Completed Let's Multiplay Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (PBEM) - Game 2

[Kalin]

Let's Multiplay Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

With the first game successfully completed, we decided to go at it again, this time with twice the number of monocled players.

Game version is still SMAC with Kyrub's 444 AI Patch, and Morgan Industries is the sole AI faction (so tough times ahead for Beta Israel).


Human-controlled factions:


Gaia's Stepdaughters

Human Hive

University of Planet

Spartan Federation

Lord's Believers

Peacekeeping Forces

Turn-order:

Gaia’s Stepdaughters - Oscar
Human Hive - Hellraiser
University of Planet - Cassidy
Spartan Federation - Grimgravy
Lord's Believers - Kalin
Peacekeeping Forces - The Brazilian Slaughter


The PBEM rules from the old game:

Spoiler

A player may not:
1. Reload the game multiple times or load the game into the scenario editor
2. Conduct diplomacy prior to having met in-game
3. Use colony pods to increase a base beyond its maximum population limit
4. Use build queue manipulation or other exploits to hurry production at reduced costs, or build something that could not directly be built
5. Take advantage of the stockpile energy bug by adding it after units in build queues
6. Upgrade crawlers to more expensive designs before adding them to secret projects
7. Make social engineering changes and then change back in the same turn
8. Connect multiple artifacts to the same network node (supposedly possible if you rename the city)
10. Trade or give away bases to AI factions
11. Setting the home of a unit to the base of a pacted AI faction
12. Transfer missiles to AI factions
13. Start a terraforming task in one square, cancel it, move to a different square and then finish it there (in case of combat terraforming)
14. Perform an act of aggression against a player and complete pending negotiations in the same turn

Reverse-engineering is allowed (i.e. capturing a unit and making new units from it in the workshop, even though you lack the tech).

As for probe teams, PBEM games are bugged in that the person using the team gets to decide how the faction should react upon discovery. For this reason, exposed probe team actions must always result in the harshest reply (dissolve pact/treaty).

Finally, Planetary Council information must be fully shared with all players upon request (the game doesn't properly show how the factions voted to all players, only the result).

These are the in-game rules:

 

[Azira]

 

[Storyfag]

Will be keeping an eye on this thread

 

[Ulminati]

A shame we didn't get a 7th for maximum incline.

 

[Hellraiser]

A shame we didn't get a 7th for maximum incline.

Limit for SMAC PBEM is 6 human players apparently.

 

[Shadenuat]

Believers&Hive controlled by human players

Now I'm afraid

 

[Hellraiser]

Paging oscar to post his email adress in the PRIVATE PBEM conversation Kalin started (just set up a gmail account specifically for this purpose like everybody else did).

 

[Hellraiser]

Good news, the show is on the road.

 

[Azira]

 

[Kalin]

 

[Hellraiser]

Rising Sun of Enlightenment

It was dawn, the primary sun rose above the lush fields of Nutrient Zone Alpha. It was here, in this very spot on Landmass Prime, that the plan had been fulfilled by 217%. Agricultural production was booming, the Hive was growing. The Chairman himself has greeted and made small talk with every worker. Poetry written and recited by children, which praised the success of the New Order of Civilization and the Chairman, the father of the bright future of Humanity, could be heard. The Chairman walked alone, without armed escort, such security measures were deemed needless. Ever since Planetfall the security apparatus touched everyone and everything, there were no secrets from the Chairman. The web of informers as well as all the listening and CCTV devices caught every shred of data there was to be caught. While reading thoughts was still very much in the realm of farcical pseudoscience, the state knew everything. From workers slacking at the manufacturing fab-labs and 15 year old Alexandra White engaging in sexual acts behind Maintenance Storage Shack 012 with Zhao Xin, to Jan Strauss' attempts to build an illegal printing press for the past 2 and a half years (faulty parts were constantly being planted to ensure he never builds a working one) and Mira's attempts to try to form a coup. In the Hive knowledge was power and the Chairman had it all.

"How are things proceeding?" Yang asked, enthusiastic about the project.

"Scouts report fungal fields north," Thomas Moore, Adjutant First Class, replied, "colonization expedition one is not encountering any problems, though they did report presence of debris from the Unity. Second scout team is scouting west, currently they report nothing out of the ordinary."

"Potential drones?"

"Falling into every little trap we plan, attempts to manipulate family members successful, peer pressure and relocation to labor units without signs of dissent manage to make them reconsider dissent 78% of the time. Of those refusing to conform some simply go mad from social rejection and commit suicide, the betting pool says Strauss will be next to dive into the Bay of Peace. The videos of him cursing over the constantly failing printing press are truly hilarious."

"I wonder how long can we keep this up without using more direct means, good job nonetheless." The Chairman commended the work of his agents.

"Why should they protest? The Hive is humanity's greatest hope, the path to enlightenment, transcendence if you will. Industrial output is exceptional, there's food and water for everyone, as well as enough beds."

"But not pointless trinkets, reality TV and celebrity rumors. No luxury sports cars, no high-class escorts and brand clothing. These people grew up tainted by the consumerist culture, of both old Great China and the Declining West. They will not forget those so easily, not while all there is to do is to work, eat, sleep, reproduce and die."

"Then we need to re-educate them."

"No, we need not just bread, we need circuses. We need a culture, one of progress, one which will be a pillar of the Greatest Plan to turn humanity from individuals into the Hive. One which will eradicate Chaos, War, Greed, Ignorance, Religion, Crime and all the other plagues of Mankind."

"A culture which will bring unity?"

"Yes, but first it will bring prosperity and happiness. And all the inane ideologies of old, all the plutocratic drivel turning people into consumerist sheep, all of it will be forgotten. For the happy and well fed citizen will do all that is asked of him."

The Chairman stood there silently for a moment, gazing upon the distant perimeter of the Hive. Some would say the base is a prison with its high walls and guard towers, a punishment for all of the crimes against reason and progress committed by humans on Earth. But for the Chairman it was something else indeed, something far more magnificent, a shining beacon heralding the dawn of a new age. The age of progress, where humanity, here on Chiron, will break the chains of ignorance, treachery, greed, zealotry and thus be finally free to unleash its full potential.

The future looks bright, so long as the other survivors see reason and join Yang's noble cause. If not, well, there will be no place for reactionaries clinging to the flaws that blemished Mankind's past, if the Greatest Plan is to succeed and if Humanity is to ascend to Greatness.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Watching.

 

[Kalin]

Spoiler

But actually, dat juicy nutrient resource is just outside my base radius.

Have to git mah next pod down there to harvest the gifts of the Lord double-plus fast!

 

[Kalin]

2107 AD

In the years since Planetfall, the Believing colonists had rapidly spread out across their Promised Land, boldly venturing forth to take into possession the many resources around them - all of which were now theirs by heavenly right, as decreed by Prophetess Miriam. Their two bases, New Jerusalem and the recently established Great Cathedral, where as of yet relatively humble settlements, primarily consisting of makeshift structures from the Believing landing pod, as well as some salvaged materials from the odd piece of Unity wreckage. Most colonists had to make do with shared quarters, and aside from access to processed nutrients, purified air and shelter from the elements, Believing life offered precious few luxuries - at least in terms of mere bodily matters.

Spiritually, the colonies were thriving, and communion, weekly Bible study and the singing of beautiful hymns to the Lord God helped to both reinvigorate and bring together the vast majority of the colonists, fostering true brotherly love and unwavering loyalty towards the Almighty. In addition to the Evangelical Fire, the dominant branch of Christianity which had illuminated most of the Christian States of America, there were also considerable elements of other denominations present. Hundreds of Believers still identified strongly with remnant teachings of Baptism, Methodism and Pentecostalism, and some even held Orthodox and Catholic beliefs. While not exactly sanctioned by Sister Miriam and the Council of Elders (all of whom had held ranks in the Evangelical Fire on Earth), particular leanings mattered far less than fundamental belief. Some Believers were misguided, but they were not truly enemies of God - only unbelievers were shunned and viewed with distaste. Fortunately for the colonies, most of the faithless had either converted in the early years or succumbed to starvation, sickness and various accidents during the early years of hardship.

Much unlike the theological studies pursued by the intellectual elite, the Believing technological and scientific progress had been remarkably motionless. Aside from some early advances in assembly line production and synthmetal working (obtained after careful evaluation and partial pruning of records from a wayward Unity Data Pod), large-scale "common" research had yet to be undertaken. The Lord God had given humanity a second chance, and this time, scientific research would be done right. Progress was not in itself evil, but the need of proper guidance and control was paramount. Until strict regulations and ethical safeguards had been put in place to keep any kind of blasphemous pervertion of technology at bay, the Believing labs would remain dormant in blessed purity.

 

[oscar]

2109 AD

Despite drone riots over the absence of security in Gaia's Landing, Deidre felt relatively content. Extremely fertile soils, large kelp deposits and the discovery of an eerie, but seemingly benevolent, alien monolith boded well for the survival and perhaps even future blossoming of Gaian society. Freshly gleamed information into potentially revolutionary recycling methods combined with practical experience in ecology and environmental management could be used to transform this seeming wasteland into a new Gaia that would avoid the mistakes that ruined the old Earth.

Deidre sipped her tea in contemplation. Supplies from the Unity had run out some years ago but her ever ingenious ecologists and bioengineers had succeeded in designing and cultivating new strands that hybridised both old Earth crops with the flora of Planet. On that note Deidre frowned, where were the predators, or even large life forms, of this planet? While scouting parties had been equipped with a motley mix of scavenged weaponry from the Unity, none had reported the need to fire in self defence against native life forms.

Deidre put aside this puzzle to concentrate on her duties. As soon as the rioters had been peacefully dispersed the first priority would be the construction of a third settlement. While thick layers of a strange red algae made progress to the west difficult for her scouting parties the east seemed much more promising.

 

[Kalin]

 

[Hellraiser]

 

[Shadenuat]

They have cute bees, that's not fair.

 

[Kalin]

The cute style makes it all the more horrifying.

(And with the Hive having those huge underground shafts, I guess they all fly vertically by default)

 

[JoKa]

The cutest bees have the meanest drones...

 

[Hellraiser]

Planet pearls fuel research and progress in the Hive. Wealth and prosperity for all. Citizens safe from mindworm attacks behind tall Hive walls. Reactionaries envy the fruits of Hive progress while still clinging to their backwards ways.

 

[JoKa]

I need someone to play for me for the next week. Who want's to get in? The Spartans need you!

Pope Amole II , you interested?

 

[Kalin]

 

[Hellraiser]

Power ratings are in, here's a rundown:

University is going strong along with the Gaians (not surprising) and A.I. Morgan (wut). Cassidy is leading in overall, tech and territory ratings with his Sagan-worshiping minions. The rest is about equal at this point. Still no contact with any other faction.

 

[oscar]

A new generation of Gaians had grown up who had never known Earth yet ironically it was the largely middle aged remnants of the Unity who had proven the greatest troublemakers.

There was no denying that Alpha Centauri was not, yet at least, the paradise that had been promised. Life here required far harder work with far fewer creature comforts than many of the academics, intellectuals, activists, ideologues and students who had flocked to her were used to.

A seemingly never ending tide of complaints, marches, petitions, protests and sit-ins had wasted much time and effort when there was a whole new planet waiting to be explored and cultivated. While the pacifistic nature of Gaians meant that this discontent had rarely escalated to outright violent, it also meant that the state had little capacity either with unarmed police able to do little more than mediate and persuade the citizens that the Deidre administration was doing its very best.

While the production of soothing hallucinogens and loosening of the previously austere rationing system had finally ended the riots, Deidre couldn't help but sigh at the waste of it all. A much more efficient program of culture and recreation was to be needed lest Gaia become a land of the lazy dope smoker windbag pseudo-intellectuals who had tarnished the reputation of true activists like herself.