21-05-2001 18:34									#1
	Drago Sinio - cbn Spartan Challenge Series Inflate your Upload Space

This challenge arose out of a discussion in the general threads about the attributes of the Spartans. Drago asserted that the Spartans, played with a specific strategy, were unbalanced if not unstoppable given sufficient time to build up an industry to support their military. As a believer that the factions are relatively well balanced, I resisted this idea and raised the idea that Drago would test his theories against human opposition, me.

Drago has never played MP before and I am a relative newbie to MP (having not yet completed any games)so we do not purport to be the experts or the champions of the factions. This is a challenge between two regular players. My hope is that I can show that the other factions can acquit themselves well against the Spartans but hey, if I get rolled I will have learned something about the value of those Spartans.


I wish to thank Googlie for providing maps with fair start positions and for all the advice on start-up issues to be determined. There are 3 games, played on 3 different size maps as follows.

1. Standard- Hive (cbn) vs Spartans (Drago Sinio)
2. Large - Gaians (cbn) vs Spartans (Drago Sinio)
3. Huge - University (cbn) vs Spartans (Drago Sinio)

The game is regular Smac and all the other regular factions are present (although Googlie indicated the preferences are tweaked to make them a little smarter). This thread will serve as a turn tracking thread for all three games. Also Googlie has volunteered to look at the games at 20 year intervals and post non-sensitive data to give a sense of our progress. I will likely post "flavor" from time to time to try to make it more interesting (just in case anyone else reads these threads).

	21-05-2001 18:36									#2
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The first turns in the Hive and Gaian games have been sent to Drago. The initial turn of the University game started with Drago

	21-05-2001 20:17									#3
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Okay the Spartan Rovers are all fired up and rovin around looking for trouble.

Spartan turn in each of the three games sent to cbn. (if i did it correctly)
L 2102, S 2103, H 2102

	22-05-2001 09:46									#4
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The turn is passed

Hive (s) 2103
Gaians (L) 2102
Uni (H) 2102


Too early to tell anything much about the maps yet except none of my factions started in the jungle (darn fair maps LOL)-- I am looking forward to this and it is great to get 3 turns in a single email.

	22-05-2001 00:17									#5
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s 2104, L 2103, H 2103 back at you.

Yikes! I was already attacked by a worm! I hate Worms. My first kill! Go Spartans!

	22-05-2001 08:15									#6
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Sent back the 2105 turns, had a problem with the Gaian game.

	22-05-2001 17:00									#7
	Increase the size of your Attachments

Correct gaian 2105 sent to cbn.

	23-05-2001 05:11									#8
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Turn passed

Hive 2105
UNI 2104
Gaians 2104

	23-05-2001 06:04									#9
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2106 to cbn

	24-05-2001 02:50									#10
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Turn to Drago

	24-05-2001 03:29									#11
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

2107 to cbn.

	24-05-2001 08:06									#12
	Got spare money?

And all 3 turns right back atcha

	24-05-2001 10:08									#13
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

2108 turn sent

	28-05-2001 03:31									#14
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

2110 sent to cbn

	28-05-2001 08:07									#15
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2110 back to Drago


The planet appears to be hostile to all 3 of the anti-Spartan factions. Between them they share one landmark-- Unfortunately it is the Great Dunes LOL!

Thus far all nations are undertaking routine exploration of their lands and have little to report

	29-05-2001 21:51									#16
	2111 Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

2111 to cbn

	30-05-2001 03:31									#17
	Got spare money?

2111 to Drago

	30-05-2001 05:08									#18
	2112 Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

2112 to cbn

	30-05-2001 14:31									#19
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

And 2112 back to you

	31-05-2001 02:43									#20
	2113 Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

2113 turns sent on their merry way

	31-05-2001 07:06									#21
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

And back to you again

	31-05-2001 19:47									#22
	2114 Remove this text

to you

	01-06-2001 03:02									#23
	Got spare money?

and return-- 2114 to you

	02-06-2001 07:33									#24
	2115 to cbn Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

sent

	02-06-2001 18:02									#25
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2115 turns back to Drago plus a bit of color


Hive

Emporer cbn was relatively pleased with the situation of his fledgling explorers. he would soon be in a position to implement the police state governmental style and the colonies were flourishing. There was adequate arable land, rivers and towers with magical powers. Explorers were ranging as far as possible to discover other survivors since sensors indicated that someone was out there.


Gaians

Cbn shivered as he considered the lands on which they were attempting to make a home. To date, with the exception of a single river, all the explorers could find was desert, unrelenting and flat, and pink fungus which was almost inpenetrable. He resolved to not only protect this ecosystem but to enhance it.


University

provost cbn revelled in the geology reports as they reached him. There appeared to be ample farmland in all directions. The colonies remained in significant danger but starvation was no longer an issue. His people grumbled at the need for physical labours but the rotation system, which allowed people time to continue their studies, appeared to alleviate most of the discontent. the provost knew there could be hard times ahead and had focused research efforts in those areas he judged would be nmost beneficial.

	02-06-2001 18:30									#26
	2116 Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

to cbn

	02-06-2001 19:17									#27
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2116 back to Drago

	02-06-2001 20:15									#28
	2117 to cbn Increase the size of your Attachments

back to you

	02-06-2001 22:13									#29
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

and back to you-- thats 3 turns of a 3 game set by midafternoon-- pretty soon we should be in the fun stuff !!!

	03-06-2001 01:16									#30
	2118 Got spare money?

to cbn