Pregame analysis:
This could turn out to be the most difficult varient I've ever played, even though its only on Hard.
The planetary tax is a REAL killer to your econ, especially in the early expansion phase. Solution... there isn't one! Well, there somewhat is. I plan to feed the reserves to the home planet
every turn until it maxes factories and startscolony ships! We need to try to plant our flag on at least half a dozen planets to have a chance I'd suspect
Diplomacy is a real headache. Being that we're the Darloks, everyone starts out disliking us, which usually means an early war. Solution... there isn't one! Seriously. The things that improve relations normally are 1) Trade, 2) Tribute, 3) NAP's/Alliances, 4) Enemy of my Enemy. One and Two are totally off the table, four isn't likely in the early game, and three usually requires four, though not allways. An early war may be an unavoidable reality. EEK!
Furthermore, the Darloks special advantage is spying/anti spying, and we've crippled that by taking tech thefts off thetable!
Now, scroll up and look at that teaser map. Just LOOK at all those Yellow stars right smack in the middle of the universe! There are almost ceartain to be 2 AI's there, likely 3, and possibly even all 4 EEK! . I'm fairly sure there won't be an AI in the southeast, though it's not
impossible for there to be one in the corner. Actually, I'm quite hopeful that there isn't an AI at the yellows in the southwest, which might give us time to grab that direction. I
REALLY hope we can get a rich or artifacts planet (or both!) to help counter our stunted growth curve.
The other nasty feature is we drew a lot of dead, open space near the homeworld
I decided if the start was too harsh, I'd tank it and reroll for at least an "average" start.
There are 2 planets within 3 parsects of the homeworld. Actually, one is only TWO parsects away. The Yellow star to the east might look like is in range, but it's aparently 3.01 parsects out....
With only the 2 scouts, and with wanting to get them done with their mission asap so we can scrap em, I decide to send them out in a wheel pattern. One will initially go to the 2 parsect red, one to the 4 parsect yellow. The Colship will go to the 3 parsect red. If the scout has located a much better planet at the 2 parsect star, we can redirect the colship. With that in
mind...
The Beginning
2300 -
Emperor Marshall the Far too Trusting came to power just in time to preside over the early days of the glorious Darlok Space Program.
Secure in the knowleged that there was no other intellegent life in the galaxy, the great Darlok society had constructed a great Colony Ship, hopefully the first of many, to spread the Darlok Race to other planets throughout the galaxy. Though some "paranoid individuals", notably the DRA, dissagreed, Emperor Marshall insisted that there was no need to arm the ship. After all, there was NO OTHER INTELLEGENT LIFE
Darlok scientists, looking out on the universe from the great Copernicus' Observatory, believed that the planet of Quayal just 3 parsects to the west, was a planet much like much like their homeworld of Moscow, and would be suitable for colonization. Though there was a planet nearer to Moscow, it wasn't expected to be habitable.
Because it was difficult, if not impossible, to accurately evaluate the habitablity of planets farther out than 3 parsects,there were also 2 scout ships created to look for other planets for the race to expand to in the future.
In this great year, all 3 ships set forth on their journeys. Manifest Destiny was at hand!
As per varient rules, I set one click at Moscow to base bulding... keep an eye on this. The game likes to squeeze out spending on it. It's a bit of micromanagment I hadn't considered =/. I also crank up the planetary tax to max. This REALLY forces us to spend a ton on cleanup. Like 2/3 of our econ! Colship heads to the 3 parsect red. The scouts to the 2 parsect red and to the 4 parsect yellow.
2301 - I feed the 5BC from the reserves back into the planet. Getting as many factories built as fast as possible fules the curve exponentially, so I figure its the only way to go. Now we only need half our econ for cleanup
2302 -
See, our scientists are never wrong. I told you that planet was a worthless rock. We shouldn't even have bothered to scout it
Our scout finds size 15 toxic Xudax. Yuck. It moves off to scout the red star to the south. Reserves fed (5BC).
2303 -
There was much cellebrating throughout Moscow as the Darlok colony ship arrived at Quayal and found the expected large habitable planet. Emperor Marshall was proclaimed a great world hero. "Now we shall use our great utopian profit sharing to spead to the farthest reaches of the galaxy." Marshall proclaimed. "Quayal is but the first of many planets we shall one day clonize. Today, 14 million hand picked colonists have begun their 3 day jounrey to their new home. Celebrate, my people, celebrate!" In general, there was much hand shaking and kissing of babies (etc.)
Its a RED letter day! (pun intended). Our colony ship arrives at Size 90 Terran Quayal. Fourteen million Darloks decided to migrate. Feed 6 more BC to Moscow.
2304 - A scout arrives at the yellow, finds size 35 Barren Escalon.. Not a planet I'd have hand picked for the back yard! I feed 6 more BC to Moscow. I send 3 more million to Quayal. Scout heads NE to check out the blue star.
2305 - I feed 6 more BC to Moscow, and send 4 million more to Quayal.
2306 -
"See?" gloated Emperor Marshall "We have found yet annother planet that we shall one day inhabit! My scientists are never wrong!"
The south/west scout finds size 55 Steppe Rotan at the 4 parsects red to the south of Q-town. I feed Moscow reserves (6BC),send 2 more million to Q-town, and send the Scout west to the 6 parsects blue.
2307 - I send 1 final million to Q-town, and feed Moscow 7BC.
2308 - Feed Moscow 8BC
2309 - Eastern scout finds size 40 Barren Drakka. It heads NW to the white 6 parsects north of Moscow. I feed 9BC to Moscow
2310 - Feed 10 BC to Moscow
. Halfway home!
2311 -
Emperor Marshall, the far too shameless, indulges in more self promotion when the south/west scout finds that that Guradas is annother place where the darlok race can look forward to inhabiting in the coming years. His autobiography hits #1. "Marshall is no Maniac: Todd. The man, the myth, the legend."
The southwest scout finds size 50 Desert Guradas at the blue star. It heads off for the red star just west of Q-town. I feed 11 more BC to Moscow.
2312 - I feed 12 BC to Moscow.
2313 - I feed 13 BC to Moscow.
2314 - I feed 14 BC to Moscow.
2315 -
GNN cites sources inside the Kremiln as saing that Emperor Marshall is displeased that so many of the planets near Moscow seem to be small and uninhabitable. Officially, however, the emperor says that such was only to be expected.
The white north of the homeworld is a size 45 Dead. The scout heads off to explore the green just to the west. I feed Moscow 15BC.
2316 -
Emperor Marshall lashed out at his doubiters today when one of the scout ships arrived at the planet west of Quayal, named Paladia, and found it to be a large, mostly ocean covered planet. "How many times have I told you that our scientists are allwas correct? There are bound to be many, many more planets just like this one. We have the ability to reach and colonize this planet within 15-20 years if we REALLY wanted to, but for now there is no need to be so wasteful of resources. In time, colonization of it will be much easier. We shall bide our time.
The red is a size 70 ocean. The scout heads west to the red at the edge of western range. I feed Moscow 17BC
2317 - Feed Moscow 17BC
2318 -
Emperor Marshall gloats some more when one of the scouts finds a small habitable planet right in the middle of the universe. He predicts that this planet will one day be the stepping stone to colonize the far corners of the universe.
Meanwhile, the militant faction known as the Darlok Republican Army secretly begins constuction of an armed ship called the Scorpion to watch over the planet. The DRA, a "paranoid", faction that believes that their may be other life in the galaxy, would like to keep an eye on the planet.
We can now make armed LR Laser ships in 1 turn, So I whip up a design called Scorpion to go watch the habitables. Kind of armed scout denial. I start cranking one at moscow. The scout heads for the Yellow NW of Quayal. This will be its final stop before scrapage.
2319 -
Emperor Marshall literally freaked out today when one of the scouts found a terran planet even larger than Moscow at extreme western scouting range. He said something to the effect of "This will make a great FP site someday." Scholars are still trying to interpret the meaning of this remark.
Wowzers!! The red at the end of the chain is a size 105 Terran!! I know where the 2nd Scorpion is going! I send the first one
to watch the planet in the middle of the uni. I send the scout to the green star to the north it's current location, which will be its final stop. To get the years to come out even, I go one more (there is no sense handing off the turn BEFORE an election later in the game....) I feed 19BC to Moscow.
2320 -
Feeling that he'd accomplished more than anyone in the history of the Darlok race, and believing that history would remember him as the greatest Darlok ruler, Emperor Marshall steped down and handed over the throne to his successor. "What more could I have accomplished?? Abolutely eveyone will allways know about the Maniac"
All I did was click next turn.
The next leader can decide where to send our new scorp. I highly reccomend the large jungle planet.
I'm surprised no one was living at that small steppe planet... could the AI all be off in a corner????
I'd make a scorp for each of the threatened habitables, then maybe try out facts and colonize away if we say isolated.
The scouts are both en route to their final stop, so you can scrap them in 3-4 turns.
Anyway, here is a look at what we've found so far
And the save is here
[url]http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads10/OSG5_2320.zip[/URL]
. Yeah, those crazy people from Realms Beyond are back with yet annother MOO1 Succession Game. This time we will be the Darloks on Hard with, umm, a few twists.
