Part 56: Episode VI: Human Opening

I shall endeavor to persevere. Thanks to you and oystertoadfish in particular for your encouragement, it's always good to know one's work is appreciated. And now, for a game that will go down in the annals of this LP as one to be remembered, for reasons that will soon become clear ...

Episode VI: Human Opening




This I like! Finally the Meklars show up ... and no Psilons or Klackons! Especially the first of those two. Expansive Silicoids and mass-producing machines are likely to be the top foes, while all three military-based races are here so there could be some early confrontations.

Looks like we've got the lower-left, and should be able to expand at least some to the right. The top of the galaxy is quite empty, and I'd expect somebody to take advantadge of that. Probably the rocks will.




Well let's get started. I need to adjust to playing a standard race economically again. Allowing a bit of waste at first is ok since we're below the halfway point on population. Not too much though, so it doesn't restrict growth. All four systems surrounding us are exactly 3 parsecs away. We'll send the colony ship to the green one, best odds and pushing into the the middle to encounter others. Scouts go to the red one above and left, and the blue below and right, in order to provide alternative destinations if need be.

This happened when we arrived at our first destinations:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugRmewa4ctI



ROFL. Seriously. A great pick of enemies, solid starting location, lots of planets to choose from -- and I send the colony ship straight to the Guardian. Two rich planets elsewhere ... but we couldn't have landed on them anyway. What a crock.

This is the point where most players would start over. I think you know what I'm going to do though. That's right, we soldier on, we fight for all we've got. Not looking good for the home team though.

Six Recons will be needed to scout all remaining systems within range. That'll take about a year and a half, and then we start building up industry so we can have a colony ship. Argh.




Can't reach it yet, but decent.




Doesn't nearly make up for our horrible start, but it helps. A pretty good fertile system, and this is our only choice for first colony.




Lots of rich systems, but all hostile so far.




Absolutely incredible. A Silicoid's dream. Playing the wrong race here obviously.




Very nice. And out of range.




Drek. A decade in and nothing to do now but build up and get a new ship out there. It's begun in 2322, and before it's done we are reminded that we suck.




Absolutely nothing of surprise here. Only the slow-growing rocks are behind us, Meklar in the lead. In 2328, the Colonizer is done and our first tech pull comes in. That's necessary because of another bit of bad luck; Berel is on the edge of the galaxy and won't give us the range to reach anything good. We need to research to go anywhere else at all.

** Computers: Battle Computer Mk. II is it.
** Construction: Industrial Tech 9 or Reduced Waste 80%. The second one is much more expensive ... and much more important, so we'll go that route.
** Force Fields: Class II Deflectors as always.
** Planetology: Bunch of stuff. +10M Terraforming, Controlled Barren, Improved Eco Restoration. I want it all but Terraforming's the cheapest so we'll start there.
** Propulsion: Deuterium Fuel Cells(Range 5). Naturally the longer and more expensive option.
** Weapons: Hand Lasers only.

Ok then. That Deuterium is option is actually exactly what we want. Both of our scouted standard worlds are exactly 5 parsecs away; if we drew range 4 Hydrogen things would actually be much worse for us. So it's all-in on that research right now.

Definitely up Dung's Creek, and without a paddle here. Hopefully I can at least make this interesting. Who knows what can happen, but it was my turn to lose a game. The galaxy is largely conspiring to make sure that happens, it seems.