AC Succession game in parallel

[Avenoct]

At Anunikoba's request, and due to the large interest in the succesion game, I'll be starting a SMAC game in parallel to the SMAX game. For the most part this will be just the same as the AX game so that we can possibly compare notes.

The basic idea, if you didn't read Anunikoba's post, is to play a single game, as a single faction, in succession, taking 10 or 20 turns and passing it along to the next player. The game goes round and round until it's finished.

I'm going to limit this first game to 4 players so that we might each get 3 or 4 turns...see the math below. Here's how the turns would probably go:

Four Players:
1. Players A-D play 20 years each it's now 2180
2. Players A-D play 10 years each...2220
3. 5 years each 2240
4. continue at 5 years till victory.

Six Players:
1. Players A, B, and C play 20 years each 2160
2. Players D, E, and F play 10 years each 2190
3. All players continue at either 5 or 10 year intervals.

The game setup will be:

Lal of the Peacekeepers, Thinker level, average random large? map. Standard PBEM type rules, though this isn't competetive, it's cooperative.

Post your interest and email and we'll get started! (If you don't wan't to post your email you can send a PM using the forum to get it to me). The game will be pretty much democratic, but for two reasons we'll not want to change much once we get going. 1. It's hard to 'discuss' changes over a forum or email and is slow. 2. We're trying for some sort of consistency in the mode of play so that we can compare/ enjoy the differences in style. So, also post any additions and changes you want to make to the game NOW, rather than in the middle of the game.

O.k., TKG and Cybergod, I'm assuming you're in this one, so we need 1 more to get the first game going. After that I suggest that the next 4 players use the same map and start a second succession game. We'll compare our games at the end. Who knows, maybe like Anunikoba suggested we could work our way through all the factions?

Happy Crawlering,

Smack

[Method]

could we do another faction? gaians maybe? that way we can do planned at the beginning w/out too much of a problem (-3 effic: ouch!) if not, then i guess we could do lal, and i'll get back to you on the thinker thing. i'm doing my third and hopefully last librarian game right now so i think i'll be ready for thinker when we're ready to start.

and just for us un-enlightened people, what are standard PBEM rules?

[Avenoct]

TKG, Not a problem to consider these potential changes. Let's have a look

1. Changes will make our Smac game significantly different than the Smax game
a. but....it's already a different game
b. but if we keep it as similar as possible, the differences that are there will be highlighted.

2. Lal. Lal is a pain, but he has good points and bad points like most factions. I'd encourage us to keep him for the compare value.

3. Level of difficulty. The only reason I see to stay at a harder level would be to keep it interesting for the veteran players and of course to compare to the Smax game.

That said, I think it should be up to whoever's playing as this isn't an official compare or challenge game, it's just for the fun of it. So, to work out our choices here's some rapid democracy (ie bypassing the legislative process): If someone's suggestion is seconded, it is a 'majority rules' decision. Interested parties would have 24 hours to vote yea or nay. If a suggestion get's no replies/ is not seconded in 24 hours, it fizzles. If there is discussion and tweaking of an idea/rule/suggestion/whathaveyou, no 'vote' is taken to count untill24 hours after the last 'tweak'. Ok, ok, this sounds a little control-freakish , but I'm interested in actually playing the game more than in discussing the details, hence the rush-democracy. Maybe I should just lay down the law? But then it's not OUR game. So, we'll see if your suggestions get taken up as more players join the forum.

-Smack

[Avenoct]

P.S. Here's the : Apolyton PBEM Tournament Rules
Not that's its a tournament, but the basic ideas are good ones
-Smack

[Cybergod]

I'm in whatever faction! (except Believers )

[SITS]

I would be interested in playing. My email address is tony@tlafave.demon.co.uk

[Cybergod]

Smack is this enouth people? I think that 4 people (including SITS) is enouth to start. We could post the turns to each other and discuss our strategies here.

What level is it? It should be either transcend or thinker since four heads are better than one .

Also, we should have a vote on which faction we should play as. I say one of the hybrid factions because we all have our own ideas on what should be done (I mean Gaians or PKs).

[Avenoct]

Alright, with SITS, that's four, and we'll get the first game underway in 24 hours, barring any additional changes. I'm applying my rules about our decision-making from above, so if TKG will still play, the game is as stands in the proposal. IF anyone wants to back-up the proposed changes or make additional ones, now's the time.

I'm going to move our play threads over to the MP forum under the title: AC Succession Game001. It'll be nice to let this thread die here and free up the 'current-threads' of the quite frisky strategy section.

So speak up! In 24 hours I'll start the game. Oh, one important question! I don't care to go first one way or the other...I don't mind, but if someone else wants to, I could set up the game or they could. Let me know.

-Smack

P.S.
[Following are some ideas...they aren't important to answer necessarily, so skip them if you want]

Additional notes..queries: Are we playing this mainly for the fun of it, to compare strategies with other players in the game, to compare this with a nearly identical Smax game, or for other reasons? Would you consider playing through all the factions eventually? Would you consider taking detailed notes to help in game analysis and a possible Smac database?

[Method]

i still think we should play gaians

[Cybergod]

Originally posted by TKG
i still think we should play gaians

Me too kinda, cos I am sick and tired of playing Lal all the time in my MP and SP games . Gaians sound intrequing . Anyway, we should start to discuss our strategy now. Will we follow the capital (Free Market), tune in with the Planet (Green) or harness our industrial and growth capacities (Planned) and f*** efficiency? (this ain't a funny matter though...)

What map Smack? I suggest we play either huge or normal map of Chiron (Planet, whatever you call that brown land).

[Avenoct]

Well I was just set to start, good thing I checked one more time....that's a 'Second' for the Gaians (I'm trying to keep out as much as possible) so we will now use them unless there are any objections...the further 24 hours to 'approve' this decision can also be used to speak to Cyber's suggestion about using the Map of Planet. If I don't hear, I'll just go ahead and use it, as it's close to what I was going to do anyways...

Again, anyone else want to play the first 20 turns? The more I think about it, the more I'd like to have at the first 20, so I can then sit back and watch what you all do with my beginning !

So, ETS 8pm EST on Monday.

-Smack

[Method]

Originally posted by Cybergod
Will we follow the capital (Free Market), tune in with the Planet (Green) or harness our industrial and growth capacities (Planned) and f*** efficiency? (this ain't a funny matter though...)

What map Smack? I suggest we play either huge or normal map of Chiron (Planet, whatever you call that brown land).

we should harness our industrial and growth capacities, and F*ck efficiency, because gaians have +2 effic and w/ children's creche... and gaians can't run FM.

as for the map, i say either huge map of chiron, or dense cloud average fungus, average or strong erosive, and the middle land size. the medium ocean coverage is best because usually your continent isn't too small, but it's not too big that it's connected to like 3 other factions, therefore creating earlier war.

actually i think we should do the generated map because of the bermuda triangle on the map of chiron (refering to my post about the disappearing transports )

[Avenoct]

Heh, I agree with you about the strategy...**** efficiency. But it'll still be fun to see how we each play. I warn you, if I go first, look for an expansionist empire par-excellence with very loose (read none whatsoever) defensive measures and a focus on IA and the restrictions.

-Smack, who's getting itchy to start.

[SITS]

I personally would prefer Gaians and a suggestion for the map would be to use DilithumDads Ulitmate Builders Map.

I don't mind starting but then I don't mind being last and it sounds like Smack has already drawn up plans!

[Method]

the beginning what i do is

1st base build-scout, then colony pod then Weather paradigm

2nd base-scout colony former then probably HGP or maybe former after HGP

3rd base-(colony pod from 1st)scout colony former

etc inserting early early SP's and keep colony podding until continent is full. by the time the WP is done, you have a lot of bases and formers so you can start the condensers etc early. very important to guard the WP base though as soon as its done or miriam will come along with a recon rover and take out all ur empire

but really 20 turns isn't very long. so if you do the above the WP should be done by the time the 3rd player is going.

i also think we should do lots of early boreholes so that when the energy restrictions lift, the labs get down from 20 to 5 turns.

of course you don't have to do that but all these things have always been good for me.

[Avenoct]

TKG, interesting strategy to get TWO bases immediately set on SP's, would be slower than:

1. Colonypod, former, scout, ...whatever's needed

2. Scout or Former, depending on safety, CP, Scout or Former as before

3 CP built at 1: CP as soon as possible..Former, Scout


This tends to be quite risky but yeilds exponential growth: Bases: 1-2-4-8-16.

Anyways, with the map flip flop I'm going back to the starting idea: random map.
In fact, I'm going to start the game right now. I know I said tonight, but it seems everyone is as frisky as I am, so here's the turn order...order of response:

1. Smack ->2120
2. TKG ->2140
3. Cybergod ->2160
4. SITS ->2180


And so on, as indicated at the top of the thread.


Game details: Standard Random Map, GAIANS, Thinker Level. Average everything...Oh, Pods? Blind Research? Here's what I'm going to do: Pods off, Directed Research....If you have other suggestions, send em soon. I'll be getting this started momentarily and moving this over to the Multiplayer threads


-Smack

[Method]

don't play standard when you can play huge

DO HUGE MAP

oh BTW sending you pm with my e-mail in it

[Method]

and forgot in the last post, im ordering smax today from the place in that thread by jewlguy, and it said overnight delivery but it's going to my neighbour's office in the states so i don't have to pay the extra $15 to get it over the border . any-who, it should reach me some time this week or next week. if i have it installed will i still be able to play this game or will it not work?

[Cybergod]

I'd like a huge map too. I want directed research and pods on.

TKG, it will work if you run 'classic' SMAC (one of the options) or you run terran.exe and NOT terranx.exe

[Method]

oh so you actually have a choice?

BTW cybergod do you want to send me a PM with your email so i can send it to you when im done?

[Avenoct]

Okies, after going to get another beer, I'll be off to give Deirdre a swift lift to 2120!

Screw the democratic principles...and I hop SITS agrees...I'll make a huge map, just like you ordered (would you like fries with that huge Chiron, sir?)

Pods on. Deirdre gets a humongo advantage with pods, but oh well, we'll just crush the AI sooner.

Directed research (whew, glad you liked that)

TKG, look for the zip-format game about 9 pm EST, and I'll start the game-thread over in the multiplay threads as soon as I send 2120 to you.

We're off!

-Smack

[Method]

ok that was 9:00 yesterday then. ok so that means i should have the games by now. i'll check for them, (in the mp thread u said u sent 3) but i won't be able to play until this afternoon. prepare yourself cybergod!

[Cybergod]

All right! Got the game. Can I just say how little infrastructure has been done and how big those captured mindworms look (GO GREEN ARMY, GO!). Oh well, that's the strategy for this game...

2143 WP built partly by AA, partly by rushing
2144 Dreams of Green founded
2145 Lily of the Valley & The Flower's Preach founded
2146 Social Psych and first prototypes (Recon Rover and Synth Garisson)
New research - Biogenetics (where the heck are the RTs!!!)
2147 Great Boil fell somewhere through the dimentional gate! (and then got surrounded by 8 mindworms )
2150 Condesnser near Nessus Shinning built
2152 Another mindworm gone through dimentional gate! (and got surrounded by 6 mindworms)
2155 Replescent Oak builds Command Centre
Met Morgan! (Treaty, brought Biogenetics for 100 EC)
Borehole near Replescent Oak started!
2156 New research - SoHB
Song of Planet founded
2157 Lal starts VW
SoHB!!! (free tech - Centauri Empathy)
New research - High Energy Chemistry
SE - chose Green to piss Morgan off
Started MANY RTs and upgraded all scout patrols to trance synthmetals
2158 Morgan gives in to a threat - Morgan Studios is ours!
2159 Condenser near Dreams of Green started
Condenser near Lucky Autumn started
War with Morgan! He didn't like my Green Econ.
(first Gaian victory against Morgan Industries)
2160 Gaia's Landing builds Network Node

Well, how my turn guys? SITS, I'll be posting the game to ya as soon as possible!

Also what should we do about Morgan? Completely eradicate him? Or have a nice little pet Morgan to drain energy from (he he he ).

[Avenoct]

Well, I WAS hoping to use the Multiplay threads for our game...but...I'm glad we're kicking that industrializing maniac back! I was really surprised by how tough (read slow to develop) my three attempts were...I usually have a little better luck with deirdre, even on a huge map. Research seemed like we are playing on 'tech-stag' which I usually do, but not so! We just stink at labs..so we'll have to go planet on Morgan and make him submit: 'Ok, Ceo, get down there and KISS THAT MINDWORM!'. If you can manage to make him submit we'll get some labs via the commerce, but I'm worried we havn't met anyone else? Get an IOD out there poppin pods on the way to Zak...maybe stack the IOD with 3 probe teams?

Nice concise turn-post, it's fun to hear how it goes.

-Smack

[Method]

well labs will pick up after eviro econ. IF you have about 50 boreholes . in a recent game as santiago(first time i EVER played her) i got enviro econ off morgan only about 15 turns after i finished the WP. he seems to go straight to enviro econ as soon as he can, and so i pacted with him early just to suck his tech out of him.

cybergod, i see you like my great boil? i think smack captured it as a hatchling and i nurtured it to great boil through trolling the fungus and KILLING everything in sight but with a little help from the ruins.

BTW did you start the HGP? you should aswell as any other SP's in any bases that can handle them/aren't occupied.

depends about morgan. does he have enough bases for him to be useful as a pet? does he have tech? and is spoils of war on. oh well i can sleep easy knowing that morgan is slowly getting the life sucked out of him

So the game is sent to SITS then?

[Avenoct]

Na, spoils of war is NOT on, too bad, hehe...wish that a mindworm had 'steal-tech' as an option! I actually had two or three worms in one game, but lost 1 around 2117 to an unlucky attack on another wild wormy.

-Smack

[Cybergod]

Originally posted by TKG
cybergod, i see you like my great boil? i think smack captured it as a hatchling and i nurtured it to great boil through trolling the fungus and KILLING everything in sight but with a little help from the ruins.

BTW did you start the HGP? you should aswell as any other SP's in any bases that can handle them/aren't occupied.

depends about morgan. does he have enough bases for him to be useful as a pet? does he have tech? and is spoils of war on. oh well i can sleep easy knowing that morgan is slowly getting the life sucked out of him

So the game is sent to SITS then?

The game was sent to SITS as soon as I sent my last post.

No I didn't start the HGP because I felt that the bases need a little nurture on their infrastructure first (hence the massive build up of Recycling Tanks). Hope SITS gets the hint to begin HGP...

Morgan, as far as I've seen, has suffered amyor set-abcks due to mindworm attacks from Planet herself! He's occupied the Garland Crater, me thinks, and he doesn't have many military units up and running. His highest morale is Green (:lol). He should be easy to crush/surrender.

BTW, Smack you should post your email to SITS so he knows where to post your turn .

[Avenoct]

Ok, NOT so conscise, but boy was that a great 10 years!

So damnably interesting to receive a game like this!

2180: I switched 2 of the 3 sea formers to formers…I used to form the sea, but it’s expensive and dangerous..would rather have a few formers done for IA in two years…good job aiming for that!

2181: Have started moving the vast worm army (8 or 9? Great work!) toward Morgan. We’re going to have to take him out pronto. If he doesn’t submit, I’ll keep his bases to give to Zak, who I WILL make submit. I suppose, by 2190, when I turn it over there should be 1-3 crawlers per base, we’ll be nearing gene splicing, and the worms will be on the way BACK from Morgan. I can’t believe you guys didn’t finish the job with that nosy capitalist pig! Rushing a couple childrens creches and a rec commons to get ready for IA…about 8 out of 14 bases will be ready for crawler-making

2182: Ah, IA….need I say more? I’m glad those SP’s are cooking, but need them done, done, done! Tempted to send some crawlers in to finish the job, but in my book, getting each city to 14 minerals takes first precedence..I’ll be saving monies in case an AI gets up the nerve to try to get the VW or HGP before us. I don’t care about the command nexus..will switch possibly to the Empath Guild to hopefully get the Governorship and final infiltration. Switched to Wealth, and that shouldn’t hurt the worms about to crush Morgy..I’m guessing Morgan will be cooked in 2187. Again, great job getting so many worms! We’ve all but won in my book.
Busted one of Morgy’s probes near the Mesa..
Ah, wealth is good for industries…SP’s in 5-8 turns respectively..wonder what planned would do? Na, let’s keep green

2183: Ah heck, Planned didn’t make any drones! So I’m running Dem-Plan-Wealth to cook up a bunch of SP’s and crawlers..will switch back to Green hopefully before long as I hope we double our bases when we have the HGP and VW. Oh boy oh boy! Crawler production looking to be good, knocked off yet another Morgan probe team..sending a CP you were building in the ruins to ‘fill the gap’ between Morgan, Zak, and ourselves. Drones will be an issue, but with the HGP and VW, we should fill this continent without too many problems…go Succession team!

2184: will get the EG next turn, and a mess of crawlers. Got one worm in position, 2-3 more on the way for a Morgan Mauling in 2186-7.

2185: Well well well! The Empath Guild is always good to have, and its sure helping me catch up on the intel-game. I was concerned about our vendetta with yang, but, though he’s 20-30 squares from the ruins, he does not yet posess a single ocean-going vessel. We can forget him for a long while. Morgan has 4 bases..2 of which I can’t yet see, but his garrisons are weak, 1 in a base xcept for Industries, which I hope to take first to cripple him. My attack force for Morgan is 4 worms and 2 probe teams. Should do handily. Santiago just started on the Superconductor, which she always has a penchant for, but she has 25 more turns to get it. Nonetheless, let’s steal it from her rather than develop it ourselves…that means getting a probe foil or transport with team in the water in about 10 turns...Lal, poor island bound bugger, is about to develop polymorphic software, which, combined with Zacs recent ‘Optical Computers’ will be useful. Note: Let’s not take these till we have at least started the third restriction-lift…too many techs slows us down in our research. Zac’s researching Cyberethics, which we’ll need to steal to beat him out of THAT project. We’d better finish up our SP’s so Zak gets stuck with the ME and has no minerals going when he gets Cyberethics…all looks good…

2187: Well, I ran into a few hostile worms on the way to Morgan, and not being Green, they fought tooth and nail. They were dispatched, but caused a turn delay. I’m all set for invasion next turn. I only wish that I was playing 20 turns instead of 10..we’re really rocking now! HGP done..VW next turn..I’ll switch back to Green either then, or very soon to increase our eff..for labs. Formers going bonkers making enough forest for the crawlers.

2188: Morgan Rolls over! I only took one base..what a wimp. Well that’s good as it’ll let me get the worm brigade back north for the upcoming (I hope..up to you guys) demolishing of Zak. With the Southern Flank sterilized, I’ll encourage Morgan in any way I can..his commerce will boost our labs..now to remember to get my wormies outta there BEFORE I turn over the base..I’ll have to give him some tech too, start feeding him bases. With this big map, that won’t be hard at all.

2189: Have to love the Instant Transport afforded when you cede a base back to a submissive…troops in the base radius are magically sent to your nearest base..in this case, 3 worms back 20 squares to Morgan Studios..Well, this was my last full turn. Zak’s due to get the Command Nexus, which is great, cause we’ll steal it from him at Univ Base…Lal got the ME, which is fine, silly project. We’re working on one SP, but all that’ll be left is the PTS, which is actually great for us in this game. I recommend building it, even sending crawlers over to finish it, while setting up everyone else to build CP’s after they build some Creche’s for pop-booming. We’ll coat the continent in bases, give Morgy a few, maybe even Lal old chap…while we demolish Zak. When Zak’s pacted, our continent is ‘safe’, and we’ll be getting some more restrictions lifted. With the WP, I think it’s a good game for an energy park: Borehole, E-mirror, Solar, then raise the land to 3500m. But that’s a ways off. Considering how slow our tech has been, we’ve done well. I’ve nurtured the worms a bit, and Zac should roll over, even with the Command Nexus, quite handily. Might want to bring along a 1-3-1 or two to be sure. Smack Out!

2190: Got this turn wrapped up. Might want to play with the Planned-Green switch some more…we’re still at the point where the efficiency kick only yeilds 12 labs per turn running green, and with the few childrens creches out there you might want to stay in planned and do a couple mini-pop booms. That was a fun fun 10 turns! 8 turns of IA and all but 3 bases are producing 14+ minerals! The ecodamage is good..we need a couple pops to initiiate the damage reducing effects of tree farms…I think it’ll be possible to trade and feed Morgan to cause him to do half our research for us..I gave him Morgan Collections and IA so far..probably give him whatever he’s studying till he’s studying something we need. Well, off to get my tech tree worked out for my upcoming game. –Smack

P.S. spotted a Zak probe on the east side..not in our turf, so leaving alone..found one more unity rover—upgrade to 4-1-1? Prototyping 4-1-1 near Zak for the war. Oh, and I’ll leave it to you whether to go for the governorship or not…we don’t need it, but it’ll nicely inflame the already pissed AI factions, possibly into ganging up on us! Fun!

[Method]

well i played the game last night but it forgot to post the update before i sent it to cybergod. BTW i forgot about governor and i didn't talk to miriam. figured there was some reason we didn't want to contact her. any-who, here's the update.

2191-Zakharov starts, citizens defence, so i call him up and threaten to crush him like a bug for his research. he gives intel integ and i start work on cit def at mindworm pass. university builds command nexus at universiy base, and zak mind controls one of our rovers so i declared vendetta(thats what you wanted right?)
2194-mind controled mir lab cuz it was so cheap and we got gene splicing.
2195-university switches from cit defence to planet datalinks and probed indus auto from us
2198/9-traded lal intel integ for optic comps, probed cyberethics from zak and switched to knowlege, and probed the univ world map. i think he's significantly larger than we thought he was. oh well it doesn't matter. if we switch to green then the MW's will get a +30% bonus(won't they?). and the effic will get the labs up. the formers are going nuts trying to plant enought forest for all these crawlers im researching ecological engineering now and i sent out 2 probe foils. one more thing. the rover that zak probed from us to begin with? i probed it back.

[Cybergod]

Oh, well... Besides having to quit all my PBEMs because of a computer fault, here is my turn! With two projects completed and a loyal research monkey under my lap, I am sure it would compensate for additional 3 Vendettas and some pops...2201-Sold Gene Splicing to Miriam for 100 credits
Flippin' hell! Just lost a Great Boil to a pesky mindworm!
Hurried the Planetary Transit System, partly by nearby crawler
Designed Empath Scout Rover
2202-Both sea probes lost to an IOD
Golden Ages (almost) everywhere!
Lily of the Valley builds the Planetary Transit System!!!
Switched to Green
"Kindly" got 150 EC from Morgan
2203-Gaia's Landing builds Rec Commons
Lucky Autumn builds Bio Lab
Nessus Shinning builds Energy Bank
Virgin Soil builds Children's Creche
Got a Demon Boil!!!
Baikonour captured!
2204-Creams of Green builds Net Node
Ecological Engineering!
New research - Environmental Economics
2205-Mindworm Pass builds The Citizen's Defence Force!!!
Dreams of Green starts work on Planetary Datalinks
Lily of the Valley builds Children's Creche
Built our "first" military ship!
Zoloto Gold captured!
2206-Santiago pronounces Vendetta!
Miriam sells her world map and then pronounces Vendetta! I thank her!
Designed Trance Crawler due to mindworms killing two crawlers
Captured an IOD
2207-I am the Planetary Governor!!!
Greenhouse Gate builds Bio Lab
Designed --T-- Trawler (Trance Sea Supply) for fun and for trawling
2208-New mineral resources discovered near Dreams of Green!
Gaia's Landing builds Energy Bank
IOD + many mindworms elsewhere captured during this turn
Captured University Base + Command Nexus!!!
2209-Autumn Grove builds Rec Commons
Zarya-Sunrise captured!...
...and Zak is now our very own submissive research monkey!
2210-Fungus grows (pops) ear Resplendent Oak and Dreams of Green!
Greenhouse Gate builds Rec Commons
Hive and Spartans have agreed to combine ofrces against us!
Got Centauri Meditation from an AA!
Gave Zarya-Sunrise back to the lab-monkey

There! Happy with the trun? SITS, the trun is yer way!