Part 58: Episode VI: 2350 - 2374

Episode VI: 2350-2374




Combine our slow start with Meklar production, and you get something like this.




Haven't been putting anything at all into spying yet, but I will soon. Just didn't want to drain even a small bit off the economy until we got up and running a little more. Haven't grown enough to double-up the trade deal yet.




Chased off a Meklar scout here. Fertile Berel is producing 3-4 million colonists extra every year, providing a steady stream to fill up Keeta and eventually move further when we get to Rha. We're doing well on the populating front.




Terraforming comes in, took only a few years but it should have taken less. Bad prototyping luck as we missed at 70% chance. At any rate, we're going for Barren here but will have lots of opportunities for harsher landings. Given what's around us, that's good.

We've discovered three Tundra and one Dead world. When the time comes, we'll just go for Dead so we can settle all of them.




The Mrrshan were here, then left. Another Tundra world. Looks like Planetology is going to be absolutely vital; we aren't going to be to keep expanding without it. A few years later, we discover Ursa: the Bulrathi are headquartered right in the galactic centre. Meanwhile we get Barren landings at the first time of asking, 6% chance. That's a nice reversal of fortunes, we will rush more Colonizers out there. It's 2355, so it was a six-year delay. Could have been a lot worse.

** missing display of tech progress to date **

Berel will start putting some effort into getting the two key waste-reduced techs(planetology, construction). A minimal 25 RP is invested once I get it set up. The colony still needs factories, but we need these advances too, so I split the difference. A year later, I realized that it didn't make sense to invest in both categories. Reduced Waste is only a 20% improvement, while the Planetology one will help by 50%. Better to focus on one, and then the other I think at this point, so I switched that up.




Onward. The first of the barren-capable ships was finished the same year. We also bump our trade to 100 BC with the Meklar.




We've run into a Silicoid and a Mrrshan planet out this way, but there are some like this as yet untaken. By 2363, Keeta is terraformed, Exis got there some while ago, and both are over half populated while working on their industry. I think the buildup is going well, and the massive production gap with the Meklar is closing. They still have but three systems; we're at 5 with two more ships en route.

Unfortunately, research is still slow. We've also signed a Non-Aggression Pact with the Meklar. It's a bit risky to do so this early, as they can steal systems that we'd like to claim without confronting our Recons. However, we're a diplomatic race after all -- I want to use that and get as many allies as possible. This is the next step forward.




I expected to make contact with another race or two here, and of course our first rich system is important. Hopefully the first of many.




Probably is at this stage, but there's no need to be a jerk about things.




Silicoids 7, Humans 6, Meklar 4. Given the way things began I'll definitely take that at this stage. Looks like they might have a lock on the lower-right here, in which case they will get a lot bigger. Aggressive Technologists. A technology-focused Silicoid empire. Now I've seen it all. They are allied with the Mrrshan. Trade opens at 125 BC.

Grabbing up as many of the hostile planets around is absolutely vital with these guys next door. If they take a bunch of those and then expand to the right, they'll be enormous in time; and our initial foothold won't be big enough.




The two red stars here that are unoccupied are Celtsi and Tao. Both Tundra, and the rocks could come for them at any time. We've got one more Colonizer that will be done in a couple of years, and then I'm going to send fighters out here to try and hold them off while we get the ability to land on these.




Improved Eco Restoration is in. Now do we go for the Reduced Waste, or keep going here? I think we've got to keep going on the hostile landings, with Dead, in order to keep expanding.




This is good, but ...




They are still a step ahead of us.




The game wanted to call these 'Courier', which didn't really fit so I changed the name. We've advanced just enough in tech that I could fit a MK. I Computer on these -- a little more expensive but also more effective. Sol will pump out a dozen of these a year for a while here. It will still be almost a decade until any are in position though.




This is Guradas, a radiated system. We had no hope of holding it, but the new information gained here is that the Silicoids have armed their colony ships. They are not escorted yet either. No choice but to retreat.




Too late. We up our trade to 175BC with the Meklar, but lose out here. Fighters were still several years out. Hopefully we can at least hold on to the other one, but the Silicoid virus is spreading ...




Junk on it's own, but gives us a stepping-stone to something better.




They were already the early tech leaders; that edge is now going to be ridiculous. A couple years later the Silicoids take Tao; our failure in securing the border is complete. Just wasn't fast enough. Would have been if we hadn't ran into that stupid Guardian right off the bat -- but we did.

11 for them, 8 and soon to be 9 for us, and we're running out of places to even go. Can't fight back yet even if we wanted to, because we can't land on those planets.