Turns of Democracy in Peril - Page 3

johndmuller · August 25, 2001, 17:15

2132 to TMS

johndmuller · August 25, 2001, 23:22

2133 to TMS
Gee, the unity foil went thru a dimensional gate, but fortunately it didn't go too far (east) and I haaven't been forced to meet anyone yet, but it was close.

johndmuller · August 26, 2001, 10:44

MY 2134 to Tai Mai Shu - Peacekeepers

Tai Mai Shu · August 26, 2001, 11:41

MY 2134 to Darius

Btw, I'm getting Ethical Calculus next turn. So you might want to get ready to recieve EC on MY 2136 and swapping to something else immediately. I'm planning on getting the restriction lifting techs after EC, starting with Gene splicing.

Darius · August 26, 2001, 13:40

I was just thinking that it was about time to start on some secret projects, when I noticed that the Consciousness has started on the Weather Paradigm. We MUST get this project!

As far as I can tell, the WP would not benefit any one of us more than any other. Therefore, whoever can build it the fastest should go for it. My best mineral base is producing 6 minerals per turn right now. I can build the WP there in 24 turns, not counting crawlers. John, you have a base with 8 minerals. Would you check how long to build the WP at that base? I think you could do it more quickly there, because IIRC my industry bonus is only 10% and your extra minerals are more than 10%. (TMS's best mineral base is 5, IIRC.)

Other random thoughts and observations:

The Consciousness is somewhat ideally located between the three of us making them an attractive target for a three-way coordinated attack when we get ready to strike. In fact, regarding the Weather Paradigm, we might even consider letting the Consciousness build it, while we build up our forces, and then take it from them.

The AI factions are techsharing, as we are. They will therefore be relatively rich in techs considering the mission year. We must make sure to build and use plenty of probe teams to steal their techs before actively attacking them.

2135 to John.

Darius

johndmuller · August 26, 2001, 17:58

2135 to TMS.

Its interesting that the lab screen shows me that TMS will finish EC in 2136, but the details down below would indicate that it will be this year. I would imagine that TMS & I would be both confused by Darius' info in our lab screens. It looks like it calculates the number of years on the assumption that it has already produced the techpoints this year while that is only true for the info seen re the active player and those earlier in the turn, not those whose techpoints have not yet been produced. Thus my confusion over when you two are going to have breakthroughs.

Anyway, if that is the way things are, TMS will be producing EC this turn. It will be important for TMS to offer EC to me at least, so that I don't end up also discovering it and wasting the techpoints. I may have offered a tech to you, TMS this time, in addition to the maps. If you don't want it, make sure that you delete it from the trade before you put your stuff in there and accept it, otherwise you will get it when I accept your trade (I inadvertently ended up with mobility that way earlier). I still think that we should deviate from Air Power and Fusion only to the extent that we don't cause delays in those two, but I'm not going to make a career out of talking that up, so research what you think best.

Re the WP, I have 3 AA's which could probably be decisive in getting one SP; two of them are near my HQ, where Darius was noting the min production but the 3rd is way over on my west coast and would take a while to get over there. If you 2 both think that is more important than any of the other techs we might be able to get, let me know. I would think that the PDL would be more important as it would let us keep up with the AIs in tech without doing much work. We would also have more time to get my 3rd AA (and perhaps even Darius' AA) into position to cash in all at once to that end. (Cyberethics, the prereq for the PDL, is by the way one of the stops on the way to Fusion.

) If you want to go forward with the WP, we might be able to get the it with only the 2 AAs; I could maybe get the Merchantile Exchange or one of the drone things instead if we miss out on the WP. Let me know how you all want to proceed; I may want to build another crawler there first though.

Tai Mai Shu · August 26, 2001, 19:29

MY 2135 to Darius.

I just discovered EC, and am going for gene splicing now. I'm not sure if Darius would like any of my techs that he's missing. I have Ethical Calculus, Information Networks, and Planetary networks. If you would like any of these just post and I'll offer them to you.

As for building the WP, we could probably get it before the AI does if we upgrade crawlers. But I'm not sure just how much time we have so it's really up to you two if you want to cash in the AA's instead.

Darius · August 26, 2001, 19:46

I've started building the WP. I'll feed it crawlers until it is done.

I'm getting the feeling that we are nearing the end of our isolation. The other factions are going to start showing up soon. I want to start getting some probes out there. But we've got to get some weapons techs first.

Turn to JDM.

johndmuller · August 26, 2001, 22:15

What a F%$#%^$G nice efficiently run faction, TMS.

I hope you don't run into too many of those

nasty

things while you are so light on the muscle though.

johndmuller · August 26, 2001, 23:03

2136 to TMS

I'm now researching Applied Physics and will need 10 or 11 years, instead of having it already

.

You'll presumably get a reload message on my account. I saw a rather wierd graphic for the Foil Supply and thought that maybe I had loaded the game with SMAC by mistake and didn't want to save it if that was the case - the the only other time I'd seen that graphic was when I'd loaded a SMAX game with SMAC or vice versa - so I reloaded it (also - vainly - hoped that maybe Ethical Calc was not offered only for that reason). Still got the strange graphic (looks like a city skyline) and still didn't get offered EC, grrr.

Darius · August 27, 2001, 03:29

I've seen that weird graphic in pne of my other SMAX games. I thought the other player had created a custom graphic. And by the way, a SMAC game won't load at all under SMAX, and vice versa.

I guess I don't understand the point of two players researching the same tech simultaneously, except if the second player, when receiving that tech from the first, switches to a higher level tech for which the first tech was a prerequisite.

Tai Mai Shu · August 27, 2001, 04:34

Sorry, didn't realize I didn't send it. I thought I did. Anyways, what do you two think about reloading back that turn and doing it again?

TMS

Darius · August 27, 2001, 05:06

OK by me. Nothing interesting happened to me last turn. John?

johndmuller · August 27, 2001, 06:04

A reload is OK by me too (if it works right this time, I might even turn some of my

's into

's). Sorry for the flame, I was a bit exasperated.

I'm nearly certain that I had loaded with the wrong game when I got that funky graphic; it was SP, I think it was a SMAC game loaded with SMAX, but I'll see if I have a remnant and/or can repeat it. In any event, the graphic appeared as a unit where a pod had been (I don't think that the AI popped it either) and it was a native-faction unit, but was some kind of low powered non-native-life; it had combat parameters like a conventional combat unit sort of like a laser rover - it didn't have a name. I remembered reading a post about something that sounded like that graphic too. Did either or you see it? We'll see if it is there this time around. I don't recall accepting Doc Flex either, but I guess I must have had it if it showed me a naval unit in the unit selection screen; I definitely didn't design a supply foil though, but I am in a (SMAC) game that did have the Auto Designer on yesterday, so ... ???

Darius · August 27, 2001, 08:58

2135 replayed and 2136 sent to John.

The only place I've ever seen that weird graphic is in the design workshop.

Darius

johndmuller · August 27, 2001, 16:10

Replayed 2136 (new improved

version) and sent to TMS / Peacekeepers.

Switched successfully and completed Applied Physics; it gave me a lousey set of offerings for the next tech - had to settle for Secrets of the Human Brain, not terribly bad, but considering that I'm the one pushing for the bee lines to Air Power and Fusion I would have to rate it Strongly Ironic.

Apparently I don't have Doc Flex, but do have a Supply foil in the screen of buildable items - including the Cities in Flight graphic. Next time I'll see if I can figure out if there is something missing. I at least if not all of us seem to have had cosmetic faction changes too, I now appear to be Zak and have the white color scheme; I used to be Maroon, but I'm not sure which face I had. TMS looked different as D, but I'm not sure whether he looked like Lal or not before. I know that Scenarios often get messed up in this department, but I didn't think they changed in the middle.

Darius, my SMAX v2 will load an SP game from SMAC v4 as a normal SP game (perhaps subject to anomalies); the reverse didn't work, nor did at least one variation using MP games or program mode, I don't recall exactly which of the possible combinations I tried. Interestingly, when they are running, the OS calls them both Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, so I can't tell which program I'm running from that; I didn't remember at the time that the game/version is available somewhere in the Datalinks or HQ.

Tai Mai Shu · August 27, 2001, 17:20

MY 2136 to Darius

Sorry bout the reload guys, had the same problem as John with the supply foil and the wierd graphics. Oddly enough, I can reverse engineer the stupid thing to give me gun foils and transports. Just two more techs on my part and we can start drilling some boreholes. It should help us leap up in production.

Btw, how do you feel about upgrading crawlers? It's pretty much time to start building SP's because the computer has started on them. I'm not sure about cashing in AA's just to make them though, the tech cost of a new tech would probably outweigh the measly 50 minerals gained from cashing one in.

johndmuller · August 27, 2001, 20:35

MY 2137 to Tai Mai Shu - Peacekeepers

At the moment, we can't upgrade the crawlers much anyway; probably wouldn't make a significant difference.

If anyone wants Applied Physics so that you can scare the uncivilized opposition by telling them how our engineers have finished prototyping the deadly 2-1-1 Laser Rickshaw, just let me know.

As for me, my words are backed by Synthmetal Armor.

johndmuller · August 28, 2001, 10:00

MY 2138 to Tai Mai Shu - Peacekeepers

Note:
I will be unable to take turns from Thursday (Aug 30) PM until Monday evening (unlikely) or Tuesday (Sept 4) PM and may have technical difficulties this Wednesday and Thursday; I'm sorry for the delay and thank you for your patience.
John

Darius · August 28, 2001, 17:52

I plopped a crawler on a square with a mineral special, mine and road for 7

minerals per turn. That base is now at TWELVE minerals. As it happened, that base needed new orders anyway, so I started the WP there. So as to avoid losing the invested mins at the other base, I switched it to the HGP. I almost started the Merchant Exchange, but figured that was more up Morgan's alley.

2139 to John.

Darius

johndmuller · August 28, 2001, 19:11

MY 2139 to Tai Mai Shu - Peacekeepers

Darius · August 28, 2001, 19:29

Quote:

Originally posted by johndmuller
I at least if not all of us seem to have had cosmetic faction changes too, I now appear to be Zak and have the white color scheme; I used to be Maroon, but I'm not sure which face I had. TMS looked different as D, but I'm not sure whether he looked like Lal or not before. I know that Scenarios often get messed up in this department, but I didn't think they changed in the middle.

I look like a different faction in a different color every turn.

Quote:

Darius, my SMAX v2 will load an SP game from SMAC v4 as a normal SP game (perhaps subject to anomalies); the reverse didn't work

I guess I was just thinking of MP games when I said that SMAC and SMAX won't load each other's files. I haven't played any SP games for quite some time, and when I do, I only use SMAX.

Tai Mai Shu · August 28, 2001, 20:51

Well, I'm pleased to say I'm raking in 41 research points a turn and will be nearing my goal of getting my first restriction lifting tech in 4 turns. Also, once we get boreholes, I'd expect our production and research to jump past the AI's.

I'm pretty certain this is the key to getting Fusion power and the other techs quickly as the AI isn't smart enough to utilize them.

MY 2139 to Darius

Tai Mai Shu · August 30, 2001, 17:24

MY 2140 to Darius

Darius · September 1, 2001, 20:54

I meant to post here two days ago, but better late than never.

I've been trying to avoid asking you guys for your techs in order to minimize my research cost. But its reaching the point now that the choices I get are mostly techs that you already have. I'm doing Secrets of the Human Brain now. I know one of you already is (I forget who after two days), so you will have to give it to me when you get it, so I can switch to something else before I complete it. Also, I need one of you to offer me Information Networks so that perhaps I can choose Polymorphic Software next.

On the other hand, I recently lost a game and may soon lose another for lack of adequate defenses. I'm kind of tuned into defensive techs right now, so I may work on High Energy Chemistry next. It's on the path to air power anyway.

Turn 2141 to John two days ago. (I know he's out until Tuesday.)

Darius

Googlie · September 4, 2001, 02:50

Ah - the wierd trawler graphic

About a year ago I added a preformed unit to the 24 or so in the game, the foil supply (contingent on Ind auto and doc flex) so that the AI would build them. the 'floating city skyscape' was the graphic offered by the game, and I didn't know how to get the real graphic on. I usually add trance or armor and presto it becomes a conventional foil supply.

I forgot about that. Some of you may have encountered that in single player scenarios that you might have downloaded, or in other games I've CMN'd.

G.

Darius · September 4, 2001, 09:42

Googlie - it's in PG1 and PG2 as well.

johndmuller · September 5, 2001, 12:45

MY 2141 to Tai Mai Shu - Peacekeepers

Tai Mai Shu · September 5, 2001, 14:08

Turn passed to Darius

johndmuller · September 6, 2001, 02:33

MY 2142 to Tai Mai Shu - Peacekeepers

I've noticed that the Spartans (I think) have a base on my side of the landmass just east of me; I think I'm catching some of Darius' paranoia now.