Game Three!!

[Chris Horscroft]

How does the world's technological superpower suddenly lose its scientific dominance to a tiny, primitive bunch of cities that suddenly trades in their longships for nuclear submarines? What does the stunned technological superpower do to regain its leading status? For the answers to these and other questions , read on…

The Chronicle of the Australian People

2040. Australian Troops have established a secure bridgehead in Mexico, but have been forced to embark on a significant upgrade to Naval and Air Force capability due to a number of embarrassing military setbacks. Mexican Forces mass near Monterrey, preparing to strike at the Australian positions.

2041. The Mexican Air Force destroys an Australian Tank Division. Indecisive skirmishes near Australian-occupied Tampico.

2042. Skirmishes continue.

2044. Mexicans launch all-out assaults on Tampico, with large, well-equipped forces. Defenders repulse these assaults. Morale in Australia soars, whilst spies report Mexican populace 'despondent' over their inability to expel the Australians. Ah well, they should have thought of that before they launched their sneak attacks.

2047. HMAS Australia, the first of the new generation aircraft carriers, is launched at Roo Town. Global Defence is discovered. The last vestige of industrial pollution near Snorf is eliminated.

2048. The first Stealth Fighter launched. Skirmishes reignite near Tampico.

2049. The Greek Government decides not to give Argos to Australia in exchange for Quantum Physics. Ah well, worth a try.

2055. A diplomatic initiative from France, Greece and Australia leads to a pollution reduction treaty. Australian diplomats speculate that the large number of independent nations, each with industrial age technology, is overloading the global ecology, and may lead to catastrophe.

2056. Scientific progress is accelerated again, as more specialist scientists are employed.

2059. A full alliance with Greece is signed, and another with France is rejected. This will later become a problem, as wily Greek diplomats sneaked a research agreement into the discussion, and Australian negotiators failed to realise it. The French negotiating team must have collaborated with the Greeks, and they too, secure an unnoticed research pact with Australia.

2061. A major push by Australian troops captures Monterrey from its Mexican defenders.

2063. Mexican infantry, unsupported with airborne units, astonish the world by attacking an Australian Air Force formation in flight. The Australian forces had no attached ground units in support. Although the Mexican forces are defeated, two B52 bombers and a stealth fighter are lost to the attackers. The RAAF is reduced to 1 B52, one B2 (stealth) and one interceptor. Australian Air Chiefs are unable to explain the calamity, and are fired. A new program to equip the RAAF with B2s is commenced.

2064. Under pressure from Greece, War is declared on Ethiopia. This is a diplomatic maneuver, and will not result in actual hostilies (unless Ethiopia is stupid enough to attack Australia).
2066. Ethiopia sues for peace, requesting a cease-fire. This is accepted.

2068. Superconductors are discovered, leading to the building of the world's first Maglevs. Veracruz is captured.

2072. After using Australia's B2 fleet (now up to 7 squadrons) to soften up the Mexican defences at Guadalara for the last four years, a lighting armoured assualt on Tijuana captures the city without difficulty. Mexican defenders had been removed to reinforce Gualajara, and the city was practically undefended.

2077. Discovered Arcologies, and completed construction of the Hollywood. Australia, as centre of the world film industry, receives a vast and ongoing cash boost. Indonesian battleships destroy a Mexican troop transport, entering the war against Mexico. Indonesian tank forces land on Mexico, near Oaxaca.

2078. Indonesian forces capture Tijuana from the Australian forces occupying the city, destroying three tank divisions. This event was totally unexpected, but subsequent research by Australian investigators reveals a plot by Mexico and Indonesia to sink an empty troop ship in the vicinity of an Australian blockade ship, to disguise their true intentions. Indonesian troops landing on Mexico are considered Australia's allies, and ignored. Then, the plan called for them to attack Australian troops in an attempt to help Mexico reclaim its lost territory. Australian public opinion is outraged, and war against Indonesia is declared immediately.

2079. Working together, the RAAF and Australian Army eliminate entirely all Indonesian forces on Mexican soil. Tijuana is recaptured. Australian naval forces are sent to the Indonesian archipelago to harass and destroy Indonesian shipping.

2085. The Agency is built, in an attempt to restore public confidence in Australia's intelligence gathering capabilities. Guided Weapons technology is discovered.

2088. SS Java (aircraft carrier) sunk by an Australian submarine.

2089. Mexico City captured. The capital falls to Australian airborne and armoured forces.

2091. The Field Dynamics Wonder is built, and a peace treaty signed with Ethiopia. Australian spies learn that Greece and France have been leaping ahead in technology. Scientific discoveries have abounded in both empires. Greece indeed has overtaken Australia. Investigators reveal a sordid tale:

Just prior to the 2059 diplomatic negotiations, a Greek immigrant computer engineer working on the Australian Internet Backbone stumbled across a freak database application. This program was systematically collecting and automatically classifying knowledge, presumably as some part of one of Encyclopedia Australiana's exprimental software utilities. It was also programmed to cross-reference all data, and identify knowledge gaps, where no formal data exists despite all the requisite building blocks being in place. The engineer was unable to access and duplicate the code, but was able to add some self-protection code to the database utility, to split it across the literally millions of computers in the Internet system, and prevent detection by all but himself. He then sold his services to the Greek and French computer authorities, hooking up their own computer systems to read the data, without revealing to either of them the access codes or the data locations. He died in 2078, a very, very rich man. Greek and French scientists have then had access to the knowledge base for over 30 years, and had been using it to guide their research efforts. Australian computers housed data that Australia didn't know about, but was powering a covert scientific revolution in two of the countries' supposed allies.

In order to control this situation, the full Board of Management declared war on France, panicking that nation. The resultant electronic chaos across the French computer network collapsed their links to the Australian knowledge database, which could not be recreated as the engineer had left no key to survive his death. With the French scientific boom ended, France then had to accept an Australian offer of a cease fire, or face war with an overwhelmingly superior foe.

Australian diplomats then approached the Greek Government in Athens, and suggested that if Greece was not prepared to share the ill-gotten gains it had reaped from the mutant database, Australia would use 'The French Solution' on Greece as well.

Greece, although technologically ahead of Australia, had not got the lead, or the military strength to risk pushing the point, and handed over Global Communications, Robotics, Fluid Breathing, AI Surveillance, Nuclear Power, and Space Flight. An agreement was struck whereby Greece would continue to hand over all new discoveries, and the instant a refusal to share technology is discovered, Australia will collapse Greece's research efforts the same way as France's were defeated.

2093. Two Indonesian battleships and an aircraft carrier (SS Sumatra) are sunk by submarines. Greece hands over Genetics.

2094. HMAS New Zealand, our first Nuclear Submarine is launched. Oaxaca, last Mexican stronghold, falls to Australian forces. Greece hands over Technocracy.

2095. After much deliberation, the Australian Corporate Republic is placed in the hands of Administrators, all the assets transferred to the Australian Technocratic Board of Management, and life continues.

2098. Teething troubles with the new Technocracy are finally ironed out.

2099. Greece hands over Digital Encryption.

2100. Chaos Theory is discovered, independently of the database and Greek scientists. After a massive troop redeployment, the nine B2 bombers of the RAAF, carried on Australia's two aircraft carriers and supported with screening vessels, commence bombing of Kuta, Indonesia.

2104. Kuta falls to Australian armoured forces.

2106. Denpassar, Indonesia, falls to Australian forces. Greece hands over the Neural Interface.

Intent:

1. To closely monitor Greek compliance with the Technological Developments Pact (2091), and insist on continued full disclosure.
2. To continue pollution reduction measures (this is approaching critical status).
3. To work towards Gaia Controller deployment.
4. To punish Indonesia for the temerity of the Tijuana backstab by occupying Indonesian cities until the threat of Indonesian military power is removed forever.

[berXpert]

Great post Chris, I'm going to wait until you post your end of the history.

After that I must write mine, the "else world"

[Jonny]

Chris, I'm impressed with what you have done with our civilization.

[Chris Horscroft]

Thanks Guys!

I've had another 25 years' worth of time go past, and will write it up soon. Am thoroughly enjoying this!

Chris

[berXpert]

Just to inform I reach the year 2000, and there are only 2 Mexican big cities left at their original position. And in a few years they will be anihilated

I never thought to said that

[phoenixcager]

Originally posted by berXpert
---

Cool phoenix, but I read somewhere that CIV 3 wil not have multiplayer options, so what will be the main theme at CGN?... maybe the strategy and scenarios, right?

---

I heard that too. I guess that will probably be it.
In the meantime, on the multiplayer side, there will still be some emphasis on SMAC, and there will be a new PBEM programme for that.

ps: sorry to everyone else for the off-topic conversation

[Chris Horscroft]

The Chronicle of the Australian People Continues…

2106 Pressured to honour the Greek Alliance or risk losing the scientific boom, Australia declares War on Ethiopia for the second time.

2108 A decisive battle between Australian and Indonesian forces occurs outside Semarang. Indonesian troops are routed.

2109 Greece hands over Unified Physics. Indonesian tanks destroy an Australian Stealth Fighter, but this does not prevent Australian forces capturing Semarang. This completes the conquest of Kuta island.

2112 Greece hands over Nano-Assembly.

2115 Greece hands over Nano-Machines. Australian submarines sink 2 Indonesian Aircraft Carriers.

2116 Australian researchers discover Fusion.

2117 Sumatra falls to Australian forces. Ethiopia requests and receives a cease-fire.

2119 In a new twist to the Greco-Australian scientific co-operation pact, Australian authorities trade Fusion power for Greece’s Gene-therapy.

2121 Greece hands over Human Cloning. Dame Edna Everage opens the Roo Town to New South Jonnyopolis Submarine Tunnel. The NSJ garrison is reduced, reflecting the increased defensive support available from the mainland.

2124 Greece hands over Ultra-pressure machines. Bali captured.

2127 Greece hands over Cybernetics. Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, falls to Australian tanks. Military commanders note that Australia’s forces, whilst highly successful, are now using equipment that is thoroughly out of date. Again under pressure from Greece, Australia enters the Third Ethiopian Cold War.

2130 Greece hands over Neural Reprogramming. Malang, last Indonesian city on that Empire’s home island is captured.

2131 Australian researchers discover Plasma Weaponary

2134 Java is captured, Riots break out in Mexico City – student dissidents claim that the Australian Empire is too large, and should better respect other cultures' right to exist independently - even if those other cultures do chose to launch sneak attacks against Australians. The government pledges to look into it, and quickly builds Virtual Reality facilities in key cities to distract the student populations from political questions.

2135 The Ethiopian cold war turns hot, as Ethiopian cavalry assassinates a visiting Australian diplomat.

2136 Greece hands over Virtual Democracy.

2139 Virtual Democracy adopted across the Australian Technocratic Republic. The Scarlet Biro Pty Ltd establishes itself as a political party, and fields candidates in all major cities, promising, if elected, to continue managing the country in the same manner as has worked for 200 years. Hardline rivals propose increasing the size of the armed forces, but despite Australia’s brilliant military record, the people have no liking for conflict, and recognise that they are only invading the rest of the world to protect themselves and promote justice, equality and development. It is not a task they enjoy, just something they are very, very good at. The hardliners are defeated, and Scarlet Biro’s successful Presidential Candidate assumes office. Bandang is captured.

2141 Greece hands over Genetic Tailoring. Indonesian battleships operating out of Medan, that nation’s last coastal city, sink all of Australia’s unarmed troopships. However, they were too late. The Australian Expeditionary Force had already been landed near Medan. Nevertheless, the RAAF sinks all four remaining battleships, eliminating the Indonesian Navy

2142 Medan is quickly captured. Australian diplomats secure an apology from Ethiopia, and a ceasefire is signed. This shows admirable restraint, as in earlier times Australia would have responded by invading Ethiopia. However, it is felt that Ethiopia has been a pawn in Greek-Australian affairs, and that over-reaction would be unjust in this instance. An Ethiopian apology is therefore considered sufficient.

2143 Australia completes the Genome Project in a secret laboratory in San Carlos, the Empire’s greatest industrial centre. Surabya, the home of the Indonesian Government-in-exile and last independent city of the rump Indonesian Empire, falls to Australian troops. Immediately, peace is declared, and the armed forces reduced to a state of alert. Australia will modernise its ground forces before undertaking any further campaigns, as experience has shown that technological supremacy is an immense advantage. Large bomber forces and strong ground troops have made the Empire what it is today, and hopefully a period of peace will now allow the ground forces to be updated.

The Government pledges to return its prime focus to economic and scientific development, and contine its programme of replacing industrial power with technological might and commercial wealth. We will build the Gaia Controller!

[Chris Horscroft]

Just to explain what will now be a break in posting news of SG-3. I'm going to NZ on holiday for a week, and won't have access to computers for that time.

As things stand, it is now around 2230, I have completed numerous wonders including the Solaris Project, and have encountered the slight problem that due to map size, it is extremely difficult to cover 60% of the globe with obelisks.

That is, I have somthing like 20 of these obelisks, spread around the empire, with radius 8, and am still only covering 20% of the globe.

There would seem to be a need to invade more places, since alliance deals don't seem to be forthcoming at present. Am I missing something? (I'll read the answers, if any, in a week!)

Cheers

Chris

[berXpert]

How many undersea cities do you have?

I guess that building more of them you could easy reach the 60% without attacking other civs.

[narmox]

can't wait to see how this turns out! Don't despair ,there are other people than you who read this

[Chris Horscroft]

Just back today - was setting up underwater cities when I left specifically for that purpose. Will check and get back to you...

Chris

[Jaybe]

I just got CtP2 last weekend* and happened upon this thread! What a great read this is!

(BTW, I've read only the first 9 pages so far.)

*The price was right. Waiting for C3.

[Edit of Oct. 28]
Finished reading the thread to this point.
Chris, while it's a shame you seem to be carrying the full responsibility at this point, you DO write great summaries!
Thank you all for the insights you have given me about CtP2 (2 days to Civ3 and counting the minutes (2,680 minutes till I purchase it on my lunch break)!

[phoenixcager]

way to go Chris!
great to see that things are turning out well!

[berXpert]

Hi guys!

Just to inform I reached the year 2140, finally Gaia Theory was discovered and in a few turns the I'll get last discover to start the Solar Wonder, I have 500,000 gold so I can rush buy it and some satellites or obelisks.

I had never end a game at the Gaia Controller, question Chris, how many sats and obelisk have you built? how many turns have you expent building this stuff?

I have 8 undersea cities, do you think I need more?

BTW in this year (2140) I have captured all the cities at the main inglish island ...including London

I'll have 2 days free + weekend, I think on those days I'll end the game and finish the else world history, maybe a few minutes after the end of history from Chris you will have mine.


---
Out of subject... Hey phoenix, why don't tell me that in youngbloods my position was free? I want it back, if you know it's free again please email me.

[Chris Horscroft]

The End of Australian History

(It isn't a happy ending...)

2144 Greece hands over NanoWarfare
2147 Greece hands over Ectopia. Our coastal observers spotted a Plasma Destroyer flying the Ethiopian flag, and passed this vital data over to our diplomats, in time for them to reject Greek pressure for a fourth Ethiopian War.
2150 Greece hands over Gaia Theory
2152 Our scientists developed Smart Materials. The Malang-Java undersea tunnel was completed.
2154 We swapped Gaia theory for Greece's Life Extension technology.
2158 Greece hands over Gaia Controller, ending the technological race. (We promptly fire all our scientists, and turn them into merchants).
2164 We complete the National Shield, ensuring all Australians can live without fear of nuclear attack from jealous rivals.
2180 We complete the Solaris Project.
2187 We complete the Central Matter Decompiler, doing our bit to save the environment.
2190 Too late - global warming strikes, and much Australian soil becomes useless. We immediately begin a clean-up.
2205 We complete the Nanite Defuser, offering freedom from nuclear war to all the planet's people.
2209 Our network of obelisks, satellites, and cores is completed - we can always build more obelisks, but there is benefit to be gained from further cores or satellites.
2213 The last pollution in Australia's borders is cleared.
2214 We complete the Egalitarian Act.
2217 And the World Peace Centre.
2221 We lauch the first of our rush program of Sea Engineers, on determining that our existing empire does not enable 60% global coverage. The planners responsible are sacked. That's what happens when you don't have a strong, central government, but rather have turned into a Virtual Democracy, an autonomous collective where no-one takes responsibility, but everyone wants to run the show!
2225 We also complete the Eden Project - none of our cities are destroyed (but can't recall whose did disappear).
2227 The data file seems to have become corrupt, as every time the Australian people try to end the year 2227, an illegal error occurs, and some guys called 'Microsoft' turn up and arrest everyone. Our scientists are hastily recalled to duty, but so far have not been able to resolve the problem. They continue to work on it, but so far the signs are not encouraging.

Intention:

Try a few more times to solve the problem.
Offer the file to anyone who wants it (zipped it is 400k, so too big to attach here. My email is scarlet.biro@bigpond.com - I'll send it to anyone who wants a copy).
Advise BerXpert that eight underwater cities may be all he needs, but I'd go for 10-12 to be on the safe side. I too have never managed to get a Gaia victory completed, and am really annoyed that this time, my best shot in a long while (I haven't played much recently), I'm still prevented from getting there.

[Chris Horscroft]

Attached are two zip files - one is the overall score (zero sum) as at 2227, the other is the gaia controller status panel , also as at 2227.

[Chris Horscroft]

...

[Chris Horscroft]

Here's the Gaia panel

[berXpert]

Well I guess I must write my final history soon, just to inform I'm at 2180 and 57% of the land is covered, I need 5 more turns to reach (I hope) the 60% finally and the else world history will be written.

---
Chris I got the file corrupted a lot of times during the game, so I used to save every 2 or 3 turns, shut down PC and restart, that make the game a quite low, but when you "guess" when it could happen again just save and load and there is not more problem.

Do you have a previous save, ie when you are at 2225? if not copy the autosave file and rename as 2227b maybe the autosave is not corrupted yet.

If you want I can take a look, my email is berXpert@yahoo.com.mx

From what I see on your gaia control panel I guess you are building a single obelisk in a city. And from the stats screen I see that you conquer a lot more than I did, so you don't need the sea engineers, you must build 4 obelisk per city, put the obelisk at the farest point of your borders and you could see that the range will be increased, other useful thing is make an alliance because you can build obelisk on the land of your allie.

I have only 61 cities and I have built 120 obelisk, I could be end the game last night but "someone" is destroying my obelisk so I still need 5 turns to get the lost build again.

[Chris Horscroft]

Hi BerXpert,

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, the autosave is corrupted (I checked that!).

My last manual save was 30 years before, and I guess I could use the history notes I have written in order to re-do those last years, but my wife is really going to love that idea!

I didn't realise that more than one obelisk per city increased the radius. I'll do that, as although I can crank out a sea engineer every three turns in several cities, and have a couple in the water at the moment, your approach sounds definitely to be superior to mine.

Will send you the game file - was going to post some screen shots of the Australian Home Island, and the Indonesian territories on this site, but I suspect the memory limits will get in the way of the screen dumps.

Cheers

Chris

[berXpert]

Bad news Chris, the game crahs with me too.

I try to use the cheat menu to skip the turn too but nothing seems to work.

BTW trying to make the game work I discover a "trick", you can force an alliance with almost every other Civilization, except the one you are fighting.

For example North America, at diplomacy screen sugest a peace pact, they are going to reject, so you threat them if they reject you will declare war, this way they accept.

Do this with every one and you have a full alliance except the green who only accept preace but don't care about you declare war when forcing the alliance.

So if you are going to replay the turn 30 years before, make a full alliance, maximize your public works (I saw you can handle 30,000 per turn), rush buy only the sats and core necesary, and put obelisk every where at your allies land.

I bet if you replay from 2180 when you build Solaris Proyect you could easy avoid the global warming. This are my 2 cents

* Rush buy 10 sats and 10 core when gold available
* Set public works to 80 or 90
* Every city that is not building the gaia parts change the queue to build infraestructure
* Build obelisk NOT in the center of the cities but at the farest point
* Put the first obelisks not too close, including your allies, and as each turn you will be able to build 10 more check where are some freespace to put other, well with the alliance stuff I don't think you need to search for free space

Maybe you could not get thw 60% by the global warming in 2190 but for sure you end in less than 30 turns

[berXpert]

Good news, the else world hast reach the science victory at year 2191, it was not posible to stop the global warming occured in 2189, but only the most polluted part of the world was affected, in this case England.

I'll put a copy of the year 2190 so every body could see the boring end, I really expected something else. BTW I'm still writting the history... wow 200 turns played is a lot of work.

I make a lot of saves if someone wants a copy of a previuos year just let me know.

[Jonny]

I believe that finally this game is completely dead. Great job to the people that finsihed it up. Of course, I have more sucession gaming to work with: the First Civ3 Sucession Game started by me! Maybe I'll see one of you guys at a future Civ3 Sucession Game.

See you all later.

[Chris Horscroft]

Love to try Civ3 games of this type - just as soon as:

1) It come out in Australia (maybe it already has?)
2) I can afford it
3) My wife lets me buy it
4) I learn how to play it!

After that, let's play!

Meanwhile, I'll follow BerXpert's advice sometime soon and have a shot at winning before the global warming...

Chris