Nato Unravelled 1, third thread

[big_canuk]

It seems the thread says Mis has sent NU1, but I haven't seen it, so I've sent an email asking for a resend.

[Misotu]

Turn resent, as requested. Good luck with your exam Tau

[big_canuk]

NU1 2206 to Tau (for after the exam).

[Tau Ceti]

2206 and 2187 to Googlie. Thanks, Mis!

****************

"Fellow Gaian citizens, I have both good and bad news to tell you.

"The good news is that the Drone forces that have been threatening our homeland have been utterly eradicated. The bad news is that we had to break our principles to do it. The missile warheads we used have caused great damage to Planet's delicate environment.

"But we are confident that Planet will understand. Recent satellite photographs of the main Drone continent have shown a bleak and desolate landscape. All indigenous life is gone. There are condensers and mines everywhere. The drones are raping Planet, and we are the only ones who can stop them."

[Googlie]

2206 to Misotu

[Misotu]

The Peacekeepers fully support recent Gaian actions. The Drones are ruining Planet for the rest of us and must be stopped. Also, they have far too many bases, techs and military units. Which we think is a Very Bad Thing.

Go Gaia!

2206 to Big_C.

[big_canuk]

2207 to Tau

-------------

Take that! You tree-huggers!

[Tau Ceti]

We need a :jawdrop: smilie.

I am ready to offer our surrender. The turn has been sent to Mis to see what she thinks, but I see little point in playing any further.

This is one of the most amazing attacks I have ever seen. I went back and checked: There are no signs in 2204. In 2205 it is possible to see a short (5 or 6-square) magtube on big_c's continent. In 2206, I could have seen the two conspicuous land raises. I could have seen the subtle fungus patterns that reveal terraforming. But there is still absolutely nothing I could have done about it.

Massive congratulations, big_canuk! How many hours did you spend on the last turn?

And one more thing: before last turn, had you managed to infiltrate me yet?

[big_canuk]

Thanks, Tau.

Originally posted by Tau Ceti
We need a :jawdrop: smilie.

I am ready to offer our surrender. The turn has been sent to Mis to see what she thinks, but I see little point in playing any further.

The NUs are a series, with highest AC score the tie-breaker, so you are offering a Googlie/big_canuk victory, in the event you guys win NU2??

This is one of the most amazing attacks I have ever seen. I went back and checked: There are no signs in 2204. In 2205 it is possible to see a short (5 or 6-square) magtube on big_c's continent. In 2206, I could have seen the two conspicuous land raises. I could have seen the subtle fungus patterns that reveal terraforming. But there is still absolutely nothing I could have done about it.

Massive congratulations, big_canuk! How many hours did you spend on the last turn?

Too many. The game tied up the computer for a day and a half. I played it off and on about 6 times. I was in the dog house with my wife for 2 nights. Well, last night I finished at 10:00 so it wasn't too bad. I took my time, 'cause I screwed up the previous turn, and made all those trained sam tach elite infantry: fission, rather than fusion. So I was determined not to hurry this time.

And one more thing: before last turn, had you managed to infiltrate me yet?

Nope. I only infiltrated you when i cleaned your 1st base of defenders. (It was only a scout). I was surprised at the few military units you, and especially Mis had (which I only found out when I got the EG). I am an infiltration nut, and I really lost out this game, 'cause i didn't know exactly what you guys were doing.
Live and learn.

The PBs were a surprise, and I could have made tanks instead of infantry for the attack. I had to play worst case scenario all the time, worrying about tech steals from Googlie, and comm jammer defenders from you guys.

[Tau Ceti]

Originally posted by big_canuk
The NUs are a series, with highest AC score the tie-breaker, so you are offering a Googlie/big_canuk victory, in the event you guys win NU2??

Not sure I understand... I am not offering you victory in both games, only this one. If AC score is to be used (are you sure we agreed that? I can see some incredibly silly situations arising - for example, you could probably burn all your bases next turn in NU2 and thus win ), I guess we will have to end this properly. In any case, I will be wiped out next turn, so it is up to Mis whether this one continues or not.

Too many. The game tied up the computer for a day and a half.

I considered asking "how many days?".

Nope. I only infiltrated you when i cleaned your 1st base of defenders.

Thought so. Just checking the effectiveness of my probe defences...

I was surprised at the few military units you, and especially Mis had (which I only found out when I got the EG).

Hmm. I certainly never considered my military insufficient. I think we both tend to leave our military at minimal until we think we will need it soon. With most of my (and certainly Mis's) cities half the globe away from any enemy, I considered myself pretty safe. I hate the support costs for having a lot of old, obsolete, low morale units lying around...

The PBs were a surprise, and I could have made tanks instead of infantry for the attack. I had to play worst case scenario all the time, worrying about tech steals from Googlie, and comm jammer defenders from you guys.

There has been some tech stealing from Googlie - probably about 5 or 6 in total. And it would have been easy to have ECM defenders - if I had ever considered an overland attack. I thought the only possibility was a naval invasion with heavy air support (from a relay base like you had built earlier and like the ones I busted), so my defences were set up for that - heavy units only near the coast, AAA defenders and worms in case of gas attacks, a couple of old choppers lying around (little reason to build more, as they could not harm you in any case - Chaos weapons vs. Tachyon interceptors or AAA Probability defenders).

All that said, the timing of your attack was very good. I was one turn away from Probability Mechanics, and Tachyon Fields with Probability defenders would have been ready in 2-3 turns. I really thought I was safe when I had destroyed that 30+ plane attack force...

[big_canuk]

Originally posted by Tau Ceti


Not sure I understand... I am not offering you victory in both games, only this one. If AC score is to be used (are you sure we agreed that? I can see some incredibly silly situations arising - for example, you could probably burn all your bases next turn in NU2 and thus win ), I guess we will have to end this properly. In any case, I will be wiped out next turn, so it is up to Mis whether this one continues or not.

Oh, don't worry, we don't *want* to win by tie-breaker. We'd like to win both of them, but NU2 will be tough, against the Uop/Drone steam roller. (Burning bases would be unethical, I think). If NU1 is a military win for us, we can just jack up the score as we want, by delaying trancendence. Thus, my desire for the military win in NU1, while avoiding it in NU2. If we keep the race to trancendence going in NU2, then you will have to trancend to beat us, and not have the chance to jack up the score.

Anyway, that was my *meta-game* reason for doing the military thing in NU1. First time I built more than 10 or 20 mag tube squares or more than 1 land bridge. Worked real well, I thought, mostly because of the XD, and high fungus. That volcano erupting maybe 7 or 8 turns back, gave me the idea. First it was mag tubes to an energy-park around the volcano for G., then it got extended a bit.

Maybe I should make a strategy discussion thread: "The mag-tube attack". Maybe after the FWs are done.

[Tau Ceti]

Originally posted by big_canuk
Oh, don't worry, we don't *want* to win by tie-breaker.

Well, I did not think so. And although I can agree that burning your bases in NU2 now would be, if not "unethical", at least against the spirit of the game, I cannot see that that would always be the case. Let us say you continue your magtube rush and reduce Mis to a single city - would you then demand that she play on while you drag the game into 2003, perfecting your score by transcending in 2399?

If NU1 is a military win for us, we can just jack up the score as we want, by delaying trancendence.

Which is the other thing I find very silly about using AC score. The whole game becomes simply about waiting. It is possible to sit around, just waiting for the other game to finish, and then, without doing anything in particular, just dragging the other one along far enough to beat the score. The concept has more flaws than Solver's ladder system, which says quite a lot, and I am having a hard time believing I ever went for this. Will have to look through the correspondence. (Not that I doubt you per se.)

Worked real well, I thought, mostly because of the XD, and high fungus.

Without the Xenoempathy Dome, it could only be done with Hovertank or Gravship formers (as a single fungus tile would otherwise bring the entire group to a screeching halt), and they are unlikely to be around in sufficient numbers. So it is critical.

Even now, you must have needed some rover formers for every time you entered a clear square? And when only travelling on fungus, you had to clear it first...

[big_canuk]

NU2 2188 to Tau. Sorry for the delay. I'm finally caught up with all my games. That NU1 turn sure put me behind.