Part 20: Episode III: 2323 - 2349

Episode III: 2323-2349




There are a lot of systems just outside our scouting range right now, and once we get another parsec they won't be. In order to cover everything we'll need a few more Recons. These are always complicated and very important calculations. On larger galaxies you can only 'cut off' a smaller part of the galaxy from the free reign of the AI, so doing it as quickly as possible is imperative. At the same time, research on the fuel cells needs to get going, and population transfers continuing. Kulthos is wearing many hats right now.




Here it'll be a few years before we get the range tech, and normally I'd put some research in from the homeworld to speed it up. In this case I'm going to keep building and get the ships out there though. They can transit partway while we finish the research. The three stars below Kulthos and Vega that can be seen here are all 4 parsecs away: there's another in a different direction that is as well. I'll use the RELOC method to get the first one on it's way to Vega; it can make the rest of the trip later when we have the range. It may even have to wait there for a few years, but in the meantime other colony ships will be headed out. One or two having to wait a bit is a calculated sacrifice to get more of them in the pipeline.




Last one we can get to until the research finishes. I wanted to show a little more demonstration of the 'multi-level' way you have to think about scouting, particularly on the larger galaxies when it takes a long time to get anywhere with Retro(Warp 1) drives. This LP would get quite tedious if I did this all the time: just a snapshot here.




We just colonized Ajax, which put a few more systems in scouting range. Note the white star in the middle of the screen. There's a green star above it, and one to the right and a bit below. These two are now just within range, and there are Recons on the way there(two of them almost to the white star, and one already at it). While I'm pushing those to the green stars, I also need to figure out the next step. That white star is habitable, and the only habitable one in this direction. As soon as we get to range 4, the next colonizer will head in that direction. I've got to get Recons out there ahead of it, so that they are in position ready to move further when colonization happens. This kind of thing is going on constantly in all directions during this part of the game. There are two, sometimes even three levels to the process of figuring out what ships need to be sent where and at what time. Makes my brain hurt at times.

The sphere of influence as of this moment is 12 planets scouted. That's just over a sixth of the galaxy, or our exact fair share. Definitely can't settle for our fair share on Impossible: we need to be greedier.




And then none of that mattered a couple years later, since the Psilons brought escorted colony ships to Escalon(the white star, where we'd chased them off earlier). Nothing we could have done to stop them this early on.




They are right in the middle of the galaxy. This was their 5th planet; we've got four and will have more soon so they aren't far ahead of us there. It was a key one though and our only way to move more towards the middle for the forseeable future. We can go to the left of them or below them, with below being a lot more likely given the way the planets are spaced.




Actually not looking too bad so far. Here's hoping they are hemmed in from other directions. Starting in the middle gives them lots of options if that isn't the case. They are Honorable Expansionists, and allied with the Mrrshans. A trade agreement of the maximum, 100 BC, is agreed to.




Two years later, and we have our fuel cells. The second of at least four colonizers have been finished; the first is waiting at Vega and can now move on, as can some of our Recons. I was hoping to get Range 6 here but now we'll have to choose to go back for 5 or take something else. We aren't going to be able to put a lot of funding into propulsion and since we have to overpay here anyway, I think we need to move on up the ladder. Nuclear Engines seem the best choice on the whole.

What we do have goes into Construction(reduced waste) and Planetology(terraforming).




I'll take being #3 here.




First run-in with the felines, who appear to be in the upper left somewhere. It's just a scout, and turns out to be a small Radiated planet ... but Rich.




At the same time, 2335, we find this. Very, very nice -- but we can't bridge the gap to get up that way.




This is worse news. The Psilons added two more colonies this year. It looks for all the world like they are just going to keep expanding. They're starting to tech up as well. We've been really fortunate so far, but if we can't at least stay close to the eggheads it isn't going to matter. It just looks like one of those games where the Psilons are going to run away with it.

Pushing as far as we can along the bottom third of the galaxy seems to be our only chance really. I'm thinking about needing to protect Ajax, which is probably within range of their ships; but I think we can safely proceed with doing that yet. This is only because the Psilons are Honorable. Hopefully they continue to act that way.

The very next year they come to Whynil. Crap. Also ...




We at least add another one. This is as large as any planet within range and extends what we can reach to the right the most. Can't afford much, but Vega will send a few million there.




Yeah we sort of noticed.




We met the Psilons here: just a scout and no way to know if they were hanging out or not. This is a huge planet for us to get if we can, because it looks like the only way for us to extend further to the right. The blue star above it has nothing but asteroids and everything else is too far out of range. The first Colonizer that can get to Ryoun will go there, ahead of all other considerations. I also decide it's important enough to send along a year's worth of fighters once Kholdan has finished the latest Colonizer, the usual laser-only variety, just to try and hold things down. I view Ryoun as the first really crucial strategic system we've found, worth fighting a bit for.




Up to six now, and Mobas is in great position to be a research colony; in the corner, nowhere near the front lines wherever those end up being, and of course an artifact planet also. Vega and Ajax will slowly send what colonists they can: Kholdan and Kulthos are focusing totally on production and research now.




Good to meet you too. How pleasant.

We are then informed that 'contact has been broken with the Psilon empire'. This happens when none of their planets are within range. There's only one way this could happen ...




The Mrrshans have taken over Escalon! Probably because of this, their alliance with the Psilons is over.




Check out the blue flags here. They have three planets, two of them 'above' Psilon space. The third, below, is Escalon. How did they reach it? The only possible way is refueling at Psilon planets.

This situation presents us with an interesting possibility. We have seen no Mrrshan combat ships -- they probably just sent troops there, and they probably don't have many. We could invade Escalon ourselves. If successful, they will lose any of their ships in this area(as they'll be out of range suddenly) and we'll have kicked a competitor out. The Mrrshan have already done us the favor of doing this to any Psilon fleets in our neck of the woods. However, this would also possibly spark a war with the Psilons, who are probably sending troop transports of their own. If they get there first, they will look on it as 'their' planet and consider our invasion an act of war. If we get there first, normally they'd bomb and invade anyway -- but they are Honorable so quite possibly not. If we both get there at the same time, I have no idea what happens, and due to the distances involved that might well be the case here.

Objectively it's probably not a good idea, but it's an interesting enough situation that I decided to say 'screw it' and go for the Escalon invasion. This could potentially backfire horribly, which would lead to the Klackons almost certainly being defeated. But it's one of those circumstancial accidents that I'm just fascinated by sometimes. It almost seems boring not to go for it and see what happens. And if we do secure Escalon, it will really help our expansion efforts.

Ajax is the closest and can only send 7M. Vega adds another 22M, which will basically be a reinforcement wave. 7M is tiny but that can't be helped. We're really sacrificing our colonist dispersal to the colonies further down by doing this -- so if it doesn't work I've shot myself in the foot even if we don't end up at war with the Psilons.

Speculative decisions with hilariously inadequate information FTW!! The year is 2339, and we'll arrive in four years. By the way, the Mrrshans are basically assholes(Xenophobic Militarists) and have a bigger fleet but not that impressive everything else right now.

At the same time, a colony ship departs for Ryoun. It'll take a decade to get there. But with the Escalon Plan going, we're still building a year's worth of fighters ... but they aren't headed to Ryoun anymore. It's best to cover all contingencies. We can actually afford a Mk. I Battle Computer even, and will be able to build 11 of them. That won't hold off much, but it's something.

Upon arriving, we discovered they had 24M on the planet already ... more than we hoped. Our first 7M took out only 4M of them, only with equivalent tech, and we got ourselves a warning. 26M more were incoming, but that probably wouldn't be enough. With no combat ships or Psilon troops yet seen though, it was time to double-down on this. 40M from Kholdan would ensure things flipped our way, and we'd do some eco spending to get the population back up. Of course that would require a brief pause in building colony ships, but there weren't a lot more possibilities on that front anyway.

We also added one more colony, Imra, and found Silicoid and Psilon scouts buzzing around Ryoun. the rocks must be in the lower right somewhere ... and our colony ship is still several years away. Scouting continues, but only a couple of hostile planets have been found.




Our first actual researched tech comes in with terraforming in 2345. We'll move on to Improved Eco Restoration here.

Then the second battle of Escalon.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9U...eature=youtu.be



It was close, but we lost again as expected. I don't think they can send reinforcements due to the range thing: empire essentially split in half. If so, in a few years we'll have it, and they can sputter all they want due to being out of contact.




Yes, yes of course. I wonder if we are still at war if contact is broken? Guess we'll find out. Meanwhile Kholdan and Kulthos begin terraforming: none of the other planets are ready yet.

In four years, our colony ship will arrive at Ryoun, and the transport fleet from Kholdan at Escalon. That'll be a huge year for the Klackon Empire.




Two years later. When it rains it pours: finally get our first eco spending reduction. Duralloy armor was the only choice. Everything gets shunted into Planetology now to get eco restoration ASAP, after which we'll probably diversify.

Meanwhile, Kholdan has finished the last Colonizer that can reach planets in our range. No matter what the current scouting efforts turn up, that won't change. Since we aren't going to increase our range anytime soon(possibly I should have gone for that instead of the engines), I basically have a choice between more research or building a capital-size colony ship with extended range.

If we get Escalon and the two colonies we have ships out for, we'll have a total of 10. That's not terrible, but also not quite good enough. I decided it was worth it to build the huge ship for Kailis at least, the 70-max Artifacts planets above us. Keeping it out of Psilon hands might be good enough reason. Of course, it also puts us closer to the pissed-off Mrrshan ...




Sucker is not cheap. It is almost always better to go for range rather than build one of these -- but this has been a strange game and I decided this was another exception. Kholdan can knock out one of these in 9 years, which seemed fast enough to me. A little over 3x the price of a standard cruiser-size ship without the tanks.

2349 arrived, and we colonized Ryoun without incident. On the third battle of Escalon, this happened ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUu...eature=youtu.be



Well, isn't that excellent. Good riddance I say, though we'll have to deal with them of course in the future. It's a good note to end the first half-century on.