AI Blitzkrieg (variant of the "Chop & Drop")

[Googlie]

WOW

It's 2275 and I'm the Uni, smug in my fifteen mega bases with trance AAA silksteel defenders, am in four pacts and 2 treaties with the other factions

My SSC has everything a science city could ask for, all the research SP's and I'm pacted with the CyCon and Angels and swapping techs very friendly-like.

Suddenly I get notice that someone has framed me against the Gaians, then all hell breaks loose

In one turn I get eight bases denuded of troops by a co-ordinated missile attack by Dee (2 naval and six land) followed by cruisers taking my naval bases and locusts swarming into my now empty land bases, followed immediately by what seemed like oodles of drop troops falling into them as well

(I had lost governorship about fifty turns ago, and Dee had built the HSA so I never did get round to probing her)

I saved the game then opened the scenario editor to see what she had - around 60 missiles unaccounted for, and had plopped three screaming eagles into my land bases (yes, my one shard silksteel AAA drop troop was named that, and the AI shamelessly plagiarized it!!)

What a game - I'll be lucky to survive this one.

The irony was that I was running a green economy - that apparently meant little to the warmongering b!tch

G.

[Barinthus]

Whee, Googlie... let us know how you fare in that game.

[Flubber]

OUch--

Were you playing any particular type of challenge or beefed up AI??

I guess thats what you get from the AI if you try to play NICE ---

I am suprised from time to time myself when the AI suddenly pulls off co-ordinated tactics. This was beautiful . .. I can see the AI having the missiles to burn but its not often they will have the locusts and cruisers in position to actually follow up-- and then filling the bases with drop troops- wow

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by Flubber
OUch--

Were you playing any particular type of challenge or beefed up AI??

Good question! Also, was the map custom? I am curious as I just got done playing on gwillybj's super-big-huge map, which taught me a few things about mapmaking. From now on I think for all my SP's I'll be building a multitude of customized maps, then selecting a map at random for the game.
I have noticed in the past the AI mimicking my units: I had a custom Drop AA Speeder that I was using to decimate an AI's NJ's. I lost a few of these units to Probe Teams this way. Lo and behold when I finally got infiltration on the faction I was combatting (I think it was Hmnee), the AI was building these units! The sad thing here though was that the AI really didn't utilize them very well....


D

[Jamski]

Yeah, tell us what kind of challenge this was Googlie.
I can't imagine the AI pulling this one on a standard Trancsend game.

-Jam

[Barinthus]

Originally posted by Darsnan
I had a custom Drop AA Speeder that I was using to decimate an AI's NJ's.

What's a NJ?

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by DataAeolus


What's a NJ?

needlejet


D

[Googlie]

Well - a sort of standard game. I run a parallel smac/x set up on my partitioned drive, and in that one I have amended all the faction txts to give free treefarms on their getting env econ.

As a result they do plant forests, and do build crawlers.

I was on transcend, on a random 128 x 256 map (but the game had crammed us all into one corner of it - and Dee was well within drop range of most of my core bases)

I had intended it to be a switch game (changing factions to take the weakest every 75 years) but at each breakpoint I was always the weakest, so stayed as the UoP for the 200 or so years until getting framed

The saving grace is that Aki moved about 15 shard interceptors into my bases then turned over control. So now it's worldwar with the 3 research factions (Aki, Roze and me) against, of all people, Dee with Morgan!!

Domai and Lal are staying out of it.

I'm weakened, but still alive and kicking. Unfortunately she has the HSA, so I can't just waltz in and mind-control my old bases back. So my short-term objective is to take out her HSA base, whatever the cost.

G.

[johndmuller]

The AI can be tough with the missiles, probably because the missiles themselves are pretty tough (and the AI probably gets also them at a discount too). The fact that the missiles are pretty strong is probably why the AI actually uses them against even fortified positions, as opposed to the planes, which seem to be too timid about attacking bases, even with dozens of underutilized planes, when the individual odds are not good enough for it, like when sacrificing an NJ or two would let it break through the defenses.

[Frankychan]

Now THAT sounds like a fun game.

[Iynx]

Can you tell what what some of the things you said mean? I'm a newb, here goes:
SSH
Uni
SP's
CyCons
Angels
HSA

thanks if you reply!


-Iynx

[Petek]

Iynx,

You might want to check out the topped thread titled "SMAC/X FAQ ...". Item 15 in that thread contains the answers to some of your questions. Here are the definitions of the terms you asked about:

SSH -- Think you meant SSC. That's Super Science City, a term borrowed from Civ. In one base you build all the lab-enhancing facilities (Network Nodes, Research Hospitals, etc.), plus certain Secret Projects (Merchant Exchange, Supercollider, Theory of Everything, etc.). The idea is to maximize research at one base.

Uni -- The University faction

SP's -- Secret Projects. Could also mean Single Player in a different context.

CyCons -- The Cybernetic Consciousness faction

Angels -- The Data Angels faction

HSA -- Hunter Seeker Algorithm SP

[Blake]

SSC (I assume you meant) - Super Science City, basically both the +100% labs secret projects in the same city, and crawlers bringing energy.
Uni - University Faction
SP - Secret Project
CyCon - Cybernetic Consciousness Faction
Angels - Data Angels faction,
HSA - Hunter Seeker Algorithm SP

[Iynx]

Thank you for answering.


-Iynx

[Barinthus]

Originally posted by Darsnan


needlejet


D

Duh, of course. Thanks, Darsnan.

Me