Cornering the Energy Market

Hydro · July 23, 2003, 18:04

I’ve played SMAC since it came out in 1999 but have never won by cornering the energy market – a huge oversight on my part. For some reason I thought this would be hard, and it was not in keeping with my eco-weenie Gaian tendencies.

I’m finishing a PBEM game as Morgan and had the joy of cornering the energy market, which is a very Morgan thing to do. It was ridiculously easy. I essentially bought every city on Chiron for about 8900 energy in MY2295 (and could have done it 20 years earlier). What gives? I know there is a 20 year lag time after cornering the market where your capital can be obliterated or taken and that this will invalidate this ‘win’, but that is not a question since I now have lots of ODPs up, Space Elevator (preventing across Planet drops), aerospace centers everywhere, and the best troops money can buy. Morgan Industries is a coastal base, but is protected by oodles of sea trawlers harvesting loads of energy. Anyone taking that route would be detected 20 sectors away. Also, I’m pacted with everyone (including the other PBEM player) except for the Hive, who in MY2302 is down to one base. What, me worry?

Anyway, regardless of my situation the energy required to ‘buy’ every city on Chiron is stupendously low. I generated this amount is about one year at Dem/Green/Knowl/Cyb by setting my economy to 80% energy (zeroing out labs), and keeping 20% to psych to keep my GA going. Usually hostile takeovers are hideously expensive, but I could have managed this amount of energy in any of my later Gaian games. Moreover, wouldn’t my loyal pactmates (including the lovely Dee, who has been pacted with me for over 100 years, even when I was FM) object to the hostile takeover? Apparently not – they all love me!!! I am Morgan – Giver Of Gifts, And All Around Good Guy!! Apparently everyone does have their price – (insert maniacal laugh here)!!

Hydro

P.S. – as a side note, this was the most amazing game I’ve every played as far as diplomacy goes – I was pacted with every faction except the Hive. I kept a seething Dee in line by copious gifts when I was FM (the trade along paid for the bribes, and later as Green), and with Aki as a submissive and Zak (when I converted from Wealth to Knowledge) and Lal (as Dem) my best buddies I was allied with everyone. Even the PBEM player (Spartans) were Pacted with me. Now, you may ask why would he do that? Simple – he was in a death struggle with the Hive, who had just absorbed the Peacekeepers (who I kept alive by gifting bases). He couldn’t build infrastructure and keep off the swarming hordes, so he came to me for loans and gifts – hence the Pact. It served both of us well, and the energy invested was a small price to pay. I could have let him slug it out, but that wouldn’t have been in character – it was an investment in peace (yes I know, that is a rather abstract concept for Morgan, but cut me some slack; I’m a Gaian at heart).

CEO Aaron · July 23, 2003, 22:19

Actually, a true Morganite should be the MOST pacifistic faction, after all, wars are expensive, divert you from proper building of infrastructure, suspend loan payments, and are virtually impossible to win while maintaining a properly balanced economy (free market/wealth)

The Mad Monk · July 24, 2003, 00:03

I really have to try winning by energy market sometime.

Mr. President · July 24, 2003, 02:15

The cheating way to do it is to conquer every base except one. Then it only costs like 300 energy credits.

Curiosity · July 24, 2003, 11:29

I believe that in PBEM games, it costs only a fraction as much to corner the energy market as in SP. Maybe a third to a fifth as much, I haven't tested it out rigorously. If there's only one human opponent and he's getting hammered, then it's not so surprising it's cheap.

joncnunn · July 24, 2003, 11:58

In SP on Transcendi as Morgon there was a time that I could have cornered the market for only 2000 energy credits. I had just under 1000 energy credits at the time and could have easily gathered the remaining energy had I wished to win that way.

Pre future tech, Optimum Morgon SC tends to be:
Democratic + Green + Wealth. This brings efficency to +4 and economy to +2 resulting in lots of energy that can be heavily devoted to science, along with a 10% discount building everything.

For Gaia, I tend to prefer Democratic + Planned + Knowledge for a continuous pop boom prior to building the Cloning Vacts. Gaia's natural +1 Green and +2 efficency reduces the benifit of Green and downside of Planned compared to the other factions.

For Lal, I'm usually on Democractic + Green + Knowelge, but arrange for a decade period as Democratic + Planned + Knowelge right as Hab Complexes come online for a boost.

I play Zack similar to Lal with Democratic + Green + Knowelge, except that I usally have two pop boom phases once very early on the other right after hab complexes.

Gufnork · July 24, 2003, 12:00

In your situation you could pick your victory. Come on, Morganites being pacted with the entire world? The only other human player being your *****? There's no way you could lose.

Btw, I'm quite disappointed in the other player. Can't hold the Hive back without help? You give Spartans a bad name!

Hydro · July 24, 2003, 12:43

In all fairness, the Spartan player got a truly horrible start. He was on an island with room for only 3 bases (even though the setup was set to mostly land). I was on a nice-sized continent all to myself, with my only neighbor Aki on a dinky island nearby. When the Spartans did finally find some room to expand after getting Doct: Flex they found the Peacekeepers, who promptly bribed away his two new bases. Then he had to spend all his resources getting back to where he was 20 turns ago. Early wars over sea are not fun. By that time the PKs had boomed and were very large. The Spartans made some inroads, this time being prepared with probe teams (he didn’t have the tech before). Then, just as he finished conquering UN HQ, the Hive gobbles up the rest of the PK empire in a rather impressive AI blitz, betting absolutely huge in the process.

I even offered to restart at the beginning, but the Spartan player was a real trooper and decided to take it as a challenge (just like a true Spartan).

You are all correct – Morgan is a pacifist, and bribes are part of the order. My SE was also crafted to promote friendliness to my peers. Morgan had run away with the game by MY 2200; the rest was role playing.

Gufnork · July 24, 2003, 15:06

He must really have a different beeline than me, considering that PN is my second tech.

joncnunn · July 24, 2003, 16:09

Well, the Spartans do suffer from their natural -1 Industry while the Hive benifits from a natural +1 Industry.

For the Hive, their prefered SC until they get a lot of bases (or if Cloning Vacts comes first) is Police State + Planned + Wealth which combined with their natural factors results in +3 Industry (-30% building costs), -1 Economy (no bonsus energy in the headquarters.)

It's really a long term losing properation for the Spartans. They really need to take out a nearby Hive player while the Hive is still stuck on -2 Economy, has few additional industry bonsues, and few recyling tanks.

Quote:

Originally posted by Gufnork
In your situation you could pick your victory. Come on, Morganites being pacted with the entire world? The only other human player being your *****? There's no way you could lose.

Btw, I'm quite disappointed in the other player. Can't hold the Hive back without help? You give Spartans a bad name!

Gufnork · July 24, 2003, 17:59

If I'm not mistaken it was a computercontrolled Yang. I can understand it considering the circumstances, though. Although getting a little bit spanked by the UN isn't that good either.

Then again, if he can manage a mutual victory he's forgiven.

Lord_Davinator · July 25, 2003, 00:26

hmm...

joncnunn · July 25, 2003, 12:04

Hum, I see you what you mean going against a computer controlled Yang. The computer controlled Yang doesn't do the obvious things to do early on givin his starting tech like build Command Nexus, go to Police State & Planned right away, etc.

Quote:

Originally posted by Gufnork
If I'm not mistaken it was a computercontrolled Yang. I can understand it considering the circumstances, though. Although getting a little bit spanked by the UN isn't that good either.

Then again, if he can manage a mutual victory he's forgiven.

Hydro · July 25, 2003, 12:36

The human controlled factions were Morgan (me) and the Spartans. The others (PK, Gaians, Cyborgs, Uni, and Hive) were AI.