SMAC Demo-game, sort of

[sir_schwick]

I said Demo game because it will attract more people that way. This is going to be like a demo-game in that lots of opinions go into deciding how the game progresses. People might have positions. It is not a demo-game, however, because SMAC has social engineering. THe social engineering values chosen in the game affect how conduct occurs here in the thread.

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I am CEO Schwick of Unity Exploration Corporation, but you can call me simply Schwick. As Moses wandered the deserts of the Sinai for forty years, we have wandered the vast expanses of space for nearly forty years. If God is on our side we might also reach the land of milk and honey. Just a few days ago a major reactor malfunction brought too light increasing tension among the crew. Even after entering the Alpha Centauri system one week ago, it will be many months till orbit of planet B will be achieved. I am starting to fear that this mission of Unity has already failed, and each of us must choose who to follow to Planet.

Those who are interested in being part of my vision of the future just apply here. I need to know your administrative interests and any experience. I will start with myself.

Position Interest: As the leader of the UEC, I am assumed to be the CEO of the corporation on Planet's surface. As CEO, my decisions are final, but I will rely heavily on my advisors to run the organization. There will be a board of directors which I am accountable too.
Experience: I never played a Civ demogame and thought that ussing the same concept with SMAC social engineering would be interesting.

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Current rules dictated by SE:
Politics - Frontier - There is little formal organization. Advisors and Executives have a lot of autonomy at the local level. Expect to be reprimanded and possibly reassigned for dis-regarding orders, but your actions will still be carried out. Whoever is playing the game must follow directives from Base Commanders very closely, even if they disagree with the CEO.

Economy - Frontier - We cannot change energy rates or trade policy. Whoever is acting as the PR fore-person can dictate pacts.

Values - Simple - Each person has no suggested bias towards certain ideas in terms of loyalty and direction of the faction, besides the Industry and Free-market biases that are pretty much inherent.

Future - None - No special rules right now.

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Here is to new players who are reading this thread. I coudl possibly use one or two at most characters from Earth. I could definitely use five or six born on the unity. Lastly, the rest should really try to be Schwick loyalists who were born on Planet. Remember, where you came from will change your attitudes towards certain things.

 

[sir_schwick]

It appears that I have no allies on the Unity and soon will be targetted for an 'unfortunate accident'. This is a cry for help, don't let this dream die, join my forces.

 

[BlackAdder60]

... As Abrham wandered the deserts of the Sinai for forty years, we have wandered the vast expanses of space for nearly forty years. If God is on our side we might also reach the land of milk and honey....

FIRST: Its spelled as Abram -or- Abraham.
SECOND: Abram/Abraham didnt wander for 40 years in Sinai, *MOSES* did!

 

[sir_schwick]

I was tired when I wrote this and realize my mistakes now.

 

[Yuri2356]

If I joined up would I need to do any actual playing, or would I just be suggesting and advising from the sidelines.

If it's the latter, I will gladly join this corperation with the intent of ensureing that the rights and freedoms of the working class are upheld.

 

[sir_schwick]

It was day eight since the assassination of Captain Garland. The power struggle for control of the Unity mission was growing more violent. Many have died in 'accidents' including a number of my supports. Without a strong ally, I will surely be killed soon as my supporters are starting to desert me. Colonel Santiago has suggested both our goals have a greater chance of success if we cooperate. We are supposed to meet in one of the reactor atriums.
On the way to the reactor I was attacked. Two men and a woman all stood in my path, daggers in their right hand. Their unifroms were made of the mutant cotton Lady Deidre's was so proud of. Also their weapons also had the insignia of the Gaians carved into the hilt. It would make sense that Deidre had ideological reasons to eliminate me while I was weak.
The hallway was narrow and would allow me to limit how many I had to fend off. Their range was too close to pull the tazer and use it. Two of the assailants approached and the first took a strong thrust at me. My knife went to my left hand and my right arm slapped his arm into the wall. Then my right foot sweeped his right leg out, forcing his body downward. His female warrior companion attempted to move towards the exposed part of my body. I threw myself towards her and she prepared to leverage me into a less maneuverable position. It was then she screamed and I saw a man behind her, holding a knife into her spine. The third warrior was laying on the ground in a pile of blood. I used my tazer on the final warrior.
Yuri was the man who helped turn this skirmish in my favour. It was strange because he was not an ally of my business practices on Earth, all those years ago. This discussion had continued for forty years. He explained that while are views differed, but of us wanted roughly the same thing, a Free-Market economy and strong industrial prescence on Planet. After a short interrogation it was obvious the assailants were Spartans. It appeared that one way or another I would not leave Corizon Santiago's presence alive. Now is not the time to deal with the troublesome militant.

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@Yuri2356
As for your question: I'll have plenty of advisors so welcome aboard as one. I'm glad to see someone maybe interested in this. BTW, I may need some of your writing skills on this whole thing.

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The Unity will be travelling in system for maybe a week or until some more allies are found. Please join people, you'll have fun. As for game changes, this incident will increase suspicion of Spartan activities on planet and hostility towards them. If you want to write incidents of stuff that happens on the Unity, have a go at it.

 

[BlackAdder60]

Sorry, but I dont understand. Is this some sort of a collaborative novel or what?
What do you mean with Demo game?
What do you want me/us to do?

 

[sir_schwick]

Actually real play will start soon. I was trying to aid the atmoshpere, but will probably leave the future storytelling to actual writers.

It is going to be a game, and it involves a lot of players who will not be playing directly.

It is roleplaying in the sense that all of us are playing as a character who gets a position. Try to remember you do support the industrialist Morganites and thier vision of a trade-heavy Planet.

If you read, I'm the CEO so I can appoint or fire people. Eventually if enough players join their can be a board of directors.

If you want to join, I need either a CFO to actually play some turns or at least a base commander.

@Yuri
I'm guessing you do not want to be CFO, so if you want you can choose whether to be a base commander.

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In one week we will be in orbit around planet. Zharkov's scan of planet's surface will soon be avaliable. Here are the variables:

Planet Size:
Water Coverage:
Cloud Cover:
Erosive Forces:
Native Lifeforms:

We can only wonder what the survey will reveal by late tomorrow. Give your opinions.

 

[spycatcher34]

Has anyone said they actually wanted to do this?
And did you come up with this idea yourself?

 

[sir_schwick]

Sadly enough this was a creation of the ARchbishop of Towels.

Yuri sort of said he would provide some commentary now and again. No one else, but I'll start the game tomorrow and see if that helps any. This idea will probably die. My main idea was to do something on the scale of the Civ 3 Demo-games, only using the unique setting of AC.

 

[BlackAdder60]

GO for it Sir Schwick. I am with you all the way... at least what the role plying part is conserned.

Heres *MY* part of it, I am a Spartan sympatizer but with an agenda of my own, so here it goes:

<START>
I can't believe it!
What was Cori thinking of when trying to assasinate CEO Schwick?
Or was there someone else? A traitor amongs our midst!

"The right to bear arms is the right to be free" *everybody* knows THAT.
Propper arms can only be manufactured in a propper industrial base
AND we need a dynamic economic system to PAY for it all.
CEO Schwick's faction can provide us with that.

Something MUST be done.
We must identify the traitor amongst us and smoke him out.
Fortunatly I have fellow Spartans, *MY* men, who agrees with me and we'll take action.
CEO Schwick will live to see planetfall and serve our purpose.

--- excerpt from the diaries of Lt.Col. Jack Omasis of the Spartans ---
<END>

 

[Yuri2356]

Ladies and gentlemen, my SMAC backstory:
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Excript from file 2849-B Stolen from the University of planet archives...
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Case file: 2849-B "Project Archon"


Subject Data:

Name, Given: Unknown
Name, First: Yuri
Born: Circa 2009, Exact date unknown.
Nation of Origin: Unknown
Current Nationality: Russian
Education: Recived Batchleor Of Science in Genetics from Volovgrad University 2031.
Recieved masters degree in Neurology from Volovgrad University 2034
Chosen for project Unity to study the effects of inter-system travell on the human brain.

Project Report:
Filed by Dr. J Sladovich 4:57 PM June 14 2037.
As I was reviewing the revised passenger manifests, it came to my attention that a number of the people selected for this project posses certain, genetic anomolies. The specific mutant genes are found on the the 14th and 16th chromosomes, (see fig. 1.1 attached) and are directly involved with the development of neural tissue. I cannot be certain exactly what this means at the time, as there is very little data to work from. But I feel I must pry into this mater, it may proove to be of great importance.

Filed by Dr, J Sladovich 7:26 AM June 22 2037.
I have completed a thurough background check on all those who posess this mutant gene, but have found only one thing of intrest. A man known only as "Yuri". He is a neurologist and geneticist who has been assigned to the Unity's medical center. His history is not one of much intrest, aside from one noteable fact. An ESP tests taken during his tenure at Volovgrad University ranks him among the most psychic people in the world. Of corse, the whole concept of "psychic powers" is noting but a myth, but I am still lead to wonder...

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Unauthorized access detected, system lockdown engaged.

-Shutting Down-

 

[sir_schwick]

With the help of Yuri's and Omasis's supporters I have managed to survive until the Unity reached Planet's orbit. It appears the factioning has become so bad that the other sixe major leaders are taking a landing aparatus for themselves. Zharkhov freely gave me his scan of planet and hoped that we could both revitalize humanities presence.

Planet Size: Normal
Water Coverage: 70%
Cloud Cover: Heavy
Erosive Forces: Light
Native Lifeforms: Rampant

Since I am personally commanding the beginning phases of this mission, I will assume command of Schwick Headquarters. I will need a commander for the second base. Commanders get to name their bases. Also, commanders need to tell me what your build queue is. Try to PM anytime you want to change that.

 

[sir_schwick]

That was where our landing pod put us. From what we saw on re-entry, the Unity fell out of orbit and crash landed, but I know not where. By luck alone we landed next to three of those lovely pods that Zharkov insisted on launching from the Unity during in system flight. One of them provided a probe that showed us an energy resource. One of them contained University files on Information Networks that should eventually become useful. The final one drilled to an aquifer.

A few scouts were built and sent out. The first couple sites for a second base were not very appetizing, but exploration showed a good site to the south. My patrols have reported running into strange worm like lifeforms. An entire scout team was destroyed by these things and data is light. In the fifteen years since planetfall I have found a few strange monoliths, data on Applied Physics, but none of the others. It may be possible they were destroyed by these native creatures.

Either way now is the time to get organized. One, I really need a commander for the next base that is about to be built. There are also some positions I need qualified personeel for. All these officers can get staff of their own to help out(story reasons too) or do presentations. Here is a short list:

Military Advisor- The Strategos - Advises me on recommended military strategy and military concerns. Ultimately your division is responsible for designing new units and devising strategy for their use. You are also responsible for planning in war.

Industrial Advisor - Advises me on matters of production and developement. This includes terraforming and environmental interaction. Remember, we are not conservationists here, but we need not waste Planet.

Population Advisor - Advises me on how to manage the population to prevent strikes and riots.

Science Advisor - Advises me on research and what directiosn to take.

I also need someone to investigate the mysterious natives.

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BASE COMMANDERS

Production Base One - Yuri

 

[Yuri2356]

Ok, If I'm going to make up a build order for a base, I'll need access to a list of City Improovements, as my experience with SMAC is limited to a 100 turn demo.
In general, my priorities are:
1-Defensive unit (s)
2-Economic buildings
3-Science buildings
4-Happyness when nesesary
5-Industry when nesesary

Also, my city can be called to build colony pods, terraformers, secret projects, and military units, when they are needed.

Not sure on a name, I'll have to get back to you on that. For now, just call it "Base (#)" # being the order in which it was built.

 

[sir_schwick]

Commander Yuri left for his post at Production Base One less then six hours ago. It is still troubleing that neither he nor Omasis has decided to pick up any additional offices or that special project related to the strange creatures my scouts encountered. Our most important offices are Research, the Planet LIfe Question.

 

[Yuri2356]

I'll take planetary life too, I was just settling the city planning.

I'm thinking of a titile somewhere along the line of:
"Minister of Xenomorphic Resources"
If fewer people know what it means, it makes me sound even more important!

 

[sir_schwick]

It has been thirty-five years since planetfall. We currently only have two bases, but have two colony pods heading to new destinations. Our exploration has yielded much data from Zharkov's secret laboratory aboard the Unity. Amazingly the scientists at the Yuri's Network Node managed to interface with the device and extract some very useful knowledge of High Energy Chemistry. Once again, this is a call for a military advisor, I need designs, as well as a Science advisor. Also, more of the worms are showing up in Towelite(we are the Towels after all) territory. I need someone to investigate this.

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MEMORANDUM
TO: SCHWICK HQ, SCHWICK INDUSTRIES RESEARCH COORDINATION
FROM: PRODUCTION BASE ONE, SPECIAL PROJECTS DIVISION
SUBJECT: ARTIFACT PROGRESS REPORT
DATE: 34.3/82.24(Dates are in the format of years past planetfall/hours, days are now split into 100 hours and 100 minutes)

The alien device found on the ridge to the east is not as unreadable as originally thought. It appears as though the access port is similair to our magnetic data transmitters. In addition, we have discovered that the device utilizes binary switches just like our electronics. Even though the bit patterns and organization are different our computers can analyze the patterns from the devices access port. Such analysis was completed 1.13 hours ago and interfacing with the device has begun. From what little has already been extracted this is a great find. Also, if more of these artifacts are found then we have the instructions for interfacing with them. In order to interface though, a computer like those used for the Network Node would be required.


MEMORANDUM
TO: PRODUCTION BASE ONE, PROJECT OPERATIONS
FROM: SCHWICK HQ, ENERGY ALLOCATION
SUBJECT: SUBSIDY REQUESTS
DATE: 29.1/59.82

The regular use of corporate level energy capital to rush production of projects for Production Base One is starting to rapidly deplete energy reserves. We are now forced to limit the allotment granted to your base for energy draws. It is suggested by the Project Operations director over here in Schwick HQ that you focus on expansion rather than infrastructural projects.

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We now know that the other factions survived planetfall. Lady Deidre's scouts have been spotted in our territory in the last year.

Also, we now can switch over to a free market economy, but I am hesitant to do so. My director of Population Relations tells me that allowing such a market would create massive unhappiness due to our military. From what I can tell, the gains from increased energy production are too heavily reduced by massively increased unhappiness. I need advisors.

 

[The Strategos]

With the increase of capitalism in Earth’s last days a new form of army emerged. Known as Private Military Companies (PMCs) these corporations, complete with shareholders, a board of directors and head offices, offer their clientele professional military services, sometimes acting as logistics consultants while at other times working as active combatants, in exchange for monetary payment and in many cases, for mining rights to areas of potential wealth. These companies are subject to even fewer restraints and legal controls than traditional mercenaries are. More often than not, PMCs act as consultants and only a very few of the large corporations have taken on the role of active combatants in a conflict.
-Alan Banack “Guns for Hire: A New Breed of Mercenaries” Datalinks


CEO Schwick looked at the imposing figure standing in front of him. Known only by his title, The Strategos, he was a mercenary, a corporate hired gun. On principle Schwick approved of mercenaries. They fought for money, for greed, and after all if money isn’t worth fighting over what is? Of course Strategos was outrageously expensive, back on Earth most third world countries could survive for years on his salary. But after all he was the best…

 

[sir_schwick]

ENCRYPTED MESSAGE
CLERANCE: President 0B or above.
TO: THE STRATEGOS, PRESIDENT MILITARY AND SECURITY DIVISION, SCHWICK HQ
FROM: CEO SCHWICK, COMMANDER UNITY MISSION, SCHWICK HQ
DATE: 1.1/45.62

Welcome to the team, The Strategos. On Earth you were considered the Best of the Best. From what we have seen since Planetfall that is what will be needed here. As requested here is a complete technical readout of avaliable technology for weapons research. Currenly we only need new designs with each major advance in technology.

ENCRYPTED MESSAGE
CLERANCE: Executive 1C.
TO: STAN ANDERMAN, DIRECTOR MILITARY DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY, SCHWICK HQ
FROM: THE STRATEGOS, PRESIDENT MILITARY AND SECURITY DIVISION, SCHWICK HQ
DATE: 32.3/78.23

Dr. Anderman, a team of industrial experts will be assinged to work with you to develop the new weapons you have described. Currently the only weapons technology we have are the hand-weapons and high-efficiency Lasers. Armour technology is not much better, limited to Synthmetal and Plasma armour. The technology to build rovers has not been a proiority of the Research Divisions president. For that reason we are restricted to using infantry. A full technical doisse and details on the team from Production are included in the affixed files. Semper Fi.


ENCRYPTED MESSAGE
Clearance: Executive 2B or above.
TO: THE STRATEGOS, PRESIDENT MILITARY AND SECURITY DIVISION, SCHWICK HQ
FROM: THOMAS SPARKS, DIRECTOR BORDER SECURITY, PRODUCTION BASE ONE
DATE: 33.1/23.57

We have had many probes into our border by man-made vehicles and most definitely humans. Our investigations so far suggest they might belong to the forces of Lady Deidre Skye, if she did survive planetfall. The forces were not overwhelming, but the strange worms found on the surface did not seem to be attacking her forces though. This factor worries me greatly and advise we enter an emergency military state. Otherwise, I need instructions on rules of engagement if my scouts do have an encounter.