Let him spend the money. Kill his HQ within the next 20 turns. You better believe that everyone esle on Planet will be joining in the hunt for his HQ, assuming that they didn't join his little deal. That makes it six on 1. Planet Buster is the best single hit option, but a full invasion by all of the other players, complete with probe teams (ships if his HQ is coastal), air power and drop/marine troops as appropriate might take him out too. Of course, you haven't specified where you are in the game. Since you said 10K will win him the game, I'd be shocked if air power is already available.

4) Take his deal. If you don't have a significant force, or it is very early in the game (pre air power, pre significant naval power) you probably can't take him out in time.