SMAC No Crawler Challenge Succession Game

Scipio Centaurus · October 12, 2001, 20:31

This is the new SMAC NCC (No Crawlers Challenge) Succession game signup thread. Terms of play not specified yet.

See ACS003 for an idea of how things might go.

Add a message to this thread if interested in playing

Zakharov VII · October 12, 2001, 22:44

I still want in!

I've been practicing not using crawlers on Smack's Superscend factions, so I should be all set to go on this one

!

Z

Avenoct · October 12, 2001, 22:48

I've got everyone's email, so perhaps I should start it off?

Players so far

Scipio
Blake
JohnD
Smack ..er Avenoct
Zhakarov, I'm pretty sure.

That's plenty, but it really doesn't matter how many we have.

BTW, it isn't worth it to change the alpha.txt. It's simply a matter of keeping the finger off the 'must build crawlers' button

, which I definately have a hard time doing!

-S-

Qantaga · October 12, 2001, 23:10

I'd like to participate again, if you guys don't have too many players already.

Scipio Centaurus · October 13, 2001, 00:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Avenoct
I've got everyone's email, so perhaps I should start it off?

Sounds good.

Quote:

BTW, it isn't worth it to change the alpha.txt.

Agreed. The honor system should be fine. I was 'misled' into believing that my ingenious crawler restricting edits of the alpha.txt file were effective in our last game.

They worked fine for me...

- Scipio

Zakharov VII · October 13, 2001, 01:23

Actually, I don't think you have my e-mail - I didn't want it to be listed...

So I just created a free e-mail account at Care2...

E-Mail turns, comments, or whatever to zakharov@care2.com

I can't wait to get started

!!

Z

johndmuller · October 13, 2001, 01:25

When the crawler design first appearas in the DW, whomever sees it first can just "obsolete" it and it probably won't reappear to tempt anyone. Besides if anyone wanted to build one on the sly, they would have to hide it in some other factions territory to stop any more "responsible" teammates from disbanding it. You'd also have to make it at least the 10th and prefererably at least the 16th unit of its base so you couldn't see it in the base screen either. Of course maybe this could be the challenge of the game. Not that it matters, but did we decide on the faction yet, or even whether it is MP or succession?

Scipio Centaurus · October 13, 2001, 01:58

I wasn't aware that you could obsolete one of the default unit designs. But it isn't important.

I've never completely mastered the DW interface. In my SP games I find I have to keep upgrading units repeatedly whenever the DW production supervisor screens appear after I've learned any new tech.

- Scipio

Zakharov VII · October 13, 2001, 02:10

Scipio, I suggest you turn off auto-design (this gets rid of the annoying "new units are available...want to see?" messages)...I mean how often do you use Missile Synthmetal Marines? If you really want one of those, you can design it yourself. Also, since as a builder at heart I rarely bulid military units until I have to, for the first 50-100 years of the game I only have 4-5 units - sea former, sea probe team, synthmetal garrison, police infantry, etc. A lot nicer to look at when there's no Amphibous Recon Rovers taking up room.

I'll play any faction, University is just what I (in real life) connect with most, I think. But in terms of the game, I enjoy them all equally. I even had a long run as Morgan, and have achieved my highest score with him (my only 100+ base game!!). I even played a Librarian game as Miriam

.

In the thread in the General SMAC forum where we "discussed" this briefly, you mentioned blind research - I wouldn't mind, but would it be just blind? Double blind? Or what?

I've never actually played blind - well, my first game was blind, but I didn't get how things worked then. I've played double blind, though

Z

Happy 200th post, Scipio

!

Scipio Centaurus · October 13, 2001, 02:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Zakharov VII
Scipio, I suggest you turn off auto-design (this gets rid of the annoying "new units are available...want to see?" messages)...

Good idea. I had it turned off once upon a time and then I turned it back on for some forgotten reason... I think maybe I kept forgetting to design units, which meant they weren't getting prototyped in a timely fashion, which meant I was getting killed by surprise military invasions with superior tech combat units...

Quote:

I mean how often do you use Missile Synthmetal Marines? If you really want one of those, you can design it yourself... A lot nicer...when there's no Amphibous Recon Rovers taking up room.

You mean you don't use Missile Synthmetal Marines, Amphibious Recon Rovers and AAA, ECM, Police & Trance garrison unit designs?

Quote:

...my only 100+ base game!!

I'm looking forward to MY 2300+

Quote:

In the thread in the General SMAC forum where we "discussed" this briefly, you mentioned blind research - I wouldn't mind, but would it be just blind? Double blind? Or what?

I'm good either way. My guess is if we went with blind research, we would naturally fall into double blind research by the mid-game anyway. Can't afford to get too far behind the AI in any category.

-Scipio

Zakharov VII · October 13, 2001, 02:49

LOL, I've never gotten close to 100 bases again, so don't count on that many!!

I think I was up to Omnicron Sector in that game, so I *only* had 50 bases of my own

As long as we're not in a war, you can count on massive Fusion Penetrator Colony Pod production when it gets around to me around the mid to late 2200's, though

Z

Blake · October 13, 2001, 03:28

FYI, in my SP games I dont *crawl* resources. However I still use the other main function of the crawler - cashing in for prototypes or SP's. This is because sometimes the AI does do this quite a bit (they also enjoy shipping crawlers off to distant lands

). But I'm quite capable of not building crawlers at all.

Anyway, my preferences for game settings:
Faction: Morgan (2nd choice: Zak or Dee)
Large map (not as cramped as standard, while still keeping contact reasonably early)
Blind Research with faction default Priorities, or choose priorities.
No Unity scattering.
Unity Survey.

However I dont feel particullary strongly about any of those settings being enabled or disabled.

Scipio Centaurus · October 13, 2001, 04:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Blake
FYI, in my SP games I dont *crawl* resources...they [AI] also enjoy shipping crawlers off to distant lands

. But I'm quite capable of not building crawlers at all.

Crawling resources is the only function that makes sense to me. My primary reason for suggesting this challenge variant was to get away from the crawlers as secret project scrip paradigm, come transcendance time. A good builder faction should have more than enough ECs to cash out quickly though, even w/o crawlers.

I hear you about the AI sending crawlers off to ferrin' lands. I was once in a SMAX Transcend game as Morgan pacted with AI Lal. Lal was in a conquering mood - he took out every other faction, one by each. But he and I were such good buddies that I had sent a couple of my superformers into his territory to build a magtube network for him. One turn during the AI phase, no less than 30 PK crawlers

rolled past my superformers, headed towards Chow Down's newly captured territories. Thank goodness the AI is 'unacquainted' with advanced terraforming techniques.

My Preferences
-------------------
Faction: Morgans, University, PKs, Hive or Spartans
Map: The bigger the better; 50-70% ocean
no strong preferences for anything else

- Scipio

Avenoct · October 13, 2001, 11:40

O.K., I can see we'll be whittling away at this for awhile, so I just went ahead and started the game.

Morganites, Large totally random map, no unity pod scattering, blind research, look first, unity map visible. The map looks great at first view.

Recap the rules:

No Crawlers.

Turns are 10-15 years per player (your choice), but you may play less if it's getting slow.

Post your turn-summaries when possible to the turn tracking thread, or at least tell the next player what you were up to by email. Turn Summaries don't have to be ultra-detailed!

Upload the gamesaves to the turn-thread AND email the next player with the turn.

Win.

Turn Order
Scipio
Blake
JohnD
Zakharov
Smack
?

This game is still open for others to join, just let us know here.
I'll post up the turn-tracking thread in a minute and re-link it here. Any additional rules-discussion should probably go here, leaving the turn thread just for turns (they tend to get long).

NCC02 Turn Tracking Thread
-S-

Scipio Centaurus · October 13, 2001, 21:40

Think you missed a note from Qantaga up near the top of this thread. I didn't see his name in the game turn thread.

Avenoct · October 14, 2001, 00:28

Your right, sorry 'bout that. Quantaga, you can go after me and pass the turn to Scipio.

-S-

Qantaga · October 14, 2001, 00:47

Thanks. I will be pleased to follow the noted CEO/General Smack.

Blake · October 14, 2001, 03:56

You may be interested in reading my thread which examines the mathematics of crawlerless. Has some meaningfull conclusions about good terraforming strategies. I hope.

Crawerless strategy. Long.

Zakharov VII · October 14, 2001, 15:59

Is this the "discussion" thread for NCC02?

Forgot to write one note last night (was late!!) - if we don't get VW at the Shrine (didn't expect to with Zak making it), I was thinking we could set research priorities to Explore for Centauri Empathy, and switch over to the Guild...then we should be able to make a treaty/pact or two (lots more commerce!!) and trade some tech.

It seems Dee and Zak are sharing techs quite efficiently...

Z