Solstice 2005 AI challenge

[Chaos Theory]

You can continue from a save, but you need to have Alpha Centauri.ini set up properly or the colors are mangled. If you alter Alpha Centauri.ini to include the new factions, you might want copies of their .txt files in your Alpha Centauri directory, in case the game crashes next time you start a new game with those factions as your most recent.

As far as your experiences during the scenario, I'd be very interested to hear insight and revelations. Sometimes when playtesting a scenario, the AI does something (good) that makes my jaw drop, and I have to hope it can do it again when played by others.

[Straybow]

Hmmm, never messed with SMAC's ini before. What does one need to do?

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by Chaos Theory

As far as your experiences during the scenario, I'd be very interested to hear insight and revelations.

Do you want feedback from the perspective of a Creator, or someone playing the game? Or I can give you feedback as a player now, then give a synopsis from a Creator's perspective at the end - let me know. Also, if you want file attachments send me your e-mail address, otherwise I'll just PM you my notes sans files.

Originally posted by Chaos Theory
Sometimes when playtesting a scenario, the AI does something (good) that makes my jaw drop, and I have to hope it can do it again when played by others.

Yeah, and the emphasis here is on hope ! On more occasions than I can remember when setting up PBEM's (and SP Challenges) and on a certain revision of the game the AI does something really great, and I contribute it to Factor X. However on the next iteration of playtesting where I have Factor X included, as well as some other upgrades, the AI no longer responds the way it had in the previous iteration... Anyways, to make a long story short why most of my best works are the results of endless playtesting, sometimes running on the order of 15-20 iterations before I get the "flavor" just right. FYI.

[Chaos Theory]

Originally posted by Straybow
Hmmm, never messed with SMAC's ini before. What does one need to do?

Vanilla SMAC works differently, and I haven't actually checked how it might continue saves. It's worth finding out this evening.

Re: Darsnan
Any and all feedback would be appreciated: from the perspective of a player, I'd see just how the scenario panned out, and from the perspective of a creator, I'd probably learn something for next time. My email is bblyyyaha@umyyyr.edu, with no ys.

[Kataphraktoi]

played till 2119

like the gaian\cult bonuses(infiltrated), what did you base the 'empire' off of?it isnt ringing any bells...nothing to mention except my impossible pod luck(no reloading)

[Chaos Theory]

It has (or is supposed to have) the attitude and theme of Rokugan from Legend of the Five Rings, adapted to the wildly different setting.

[Mart]

In 2134 I got Industrial Automation. In 2128 it was even possible for Morganities to be the lead in technology.
In 2145 I attempt to get Planetary Energy Grid, should be in several turns.
Presently run Democracy, Free Market, Wealth. Pacted with Agrians and Hive. Cult renounce Pact after I refused a gift. In Vendetta with Svensgaard.

In 2155 got PEG
I also bought a base from Agrians for 586 EC. Was expensive, but worth it for the location and gain of a lot territory close to Morganic borders.

[Chaos Theory]

Originally posted by mart7x5
I also bought a base from Agrians for 586 EC. Was expensive, but worth it for the location and gain of a lot territory close to Morganic borders.

That's exactly the spirit of this scenario!

[Darsnan]

Status update:

by 2290 the whole southern hemisphere belonged to the Morganite Empire! Right after I conquered the Agrian base with the Empath Guild in it I called elections for Governor. I lost to the Hive. Badly.
I barely beat the Hive to both the ToE and NB, and lost out on the Cloning Vats.
To date I have not treatied with any Faction at all. Instead I've run a high efficiency program (Dem/ Green/ Wealth, and most recently Cybernetic) and crawled the heck out of anything that remotely resembled an EC (currently Morgan Industries is receiving over 220EC's/ turn). I have the ToE and Supercollider in Morgan Industries as well, and so am getting new tech in less than 2 turns.
Its currently 2304. I just sent my first battle carrier north to begin my assault against the Pirates, however Pirate battleships overcame my covering Locusts, and boarded my carrier, commandeering 12 of my best military units! Argh! I am now forming up two more naval battle groups, which this time will have even more covering power, and oh yeah, I will be scouting the surrounding sea for any and all Pirate ships! I'll update as significant events occur.
Overall I have to say this is probably the most entertaining scenario I've played in a long time! Hats off to Chaos Theory on this one!

D

[Darsnan]

Note also that by MY2300 the AI's are taking about 6 minutes in between turns to move their pieces. I also just experienced a terranx crash in MY 2304, causing me to lose 3 turns of play. My advice: save after every turn once you get up around 2300. FYI.

D

[Mart]

I am still around 2200. I play it like a good multiplayer, just efficiency is completely what can make this scenario win.

Between 2190-2200 Cult started to loose to Agrians. Also Cultists cut off the base I bought from Agrians by establishing two bases there. Declared vendetta when I refused to help against my pactmate. I want to keep noble reputation for trade. In around 2203 I took over both bases.
For several turns, Cult also mindcontrolled one of my border bases, 1 turn before I got foot defender there... They used all their energy for that. I took back for 324 EC. With Gattling rover in addition to all my old units. Later it help to destroy a Pirate marauder. And by the way. Svensgaard is a traitor.

I have quite a luck with AAs. Even took one Pirate one recently.
Ah, I got Fusion Power from Yang around 2200. Awesome But he did HSA. I have only infiltration on Cult and Agrians. With Pirates so hostile seas are difficult for safe passage. Still my navy is small. 1 unity foil, 1 cruiser transport. I lost 1 foil to nasty Pirates. However I got Maritime Control Center and it waits for better times.

I can't believe it. In 2207 I got Air Power. I cashed then 2 last AA and received Orbital Spaceflight! and MMI!!! Chaos Theory, the AI has some conspiracy agaist you...

[Mart]

Originally posted by Darsnan
Note also that by MY2300 the AI's are taking about 6 minutes in between turns to move their pieces.

When I bought the game in 1999 I was playing it on a pentium 233 MMX, CTX laptop. 2 Mb shared! video memory. That was really pain on large maps, especially when I did not have initially low-res caviar. The things I enjoyed though was majestically turning around units, formers, etc. Still it was better than very early release of Civ3, where some Pentium II 333 MHz was chewing a turn for 40-50 minutes Can you imagine the losses for worlds economy due to such things... Later came some civ3 mods, and Teturkhan one was taking up to 10 minutes on Athlon 1.5 GHz. even with patched game. Later I found out that most of the time is consumed for unit path finding.

[GeoModder]

I'm 'only' on 2140 something, just finished my first project (weather paradigm, Human Genome was token by Gaians ). Pacted with both green factions ( ) and truce with the Pirates.

Man that map is too huge!

[Chaos Theory]

Originally posted by GeoModder
Man that map is too huge!

With the speed of sea units, it should seem smaller than it actually is.

[Mart]

I like large maps actually. However, as number of bases go up, each turn takes a lot of time.

In 2218 Gaians launch succesful invasion from the sea and take one of my coastal bases. An opportunity to infiltrate. Got also 1 tech and lost a probe team in an attempt to get another.
Gaians are the most powerful faction at the moment, also militarily, most versatile, have air and naval units.

From some interesting episodes:
I bought from Cult, which is submissive by now, a base near Manifold Nexus for 99 EC. Seems like Cultists finally learned good marketing techniques Unfortunatelly, soon bad Niobe followers mindcontrolled it. A lot of probe teams is good in this scenario. Agrians have for example 23 operational probe teams, 6 in production and 61 lost.