AAR: Bubble Bloodbath (aka “Controlled Chaos”)
*****For full AAR see PDF attachment*******
Overall Impression
This was by a large margin the most exciting campaign I have played to date. From start to finish, this campaign sucked me in the way that classic did once I got over the learning curve--I lost track of time by my sheer enjoyment.
So what made this campaign special?
This campaign had distinct phases which required their own tactics to support my overall goal of triggering a massive civil war and survive the inevitable destruction of the awaken dark spire. This turned out to be even cooler in practice than in theory.
TLDR
Raid Starter flagship; 3 AI (Golemite, Swarmer, Fortress Baron); Nanocaust; Dyson; Dark Spire
My overall plan is to raid/expand to keep AIP as low as possible throughout the game, until I reach a tipping point and can take the AI headon. I will liberate the Dyson Sphere and hack them several times to buff them up and will eventually be powerful enough to release the nanocaust into the galaxy and force them into submission. They will become powerful allies but the AI’s collective response is mighty. Lots of ground will be contested and re-conquested by all sides. With the death of the first AI, I’m no longer positioned to crush the other two. Perfect time to trigger the civil war, in other words. CHAOS unleashed! This releases the avalanche of dark spire, epic battles at both remaining AI HWs but the AIs are tenacious themselves. But they cannot stand the series of vengeance strikes I unleash--the AI’s are routed from the HW but are trapped between my massive fleets and the dark Spire. They are crushed and victory is mine!