On the brink of insanity. (10/10)

[Ricca]

I figured that I needed to do something suitably interesting with AI War. So I figured I'd set myself a small minor task.

To defeat 2 10 Diff AIs, but with a few minor exceptions.

So, let us see how well these settings shock you.

Starting unit: Vorticular Cutlass.

Map style: Snake
Planets: 120
Ships: All except Core Shield Generators.
Minor Factions: Marauders 2, Resistance 5, Rebellions 4, Traders, Dyson Sphere 4, Devourer, Broken Golems Easy, Spirecraft Easy, Botnet Golem Easy, Spire Civilian Leaders
AI Modifiers: Schizophrenic, 1/2 Enemy Waves, 1 AIP every 30 minutes.
AI Plots: None.

Why those settings? Simple.

I plan, and intend to, conquer all of the AI held planets. The AI waves won't be as frequent as possible, but... they could hurt. Especially around and above the 1k AIP mark.

And of course, introducing the stars of the show.

The Entrenched Homeworlder. So I'd better not lose any cities I liberate.
And the Technologist Turtle. Since, if I'm going to take the easy way out by using an AI that sends no waves, I'd better make it a hard easy.

Anyone wish to guess the size of the wave that crushes me? Or will I somehow perform the impossible and win, thus ensuring that 10/10 AIs will get an impressive buff to make sure it never happens again?

The only way to know, gentlemen and ladies, is to read on once the game has started.

Naturally, all 3 of the expansions are enabled, and the version is 5.051, and I will be updating it as more updates come out.

I'll do 1 post for each hour the game lasts, unless something bad happens.

[Minotaar]

Can't imagine this game being especially difficult after you get the botnet, and the last change to it ensured that it's going to be in a convenient location  Not to mention that with the waves being so rare you could just toss Martyrs at them like it's nothing. But hey, we'll see 

[Ricca]

True. Except I don't plan to spam martyrs. Although I did get a very early Botnet, just that it seems that the AI has a couple of ships that are either immune to reclamation or have rather hefty bonuses against Ultra-Heavy.

Although I will admit that the early part of the game will be quiet.

EDIT: Hour 1. Lost the Botnet Golem to a wave of over a thousand Tigers. Not impressed. Still in the game, but man. Got a fleet to rebuild, got planets to recolonise. Got vengeance to get... Scouting's slow, I have to admit. I'll try to speed it up as much as I can.

Notes typed over the hour below.

Homeworld: Loyale
8 Metal, 5 Crystal
Units: Bomber II, Standard Fighter II, Missile Frigate I, Vorticular Cutlass I

Waves: 1: 143 Missile Frigates, 3 Starships, Mk 2 to Loyale. AIP 20.
2. 1345 Neinzul Youngling Tigers, 3 Starships, Mk 2, to Ilthus. AIP 62.

Planet 1: Uztoluv, Mk II (Captured successfully.)
1x Com Shield, 1x MLRS, 1x Spec Forces
0 Metal, 2 Crystal
No interesting objects detected.
No AI installations detected.

Planet 2: Iltus, Mk IV (Captured successfully.)
1x Missile, 1x MLRS, 3x Passive, 2x Spec Forces, 2x Short Range
0 Metal, 4 Crystal
Broken Botnet Golem, Reptite x 12
3x Ion Cannon Mk II

AI fleet ships seen: Bomber, Zenith Electric Bomber, Standard Fighter, Frigate, Space Plane, Spire Teleporting Leech

Notes: Early Botnet Golem is very nice. All I have to do is simply punch through a Mk IV world. Hopefully the planet beyond isn't too nasty.

Planet 3: Murdoch, Mk IV
1x Com Shield, 2x MLRS, 1x Spec, 2x Short Range
1 Metal, 0 Crystal
1x AI Co-Processor, 1x Dist Node, 1x Planetary Armour Inhibitor
1x Ion Eye, 5x Psyrite, 1x Reptite, 3x Xampite, 3x Ion Cannon Mk II

[keith.lamothe]

I don't see how conquering the entire galaxy on 10/10 is "on the brink" of insanity, I think it's most of the way to the bottom

On Fallen Spire I could see it working.  Even there, a capital fleet can only vaporize so many thousand ants before they overwhelm the position.

The 1/2 waves will make them less frequent, but not smaller.  Though having only one wave-sending AI certainly does help because you can't get double-waved that way.

Will be interesting to see

[Cinth]

If you want to see an AAR with similar goals, check out mine.  Also... the waves start getting pretty heavy around 500 AIP... I had a 160k firepower defensive line crushed at 900 AIP.  Good luck!!

[Ricca]

Took out 800 bombers of the third wave.

Pity that the remaining 500 survived, and are currently marching, after crushing my fleet.

To my homeworld.

Clearly, I shall have to try again.

ATTEMPT 2:

Starting unit: Acid Sprayer.
Same settings as above, except this time remembered to put Schizophrenic on. Derp.

Detected AI units: Triangle ships, Bulletproof Fighter, Teleporting Leech, Cutlass, Spider Bots.

Found a Zenith Reserve Mk2 nearby, but I'll keep that as an ace.

Homeworld: Jiyae
Units: Bomber II, Standard Fighter II, Missile Frigate I, Acid Sprayer I

Planet 1: Yophiqu, Mk I
Nothing special on it.

Planet 2: Zonsharp, Mk III
Threats: Sentry Eye, 2x Ion Cannon Mk I
Capturables: Zenith Reserve Mk II

Planet 3: Zingyae, Mk III
Threats: Warp Counterattack Post.
Capturables: Nope.

Wave 1: 114 enemy ships, 1 starship, Mk II to Jiyae. 20 AIP. (113 Bulletproof Fighters)

Wave 2: 407 enemy ships, 3 starships to Yophiqu. 42 AIP. (49 Bombers, 106 Bulletproof Fighters, 119 Fighters, 88 Missile Frigates, 42 Leeches.)

Hour 1: Nothing major happened. Trader visited, a bit of fighting on both sides. That was it. 1 planet conquered, one being cleared.

[Ricca]

Hours 2 and 3, hm...

Warp Counterattack 1: 854 enemy ships, 3 starships, Mk III.

Wave 3: 1498 enemy ships, 2 starships to Zingyae. Mk II. AIP 96. (227 Bombers, 245 Bulletproof, 329 Fighters, 202 Missiles, 496 other units in carrier.)

Waves for hour 2.

Wave 4: 1760 enemy ships, 3 starships to Hahas. Mk II. AIP 128. (258 Bombers, 166 Bulletproof, 415 Missiles, 161 Leeches, 757 other units in carrier.)

Wave for hour 3, but... one minor itty bitty little minor problem.

The AI has started using Vorticular Cutlasses. And a small ship you might know as the Zenith Bombard.

And ahead of me, there's two counterattack posts I have to go through. Sure, I've got the botnet nearly going, but even so, it's going to hurt. Only 114 planets to go, though.

[keith.lamothe]

Wave for hour 3, but... one minor itty bitty little minor problem.

The AI has started using Vorticular Cutlasses.

Ginsu!

And a small ship you might know as the Zenith Bombard.

The fleet-ship King of the Alpha Strike!  Even if you vaporize everything in 5 seconds, they'll still have gotten 30 seconds (iirc) of DPS off.

[Ricca]

Cold, wet and windy for the past few days here, so yeah, not much to do except play games.

Let's see, what happened since hour 3...

AI got Spider Bots and Awesomebombs. I found, but haven't yet gotten to, an Advanced Factory. I want an ARS. Then again, I also want to see a Plasma Siege Starship IV Fabricator.

The most concerning thing is that I've only seen 1 Zenith Bombard so far. Maybe it spawned by mistake?

Hour 4: CPA of 1287 ships at 161 AIP. Wave of 4309 II ships at 201 AIP.

Warp 2: 2543 ships, IV, at 234 AIP.
Wave 6: 4061 enemy ships, III,  at 255 AIP.
Warp 3: 3716 enemy ships, III, at 277 AIP.

Hour 5: Wave 7: 2780 enemy ships, III, at 288 AIP.
Wave 8: 676 (And that isn't a typo.) enemy ships, III. 288 AIP.
CPA 2: 2479 enemy ships.
Wave 9: 3392 enemy ships, 331 AIP.

Now it's hour 6, and all I gotta do is get my AF. Also, Zombie Bulletproof Fighters are absolutely evil. Good thing they're on my side.

108 planets to go until victory.

[Ricca]

It's worth the doublepost.

Got a Scout IV.

The closest ARS is...

Oh god, I hate to say it.

46 planets away.
The nearest homeworld is... 44 planets.

Oh god, it hurts so, so much. Sure, I have golems and fabricators, but...

Oh, and the waves are at a minor 14,000 ships, Mk III.

Gonna be a looong way to win.

EDIT - Next closest is... 22 planets after the first one. Depending on how far the third one is, you could replace the post with about... 8 days of swearing.

[Cinth]

It's your AAR so don't worry about double posting. I would hate to see 1 post edited into a wall of action text lol.

Didn't catch how many planets have you taken so far. Keeping your econ strong is going to really help you in the late game. The AI gets pretty crazy when the AIP gets up there too  Good Luck!!

[Ricca]

At the moment, I'm a grand total of 16 planets in. I could, in theory, move faster, but Warp Counterattack Posts. The first and nearest ARS is about 62 to 63 planets in.

Don't think I'm gonna get that far, but I know that I'll get some massive waves before going down.

[Faulty Logic]

I would jumpship-raid all the counterattack posts while AIP is (somewhat) sane.
Anyway, good luck, you will need it.

[Ricca]

I'd like to, to be honest, but by my count, there is no less then 15 more of the things remaining. And two one-shot Raid Engines.

There's some very sexy golems and fabricators nearby, though, including a planet with Bulletproof Fighter V and Bomber Starship IV.

I'm tempted to jumpship raid the Dyson planet though, and get that on my side. Won't do much, but it'll harass the AI further back, and take a few ships out of retreating waves and advancing CPAs.

[Faulty Logic]

I don't mean all at once, maybe one per 5 min until they are all dead. As with all wave-sending AI structures, better sooner than late (excepting very early, before you have any defences).