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11 Aug 06
We had cruisers, but they needed more options and firepower. We needed more and more varied ships. The Hivers knew of our laser weapons so we shifted to plasma research. They knew of our weaker hulls, so we research shields and reinforced armor. We added plasma torpedo boats to our arsenal. We also worked to pump up our satellite defenses and improve our industry.
Apparently, the Hivers weren't any more impressed with the results of our recent battles than we were. They weren't able to hold the gates in our systems. Rather than rushing a new fleet at us, they decided to build up as well. The two colonies where they had evicted us were not fully developed and somewhat vulnerable. No doubt they took this time to beef up their technology and defenses as well.
Despite needing all that technology to compete, we knew we couldn't wait for all of it to make our move against the Hivers. If they managed to deploy their gates in one or more of our systems, the battles might be endless. We had to take the fight to them.
As soon as our first cruiser command ships started coming online, we started assembling a battle fleet to assault Rychopre. That was the scene of our biggest loss. Our exploration fleet had just arrived at Rychopre when the Hivers cancelled our non aggression pact. Though they had two of our then brand new cruisers, they could not withstand the swarming destroyers and superior firepower of the Hivers. They took down several Hiver ships, but the loss was heavily unbalanced. Once the first cruiser went down, the fleet was annihilated in mere moments.
The strike fleet would take our new command cruisers, plasma cruisers and torpedo boats into action. All of our defensive projects were still underway. The fleet did not represent our true current power, but it would be a good gauge to see if we were now a match for the Hivers. Our new fusion engines with the improved stutter warp drive got us there in less than half the time.
The planet and its defenses were stronger than when we had last fought there. They had one full ring of defensive satellites. They had a deployed gate ship and a dozen destroyers. Some of the destroyers must have been support craft since the Hivers retreated them away from the planet at the start of the battle. The rest of the forces rushed to engage the new threat.
Our line of torpedo boats led the way followed by our attack cruisers. The gleaming shields around our command cruiser brought up the rear. The first volley we noticed that the Hivers too had acquired plasma technology. However, their ships didn't seem to take receiving plasma as well as they could dish it out. The first two destroyers died almost immediately in a wash of plasma and torpedoes. Then the battle was on.
The planet wasn't too large so the missile volleys weren't instant death. The first volley went at our command ship. Right then our commander was questioning the wisdom of putting improved armor over point defense in our research priorities. Fortunately it didn't matter since the ship's shields held.
Then our plasma cruisers started circling the attacking destroyers. We lost a few torpedo boats, but they could not take out our cruisers. Slowly the tide was shifting. We were taking out two of their destroyers for each one of ours lost. Even so we were soon out of reserves with even our repair ship taking the field.
Then the command cruiser's shields went down. He had to pull back a bit to reduce his risk, but then there were only three destroyers left. Quick focused fire took them down one after the other. Our commander decided to ignore the satellite defenses and assault the planet. The one remaining assault boat was launched while the rest of the fleet closed in to weapons range on the planet.
Though it was risky, the commander ordered our command ship and repair ship to the right of the line. They would have to engage the satellites as their orbits brought them around. The hope was that the shields would hold reducing damage as casualties. That would maximize the firepower unleashed on the planet.
The plan worked. We lost the assault shuttle and two more torpedo boats, but the last shots of our fleet silenced the planet. Our lost fleet was avenged.
Jason
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10 Aug 06
The loss at Zozoris had exposed all of our weaknesses. We were spread thin. Our ships were too slow. They lacked firepower. They could not take damage in heated combat. Our planetary defenses were too weak.
The problem was that it would take to much time to fix all that. Reinforcements were being rushed to the next vulnerable colony, Tikitus. The numbers couldn't reach in time. All too soon an incoming fleet was spotted. Again it was the creeping menace. The colony would be lost.
A council of elders was held. Should we pull back and regroup or fight for the border colonies? Then the old ones made their thoughts known, "Perhaps they war since all they know is war. We must offer peace before resigning our children to destruction and generations to war."
And so it was. Our scientists stopped their research into destruction to focus on communicating with the menace. Their song was not as strange as it first appeared. They met our call to parlay. They would have no alliance, but agreed not to make war on us while they explored. They would grant free passage of our ships if we would grant them the same. We agreed even though we knew that letting them set up their gate ships near our worlds gave them a certain power. Time and study would give us power if they proved treacherous.
So we quietly built our technology. We build bigger guns and faster ships. We unlocked the secrets of building bigger, stronger ships. We grew our colonies stronger and gave them better defenses. Everything was done with a sense of urgency. For though the Hive, as they called themselves, crawled across space, they showed little patience elsewhere. Every move was regarded as a possible threat.
They had abandoned the ruined colony at Zozoris. When we moved new settlers in there, we could feel the tension rise. We sent reinforcements there. We had just started sending new waves of explorers and settlers as well. Soon the Hive was buzzing. The clock was ticking.
Sure enough, we soon received the missive, "Our patience is ended, Fight!" Ships that had gone out on explorations missions suddenly prepared for war. Our weapons came online. Each gate ship was targeted. All at once four battles erupted. It was ugly.
We won the battles in our territory, and they one the battles in theirs. We had no gates left near our planets, but had no forward fleets as well. The worst thing was that our glorious new cruisers fared so poorly in battle. They seemed to barely outgun the Hiver destroyers. Their numbers were too small to turn the tide. Though we learned we could now pierce the thick Hiver hides, it still was not as easy as hoped. We would need new ships and new weapons to win this war. Once again our scientists turned their minds to destruction.
Jason
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8-9 Aug 06
It was quiet, too quiet. Our peaceful expansion had hit only one hitch. Some dreadful lizards attacked one of our scout fleets. It was well away from any of our colonies, and they left immediately after the battle going back from where ever they came. It was disturbing to see our glorious ships out gunned and out maneuvered. They were simple scouts, but they could barely scratch the surface of the tough lizard ships. We're sure such power will lead them to launch more reckless attacks. We must prepare for the worst.
After that, all was quiet. The galaxy is not as welcoming as we might have hoped. Many, many planets are not suitable for our swimmers. We've been forced to transform even borderline planets to build our strength. We've learned the hard way that strength is all the galaxy respects.
The harsh galaxy make the quiet worse. Each far flung vulnerable new colony floated like a delicate bubble trying to escape the dark depths. We put our best minds together working on ways to reduce our vulnerability, but the process is slow.
Our furthest colony, Zozoris, was also the most at risk. It was barely within our means to start the process to reshape that world. Only its rich resources made the task at all worthwhile. The worlds all around it sat beyond our means. So Zozoris hovered there, weak but growing. It now seems inevitable that it would be the place violence would strike.
This time it was not the lizards. The blip came on our sensor read like nothing we had seen before. They came crawling across the dark, dry sea with mere thrusters. Even at such a slow pace, they would still reach the world before any reinforcements could arrive.
The sensors showed eleven ships. If they had firepower like the lizards, there was no way to save the world. We would try to mount a defense, but there was little hope. The ships already there were largely scouts and support ships. We would build a command ship to lead them and some satellites to support them, but the little world could produce no more. Even desperate measures could bring no relief.
Then they came. Our rag tag defense had only the hope to bloody them and send them back. Unfortunately, we could not know their true strength. Their ships were nothing but weapons. Barrels and missiles projected from every surface. Our screens were awash with their contrails. It was known within the first seconds of battle, there would be no victory. Now we could only hope to make them pay a price for young they would slaughter today.
It was no use. Our weapons seemed to have no effect on them. Each shot we fired received two or three in reply. Our lasers left burn marks on their hardened hulls. Theirs tore through whole sections of our ships. First the command ship fell. Then the heavily armed defenders. Then the support craft. Then they turned their deadly guns on the waters of the world. Soon there was only silence. The quiet had returned, but peace had left forever.
Jason
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7 Aug 06
Well, the best laid plans . . . I didn't get any gaming in this weekend. I could rush out a quick update of a few turns in my Liir game, but it wouldn't add much. I'm not a fan of half measures. I'll do a proper update tomorrow (barring another unforeseen crisis).
David is much better now. Well, health wise. He's starting the terrible twos. The constant screaming is starting to get to me. If I seem a bit off or irritable, that's why. He's so sweet when he's happy. I miss that.
There were some problems with the news section of the site today. It seems the database briefly went down. If you see an error like that, go ahead and email me if you get the chance. The sooner I know about it, the sooner I can get working on the problem.
Thanks to everyone who pointed out that the Wii will be a great budget console as well. Assuming everything works out, it will have full backwards compatibility with the Gamecube. It will have a virtual console (downloadable titles) with games from the entire Nintendo catalog along with select titles from other publishers. It will also have a lower price point and (reportedly) cheaper games.
I wanted to talk briefly about Sword of the Stars as a game. I don't have a review copy so these comments aren't meant to be any sort of a review. When I first played the game, I was put off because it wasn't at all what I was expecting. However, I just threw out my expectations and started playing the game that was there. It's quite a fun game. It's compelling and engaging with some rough edges.
After you play a while, the interface really becomes second nature. It's certainly not perfect, but information is available when you need it. Once you have certain key technologies, your focus shifts from your limitations to the more interesting task of conquering the galaxy. The same shift happens in the tactical battles. You stop fighting for control and start ripping apart opposing fleets.
I often chafe against the constraints of the early game. Regardless of how artificial that is, it makes you feel much more powerful later in the game. That's a good thing.
I know they had to limit the demo, but those limits make you work harder for your fun than the full game. The options opened up in the cruiser age feel almost limitless compared to what came before. You have so many more choices, and they're mostly fun and interesting.
I've read a lot of complaints about the demo. Many of them carry over into the full game. Once you see the full picture, you'll realize that some of them end up being so small as to be unimportant. Others get lost in the fun of what you're doing. The rest you can learn to live with if you like the game. Think of it this way. You've seen nearly all of the bad. There's a whole lot more good you haven't seen.
Jason
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3 Aug 06
The Liir have been the early foil for my previous two stories. Now I get to swim in their fins. To keep people's expectations up for an early Liir loss, I've cranked the AI difficulty of the beta build to difficult. We have all four races fighting over 50 stars. To offset this difficulty a bit, I selected a rift galaxy with groups of stars on either side of a central rift. Given that the Liir stutter warp moves faster away from stars, that shouldn't hinder me much if I make it that far. Hopefully it will keep two of my opponents occupied on the other side of the rift.
I've decided I like a fast start so I've given each side three starting planets and an equal number of bonus techs. I started with my size 10 home world and two size 7 colonies. All started with moderate resources. I didn't get any transport techs in my bonus, but I did get green lasers. It never hurts to have more firepower. Our first order of business is to research recombinant fissionables.
I'm on a corner of the galaxy opposite the rift. My worlds are strung out into open space. That's great for defensive purposes, but it's tough for exploration and expansion. Unfortunately, the world that's closest to the near star systems is also the one with the least resources. Resources or not, it's going to be my primary ship production world for a while. The drives are too slow to shuttle large numbers of ships from the outward worlds.
The early strategy is simple. We need worlds. The Liir ships aren't particularly tough or bristling with weapons. They can really use a tech lead. To do that we need a strong industrial base. We need to improve our industrial tech, propulsion and efficiency.
Early expansion is disappointing as expected. I know it's logical that the closest worlds aren't likely to well suited for you, but it's still a let down.
Jason
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