Morgan Opening - Attn Ogie

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 22:50

Okay, this is for everyone's commentary, but I'd really like to know why it is that I can't seem to get my Morgan game working lately. I use Ogie Oglethorpe's excellent and compelling early game strategy, outlined here: http://www.civgaming.net/smac/acad_buildprimer.shtml

It seems to me that I either can't catch a break, or I'm doing something direly wrong, strategy wise. I'll attach some saves, add some commentary, and we'll see what people think.

Anyway, first save is 2101. No big shocks so far. Suck opening spot, but I try to play the map I'm dealt, as I think rerolling maps until I get a river and 2 monoliths is kind of bankrupt.

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 22:54

Turn 2104, my second base is founded. Both are building up minerals for my switch to tanks as soon as I finish researching Biogenics.

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 22:56

Behold turn 2107. Recycling tanks are complete, next I will construct my scout garrisons.

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 22:57

Oops. Helps if I attach the game...

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 22:58

Here's turn 2117. I've rushed my colony pod immediately after my capital reaches 2 population, and am poised to do so with my second base in the next turn.

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 23:00

Here's 2123. I've planted one base, but as you see, I've encountered a pesky mindworm. Sadly, the scout I advanced to kill him has lost, and now I must retreat my pod, losing critical turns while I build another scout to uproot mister worm.

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 23:02

2126, and I've compounded my woes by opening a pod, hoping for a break, and lo, another worm. This may have been my fatal mistake, but I do have a garrison poised to take up residence in my capital.

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 23:06

Or not. Looks like mister worm was a mite too clever for me, and zipped over to eat my damend capital. Oh, and my pod-popping scout was devoured messily, and there seems to be a third worm lurking out there, eyeing my colony pod hungrily.

Admittedly, the pod-pop with my capital's garrison was a bad break, but given the sound drubbing my scouts seem to receive every time I cross paths with a worm, this doesn't seem like too grevious a fault. So... do I chalk this up to reckless play and dumb luck? Am I getting special treatement from the worm brigade? Suggestions, please.

CEO Aaron · March 21, 2004, 23:06

Durnit, forgot the save again:

Jamski · March 22, 2004, 08:39

You're getting bad luck on a poor start.

-Jam

Ogie Oglethorpe · March 22, 2004, 10:29

Sorry,

My bad Haven't checked here in a bit. I'm now at work and will have to open the saves tonight at home.

I know I've had a number of bad beginnings before where the 8th faction decided to make my life a living hell. WIthout looking at it, I would guess you've hit a particularly bad string of luck.

What fungus settings were you using?

CEO Aaron · March 22, 2004, 16:26

Oh, I always play abundant natives, so I know I did sign up for some early worm pain, but I've been having a string of games where my early expansion is cramped by either crazy worms and angry neighbors.

Ogie Oglethorpe · March 22, 2004, 18:32

What size world? (for purposes of interfactional issues)

Most of the itme anymore I go either normal settings and large world, sometimes abundant natives.

Morige definitely is susceptible to Natives. It is my feeling (from observing pops in ocean etc.) that running negative planet makes worms swarm towards you. Not that it increases likelihood of warm generation per se but that worms when generated in the game are likely to nonrandomly move towards bases/factions that have negative planet ratings.

This being said abundant natives seem to be a big distraction to me when Morgie playing as the worms come a calling as opposed to going and picking on some other faction.

I could be imagining things tho'.

CEO Aaron · March 22, 2004, 19:27

I play Large Worlds. Yet on most games I still find myself sharing a close border with at least one aggressive neighbor, as in they find me before I've planted my 5th base.

Santiago_Claus · March 22, 2004, 22:34

I've downloaded your game, just because Morgan is my favorite faction.

Morgan's biggest disadvantage is right up front: he must expand like mad in order to survive, but with a support penalty hung around his neck, just at the time of fiercest competition for the most important SP's (WP and HGP). If Morgan doesn't have space, and lots of it, he's going to die.

Morgan's advantage is having and eating his cake when it comes to SE: he can both troll fungus and get 2 Econ by using Demo/Green/Wealth.

Without having looked at your game, I'm guessing there either isn't room to expand or you just got handed some unlucky early breaks.

jtsisyoda · March 23, 2004, 01:45

An alternative start is to go for Ind Econ first, using your starting ec's to make the switch to FM ASAP. (In the meantime, build scouts, which are helpful with so many worms around.) FM with Morgan will roughly double your energy income, getting you to Biogen and Cent Eco more quickly.

I tried it and got much luckier, so it's hard to say if it's the strategy or the luck. By 2127, with an earthquake that gave me a rainy rolling river square, I had 8 population, 6 techs, techs every 6 years, and Ind Auto coming in 4 years.

However you play it and however luck treats you, Morgan's -1 support is definitely more of a factor with all those worms.

Ogie Oglethorpe · March 23, 2004, 09:32

Well I did the comparison and see the posted sav.

You did get an awfully ugly patch of fungus.

AS such and trying to avoid the bounce navigating through fungus I expanded southward first avoiding the pod pop until I set down the base next to it. Popped the pod and got a nutrient and a cloned infanry (free unit w/o support YEY!!)

Got Bio Genetic My 2106 ish and bought two rec tanks.

Sent back one of the two indy scout back to HQ's base and explored with second. Killed a total of 3 worms (1 worm 2 launchers over teh course fhte next 5 turns)

Colony pods are soon produced (I stapled southern base as it turned size two). Moved southern infantry unit to act as a bridge to allow colony pod to move into fungus without a bounce.

All inall it is now MY2144 and no real set backs per se.

I beleive you just ran into a string of bad luck events CEO.