Marr Challenge

[Basil]

It seems that everyone out there is of the opinion that the Usurpers are an overpowered faction, too strong to play in MP games. I don't think they are, I actually think they are more bark than bite. So I have a challenge for you: 2-player game, you get Marr, I get my choice of SMAC (but not SMAC-X) factions. To reduce the role of chance, I'd like to set up 3 games against 3 different opponents.

Game settings: Transcend difficulty; the other five factions get chosen randomly by the computer; standard rules except:

[*]"do or die"[*]at least 2 of the games to be without pod scattering[*]at least one of the games to be played on a huge world[/list](Note that standard rules include random events and blind research.)
Post here with thoughts or send me email if you're just interested in playing

[illiria]

you sound like you are some God of SMAC or so...I guess I would try you..

[stuntman19]

I will take the flesh eater if scattered pods and huge map-mgr@dmi.net.

[Basil]

I set up the game against Illiria as a huge world without pod scattering and chose Morgan. The AI's in that one are the Angels, the Spartan Federation, the CyC, the Pirates, and the Caretakers.

I set up the game against stuntman19 as a huge world with pod scattering and chose the Gaians . The AI factions are the Angels, the CyC, the University, the Drones, and the Caretakers.

A couple of things I noticed in a test: in MP, the Progenitors land in MY 2101 (whereas in SP they land in 2105), and their ability for directed research seems to be buggy: it seems they get blind research like anyone else if the multiplayer game is set that way. Which helps play balance but isn't what I was expecting...

[stuntman19]

The Gaians are welcome to come over for...as dinner.

[kt_butts]

If you're still looking for a third game, I'm happy to oblige.

[RedFred]

My SP games results tend to support Basil's premise about the aliens not being ridiculously overpowered. Even with the aliens' directed research, I have been unable to surpass my fastest double blind research transcend time using a human faction.

I figure that the early game tech-trading among the human factions is the great equalizer. So hard to get much tech through trade using the Progenitors.

For your interest, my best trancend date was with UoP. Gaians, Cult(!?) and Drones were all very close behind.