Stars!: Infight
Game hosted by Andreas von Studnitz (wizard) in early 2006.A small graphical overview of the Stars!: infight game by Altruist (altruist@9spamarglos.net - remove 9spam)
The maps are made with the help of the Stars! Notebook and Irfan View
Players: 8
Skill level: Intermediate
Version: 2.6/2.7jrc3/4
Autohost, Turns generated: 24 hours up to year 2430, then 48 hours. Weekends off.
Universe size: Small Packed, Distant Starting Positions
Starting conditions: ACC BBS
Victory conditions: Last Man/Last Team standing or consensus
PRTs forbidden: None, but there will be a penalty of 100 leftover points for CA (set to defenses) plus they may not take TT. JOAT may not take NAS. SD may not detonate minefields.
Restrictions:
- no cheats (except chaff and split-fleet dodge)
- no pregame alliances
Special Rules: Germ starting concentration will be 30 or lower. Everyone has to be set to enemy except one ally. The ally can be changed once every 10 years. Tech exchange between enemies is not allowed.
announced as new game at autohost on 2nd October 2006: Infight
The players:
m1: Havenites (IT), played by Sotek.m2: Altruists (IT), played by Altruist.
m3: Norsemen (JOAT), played by Per.
m4: Envoys (IT), played by envoy.
m5: Lost (HE), played by Joseph.
m6: Drakh (CA), played by Drakhyulla.
m7: Tomasoid (AR), played by Vlad.
m8: Jade Falcons (WM), played by Raymond.
Year 2415
Lost and Altruist have agreed on an alliance. |
Year 2415
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) |
Year 2422
6 HWs identified.Judging an AR very vulnerable, Altruists choose the Tomasoid as a first attack target. The plan is to attack them with a cruiser fleet in some years. It is important to do so rather fast because Tomasoid are allied with Norsemen and cooperation and traffic between those two seems to be intense.
To make it difficult, Norsemen were allied with Altruists in the previous game and they do know the Altruists' early aggressive attitude towards ARs. It soon becomes obvious that the Tomasoid/Norsemen do not like the Altruist outpost at Darien at all (upper center far left) and start attacking it at once. Altruists again judge their outpost Darien quite important for their planned attack against the Tomasoid HW which is only 62ly away from Darien. Darien gets reinforced with gated in colonists and minerals as fast as possible and the dock constantly grades up.
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Year 2422
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) g Altruists' gates g enemies' gates O green planets for Altruists O yellow planets for Altruists |
Year 2428
Altruists managed to fence off several attacks on their outpost Darien and in 2427 the attack fleet gates in: 24 colloid-cruisers. Unfortunately the Tomasoid/Norsemen sent a scout to Darien the very same year and now they know about the attack fleet. Also quite disturbing, a big Norsemen freighter fleet is heading for the Tomasoid HW, scheduled to arrive in 2428, the year of the planned attack. Altruists decide to attack nevertheless or rather "now or never". And in 2428 the Altruist attack fleet succeeds in shooting down the Tomasoid HW station, 360 thousand poor weird lifeforms killed. The battle shows several surpising things:
1) Altruist outtech the Tomasoid by far: colloid phasers vs yakis.
2) There is/was a newly built mass driver on the Tomasoid station.
The Norsemen freighter fleet has changed course to avoid the Altruist attack fleet but now it is obvious that those freighters carry the minerals supposed to annihilate the Altruist outpost Darien with the help of the mass driver at Thomas. That was close. It's only 2428, the first HW has fallen but had almost succeeded throwing around the first mineral package... a fast paced game, indeed.
Sneaking into Envoy territory Altruists manage to colonise Noble Impulse, a planet in the very center and only 19ly away from the Envoys' HW, and, even better, it seems Envoys don't notice.
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Year 2428
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) g Altruists' gates g enemies' gates O green planets for Altruists O yellow planets for Altruists |
Year 2435
Tomasoids almost completly destroyed.Originally a follow up attack on the Tomasoid's ally Norsemen was planned but those seem to be already under heavy attack from the southern Havenites/Drakh alliance. To keep it interesting and somehow fair, Altruists inform the Norsemen that their fleets won't cross the lines shown in aqua and intend to keep out of the Norsemen' fights with the Haven/Drakh.
Altruists switch to Envoys as next target, gate to Noble Impulse most of their cruisers which were previously busy shooting down forts, docks and stations of the Tomasoid and in 2435 the attack on the Envoys' HW is a full success. The Envoys are outraged and gather their own fleet.
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Year 2435
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) g Altruists' gates g enemies' gates O green planets for Altruists O yellow planets for Altruists |
Fleets in 2436:
- Altruist fleet of 43 colloid-cruisers and 12 b17-m80 bombers conqueres Larry (28ly WNW of former Envoy HW Pilgrim's Harbor).
- Lost fleet of 16 colloid-cruisers and 34 mini-bombers flies into a position 18ly SE of Envoy planet Kappa (which is the single blue spot with a gate in the upper center).
- Envoys have gathered a fleet of 31 colloid-sapper cruisers at Bruski (82ly SE of former Envoy HW Pilgrim's Harbor).
Although the Altruists' fleet consists of more cruisers than the Envoys', together with sappers, better shields and a station the Envoys are definetly still a threat and could wipe out the Altruist fleet. Everybody tries to guess who is flying/gating to which planet next. Altruists decide to attack planet 98053 which they think to be populated by a mere 2400 Havenites but since the planet is a beautiful green one and no other good planet in attack range, they judge it a good step from where Bruski could be attacked. Additionally there is a very low probability to meet the Envoy fleet there.
The Lost choose NOT to attack nearby Kappa because it is highly likely to meet the ingating superior Envoy fleet there. Instead the fleet imitates being out of fuel at warp 1. There is also still a very small minefield around Kappa.
Fleets in 2437:
- Envoy fleet has not gated to Kappa and accordingly the Lost are rather angry with themselves not to have attacked Kappa. Instead the Envoys gated their fleet to Pershing, one of the four Envoy planets in the upper left area (see fleet on map). Probably the Envoys did it to reinforce their fleet, now consisting of 38 cruisers and capable to beat the Altruist fleet even without support of a station.
- Lost fleet still hovers near Kappa (see upper fleet on map) and this year they decide to attack the planet.
- Altruist fleet has succeeded in conquering the Haven planet 98053 (see lower fleet on map). Construction 13 is reached in research, weap 12 traded in from the ally Lost and jihad-BB are immediatly put into the production lines. So far the Envoys seem not to have reached weap 12 and their stations are still equipped with deltas, sappers and colloids. But Altruists expect to hit an Envoy jihad-station now every year. Time is precious, attacks must go on. Since the Lost attack Kappa, the Altruists decide to attack Bruski. At least one fleet will be probably successful... on the other hand one fleet will probably get destroyed.
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Year 2437
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) g Altruists' gates g enemies' gates O green planets for Altruists O yellow planets for Altruists fleet Envoy fleet fleet Altruist or Lost fleet |
Fleets in 2438:
Well, Envoy fleet gated to Kappa this time and the Lost fleet was utterly destroyed. On the bright side, the Altruist fleet managed to conquere Bruski. From Bruski the Altruist fleet was only able to reach Envoy planet Medusa. No good choice since this was the obvious place for the Envoy fleet to gate in. Thus the Altruist fleet ws ordered to move into a position in space from where it could attack no less than 4 planets: Medusa, Kappa and both of the 2 Jade planets inbetween. A brilliant fork position.The first 6 jihad-BBs were ready and gated to Noble Impulse.
Fleets in 2439
- Envoy fleet had indeed gated to Medusa and was now 44 cruisers strong. The station at Medusa was still without jihads. Probably the Envoys had put everything into producing cruisers instead of research.
- Altruist fleet of 45 cruisers and 14 b17-bombers was now in the superb fork position and threatening 4 planets. At Noble Impulse 5 jihad BBs had arrived. Both fleets together were judged strong enough to beat the Envoy cruiser fleet and thus they took aim for Medusa.
Year 2440
While the attack on Medusa was a success in so far that the planet was conquered, the Envoy fleet was missing. A closer look revealed that they had gone into the offense and retook their HW with 45 cruisers and enough colonists to reconquere it even without bombers. Arrgh. Now the Envoy fleet was in a splendid fork position to attack Altruist planets or rather "former" Envoy planets. To make it worse, the Envoy ships weren't stacked in one single fleet but in 6 fleets of cruisers plus 4 auxiliary fleets. The Altruists had 10 shiny new jihad-BBs just next door at Noble Impulse but which token were they supposed to target, follow and obliterate?After switching thru several reports of the last years, it became obvious that the Envoys usually kept their main cruiser force in fleet #9. And thus Envoy fleet #9 was targeted by the Altruists BBs: 45 Envoy cruiser vs 10 Altruist battleships and the Altruists hoping the Envoys hadn't chosen exactly year 2440 to break with old habits.
NAP with Norsemen: The initial unilateral statement of the Altruists not to mingle into the war between Norsemen and Havenites/Drakh develops into a kind of NAP. Both sides agree not to attack each other's planets but ships in space can be still attacked.
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Year 2440
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) g Altruists' gates g enemies' gates O green planets for Altruists O yellow planets for Altruists fleet Envoy CC-fleet fleet Altruist CC-fleet BBs Altruist BB-fleet |
Year 2441
Success! 37ly NW of the former/again Envoy HW, the Altruist battleships caught the Envoy cruiser fleet: the Envoy fleet was destroyed, no losses on the Altruist side. Although Jade and Envoy seem to be allied with each other, there is no cooperation between them. At no point Jade ships have been gating in to help defending Envoy planets or vice versa. Thus on their own and with their cruiser fleet destroyed, the Envoys were doomed.
Year 2445
The war against the Envoys is almost done and several Jade planets have been conquered in the center.The 3 green lines are detected wormholes and one is used (W1) to help the Altruist Rapid Attack Fleet (jihad-BBs) to suddenly pop up right next to the Jade's HW Gornic which is successfully conquered in 2445.
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Year 2445
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) —— Altruist/Norsemen border —— Wormholes |
Year 2446
The year before the attacks against the strong southern Haven/Drakh alliance started.Since this attacks were planned and prepared for almost 10 years and were the deciding factor to help the northern Lost/Altruists alliance to win, the assumptions, plans and actual attacks will be described a bit more in detail here:
General situation
During the last 10 years the Haven/Drakh had trashed several fleets against obviously well defended Norsemen planets. Which was rather a surprise to see since the Norsemen were outclassed production- as much as techwise but as it seemed not in warfare. Nevertheless the Haven/Drakh were the opponents to reckon with and had expanded until the far SE. The Haven seemed to be factoryless but about the Drakh we had no clue except them being CA. The Haven as factoryless IT and the Drakh as CA with probably factories and both of them slowly colonizing more or less every planet in the south looked to us like a strong pair. In the long run a good enough pair to leave us behind since they probably could make better use of their planets than us: a factoryless HE (the Lost) and a low-hab IT (Altruists). Thus we felt it important to hit them asap. While the Altuists kept on fighting the Envoys and Jade and had in mind to conquere/colonise some planets to get into a good attack position against the Haven/Drakh, the Lost built basically no more ships since mid 30ies and put most into researching weap 16.Unfortunately scans showed that the Drakh/Havens had stopped building ships as well and were probably doing exactly the same: going for weap 16. We certainly had to hurry up.
Battle plans vs Haven/Drakh
Attacking an IT is always a tricky thing, even more so when he might reach weap 16 any year now. Thus the Lost/Altruist judged it important for the first wave of attacks to hit really hard, fast and to raze as many planets as possible before the Haven/Drakh managed to produce a big enough defense fleet. From the map the recently conquered Pervo (a former Jade planet) and the newly colonized planet Huckleberry were ideal starting points for attack fleets which might each attack 4 planets in a row (see red pointers).Scans showed still no ship production activity on the Haven/Drakh side and we hadn't seen a standing fleet anywhere. Good. The first attack is usually for free. If the Haven/Drakh would indeed need to produce ships for defense, then they would be put into the production lines after our first attack (possibly forcing them to stop researching weap 16 if still not reached) and coming out of production at the time of our 2nd attack and earliest might gate in vs our 3rd attack. If the Haven/Drakh would really gate in their ships for defense, those would arrive in single units which we assumed to have a good chance to beat with our stacked BBs. Thus we judged the 4th attack the first really dangerous one but still a risk to take. But however the 4th attack would come out, we were sure to stop there and then for several reasons: our attack fleets might be destroyed/damaged, further attacks would need reinforced stronger fleets, locationwise minesweeping was likely not to have succeeded to commence further attacks.
The plan included to attack with 2 fleets and we hoped for 6 planets razed for sure, hopefully even 8. We judged that a good enough start since it would reduce the Havens' production base by a third and, almost as important, it would put the Haven/Drakh into a passive defensive position without the chance to reach our main planets. Loosing 8 planets in a row isn't a great experience and we also hoped for rather shattered spirits in the south.
The 2 attack fleets were:
North Fleet (Pervo):
The fleet consisted of 5 Jugger-BB, 5 heavy blaster/phased sapper BB, 10 b17-cherry bombers and, just in case, 100 chaff although the Haven station at Esher, the first target, was shown as unarmoured and with only 16 old colloid-lasers. The idea was to reinforce the fleet while moving south from one Haven planet to the next. In 2446 the fleet was ready and fully assembled at Pervo.
Heavy Duty Fleet (Huckleberry):
Starting from Huckleberry this fleet was supposed to fight its way direction southwest. The fleet needed to be bigger than the above North Fleet because there was no way to reinforce it when attacking 1 planet after another each year. Unfortunately the fleet wasn't ready.
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Year 2446
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) ——— Altruist/Norsemen border ——— Wormholes → attack route |
Year 2450: 4 years later
According to the saying "no battle plan survives contact with the enemy" not everything went as planned, what a surprise *grin* but the result was according to our wildest hopes nevertheless.
North Fleet (Pervo):
The attack vs the 1st planet (Esher) and 2nd planet (Nada) obliterated smoothly any Haven presence. At the 3rd planet (Slick) the Haven had built defenses which, after bombing with 10 b17-cherry bombers, left 110 thousand Havenites alive. But nearby reinforcements consisting of 25 additional bombers and 10 old jihad BBs were more than enough to take over and allowed North Fleet to move on to its 4th target Texas. In 2450 both planets were successfully conquered.
Heavy Duty Fleet (Huckleberry):
Starting one year behind schedule was made good by skipping the first target (Simple) and going directly for Atropos. Simple was just 23ly away from Huckleberry which had built a mass driver. Originally the mass driver was meant for defensive purpose only but 23ly is a distance even an IT can't withstand throwing around with mass packets. And thus Simple and Atropos were razed both in 2448, the first by mass package, the latter by bombs. In 2449 Erasmus fell prey to the Heavy Duty Fleet. In 2450 there was the first real battle when the Havenites gated in 5 jihad-BBs for defense. Since the Haven BBs weren't stacked , they were destroyed before doing serious damage. The jihad-BBs showed that the Haven had already elec 11 (super computers) but, whyever, the Haven didn't use any jammers in ships nor in stations nor did they think of or were able to produce an ultra-station on Chlorine... a fully outfitted ultra-station at Chlorine would had probably led to the battle won by the Havenites. Luckily Chlorine had a very low inronium concentration and probably not enough supplies to do so.
Mentioning ironium: Producing all those jugger-BBs usually leads very fast to a horrible ironium and germanium shortage. But on some of the conquered Haven planets we found so many minerals, that our supplies got rather higher than lower.
Other places of interest:
Good old Rapid attack fleet which had conquered the Jade HW Gornic had meanwhile sneaked straight south, hopping from one planet to the next, to attack Lukundoo (Jade planet in the SE). Lukundoo was a mighty prize for the Altruists: a big green 74% planet and in a superb situation to open another frontier against the Haven/Drakh in the far SW. Since the Rapid Attack Fleet had 200 thousand eager colonists with them, a gate was built within a year.In 2447 Envoys gave up.
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Year 2450
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) ——— Altruist/Norsemen border ——— Wormholes → attack route |
Year 2455
Heavily reinforced fleets with several side fleets bombing can be seen all along the Haven/Drakh border now. But Haven and Drakh seem to have given up. Their commanders haven't given their fleets orders since 2451 (Haven) and 2452 (Drakh).The last remains of the Envoys are gone.
The Jades' tri-planet-cluster and several others are gone, their northern planet is orbited by a fleet of the Lost but still the Jade Falcons... fight. Warmongers to the last minute.
The NAP between Norsemen and Lost/Altruists was canceled in 2453.
In 2451 the infight galaxy detected the very first Mystery Trader but nobody will have a chance to give away precious minerals in the thousands because in 2455 even the stubbornly and busily growing Norsemen accepted that whatever they will do, there is no more chance to stop the galaxy from becoming a Lost and Altruistic one.
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Year 2455
Altruists (IT, m2) Lost (HE, m5) Tomasoid (AR, m7) Norsemen (JOAT, m3) Envoys (IT, m4) Jade Falcons (WM, m8) Havenites (IT, m1) Drakh (CA, m6) ——— Altruist/Norsemen border ——— Wormholes g Altruists' gates fleet position of Altruist fleets |
Thanks to Andreas for hosting another great and fast paced game of Stars!