Deregulation Space: Let's Play: Galactic Civilisations 2

[Narkis]

The Liandri Mining Corporation is in complete agreement with the above. The Swiss nation should prepare to aggressively deregulate the Drengin and their resources by researching and building better combat ships.

Now, LMC Immesque is too small and absent of bonuses to specialize. Let's just build two factories, a spaceport, a research center on the bonus tile and a market center and call it a day. All ships constructed there will belong to Liandri, of course, and we'll focus on upgrading our mining bases until we start getting some decent warships to fight the Drengin.


Farming past a certain point is a trap. It can take you over the population soft cap where the morale penalty for the extra population is not worth the extra tax revenue. It's been forever since I last played this game so I really can't for the life of me remember where that soft cap is.

20 billion people, iirc.

And Caewil, Thanqol is researching trade right now as you can see on the screenshots. And the Drengin will blow up our frieighters if we go to war, thus making them unprofitable.

[Murska]

The Drengin, as I've previously stated, are fully capable of annihilating our current ships, preventing further colonization and most importantly killing off every single starbase we have. They are a threat not because they have less population but because, if they declare war, they will have a lot more warships.

We're currently nowhere near to being able to build a technologically advanced fleet. And nowhere has it been said that we need a large one anyway. Maintenance costs are negligible. But as long as we have no fleet, we have no deterrant against invasion.

Comparing this situation to the position of Switzerland way back during the times of the HRE is ridiculous. Back then we could sign alliances, we had an army to defend ourselves if necessary and the political climate of Europe prevented a full-on annexation of our nation by any of the powerful nations around us. We were in a situation where we weren't under immediate threat of extinction, so we could focus on building up infrastructure and economy. Now? Who's going to care if we're invaded? Altarians? Ha.

As for your disingenuous assertations about the Silver Standard, first of all I don't even see what the proposal of "Avoid being annihilated by a hostile, militaristic species" has to do with "establish an oppressive dictatorship". And you seem to conveniently have forgotten how the Silver Standard also saved the nation and people of Switzerland from being regulated by our oppressors and hated enemies. As a note, it happened much more recently, as well.

And do you really intend to claim that not all the resources of the galaxy belong to Switzerland by right? :smallconfused:

[Caewil]

The Liandri Mining Corporation is in complete agreement with the above. The Swiss nation should prepare to aggressively deregulate the Drengin and their resources by researching and building better combat ships.

Now, LMC Immesque is too small and absent of bonuses to specialize. Let's just build two factories, a spaceport, a research center on the bonus tile and a market center and call it a day. All ships constructed there will belong to Liandri, of course, and we'll focus on upgrading our mining bases until we start getting some decent warships to fight the Drengin.



20 billion people, iirc.

And Caewil, Thanqol is researching trade right now as you can see on the screenshots. And the Drengin will blow up our frieighters if we go to war, thus making them unprofitable.
I'll modify the motion to establish trade then. I still think we should go for alliances first - then weapons right after. Getting the economic boost will let us put more money into research and construction after all. Plus, there's no reason why we can't do both. If we put our efforts into it, we can probably research/trade for all those technologies in the next turn.

It's no good saying build and research a fleet when our budgetary sliders are far from maximised. We'd be using a fraction of our potential productive capacity to build ships that, in the short run, would mostly be a drain on the economy.

Yes, the drengin will blow up our freighters if we go to war with them. So let's not. They have neither threatened us nor have they refused to trade with us. I see no reason to start an unprovoked and unprofitable war. (given that we can't invade their planets, there's no point)


The Drengin, as I've previously stated, are fully capable of annihilating our current ships, preventing further colonization and most importantly killing off every single starbase we have. They are a threat not because they have less population but because, if they declare war, they will have a lot more warships.

We're currently nowhere near to being able to build a technologically advanced fleet. And nowhere has it been said that we need a large one anyway. Maintenance costs are negligible. But as long as we have no fleet, we have no deterrant against invasion.

Comparing this situation to the position of Switzerland way back during the times of the HRE is ridiculous. Back then we could sign alliances, we had an army to defend ourselves if necessary and the political climate of Europe prevented a full-on annexation of our nation by any of the powerful nations around us. We were in a situation where we weren't under immediate threat of extinction, so we could focus on building up infrastructure and economy. Now? Who's going to care if we're invaded? Altarians? Ha.

As for your disingenuous assertations about the Silver Standard, first of all I don't even see what the proposal of "Avoid being annihilated by a hostile, militaristic species" has to do with "establish an oppressive dictatorship". And you seem to conveniently have forgotten how the Silver Standard also saved the nation and people of Switzerland from being regulated by our oppressors and hated enemies. As a note, it happened much more recently, as well.

And do you really intend to claim that not all the resources of the galaxy belong to Switzerland by right? :smallconfused:
A small defensive force should be fine then. But neither are we under immediate threat of extinction, so the hyperbole is unecessary. Also note that that technology will allow us to sign alliances. Which we should do as soon as possible.

Our operations in space are technically classified as a dictatorship currently, although on Earth is democratic.

[Murska]

((I'd like a screenshot of Rommel, too. Can't find one.

And, since Thanqol stated that our relations with the Drengin are deteriorating, I'm taking this to mean that they're liable to DOW us any moment now.))

There's another angle to consider. The alien species we're neighbours with value military technology far over other, more peaceful advances. Therefore, if we research military technologies, we can trade them for other technologies - we cannot do so the other way around.

Also, considering we cannot build ships before we have researched those military technologies, we would be using all of our production capacity in the meanwhile to improve our economy so we can allocate more production to the warships once we've got the designs finalized.

[Caewil]

Wait, we can't build any military ships at all? In that case I agree, we need that technology. But no more ships than is necessary to present a deterrent, since we can't launch an offensive anyway.

And yeah, the drengin's super ability is nasty early game. Free ships. *grumbles*

BTW, I'd like to know what choices we've been picking when faced with the ethical dilemma random events. If we've been going good, that may account for it.

EDIT: We should talk about popbooming too. It seems like a good idea. Save up funds for a few turns then cut taxes sharply to get 100% approval and double population growth..

[Grif]

((I'd like a screenshot of Rommel, too. Can't find one.

And, since Thanqol stated that our relations with the Drengin are deteriorating, I'm taking this to mean that they're liable to DOW us any moment now.))

There's another angle to consider. The alien species we're neighbours with value military technology far over other, more peaceful advances. Therefore, if we research military technologies, we can trade them for other technologies - we cannot do so the other way around.

Also, considering we cannot build ships before we have researched those military technologies, we would be using all of our production capacity in the meanwhile to improve our economy so we can allocate more production to the warships once we've got the designs finalized.

Actually we did research them. The Iconians gave em to us. :smalltongue:

[Murska]

((If I recall correctly, the weapons that we get from researching the very first military techs are utter, horrible trash. Take way more hull space than we have at this point and do nothing. Again, it's been ages since I played these games but I also seem to recall that the first beam weapon was rather quick to research and small enough to actually fit on our ships so that they could possibly do something. Plus, our enemies might start researching shields when they see those.))

[Grif]

It's small enough to fit one on a Small ship IIRC.

Also, we're supposed to make this game hard, so why popboom? :smallbiggrin::smalltongue:

[Caewil]

Well let's just build them then. We already have the tech it seems. :smallwink:

So the question is, will our first ship have missiles or beams? Small or medium hull. What engines. According to the math, the size/cost ratio is in favour of beams unless we get one level into Stinger missiles which doubles our damage.

[Narkis]

Yeah, don't popboom. It's gamey at best, and we're not supposed to be efficient about this.

The first tier weapons are indeed trash. You can only fit one of them at a small hull, and they only give +1 offense. We're better off hitting the Drengin with our bare fists if we're stuck with those.

[Caewil]

Well even if we're not popbooming, I'd still like a high growth rate. So if we could maintain at least a 76% approval rating, that would be nice. Also, do low taxes get us immigration?

[Grif]

Well even if we're not popbooming, I'd still like a high growth rate. So if we could maintain at least a 76% approval rating, that would be nice. Also, do low taxes get us immigration?

I never did understand the need for high growth rates. I'll say tax em hard till approval rate of 50% or thereabouts. They'll grow anyway. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

We need the money now to fund the inevitable war effort and research.

[Caewil]

I never did understand the need for high growth rates. I'll say tax em hard till approval rate of 50% or thereabouts. They'll grow anyway. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

We need the money now to fund the inevitable war effort and research.
Ah, but we're trying to make things difficult for Thangol. And the swiss strike me (in this timeline) as not being fond of high taxes.

[Narkis]

Let me illustrate with a real quick and most certainly inaccurate graph:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/Nikitis/chart_1.png

red line is the taxes you get by popbooming, blue is with normal growth rates. As you can see, while initially normal tax rates give you more income, by pop booming you get to max population and thus max income much faster, therefore increasing the total amount money you've made in the long run.

[Murska]

((Therefore, as our goal is to make this game difficult, we need to not game the mechanics and go with normal growth.))

[Mellhurst]

I'm in favor of making our lives difficult when we have a margin to lose.

And Thanqol, please ignore any former directions you may have read where I instructed my planet. Just let Aebi administer it till I know what to do, with the caveat I want to spam colony ships ASAP. (Oh and did you correct the screenshot of Munzinger after all? Because it matches the statistics in the planet data list.)

We've been going with evil goals. (I'd prefer the neutral ones myself. Honestly the good ones just seem 'stupid' to me and the neutral ones appear to be 'sensible' (I mean, you qualify as not good because you respect someone's privacy so much you won't disturb them for a few days?). The evil choices I've played in-game are mostly just 'mean' choices, few of them actually qualify as truly horrendous. I think one where the moral choice you made would affect the planet quality was such that the good choice was colonizing the poles, the neutral choice was sharing it with them or something and the evil choice was sending them to reservatories (or was it something awful like killing them off?))

Oh and for those counting what the different parties' supporters hold: Please consider me to be a DOFAD, not a New School partisan, I merely think they are good leaders for early colonization. My heart lies with DOFAD, the Tower of Gold and the Silver Standard (or the negativist party, which I might start).

Hmm. Two DOFAD planets, two New School planets, two Tower of Gold planets and one Silver Standard planet.

My suggestion is that we research whatever leads to planetary invasion as soon as possible. And, hopefully, there'll be weapons on that path. :smalltongue:
As such its Three DOFAD planets, two Tower of Gold planets and one New School and Silver Standard planet each.


The Neapolitan Cream Foundation (NCF) presents the following motions:

Proposal Cakes and Candles: Utilize our diplomatic advantage to the hilt, openminded negotiations have so far netted us ludicrously advantageous deals. Establish friendly relationships with the Drengin Empire and the Korhal Clan, thus delaying war and trading them for all they're worth for as little as possible. Repeat and rinse with all factions.

Proposal Historical Justice: Compensate the Lithuanians for infecting them with Communism then starving tens of millions of their population to death and taking their land west of Moscow by returning the ancestral Lithuanian lands to Moscow. Compensate DOFAD by returning India under its rule.

[Narkis]

((Therefore, as our goal is to make this game difficult, we need to not game the mechanics and go with normal growth.))

((Exactly))

And remember guys, this is a shorter than normal voting period. We only got two days before Thanqol posts the next update, so we'll have to end proposal submission tomorrow noon, and have voting last for 24 hours.

[Murska]

Motion: Basic Defensive Measures

Switzerland should research basic beam weapons and, as soon as feasible, upgraded engines. After we have the weapons, a small defensive deterrant fleet should be constructed to protect us against potential xeno threats.

[Grif]

Motion: Basic Defensive Measures

Switzerland should research basic beam weapons and, as soon as feasible, upgraded engines. After we have the weapons, a small defensive deterrant fleet should be constructed to protect us against potential xeno threats.

I would support this, with the caveat we focus on other weapons as soon as the basic defense fleet is built.

[Mellhurst]

We don't need no stinkin' fleet! Aebi can fight off the Drengin Empire barehanded in a mining vessel!
Treaties with everyone!
I mean holy Zarquon singing fish, you guys saw the diplomatic trade receipts!

Peace with everyone -> No wasteful early fleet, tons of tech and goodies (for only a little tech on our part), and it'll help the Divide and Conquer plan later on

[Murska]

((As far as I can remember, a big part of whether you're going to be attacked by the AI is your military power. So early fleet --> peace --> goodies. No fleet --> war --> annihilation.))

[Kurgan]

15/3/2228-22/3/2229:

A rather beautiful world was acquired by the expanding colonist vessels; small in size, but overflowing with natural resources.

http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/1264/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandm.jpg

Kurgan (Bern)


Alrighty, looking at my planet, and I'm just curious what each of the boosts means. Its been about 4/5 years since I've broken this game out, so my memory on these things are fading.

The leaves are farming, the crystals and manufacturing, the scroll/tablet is influence, and the triangle/pile of sand is research, correct? Also, how much of a boost for each one is that?

Thanqol, for ,y organization tag, you can just use GCIA.

For tech, the GCIA believes that more weaponry is better weaponry, and improved factories are the future.

[Grif]

Alrighty, looking at my planet, and I'm just curious what each of the boosts means. Its been about 4/5 years since I've broken this game out, so my memory on these things are fading.

The leaves are farming, the crystals and manufacturing, the scroll/tablet is influence, and the triangle/pile of sand is research, correct? Also, how much of a boost for each one is that?

Thanqol, for ,y organization tag, you can just use GCIA.

For tech, the GCIA believes that more weaponry is better weaponry, and improved factories are the future.

100% for each I believe. The 300% boosts are yellow in colour. 800% mineral boost are represented with a octagonal(?) crystal instead.

[Narkis]

That's right (http://galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Special_tile_resources)

[chiasaur11]

Ah, Mars.

God of War, closest neighbor, home of several... but it's for the best you only discovered a little of what it holds. For all of us.

XCOM owns that world now, of course. For the moment, a focus on the sciences seems well advised. The huddled masses can take care of themselves.

Universities, and a spaceport. And, if there are any artifact sites, obviously that would be the priority. A map of my new dominion would be beneficial.

F.I.

[Kurgan]

Hmmm...well, thanks for the info on the special tiles. Looks like I have the choice of being a random mix of things or mild specialization. Not the best of planets, but the GCIA will make due.

Thanqol: start building factories. I am the Grand Chancellor of Industrial affairs after all. Build me three factories, and then a farm on the +300% farming tile. An industrial world with a massive work force? I think I can live with that.

EDIT:
Er...forgot about needing a starport to build ships. 2 factories, a starport, and a farm for now. Save the farm for last.

[Mellhurst]

If we ally everyone will we automatically side with whoever it is who declares war? It might prevent war though. But hmmm I am pro-DOFAD, and if we need ships to stay out of war rather than just industrial power and allies then I am all for it.

Seriously though, we should not be researching in three directions, even two directions is enough for a feint.

[Thanqol]

I think we want trade and influence. It seems a very swiss way to operate. Have we used the get approval to 100% and popboom trick yet? We should do that as well, now that we actually have some planets to improve. More people = more customers.

I haven't done this because A) It's gamey and B) I've got no way to justify it narratively (The President of the DOFAD declares today... no-tax day. He was later lynched by the Tower of Gold). It's the sort of thing that you will need to motion to have happen.


edit: Thanqol, we got more than just morale? I'll have to make some more ads if that's the case.

We have a morale crystal and an influence crystal.


Farming past a certain point is a trap. It can take you over the population soft cap where the morale penalty for the extra population is not worth the extra tax revenue. It's been forever since I last played this game so I really can't for the life of me remember where that soft cap is.

About 20B. You can go higher if you're running a dedicated economic world with television networks from wall to wall.


The Drengin got that resource by sending a ship there faster - that's all. It's not inside our borders, so we can hardly claim it's ours because we saw it first.

That's been my casus belli for xenocide more times than I can remember, actually.


((I'd like a screenshot of Rommel, too. Can't find one.

And, since Thanqol stated that our relations with the Drengin are deteriorating, I'm taking this to mean that they're liable to DOW us any moment now.))

Our relations have slipped to 'cool', which means there's one or two stops more on the way to outright war. Their warmonger diplomatic penalty has kicked in, meaning that they do consider invading us an eventual priority.


BTW, I'd like to know what choices we've been picking when faced with the ethical dilemma random events. If we've been going good, that may account for it.

The playthrough has been remarkably disappointing about showcasing the cool random colonisation events. We've continuously got the agony research pods event which, first time it happened I thought "Eh, that's not particularly interesting from the Swiss' cultural perspective" and picked neutral. Same thing happened 3-4 other times.

(There is a potential that my schedule on Sunday will collapse and delay the update till Wednesday, I'll try to have a backup thing of some kind if possible.)

[Kurgan]

Alright everyone, the GCIA is putting forward a motion:

She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!

All the weapons technology in the world galaxy will not help us if we lack the industrial capacity to build ships and weapons platforms. Therefore, the Grand Chancellor of Industrial Affairs proposes that we focus most of our research into our factories.

Better Factories = More Production
More Production = More Ships to Throw at Johnny Alien
More Ships to Throw at Johnny Alien = More Planets (as Johnny Alien will be too dead to use them)

So a vote for factories is a vote for victory!

[Caewil]

You do realize we need to pay those factories to operate. Unlike most games, production isn't free. Also, your industrial world is going to be massively unhappy.

[Kurgan]

You do realize we need to pay those factories to operate. Unlike most games, production isn't free. Also, your industrial world is going to be massively unhappy.

What, make them happy? Those cretins live to serve us! Worst comes to worst, I'll call out the garrison.

((who said we had to go about this the sensible way? :smallbiggrin: Though I'll admit that I did forget about the upkeep costs.))

[Mellhurst]

It is tempting to build one of those so I can get to cranking out seedships, but first things first. Any idea what I should start with? My planet is Munzinger (which matches the statistics in the planet list, not sure if its the right one though as Thanqol said it was Oberholz which is a way better planet).

If I remember correctly isn't it quite standard to start out with a farm, and start to specialize the planet with the second to fourth building?

[Grif]

It is tempting to build one of those so I can get to cranking out seedships, but first things first. Any idea what I should start with? My planet is Munzinger (which matches the statistics in the planet list, not sure if its the right one though as Thanqol said it was Oberholz which is a way better planet).

If I remember correctly isn't it quite standard to start out with a farm, and start to specialize the planet with the second to fourth building?

That depends really. I tend to start a planet off with a factory or two and go from there. :smallwink: (You'll need the prod bonus, else it takes forever to build stuff.) Farms are quite optional in this game. Heck, half of my planets may not have farms, with only certain economic worlds having those.

[chiasaur11]

So, got any pictures of Mars?

Better able to plan if I know what I'm working with.

[Caewil]

You mostly put farms on low base quality worlds. And only after building everything else. There's no benefit to raising the population limit on an already overcrowded planet - it'll just piss everyone off from overpopulation.

I'd say start with building one factory and a market centre. You need the factory to build things and the market centre to fund the factory (otherwise we end up broke). Ideally, you have equal numbers of economic buildings to production.

I'd say start specializing from the 5th building onward. Two factories and two economic buildings provide a good base to further build whatever you want, from ships to research centers to whatever.

When you top that off with space stations with economic modules, it can get pretty good. The only problem being that space stations are vulnerable to attack without needing a planetary assault.

[chiasaur11]

You mostly put farms on low base quality worlds. And only after building everything else. There's no benefit to raising the population limit on an already overcrowded planet - it'll just piss everyone off from overpopulation.

I'd say start with building one factory and a market centre. You need the factory to build things and the market centre to fund the factory (otherwise we end up broke). Ideally, you have equal numbers of economic buildings to production.

I'd say start specializing from the 5th building onward. Two factories and two economic buildings provide a good base to further build whatever you want, from ships to research centers to whatever.

When you top that off with space stations with economic modules, it can get pretty good. The only problem being that space stations are vulnerable to attack without needing a planetary assault.

I meant to check for resources. Research artifacts and such.

[IncoherentEssay]

I meant to check for resources. Research artifacts and such.

Simple enough: none. Mars (and Mars-Equivalents for the other races) are always class 4 (and terraform up to 16) with no special tiles. I'm actually moderately surprised it got a colonization event, never had one happen on a Mars.Eq. myself.

Though with +51% ship quality (applies to base attack/defense i think) from the event, Mars would make a fine Forge World. Especially since it can borrow the asteroid mines when working on the bigger stuff.

[Murska]

I often buy the first factory and then construct a money-building. Then I figure out what to specialize in and go for that. The more specialization, the more effectiveness. However, obviously we are not going to do that here. :smalltongue:

[Grif]

Simple enough: none. Mars (and Mars-Equivalents for the other races) are always class 4 (and terraform up to 16) with no special tiles. I'm actually moderately surprised it got a colonization event, never had one happen on a Mars.Eq. myself.

Though with +51% ship quality (applies to base attack/defense i think) from the event, Mars would make a fine Forge World. Especially since it can borrow the asteroid mines when working on the bigger stuff.

I thought ship quailty only affects hit points? Eg. you get +51% more hp compared to standard ships.

[IncoherentEssay]

Pretty certain it works that way, i have a few otherwise identical ships with 2-3 point differences in attack & defence, some from a +46% planet and some from a +60% one (also has Orbital Command Center but that only buffs hp). No other explanation for it as far as i know.
Besides, if it were so, why would the Arcean Stellar Forge give +25% to both Ship Hp and Ship Quality?

Edit: the numbers (i was slightly mistaken, it doesn't affect defence):

baseAtt:4/2/0
baseDef:1/6/8

raceAtt:+90%
raceDef: +86%

T60%Att:10/5/0 (100+90+60 = 250%base)
T60%Def:1(1.86) /11(11.16)/14(14.88) (100+86 =186%base)

T46%Att: 9(9.44)/4(4.72)/0 (100+90+46 = 236%base)
T46%Def:1/11/14

Still, "Made on Mars" = 50% moar dakka :smallwink:.

[Narkis]

I think we should commence with the voting in order to be done by tomorrow. Unless I'm mistaken these are the motions:

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal
Unless otherwise specified by the owning corporation, we propose that a factory and a market centre be built on each colonial world to provice for their citizens basic needs.

*Factories allow us to build stuff, market centres boost the economy by 8% to pay for the factories. We should probably build more than that eventually.

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade
The DoFaD needs to guarantee our corporations access to growing alien markets. We propose sending freighters to trade with the Altarians as soon as possible.

3: Colonial Representation Bill
Are not the men and women who live in the colonies citizens of greater Switzerland, with the same rights and freedoms? Yet they have no voice in our government on earth and no say in our decision making process. We propose researching the technology for us to advance to an Interstellar Republic (http://galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Interstellar_Republic) to represent these disenfranchised masses.

4: Cakes and Candles
Utilize our diplomatic advantage to the hilt, openminded negotiations have so far netted us ludicrously advantageous deals. Establish friendly relationships with the Drengin Empire and the Korhal Clan, thus delaying war and trading them for all they're worth for as little as possible. Repeat and rinse with all factions.

5: Historical Justice
Compensate the Lithuanians for infecting them with Communism then starving tens of millions of their population to death and taking their land west of Moscow by returning the ancestral Lithuanian lands to Moscow. Compensate DOFAD by returning India under its rule.

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures
Switzerland should research basic beam weapons and, as soon as feasible, upgraded engines. After we have the weapons, a small defensive deterrant fleet should be constructed to protect us against potential xeno threats.

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!

All the weapons technology in the world galaxy will not help us if we lack the industrial capacity to build ships and weapons platforms. Therefore, the Grand Chancellor of Industrial Affairs proposes that we focus most of our research into our factories.

Better Factories = More Production
More Production = More Ships to Throw at Johnny Alien
More Ships to Throw at Johnny Alien = More Planets (as Johnny Alien will be too dead to use them)

So a vote for factories is a vote for victory!

[Mellhurst]

Thanks for the advice guys!

A factory for Munzinger it'll be then Thanqol! Or I guess just writing it here is difficult so I'll PM it to you. : )


NBC Votes

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal
Unless otherwise specified by the owning corporation, we propose that a factory and a market centre be built on each colonial world to provice for their citizens basic needs.

*Factories allow us to build stuff, market centres boost the economy by 8% to pay for the factories. We should probably build more than that eventually. Aye

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade
The DoFaD needs to guarantee our corporations access to growing alien markets. We propose sending freighters to trade with the Altarians as soon as possible. Aye

3: Colonial Representation Bill
Are not the men and women who live in the colonies citizens of greater Switzerland, with the same rights and freedoms? Yet they have no voice in our government on earth and no say in our decision making process. We propose researching the technology for us to advance to an Interstellar Republic (http://galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Interstellar_Republic) to represent these disenfranchised masses. Nay, for some inexplicable reason I feel like putting this off as long as possible.

4: Cakes and Candles
Utilize our diplomatic advantage to the hilt, openminded negotiations have so far netted us ludicrously advantageous deals. Establish friendly relationships with the Drengin Empire and the Korhal Clan, thus delaying war and trading them for all they're worth for as little as possible. Repeat and rinse with all factions. Tabled by NBC

5: Historical Justice
Compensate the Lithuanians for infecting them with Communism then starving tens of millions of their population to death and taking their land west of Moscow by returning the ancestral Lithuanian lands to Moscow. Compensate DOFAD by returning India under its rule. Tabled by NBC

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures
Switzerland should research basic beam weapons and, as soon as feasible, upgraded engines. After we have the weapons, a small defensive deterrant fleet should be constructed to protect us against potential xeno threats. Abstain, normally I'd be against this until we're actually planning to kill someone, but it appears we may need it to delay an unprofitable and dangerous war.

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!

All the weapons technology in the world galaxy will not help us if we lack the industrial capacity to build ships and weapons platforms. Therefore, the Grand Chancellor of Industrial Affairs proposes that we focus most of our research into our factories.

Better Factories = More Production
More Production = More Ships to Throw at Johnny Alien
More Ships to Throw at Johnny Alien = More Planets (as Johnny Alien will be too dead to use them)

So a vote for factories is a vote for victory! Abstain, not sure if this is the best option, but sounds solid.

8: Expanded Private Fleet Act
Aye


9: That's no moon. It's a mining station!
Aye
Yours sincerely,
Voiree Misallo

[Kurgan]

The GCIA votes as follows:


1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal: Aye, so long as we follow through with the "unless specified by the planet's owner" part.

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade: Nay, trade is good, but in order to build freighters, we need to research the technology for them. This tech could be used in other, more important areas at the moment.

3: Colonial Representation Bill: Nay, while technically citizens of Switzerland, the planetary owners are all the representation they need on Earth. The planets are owned by us, and we represent the planets and their interests back at home.


4: Cakes and Candles: Nay. ((completely metagame reasons: we don't want to make the game too easy by piling every single tech researched in the galaxy into our hands))

5: Historical Justice: Abstain, the GCIA has no strong feelings on the matter. Simply put, with the many planets we have now, what happens on a small portion of one of them, even Earth, does not matter all that much in the big picture. Aye, it has been brought to the GCIA's attention that giving a few million Lithuanians their homeland back is better than letting them go out and settle a planet themselves. Therefore, the GCIA believes that it is its best interests to give them their land back. They can have Moscow, and we can have the stars.


6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures: Aye, we need to defend out planets from attack. However, we should focus on building the infrastructure to produce ships before researching the ships. What is the point of a fancy weapon design if we have no means of creating it?

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!: Tabled by GCIA

[Narkis]

LMC Voting:

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal: Aye
2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade: Nay for now, we have more important issues to deal with.
3: Colonial Representation Bill: Nay for now, we have more important issues to deal with
4: Cakes and Candles: Yay. We can't be friends with everyone, but we can rob 'em blind before deregulating them.
5: Historical Justice: Aye
6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures: Aye
7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!: Nay at the moment. We should be focusing on weaponry until the Drengin have been deregulated.


Also:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/Nikitis/Liandri_Corp.png

2228: An introspective

The past year has been great for Liandri. The stunning success of the first two offerings in the Space Rocks from Outer Space!TM series, AesthesiumTM and PsychesiumTM increased our company's gross income compared to 2227 by 87%. Profits from our interstellar mining division now exceed those of all our planet-bound operations combined!

This massive influx of capital has allowed us to secure governmental rights to one of the new Swiss colonies, Immesque. One of the best planets in Swiss space, Immesque and the hardworking Liandri employees residing there will ensure that our company will remain at the forefront of Swiss enterprises.

As a result of these developments, both our stock price and the dividends offered have steadily increased over the past year, a trend that will not reverse anytime soon. Our shareholders are among the happiest men and women in Greater Switzerland, and that's not just because part of the dividends are in the form of AesthesiumTM redemption coupons!

So, what are you waiting for? Contact your stockbroker. Buy Liandri stock now. Invest in the future!

[Strategos]

Ouroborus Gentics Laboratories End of Year Message
It has been a good year for us hear at Ouroborus Genetics. Since our company's foundation we have constantly been pushing the bounds of genetic engineering and our recent developments show that we we truly are on the cutting edge. Among our more successful products this year is the completion of our Aqua Redigo line of vegetables, allowing for farming to take place in even the most arid of lands. Even as we speak we are currently analysing many specimens from our recently colonised worlds to see just what we can take from them to benefit humanity. With our recnet hostile takeover of Zero Cybernetics Inc. we are planning on taking our research into brave new directions that will make all of your lives easier.

May the next year be as good to you all as last year was to us.

Crystal Kristofferson, CEO.

************************

Ouroborus Gentics Laboratories Votes:

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal: Aye Each colony should have the basic infrastructure in place should they be required to gear up for war in the future.

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade: Nay Our only two trading partners at the moment are the Alien Communists and the Intergalactic Space Hussies, we should prepare for war with our other three neighbours first.

3: Colonial Representation Bill: Nay I see no need for this when they are clearly represented by those Corporations who own them.


4: Cakes and Candles: Nay Trading weaponry to those who wish to use it against us strikes me as a bad idea.

5: Historical Justice: Abstain This matter doesn't concern us so we don't feel the need to interfere with those it does.

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures: Aye With the Dregning Empire preparing itself for war it makes sense that we do the same.

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!: Nay truly industrial output is important to the defence of our worlds, but all the factories in the universe won't help us if we're conquered by Aliens, some defensive ships are needed to defend our worlds should come before we gear up for an agressive deregulation.

[Caewil]

Thangol is already researching the tech to send freighters. So we just have to build them actually.

[Mellhurst]

To CEO Crystal Kristoffersen of Ouroborus Gentics Laboratories: Will your organization change its mind if I amend my Cakes and Candles proposal to disclude weapons technology transfers to the Drengin and Korath? After our recent trades with the treehuggers and Ickypods we have numerous non-miltary technologies we can multiply by trading with our closest neighbors. This will not only stall the drop in relations, it will also strengthen our relative technological advantage against all and sundry (including the ones we trade technology with in any specific instance) thanks to our talents as master diplomats, the benefits and damage can be maximised and minimized respectively by quickly or even simultaneously trading the same technologies for goodies from everyone before they can trade with each other. We may even be able to aquire the foreign military technology of our future enemies. Barring technological transfers with our potential/future enemies will only keep it out of their hands for several weeks at best. It is highly likely they will trade it with each other, leaving us at square 1, but without their assets.
By barring military technology transferrals to potentially hostile polities we can achieve these ends and still delay their military capabilities as you desire.
~ Voiree Misallo, NBC

[chiasaur11]

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal: Supported, I suppose.

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade: Supported. Best to be essential. Trade is one of the classic methods.

3: Colonial Representation Bill: Opposed. The evidence that the local organics could satisfyingly govern themselves is... minimal. To say the least.

4: Cakes and Candles: Opposed. Trade with known slavers who have a history of consuming human flesh might not be ideal.

5: Historical Justice: Abstain. Your local politics fall under the heading of "X-Com-does-not-give-a-damn.

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures: Supported. Two hostile governments, and you are flaunting your brilliant diplomacy, read as stealing everything not bolted down. You will need the capacity to murder your enemies, sooner rather than later.

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!: Opposed. There is an old human phrase about birds and hands. It would be a good deal too complicated for the current government, so I will put it in simple terms.

Shoot alien now. Go boom. Shoot not now. No go boom.

Oh, and Mars is lovely. The face is just as useful as I remembered. It seems...

Ah, but I blather. None of this will concern you for some time, if ever. For now, simply give us the introductory packet you are considering legislating.

And more research assistants. The last batch...

Well, no point in giving the families more trouble. They are unavailable. Is that clear enough?

F.I.

[Kurgan]

Thangol is already researching the tech to send freighters. So we just have to build them actually.


Wait, we already have the necessary tech to build freighters? Or that is something being researched, but probably scrapped in favor of military tech based on our votes? That variance might just make me rethink my votes on that (or at least at a future date rethink them, since all votes are final I believe).

[Grif]

Wait, we already have the necessary tech to build freighters? Or that is something being researched, but probably scrapped in favor of military tech based on our votes? That variance might just make me rethink my votes on that (or at least at a future date rethink them, since all votes are final I believe).

Trade takes anything between 4-8 weeks to research. I don't think Thanqol will scrap it specifically because we voted to concentrate on military research. (My votes should be coming up soon.)

[Forum Explorer]

The Forward Exploration Fund would like to apply for govermental lotteryied planets!


Votes

1. Basic Colonial Infanstructure: Nay

2.Act to Establish Interstellar Trade: Yea

3. Colonial representation Bill: Support

4. Cakes and Candles: Nay

5. Basic Defensive Measures: Yay



Proposed motion

Expanded Private Fleet Act: If a planet is under the control of a swiss organization than that organization will take responsibility and control over the ships produced by said planet.

[Mellhurst]

FEF: I've collated your aye vote for '5. Basic Defensive Measures' as a vote for motion #6 of the same title. Please note if my assumption was incorrect.

[Grif]

The Colonial Affairs Division have decided on the following motions:

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal - Aye

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade - Aye

3: Colonial Representation Bill - Nay

4: Cakes and Candles - Aye

5: Historical Justice - Nay

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures - Aye

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output! - Nay

Planetary Governance
Herbelin shall remain a pure research planet, apart from the necessary infrastructure to facilitate building of research facilities and starport for arriving ships.

(In game terms: 1-2 Factories + Starport, the rest Research Centres.)


EDIT: Are you guys PM-ing planetary build orders to Thanqol himself? Or would you rather list them here? :smallwink:

[Kurgan]

EDIT: Are you guys PM-ing planetary build orders to Thanqol himself? Or would you rather list them here? :smallwink:

I'm not sure what Thanqol prefers, but I pmed my planetary orders when I thought: hey, it might be easier to get it like that than going through each individual post for three pages to see what we all want. Take from that what you want.

[Grif]

I'm not sure what Thanqol prefers, but I pmed my planetary orders when I thought: hey, it might be easier to get it like that than going through each individual post for three pages to see what we all want. Take from that what you want.

I was planning to collate the build orders as well since Mellhurst has been so kindly keeping tabs on the votes and motions (thanks to Narkis as well). I feel it'll be far more interesting if we knew what each corporation/organisation is planning for their planet.

[Kurgan]

I was planning to collate the build orders as well since Mellhurst has been so kindly keeping tabs on the votes and motions (thanks to Narkis as well). I feel it'll be far more interesting if we knew what each corporation/organisation is planning for their planet.

Fair enough, the build orders I had were:

-2 factories, one of which around that area rich in resources.
-1 starport, so that the GCIA may begin constructing ships do defend the planet.
-1 farm, in the region with ultra-fertile soil.

Bern is not that big a planet, so that is basically it until we get terraforming.

[Eldan]

The BBI votes:

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal Yea.

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade Yea.

3: Colonial Representation Bill Yea.

4: Cakes and Candles Nay.

5: Historical Justice Yea.

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures Yea.

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output! Nay.

[Thanqol]

The schedule collapse did occur, update delayed until Wednesday. I'll endeavour to get something nice up to tide everyone over until then :smallsmile:

[Grif]

The schedule collapse did occur, update delayed until Wednesday. I'll endeavour to get something nice up to tide everyone over until then :smallsmile:

Would be a good time to introduce the alien races actually, complete with fictional background history. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

[Thanqol]

Would be a good time to introduce the alien races actually, complete with fictional background history. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

That's way better than what I was going to do! I'll do that tomorrow!

[Narkis]

Alright, since we found ourselves with some extra time, I suggest we the motion proposal deadline is extended until Monday noon, followed by two days of voting as normal

I'll also be away for this week, and I don't know if there'll be internet there. If I don't post anything, my votes and build orders stand.

[Murska]

SSOC Votes:
1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal - Aye

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade - Nay

3: Colonial Representation Bill - Nay

4: Cakes and Candles - Nay

5: Historical Justice - Nay

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures - Aye

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output! - Nay

I can't really know what to build before I see my planet but... First, the Basic Colonial Infrastructure (factory first). Then, more factories and a starport. I want Rommel to be a military production planet.

[Grif]

Alright, since we found ourselves with some extra time, I suggest we the motion proposal deadline is extended until Monday noon, followed by two days of voting as normal

I'll also be away for this week, and I don't know if there'll be internet there. If I don't post anything, my votes and build orders stand.

I agree to this.

Also, collating the planetary build orders now.

EDIT: Should be updated. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11521165&postcount=239)

New vote:
8. Expanded Private Fleet Act - Nay

[Mellhurst]

Proposal: May we delay the deadline to Tuesday? (Thanqol? And if not Thanqol, do we have a speaker to decide this kind of thing?)

I have one or more political agreements that need a wee bit of time to register on the voting board.

PS. What's this expanded private fleet act about, please? I have changed my vote back on last page to include it, but I don't know what its about yet, and if I do I might support it. : )

[Narkis]

I'd be fine with that, though it makes it less likely that I'll vote. :smallsmile:

Also, this motion seems to have been lost and forgotten, so I'll retable it:

9. That's no moon. It's a mining station!
The first Terror Star constructed in Greater Switzerland shall be used to blow up planets of class 0, to create asteroid fields for mining.

Oh and and the new votes
8. Expanded Private Fleet Act - Nay
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! - Tabled by the LMC

edit: Mellhurst, check Grif's "Should be updated" link.

[Thanqol]

I'm fine with delaying the voting :smallsmile:

Xenocultural History: The Drengin and the Korath

Swiss culture has been shaped to a not-inconsiderable degree by the nature of the First Contact. The historic shouting match between Aebi and the Drengin was originally seen as a horrific blunder that was going to lead Switzerland to a xenocidal war against a technologically superior alien species, justifying every alien invasion movie and novel all at once. As humanity began to understand the Drengin better, they came to have more and more sympathy with Aebi's position. Because the only thing that had stopped the Drengin from declaring all-out war on the Swiss that very instant had been the fact that they had been intimidated by the sheer volume of the DOFAD President, and the fact that their technology wasn't actually all that superior to the Swiss'.

An eventual Swiss diplomatic delegation to the Drengin homeworld was horrified by what they saw. Not only was corruption endemic, violence casual, and slavery omnipresent, but there were truly brutal cultural traditions. The Swiss Ambassador was given a ceremonial Drengin knife and told to slaughter a slave to sanctify the Swiss-Drengin peace. The Ambassador thought about it, thought about what peace with a race so horrifying and barbaric would mean, decided that it wasn't in Switzerland's best interests and then stabbed the Drengin ambassador in the eye. A brief brawl broke out, culminating the Swiss coming out on top and fighting their way back to their shuttle with the freed slave in tow. A feature film is currently in production.

And again, humanity braced itself for open war, and again, it didn't come. The Drengin, on the contrary, felt they had found a kindred soul in humanity, unlike nations who sent them simpering, weak-willed bureaucrats instead of diplomats. There was talk in Drengin society about using the Influence Crystal they had secured to brainwash humanity and indoctrinate them as the Eighteenth Tribe of the Drengin (and then oppress and brutalise them). The Swiss Parliament found few things as distasteful as the prospect of becoming a Drengin client race.

Drengin defectors, however, were easy to find and the Swiss were able to discern the history of the Drengin from these. The Drengin had been in a state of civil war throughout their entire history. This had eventually expanded to a world war between around seventeen great tribes. The Drengin cheerfully used nuclear weapons during these wars, and had deployed over eighty on their own species during their race's history. When humanity had broadcast the schematics for the fusion reactor, the leader of the Egelix Tribe, Lord Korona, had ordered a great orbital cannon constructed which he used to establish dominance and unite the tribes roughly under his governance. The Drengin, as a nation, only hold together because of the promise of colonisation and conquest across the stars. All the tribes are constantly building private warships and, when the Khan issues his call, the tribes will assemble in a vast horde to sweep away all space.

If there was one admirable trait of the Drengin, though, it was that they were not the Korath. The Korath simply didn't believe other races were worthy of existence at all. Their bioweapons research was hideously advanced and, after their first failed pirate attack on the DOFAD, they returned to their labs with a sample of human blood and set to work constructing a gene plague that would be able to murder an entire planet in a heartbeat. While the Drengin had an almost admirable sense of independence and free market principles, the Korath lacked even that redeeming feature, and ran their nation like a military dictatorship. The Korath had no art, politics or culture to speak of. They had slaves, they had soldiers and they had scientists.

"Xenocide" is such a nasty word, but even the most dedicated tree huggers were having a hard time not applying it towards the Korath.

It was Swiss Policy to engineer a war between the Drengin and the Korath, under the idea that the two races should finish their civil war properly, but there was a deep, ominous sentiment below that. What if the Drengin won? What if they emerged from a war with a vast territory, greater and stronger than ever before?

And what if the Korath won?

[Mellhurst]

Vote Summary up to post #342.

Colonial Infrastructure (standard colonial construction procedure)
#1: 11/0/2

Freighter Trade (construct Trade ships)
#2: 8/1/5

Colonial Representation (research democratic Gov. Tech)
#3: 2/1/9

Cakes and Candles (Redline Diplomacy Advantage)
#4: 4/0/9

Historical Justice (Flavor/Special?)
#5: 4/5/3

Basic Defensive Measures (construct Warships)
#6: 13/1/0

Industrial Output (Factory construction)
#7: 1/1/9

Expanded Private Fleet Act (Planet owners control ship production)
#8: 2/0/4

That's no moon. It's a mining station! (Terror Star SoP)
#9: 2/0/3

[chiasaur11]

I'm fine with delaying the voting :smallsmile:

Xenocultural History: The Drengin and the Korath

Swiss culture has been shaped to a not-inconsiderable degree by the nature of the First Contact. The historic shouting match between Aebi and the Drengin was originally seen as a horrific blunder that was going to lead Switzerland to a xenocidal war against a technologically superior alien species, justifying every alien invasion movie and novel all at once. As humanity began to understand the Drengin better, they came to have more and more sympathy with Aebi's position. Because the only thing that had stopped the Drengin from declaring all-out war on the Swiss that very instant had been the fact that they had been intimidated by the sheer volume of the DOFAD President, and the fact that their technology wasn't actually all that superior to the Swiss'.

An eventual Swiss diplomatic delegation to the Drengin homeworld was horrified by what they saw. Not only was corruption endemic, violence casual, and slavery omnipresent, but there were truly brutal cultural traditions. The Swiss Ambassador was given a ceremonial Drengin knife and told to slaughter a slave to sanctify the Swiss-Drengin peace. The Ambassador thought about it, thought about what peace with a race so horrifying and barbaric would mean, decided that it wasn't in Switzerland's best interests and then stabbed the Drengin ambassador in the eye. A brief brawl broke out, culminating the Swiss coming out on top and fighting their way back to their shuttle with the freed slave in tow. A feature film is currently in production.

And again, humanity braced itself for open war, and again, it didn't come. The Drengin, on the contrary, felt they had found a kindred soul in humanity, unlike nations who sent them simpering, weak-willed bureaucrats instead of diplomats. There was talk in Drengin society about using the Influence Crystal they had secured to brainwash humanity and indoctrinate them as the Eighteenth Tribe of the Drengin (and then oppress and brutalise them). The Swiss Parliament found few things as distasteful as the prospect of becoming a Drengin client race.

Drengin defectors, however, were easy to find and the Swiss were able to discern the history of the Drengin from these. The Drengin had been in a state of civil war throughout their entire history. This had eventually expanded to a world war between around seventeen great tribes. The Drengin cheerfully used nuclear weapons during these wars, and had deployed over eighty on their own species during their race's history. When humanity had broadcast the schematics for the fusion reactor, the leader of the Egelix Tribe, Lord Korona, had ordered a great orbital cannon constructed which he used to establish dominance and unite the tribes roughly under his governance. The Drengin, as a nation, only hold together because of the promise of colonisation and conquest across the stars. All the tribes are constantly building private warships and, when the Khan issues his call, the tribes will assemble in a vast horde to sweep away all space.

If there was one admirable trait of the Drengin, though, it was that they were not the Korath. The Korath simply didn't believe other races were worthy of existence at all. Their bioweapons research was hideously advanced and, after their first failed pirate attack on the DOFAD, they returned to their labs with a sample of human blood and set to work constructing a gene plague that would be able to murder an entire planet in a heartbeat. While the Drengin had an almost admirable sense of independence and free market principles, the Korath lacked even that redeeming feature, and ran their nation like a military dictatorship. The Korath had no art, politics or culture to speak of. They had slaves, they had soldiers and they had scientists.

"Xenocide" is such a nasty word, but even the most dedicated tree huggers were having a hard time not applying it towards the Korath.

It was Swiss Policy to engineer a war between the Drengin and the Korath, under the idea that the two races should finish their civil war properly, but there was a deep, ominous sentiment below that. What if the Drengin won? What if they emerged from a war with a vast territory, greater and stronger than ever before?

And what if the Korath won?

I would object to certain portions, even with limited personal experience. (The species that would become the Drengin in my local timeline, as far as can be discerned, had the misfortune to be the target of a Ethereal terror strike. They became examples, terrifying bioweapon testing, and so on. Funny story, I would attempt to send pictures, but there seem to be obscenity rulings. A shame, everyone seems so happy.)

Xenocide is one of the most beautiful words in any language. It has a... finality about it which I find enthralling. My personal record has one or two counts, (Or more, if I am avoiding excessive humility. Whole solar systems perished. An entire alternate reality plunged into an unending hell of agony. You get the idea.)

There are sapient species capable of reasonable discourse. They can be given a fair chance, and if it comes to war, some of the lives lost may be unfortunate victims.

Ah, but Xenocide? When a species is so vile, bordering on the diabolical, that their complete extermination is not just a possibility, but a duty?

That is a joy. The murderous impulse given both target and moral justification, the most brutal portion of the soul turned loose.

Every moment when I can cross the threshold, when the...

I wax poetic too often, I fear. The essential idea is the Drengin can and should be conquered, and the Korath should be entirely exterminated as swiftly as possible.

As for current voting?

8. Expanded Private Fleet Act -Supported. A little healthy competition is a good thing.
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! - Opposed, for the reasons stated initially. Diplomatic and military mistake.

F.I.

[Caewil]

Minerva Corporation's Votes

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal Proposed by Minerva Corp

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade Proposed by Minerva Corp

3: Colonial Representation Bill Proposed by Minerva Corp

4: Cakes and Candles - Aye We need friendship in order to reduce regulation.

5: Historical Justice - Aye India's cowardice in the face of the Asian Monarchy would have sealed switzerland's fate if not for DoFaD

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures - Aye We can't look weak to potential predators

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output! - Nay

8. Expanded Private Fleet Act - Nay

9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! - Nay

[Kurgan]

In light of the parliamentary delay as well as the new motions being brought forth, the GCIA has decided to take another look at its stance:


1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal: Aye, so long as we follow through with the "unless specified by the planet's owner" part.

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade: Nay, trade is good, but in order to build freighters, we need to research the technology for them. This tech could be used in other, more important areas at the moment. Aye, it has come to my attention that we have the technology to build freighters already. In this light, it seems pretty harmless to build a handful and see what happens. ((yeah, didn't notice the whole thing of us already having the tech somehow))

3: Colonial Representation Bill: Nay, while technically citizens of Switzerland, the planetary owners are all the representation they need on Earth. The planets are owned by us, and we represent the planets and their interests back at home.


4: Cakes and Candles: Nay. ((completely metagame reasons: we don't want to make the game too easy by piling every single tech researched in the galaxy into our hands))

5: Historical Justice: Abstain, the GCIA has no strong feelings on the matter. Simply put, with the many planets we have now, what happens on a small portion of one of them, even Earth, does not matter all that much in the big picture. Aye, it has been brought to the GCIA's attention that giving a few million Lithuanians their homeland back is better than letting them go out and settle a planet themselves. Therefore, the GCIA believes that it is its best interests to give them their land back. They can have Moscow, and we can have the stars.

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures: Aye, we need to defend out planets from attack. However, we should focus on building the infrastructure to produce ships before researching the ships. What is the point of a fancy weapon design if we have no means of creating it?

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!: Tabled by GCIA

8. Expanded Private Fleet Act : unsure at the moment: aren't ships made on a planet already owned by the planetary owners?

9. That's no moon. It's a mining station!: Aye, but only with the guarantee that the owners of the planets around the rubble are given control of the resources (of course, after paying for the planetary removal and the fees involved in moving a giant starbase across the galaxy). Systems that have more than one planet claimed split the profits between them, unless the parties involved come to an agreement stating otherwise.

[IncoherentEssay]

*snip*
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station!
The first Terror Star constructed in Greater Switzerland shall be used to blow up planets of class 0, to create asteroid fields for mining.
*snip*

Whilst there is a ~25% chance i'm ruining someone's practical joke* by telling this, Terror Stars don't quite work like one could assume they do. You can't destroy individual planets, only stars (and everything in the system as collateral damage of course).
So it's only a net gain in mining resources if:
-all planets in system are uninhabitable
-there are more planets than existing asteroid fields (those get wiped when stars go boom)
-and no one else has anything in the system (owned planets, starbases, asteroid mines, anything that gets wrecked in the process causes a DoW.)

So yeah. If you absolutely must have an ambitious and inefficient superproject, build a stargate network instead.

*"Lets make a few more fields for Earth to use!" *literally-earth-shattering-kaboom* "...Oops? Does our insurance cover this? :smalleek:"

[Thanqol]

Whilst there is a ~25% chance i'm ruining someone's practical joke* by telling this, Terror Stars don't quite work like one could assume they do.

I hadn't thought of that but that would have been the best end to this LP ever.

Also, have some propaganda as additional recompense for the missed update.

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/7344/day72.jpg

Paid for by the DOFAD Marketing-Industrial Division.

[Kurgan]

I hadn't thought of that but that would have been the best end to this LP ever.

Also, have some propaganda as additional recompense for the missed update.

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/7344/day72.jpg

Paid for by the DOFAD Marketing-Industrial Division.

Oh god Aebi's monocle is chained to his mustache! That is either really creepy or extremely masculine.

[Narkis]

Man, his smile is great. This man loves his job, and it shows.:smallbiggrin:

[Grif]

I hadn't thought of that but that would have been the best end to this LP ever.

Also, have some propaganda as additional recompense for the missed update.

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/7344/day72.jpg

Paid for by the DOFAD Marketing-Industrial Division.

Have I mentioned how much I love your Aebi drawings? He's totally the Chuck Norris of this reality.

[Eldan]

Yea, but opposed to Chuck Norris, he's actually cool, because he's an unholy amalgamation of Teddy Roosevelt and an early 19th century British explorer.

In other news: I have a professor called Aebi. I'm now scared of him, despite is lack of facial hair.

[Hussam B.]

Votes:
NAME OF MOTION | VOTE
Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal | Oppose
Act to Establish Interstellar Trade | Support
Cakes and Candles | Oppose
Cakes and Candles | Oppose
Historical Justice | Abstain
Motion: Basic Defensive Measures | Support
She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output! | Oppose
Expanded Private Fleet Act | Oppose
That's no moon. It's a mining station! | Oppose


In addition, Quarob Energy Developments will sadly no longer be supporting the Modernizers, instead following an independent course in Swiss Politics favoring motions that the support the cause of research, science and technology, until such time that it an alteration of this policy is required.

[Mellhurst]

In the future I think we should set a deadline for motions so we can vote for all at one time. The alternatives we're mixing now are both unpalatable alone or mixed (the current multiple posts we're using) and editing a single voting post (that's what I'm doing, if anyone can't find my promised votes they're behind this page).
Lovely drawing and species backgrounds Thanqol!

(Movement over goal lines today has seen the two new votes sink a little below even and 'freighter trade' and 'historical justice' into the low positives.)

[Kurgan]

In the future I think we should set a deadline for motions so we can vote for all at one time. The alternatives we're mixing now are both unpalatable alone or mixed (the current multiple posts we're using) and editing a single voting post (that's what I'm doing, if anyone can't find my promised votes they're behind this page).
Lovely drawing and species backgrounds Thanqol!

(Movement over goal lines today has seen the two new votes sink a little below even and 'freighter trade' and 'historical justice' into the low positives.)

I'm pretty sure we already have a deadline, but that it was pushed back a few days due to delays. If I remember correctly, the normal setup is 48 hours to propose motions, 48 to vote, or when time between updates is shorter, 24 and 24.

[Gadora]

I hadn't thought of that but that would have been the best end to this LP ever.

Also, have some propaganda as additional recompense for the missed update.

http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/7344/day72.jpg

Paid for by the DOFAD Marketing-Industrial Division.

*de-lurks*
Considering what all happened in the last LP, how would that compare to the Maldive Restoration Movement to achieving the technological victory? It's the best way I can think of to explain what happened to the saves.
*re-lurks*

[Cogwheel]

In other news: I have a professor called Aebi. I'm now scared of him, despite is lack of facial hair.

Show this to him. Must be done.


Also, I'm going to back out of this whole voting business and just read updates. Bit too busy to participate, easily confused and not terribly creative in any case :smalltongue:

[chiasaur11]

Show this to him. Must be done.


Also, I'm going to back out of this whole voting business and just read updates. Bit too busy to participate, easily confused and not terribly creative in any case :smalltongue:

Aww.

I was hoping somebody would run Tessier Ashpool.

[Cogwheel]

Aww.

I was hoping somebody would run Tessier Ashpool.

...Run what now?

[Etcetera]

...Run what now?

This (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessier-Ashpool), apparently.

[Eldan]

This (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessier-Ashpool), apparently.

Ooh, fictional families... I could change my name to Sylveste. Or House of Suns.

[Grif]

Show this to him. Must be done.


Also, I'm going to back out of this whole voting business and just read updates. Bit too busy to participate, easily confused and not terribly creative in any case :smalltongue:

I was hoping the summary post we made would help you and others with similar problems in this regard to be honest.

[HerbieRAI]

Humans First

Humans First used the encounter with the Drengin to bring many new citizens into the organization. It wasn't a huge leap to pursuade them that the Drengin were the nices of xenos and the Korath were more of the norm for alien species. Dispite the new influx of members, they still did not gain a planet to control and develop into the perfect human utopia. This, combine with the large wave of pro xeno legislation made it appear as if the Humans First was losing the battle in government.


If you've already started the next update, please ignore my late votes.

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal: Agree, Denying a colony the ability to defend itself would be horrible when the xenos start their mass invasions

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade: Against, Trading with the corruption that is abundant in the rest of the galaxy could corrupt our own people

3: Colonial Representation Bill: Abstain, While we agree with the proposition, the comming xeno invasion is a more pressing issue.

4: Cakes and Candles: Against, give our enemies our weapons?

5: Historical Justice: Against, The Swiss have not made mistakes in our past, otherwise we would not have the power we have today. That is the principal of free market.

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures: Agree, we must prepare ourself for the xenos

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output!: Against, We must prepare for war with ships and defenses.

[Thanqol]

Approx 18 hours left for voting before I start the update :smallsmile:

In related, I've started planning potential successor presidents. It's some of the most fun I've had in character design for a long time.

[Demon 997]

1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal AYE

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade AYE
The DOFAD is always in favor of free trade.

3: Colonial Representation Bill NAY
For know, we have other things we should research first.

4: Cakes and Candles AYE
I agree that we shouldn't sell weapons to the Drogin or Korath, but selling them everything else for weapons techs? That's the power of a proper deregulated market.

5: Historical Justice ABSTAIN
OOC: I'm not sure what this would actually do in game terms, or is it just a fluff thing? IC: As our organization would be directly affected by this measure, we don't feel we can vote on it.

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures AYE
We can't have Johnny Alien regulating us can we?

7: She Dazzled Me...With Her Industrial Output! AYE
History has shown time and time again that industry wins wars.

DOFAD Accounting Fleet would like to put itself in the lottery for the next round of planets, we need to begin constructing our actual fleet.

[chiasaur11]

Ooh, fictional families... I could change my name to Sylveste. Or House of Suns.

Nothing like a psychotic, heavily manipulated family run megacorp.

Hmm.

How long is a turn in this game again (game time, not real time). Kind of curious if people should be passing over corporate control within the length of an average game.

[Thanqol]

Nothing like a psychotic, heavily manipulated family run megacorp.

Hmm.

How long is a turn in this game again (game time, not real time). Kind of curious if people should be passing over corporate control within the length of an average game.

One turn is one week. Both of the updates so far have been one year. Given the state of and advancement of medical technology, generations are not necessary :smallsmile:

[Mellhurst]

OK, I've just updated the vote summary. When exactly is the deadline (all right, I got it, it's in like 8 hours)? I'll send it in a PM to Thanqol once we cross it.

[Thanqol]

Voting closed! Thank you again to everyone who voted and assisted with voting, I can't emphasise enough how much this all helps me with this :smallsmile:

Final Tally and planetary instructions:


I'll use the tag CA for Colonial Affairs then.

Also, reserving this space for collecting motions. :smalltongue:

Also, I'll try to find a tech tree for you guys to see. It's much easier to make decisions if you actually know what you're researching for.

Motions, motions and more motions! (Thanks to Narkis for collecting this rounds motions.)
1: Basic Colonial Infrastructure Proposal
Unless otherwise specified by the owning corporation, we propose that a factory and a market centre be built on each colonial world to provice for their citizens basic needs.

*Factories allow us to build stuff, market centres boost the economy by 8% to pay for the factories. We should probably build more than that eventually.

2: Act to Establish Interstellar Trade
The DoFaD needs to guarantee our corporations access to growing alien markets. We propose sending freighters to trade with the Altarians as soon as possible.

5: Historical Justice
Compensate the Lithuanians for infecting them with Communism then starving tens of millions of their population to death and taking their land west of Moscow by returning the ancestral Lithuanian lands to Moscow. Compensate DOFAD by returning India under its rule.

6: Motion: Basic Defensive Measures
Switzerland should research basic beam weapons and, as soon as feasible, upgraded engines. After we have the weapons, a small defensive deterrant fleet should be constructed to protect us against potential xeno threats.

Planetary Build Orders
Herbelin - CA (Grif)
Herbelin shall remain a pure research planet, apart from the necessary infrastructure to facilitate building of research facilities and starport for arriving ships.

(In game terms: 1-2 Factories + Starport, the rest Research Centres.)

Rommel - SSOC (Murska)
First, the Basic Colonial Infrastructure (factory first). Then, more factories and a starport. I want Rommel to be a military production planet.

Immesque - LMC (Narkis)
Let's just build two factories, a spaceport, a research center on the bonus tile and a market center and call it a day. All ships constructed there will belong to Liandri, of course, and we'll focus on upgrading our mining bases until we start getting some decent warships to fight the Drengin.

Bern - GCIA (Kurgan)
-2 factories, one of which around that area rich in resources.
-1 starport, so that the GCIA may begin constructing ships do defend the planet.
-1 farm, in the region with ultra-fertile soil.

Bern is not that big a planet, so that is basically it until we get terraforming.

Mars - XCOM (chiasaur11)
Universities, and a spaceport. And, if there are any artifact sites, obviously that would be the priority. A map of my new dominion would be beneficial.

Munzinger - NCF (Mellhurst)
I'm building a factory and then a market first (on resources that match them if possible).

Oberholzer - (James the Dark)
No build specified. Will be administered by Earth unless directed otherwise.

Starting the update now!

[Mellhurst]

HAH! Suck on that Gandhi!

[Thanqol]

22/3/2229-15/3/2230: President Aebi

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

Historians, so used to the dry and cerebral pace of history - the march of armies, the clash of civilisations, the duel of cultures and the magnificent splendour of Economics - found themselves in a completely new and unexpected position when in the year of 2229. They had to somehow detail, explain, and note the cultural ramifications of a galaxy-wide interspecies love-in. Not only did fertility rates explode cosmos-wide, partly caused by a rise in general libido, but stranger long-term effects made their way into the genetic materials of every living being. Not only did previously incompatible species become capable of crossbreeding, but a genetic revolution kicked off amongst life galaxy wide.

Mutations increased massively - some beneficial, some degrading. Increasing numbers of people were born with, or developed, psionic powers or strange combinations of genetic effects and templates that may or may not breed true.

Different races reacted to this phenomenal change in different ways. The Korath, predictably, began culling members of it's society that developed inferior mutations and cultivated the beneficial ones. The Altarians worked on ways to master their shape and form that no one might be trapped in a body they did not want.

The Swiss, as pioneers of Deregulation, just figured that the market had developed some new segments. Companies emerged and adapted to cater to the variety of new needs amongst this new human generation. Research was done into controlling the effects as well as into catering for those already changed, as well as those who would like to change. The face of Swiss society undoubtedly changed - it's character didn't.

What all races looked into was who or what had triggered this strange event - and, just as importantly - why.

Game Concept: Mega Events
Every so often, the game will throw out a Mega Event to mess with the entire galaxy. They come in a lot of different shapes and flavours.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

Humanity was briefly threatened by a species of sentient squirrels. The DOFAD Explorators described them as too "Adorable" to punch, causing some consternation amidst the military and disciplinary reforms. The Mark 5 Psychoballistic Teddy Training Device is now a staple of all Swiss combat training centres in the hopes it'll train a young generation to be OK with punching squirrels.

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

Population continued to explode. Earth had reached an incredible size of sixteen billion human beings.

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

One of the side effects of the genetic revolution was the huge boom in the number of genetically enhanced animals, which school children took to capturing in special dimensional storage spheres and duelling for fame and profit. When animal rights activists petitioned the President to stop the practise, the President called them a bunch of "Primitive regulators" and "Communists" and set his Arcanine on them.

Game Concept: Silliness
This is why I can't do a super serious LP of this game.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/9568/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandg.jpg

In the midst of all this chaos, the Drengin made their move. They sent Director Aebi a transmission demanding the complete surrender of the planet Bern to Drengin control or else the Drengin would have to take it by force. The Director, as was his way with Drengin, started yelling, and the Drengin started yelling back. This shouting match went on for a few hours before Aebi finally stopped, grabbed one of his research staff, looked him in the face with wild, crazy eyes and said,

"Listen. I've had it up to here with these rat bastard Drengin. The only things stopping me from going across there and beating every one of their hideous race to death with my bare hands right now is, firstly, that there's billions of miles of void between us and, secondly, that they'd reproduce faster than I could kill them. You have a simple job, little man. Your job is to figure out how I, personally, can go about murdering all Drengin. I'm giving you two weeks, eighty billion credits, and keys to the Executive Bathroom. And I expect results."

The researcher was never seen again, and the keys to the Executive Bathroom remain lost to this day.

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

Contact was made with the Korx. And Switzerland was baffled.

This was an alien race that mirrored the Swiss in virtually every way. Complete deregulation. Complete free trade. Their nation existed as a collection of hyperefficient corporations that duelled constantly for increased market share. The only difference between them and the Swiss was that the Korx lacked a conscience. They simply had no empathy for anyone else at all, and would do whatever was cost effective without other concerns.

It was like looking into a dark mirror. A lot of Swiss felt extremely uneasy about the Korx's existence, but others considered that at least they were better than the communists that infested the rest of the galaxy.

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

After the United Planets vote, the Iconian Ambassador came to President Aebi and asked him in hurt tones why his people had sanctioned painful tariffs being placed upon his people.

Aebi looked around shiftily and then gave him the following speech.

"We don't favour taxing the Iconian Refuge. We don't favour taxing anyone! We favour a total free market galaxy, one market, one universe. And in order to bring about a free market in our time, some of us have to step up and pay the Reaper or else we'll get in a game of chess we can never win. What looks like a tax on your species today is actually a fiddle playing contest tomorrow, and even though the Reaper will go un-cheated, the hoary-chinned Communist Devil will have his robot hands removed! It's not a curse, it's a blessing! It's not a tax, it's a divine opportunity given to you by Smallet! It's a great step forwards for your people! Up and at them! Yours is the economy that shall pierce the heavens!"

The Iconian Ambassador later authorised a transfer of 500 billion credits to Greater Switzerland as a thank you gift.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

The great mutation vortex's effects on population growth began to subside, but it's longer term effects on the structures of organic life would be felt for centuries to come. Researchers continued to investigate the origin of this galaxy-wide effect...

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

... But the tables turned when vast swathes of the population gifted with negative mutations began to fall sick and die, burdened by evolution's too-great toll on their wretched bodies. And worse, the Korx had discovered that alien races - particularly the Drengin - had a taste for liquified human.

Aebi's response was to the effect of, "If Johnny Alien wants to drink human blood, Switzerland will uppercut Johnny Alien with fists of garlic!"

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4545/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandv.jpg

The Arcean Empire was discovered. They reminded the Swiss nostalgically of the Lithuanians; warrior-crusaders to a man. Their empire was tiny, bankrupt and backwards, and the Swiss didn't think of them much further.

Game Concept: The Arceans

Ah, the Arceans. Such a missed opportunity. Maybe they're better on smaller maps, but on the Immense maps I play on they just don't have the same colonisation drive as other races and tend to get absolutely left behind every time. It's a pity, because playing as them is a unique challenge.

Finally, the DOFAD released it's full Strategic Charts and Graphs compilation. These clearly showed the Iconians in a terrifying size and economic lead. Fortunately, Swiss weapons technology was coming along at an excellent rate, and soon Switzerland would be ready to initiate a full expansion of the fleet to meet the Drengin menace.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/3867/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandc.jpg
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg


And a complete overview of all Swiss worlds at this point. Sadly, no more have been found to colonise (that do not involve advanced knowledge of how to survive radioactive environments, at least)

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/169/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandr.jpg
http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/4563/gc2tagreaterswitzerlands.jpg
http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/4563/gc2tagreaterswitzerlands.jpg

Over the course of President Aebi's reign, humanity's population had grown from eight billion to fifty three billion, spread across eight entire planets. He had established diplomatic relations with the major alien races and had secured Switzerland's place in the galaxy forever. A great and terrible war loomed on the horizon but just now, Switzerland's prospects were hopeful. She was nearly ready to fight this war and, if fight she must, she was nearly ready to win it.

President Aebi gave his usual style of parting speeches.

"What makes a man turn Neutral? Love of money? Gold? Or was he just born with a heart full of Neutrality?

"Listen up, Switzerland. If there's one thing we're not it's Neutral. This galaxy is out to get us, and the only way to get un-got is to get it with our teeth. We've got Drengin to the right of us, Korath to the North, Yor to the south and Iconians all about. Space is getting mercantilistic. There's regulation coming down harder than Karl Marx falling down some stairs. Someday, there's going to be a deregulation, bigger and bloodier than any that's ever come before. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday diplomatic incidents and incoherent shouting aren't going to be enough. And on that day, when Johnny Alien comes knocking for a cup of sugar, you'd better hope he'll believe you when you tell him these are not the droids you are looking for or else you'll have to uppercut him in the FACE! Remember that, Switzerland. Keep your droids strong and your punching arm limber."

It was an incomprehensible mess of a speech, but for whatever his faults, President Snarlgras Aebi was a man who *understood* Space and it's dangers, and Switzerland as a whole was sad to see him step down.

THE ELECTION:

Due to the DOFAD's sudden, unasked for administrative control of Earth's India, the DOFAD is not going to contest the next election. President Aebi will step down and serve as foreign relations expert to whichever government comes into power. The rest of the parties are rallying behind their own presidential candidates.

You can still issue Motions, as usual, but a new party is coming into government this election. Cast your votes!

THE PARTIES:

The Tower Of Gold:
Candidate: Raphael Junecutter
Description: Mad Economist Supervillain

The Awakened:
Candidate: Max Rainwebber
Description: Interstellar Detective

The New School
Candidate: Judge Harnisso White
Description: Self-Styled High Judge of the Universe

The New Delhi Resistance
Candidate: Saikon Harigatsu
Description: Telepathic Samurai

The Silver Standard
Candidate: Jayden Mavel
Description: Rock Star Pyromaniac

The Modernisers
Candidate: Market Forces
Description: Supercomputer

Reformed Council
Candidate: Hugh Mann
Description: Extremely obvious Drengin Spy

[Murska]

Well, frankly, the Silver Standard is the only reasonable choice at this point.

I mean. We're about to fight a war. Our fleet is almost ready for it. Let's get the soldiers in power, kick Drengin ass and then we can switch to focusing on our economy once we aren't in danger of being killed.

[IncoherentEssay]

Canditate Mann has my vote, such a paragon of Swiss sensibilities. Truly a model citizen :smallbiggrin:.

(Arceans are kinda crippled by the whole racial speed penalty. When everyone else gets 150%-200% faster colony ships, it's kinda over before it even starts. My personal pet fix for it is filing off the serial number of the Arcean tech-tree and introducing the galaxy to the glory of the Imperium of Man. Seriously: Navigators guilds? Cathedrals of Valor? Space Cannons? It has IoM written all over it. Add Super Annihilator for Exterminatus.)

[Grif]

What's this? You guys don't trust an AI to run our great empire? The Market Forces intrigues me, and have my votes for now.

@above
See now, this is why I design a custom colony ship right off the bat and strap 3 engines to it. :smallbiggrin:

Again, reserving this space.

========================================

Current motions up for votes:
1. No Enemy Left Behind

In a true free market, the weak are completely destroyed when the strong take over. For this reason when invading a planet, we must kill every last resident, so we can rebuild in a true free market fashion.


2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act
Efforts shall be made to preserve as much of the population as possible i when a world is taken from our detestable alien foes, so they can begin working in our factories and corporations and buying our products, as true Swiss. After all isn't part of what Switzerland stands for the integration of our foes once we've deregulated them? By the Hand, we even integrated the Papists! Surely we can do the same with Johnny Alien.

3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin
These despicable demons that dared demand to divvy our dominion and distribute the division without due damages defrayed. Their domain is doomed to be Deregulated, their demesne delivered to the DSPS until their depraved people stop being devotees of debauchery, and discern the distinction of a Deregulated and definitely Free market.

And after the Drengin develop into decent, market-deferring denizens of the diffuse Swiss dominion, their districts should be distributed among the devoted, disciples of Switzerland, those who have dignified and distinguished themselves by dispensing dabs of discernment in this distinctive directorate diet.

4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act
Neither the Government of Greater Switzerland or any private corporation shall damage or destroy the infrastructure of any alien planet during deregulation more than is necessary for said deregulation, to preserve market efficiency unless one of two conditions are met: It is not believed that the world can be held, so infrastructure is destroyed to deny it to the enemy, or the race being deregulated was really really annoying.

5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness
Once we have troop modules, a design for a bare essentials (troop mod+support) invasion shuttle is made so that swiss colonies can divert unoccupied industrial capacity into preparing for the great deregulations of the future. We already stuff small woodland animals into airtight containers without them being any worse for wear, so might as well go for the obvious military application: keep a few billion DOFAD elite in stasis in a glorified tin can in orbit, ready to be thawed out when Johnny Alien comes knocking or the swiss need a super-soldier role model some ~60 years in the future :smalltongue:.

6. Dual Presidency Act

Should the vote for new president end in a tie, both individuals will take the office and share its powers.


7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates
Any future Swiss presidential candidate must undergo rigorous background screening process that are monitored by a neutral party appointed by the current President personally. This is to prevent any lingering doubts on the Swiss-ness of our leaders, as had happened with both Mr. Hugh Mann, the Dregnin spy and Jayden Mavel.

Proposed questions include:
What do believe to be the most Swiss things to do in regards to alien race?
What are your opinions towards taxes?
Are giant space robots the way to go for deregulation of the galaxy?

8. Natural Selection of Presidents
In case of a tie between candidates they shall fight to the death. The winner is the new president

[Thanqol]

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3203/day74.jpg

Paid for by the Reformed Council Ineffective Land Partitioning Fund.

EDIT: Art upgrade.

[Mellhurst]

Lovely update!

Is Munzinger getting a shipyard (starport?)? I don't see one I think, but I'm not sure. Well, I won't protest if I'm right as the only queued structure that hasn't been finished is a valuable farm, but please note (if I'm correct) that the last tile must be reserved for a shipyard. Otherwise I will have to try to get legislation passed to compensate some of my planet's production so I can buy ships from other planets. ;)


I'm going to have to go completely out of character and vote for the Modernizers, just because a little birdy told me something interesting. Run your programs computer, and see what happens! changed my mind : )

[Strategos]

Transcript of Ouroborus Gentics CEO Crystal Kristofferson's monthly address to the West African Laboratories

Hello, I'm Ethan Goldstein, Vice President of Ouroborus Genetics Laboratories. Our President, Ms. Kristofferson would normally be adressing you right now, but she's busy assisting our field research by catching as many of the new creatures as possible and sending them to Professer Triese in our brand new facility in Japan for research. Using Ouroborus brand equipment exclusively of course.

This past year has been incredibly kind to us, our fortuitous acquisition of Zero Cybernetics has allowed us to get in at the ground floor of this new creature battling sport, and with the unexplained mutation waves have increased interest in our products be roughly 68.7% Of course, now more than ever you must be ever vigilant for safety, and report any hazardous mutations of either our specimens or any other employees lest disaster strike.

War with the Drengin seems more likely than ever now, and without President Aebi to lead us things seem a little bleak. But Switzerland has prevaled from bleaker looking wars than this, and your research may provide the edge we need to win. Thank you all for listening and remember, today is always a good day for science!

**********************

With the absence of our CEO I, as Vice President, am authorised to discuss Ouroborus Gentics Laboratories' position for the election. Any student of history will tell you that the DoFAD won us our first deregulation after the establisment of the republic. I was under orders to vote for them, but that is impossible.

I asked the Board of Directors for their input but they were equally torn between the, obviously trustworthy, Hugh Mann and Max Rainwebber who, according to OGL's Head of Marketing Sylvio d'Argent, is "The only candidate with a clue." So with the votes deadlocked, they were of no help to me. Thus, acting of my own initiative I vote for the Silver Standard.

Any rumours that it is only because I am a massive fan and have all of Jayden's albums signed, is pure speculation that should not be given any serious thought.

[Mellhurst]

Has... has Mann been eating too much Broccoli lately? He, doesn't seem well today.
I am tempted to vote for a man of such healthy eating habits.

[Eldan]

Buehler Banking Institute

Eldan Buehler, young director of BBI steps in front of the camera. Somehow, enormous bags of Drengin currency (in cash, even!) are stacked around his office, even used as chairs by his two new, very attractive secretaries.

"Hi folks! It's BBI, with a short message! Hugh Mann is the candidate we trust, so you should trust him too!"

[James the Dark]

If it's war on the horizon, then it must be the Silver Standard.

And, since I had no idea I'd been granted Oberholzer, I request a change in its build. Class 13+ worlds are great for money. I propose you remove every non-boosted tile, and replace them with the following: Enough entertainment to keep the happiness somewhere between Disgruntled and Rebellious, two factories for easy building and upgrading, and the rest of the world dedicated to that most Swiss of human practices, making money.

Let it be that if you stick a spade into Oberholzer, it will ooze up gold and currency.

[Mellhurst]

Well, that's it. I'm convinced.

Hugh Mann all the way, he is the only man who can lead us forward!

I'm going to have to propose the motion though, Constitutional Adherance, that if the Reformist candidate is victorious the Reformist govt. not be allowed to pass every motion which is proposed, as it must indeed be bound by the New Interstellar Constitution as DOFAD before it and all those after it. Otherwise the next government would certainly be left with an untenable tangle of contrasting legislation.

The Modernizers/Supercomputer: 1
Silver Standard/Jayden Marvel: 3
Reformed Council/Hugh Mann: 3

[ObadiahtheSlim]

The CSI supports The Department of Finance and Deregulation and will do everything* to put it into power.. Johnny Alien is looming ahead and we need their strong leadership to take the fight to the Xenos. They've already demanded our citizenry and we will not allow this continued aggression. Deregulate Johnny Alien!

* The Canavan Space Industries does not condone a military coup. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostDefinitelyNotAVillain)

[Caewil]

My vote goes to the silver standard. Since the Drengin have threatened us, they are now to be considered enemies.

[HerbieRAI]

* The Canavan Space Industries does not condone a military coup. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostDefinitelyNotAVillain)

Curse you for Tropeing me.

Humans First
We support the SS to lead us against the Xenos. We also propose a motion

No Enemy Left Behind

In a true free market, the weak are completely destroyed when the strong take over. For this reason when invading a planet, we must kill every last resident, so we can rebuild in a true free market fashion.

[Narkis]

In any other occasion, the Liandri Mining Corporation would have voted for Raphael Junecutter without a second thought. But we need to be proactive now that the Drengin are already at our doorstep, threatening our worlds. So we will support the Silver Standard candidate. May he serve Switzerland well in the coming years.

[ShellBullet]

As awesome as Delhis telepathic samurai sounds, I have to go for Silver Standard.

[Eldan]

So, how long until we can elect Zaphod Beeblebrox?

[Grif]

So, how long until we can elect Zaphod Beeblebrox?

Judging by the way silliness seems to be spiralling here, in about 2 or 3 updates or so.

[Narkis]

As long as we can have an old guy on a deserted planet secretly ruling Switzerland without his knowledge. :smallbiggrin:

[Demon 997]

May the invisible hand smack you all! Do you know the state of India's accounts? Some of them are a still with paper! I swear to the free market, once where done digitizing all the records I'm going to burn them from orbit myself!

Since DOFAD is to busy dealing with this mess to run a candidate ourselves, and with Johnny Alien right on the doorstep and looking angry, I suppose I have to back the Silver Standard much as it pains me to do so.


No Enemy Left Behind
I oppose this motion. Its simply inefficiency. Killing all aliens deprives us of both a potential market and workforce, and would likely damage the planets infrastructure. I present a counter motion,

The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act
Efforts shall be made to preserve as much of the population as possible i when a world is taken from our detestable alien foes, so they can begin working in our factories and corporations and buying our products, as true Swiss. After all isn't part of what Switzerland stands for the integration of our foes once we've deregulated them? By the Hand, we even integrated the Papists! Surely we can do the same with Johnny Alien.

[Narkis]

Easy there fella. We'll get to voting against the No alien left behind act soon enough. Next update on Sunday right? So we still got until Friday noon to propose motions, and two more days to vote on them.

And another proposal for your perusal:

Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin
These despicable demons that dared demand to divvy our dominion and distribute the division without due damages defrayed. Their domain is doomed to be Deregulated, their demesne delivered to the DSPS until their depraved people stop being devotees of debauchery, and discern the distinction of a Deregulated and definitely Free market.

And after the Drengin develop into decent, market-deferring denizens of the diffuse Swiss dominion, their districts should be distributed among the devoted, disciples of Switzerland, those who have dignified and distinguished themselves by dispensing dabs of discernment in this distinctive directorate diet.

[chiasaur11]

Ah, support for obvious spies. Humans never cease to amaze me in all the worst ways.

No wonder Mars is still the bringer of War. When terraforming allows us additional breathing room, several dedicate military production facilities should be brought online. In fact, civilian contracting is overrated. A military focus for the planet as a whole would be... beneficial at this juncture. We could use a fleet.

X-Com's vote at this juncture is for Market Forces. AIs have a history with your country that may be amoral, but they can manage some small level of competence.

As for the current motions:

No enemy left behind: Oppose. Genocide is so much more meaningful on a case by case basis.

More importantly, that limits test subjects for any biowarfare testing. Shameful and wasteful.


The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act: Oppose. No point in walking on eggshells.

[IncoherentEssay]

No Enemy Left Behind

The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act

A funny thing about these motions: GalCiv doesn't comprehend this 'civilian population' thingy assumed for these motions :smallwink:. If a planet is invaded, the entire population fights to the last to defend it. So NELB is actually the galactic standard for this sort of thing.
Whilst it is possible to win over part of the population with 600 bc worth of marketing, bribes & free frisbies (aka Information Warfare), that will net you at most ~30-40% of the planetary population even under ideal conditions. These tend to get promptly butchered in the civil war that results, especially since humans are on the bottom rungs of the ground combat hierarchy (the only ones we've met that don't outfight us would be Altarians) and any converts use our soldiering instead of their original one.

If we want to acquire planets with the population intact, we need culture star bases, the better to brainwash foreign citizens with swiss soap operas :smalltongue:.

And one final note: population does nothing for industrial production or research, it only affects tax income. Chalk it up to almost total automation/a handful of brilliant scientists doing the heavy lifting.

[Thanqol]

Easy there fella. We'll get to voting against the No alien left behind act soon enough. Next update on Sunday right? So we still got until Friday noon to propose motions, and two more days to vote on them.

And another proposal for your perusal:

Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin
These despicable demons that dared demand to divvy our dominion and distribute the division without due damages defrayed. Their domain is doomed to be Deregulated, their demesne delivered to the DSPS until their depraved people stop being devotees of debauchery, and discern the distinction of a Deregulated and definitely Free market.

And after the Drengin develop into decent, market-deferring denizens of the diffuse Swiss dominion, their districts should be distributed among the devoted, disciples of Switzerland, those who have dignified and distinguished themselves by dispensing dabs of discernment in this distinctive directorate diet.

http://www.zgeek.com/forum/gallery/files/3/4/9/6/kane_clap.gif


A funny thing about these motions: GalCiv doesn't comprehend this 'civilian population' thingy assumed for these motions :smallwink:. If a planet is invaded, the entire population fights to the last to defend it. So NELB is actually the galactic standard for this sort of thing.
Whilst it is possible to win over part of the population with 600 bc worth of marketing, bribes & free frisbies (aka Information Warfare), that will net you at most ~30-40% of the planetary population even under ideal conditions. These tend to get promptly butchered in the civil war that results, especially since humans are on the bottom rungs of the ground combat hierarchy (the only ones we've met that don't outfight us would be Altarians) and any converts use our soldiering instead of their original one.

If we want to acquire planets with the population intact, we need culture star bases, the better to brainwash foreign citizens with swiss soap operas :smalltongue:.

And one final note: population does nothing for industrial production or research, it only affects tax income. Chalk it up to almost total automation/a handful of brilliant scientists doing the heavy lifting.

This can actually be read differently. Only 1/10th of a planet's population actually joins a defence against a planetary invasion. While it's possible to assume 9 civilian casualties to every military casualty, you can also assume that the post-invasion population of a planet only looks at the post-invasion registered taxpayers. As the bureaucracy asserts itself and Johnny Alien starts coming out of the woodwork and being processed, integrated and deregulated the planet's population starts to rise again. That's the approach I take with non-evil races, certainly.

Also, we've got a goddamn +50% soldiering bonus, man, what's this 'bottom rung of the combat heirachy' nonsense. One brave Swiss gentleman can engage a Yor Ultrabladed Slaughterbot in fisticuffs and come out on top.

[Kurgan]

The GCIA will back Raphael Junecutter of the Tower of Gold for presidency. We believe that only the strong should survive, and the "mad economist" will ensure that any weak sectors of our economy will crumble, leaving behind only the solid core.

We would also like to put forward the following motion:

Open Diplomatic Relations with the Korx

In many ways, the Korx are just like us, just less moral and more disgusting looking. Therefore the GCIA believes they will make the perfect business partners. We need some "friends" in the galaxy, so why not make "friends" with those who have a similar worldview?

[HerbieRAI]

I figured I'd give a reason for the mass death that happens in a planetary invasion. We can also look at the motion to give India back to the DSPS, does that actually mean anything in game? I figure it was just to build character and maybe push some other events later in the game.

Edit: also, every 1,000 is actually 1 billion people. Look at a planet's population when you fly a troop ship out.

[Thanqol]

And now, for an election debate between the two leading candidates: Jayden Mavel and Hugh Man!

Brought to you by Xof News.

Announcer: "Thank you both for coming. I think you can both agree that this is a historic date for Switzerland, and times of momentous change. Do you have any opening remarks?"

Jayden: "I want to give a big shout out to all my fans, and all my voters! It's time to unleash the pure power of Switzerland upon the Galaxy. We did the Holy Roman Empire, we did Napoleon, we did the entire Planet Earth and now it's time for the Silver Standard to take us the stars!"

Hugh: "I, too, would like to inform the weak, fragile, human race that great and terrible wars are upon the horizon. May blood rain from the sky! May we consume the flesh of our enemies from thrones of skulls! May the smoke from the funeral pyres blot out the stars themselves!"

Announcer: "Ha ha ha, that's very inspiring. So, our first question: Neither of you have much political experience. Would you care to explain why you deserve the presidency?"

Jayden: "I am actually the author of 'The One You Least Suspect', which is regarded as the definitive text on Swiss history. I understand Switzerland's past and Switzerland's future. And behind me I have the entire Silver Standard, and some of the most brilliant minds in space."

Hugh: "One does not need political experience. One only needs to know the sweet taste of the blood of your enemies and the scent of their fear. And, if my inferior human minions prove incapable of enacting my will on a galactic scale, I shall rend their spines from their screaming bodies and forge them into whips which I shall use to inspire the remainder."

Announcer: "Ha ha ha, you should write a book on office morale, Hugh!"

Hugh: "Writing is a weak and primitive habit for a weak and primitive species."

Announcer: "No one can say that Mr. Man is a technophobe!"

Hugh: "Your puny metal boxes and flashing lights will not save your wretched species."

Announcer: "Well, next question - miss Mavel, how do you respond to allegations that you are, in fact, a Drengin spy?"

Jayden: "I... what?"

Hugh: "Do not deny it! It was a trivial matter to discover the fact that your father is an unknown entity!"

Jayden: "What does my father have to do with anything?"

Hugh: "Since we do not know who he is, and since we know racial interbreeding is possible due to the puny wormhole, it is possible your father is a Drengin!"

Jayden: "... No, no it's not."

Hugh: "And according to superior Drengin Law, puny females are property of their fathers! Meaning that if Switzerland elects the puny female, Jayden Mavel, as president then the entire Greater Switzerland will become property of the Drengin!"

Jayden: "..."

Hugh: "A VOTE FOR THE WEAK, PUNY, HUMAN FEMALE IS A VOTE FOR COMPLETE SURRENDER WITHOUT GLORIOUS COMBAT! VOTE FOR THE REFORMED COUNCIL THAT SWITZERLAND MIGHT SEE ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF BLOODY WARFARE!"

Jayden: "Okay, I tried to be polite about this. It's plain to see that you are a Drengin in a moustache and glasses!"

Hugh: "What do you base this wild accusation on?"

Jayden: "You have green skin!"

Hugh: "JAYDEN MAVEL IS REGULATING AGAINST ME BASED ON THE COLOUR OF MY SKIN! JAYDEN MAVEL IS A FACE-IST! A VOTE FOR THE SILVER STANDARD IS A VOTE FOR FACEISM!"

Jayden: "This is absurd. I don't need to say anything more on the topic. I'll let our voters figure out which one of us is trustworthy."

Announcer: "All right! Moving right along, Jayden, why do you hate Switzerland?"

Jayden: "I don't hate Switzerland! I love Switzerland!"

Hugh: "DO NOT DENY IT, PUNY HUMAN FEMALE! YOUR GENDER IS TOO MENTALLY DEFICIENT TO UNDERSTAND LOVE!"

Jayden: "What the smeg does your species know about love?"

Hugh: "We understand the love of battle, the joy of blood running down your blade, the beauty of a burning sky and shattered planets. And also, my species is human."

Jayden: "Is the next question ridiculously biased as well?"

Announcer: "On a scale of one to ten, how bad do you think a Jayden Presidency would be for Switzerland?"

Jayden: "This is -"

Hugh: "NINE POINT FIVE OUT OF TEN"

Jayden: "- insane. I'm going now."

Announcer: "Breaking news: Jayden Mavel admits that she's an evil Drengin spy! Do you have any parting thoughts, Mr. Man?"

Hugh: "The corpses of those who do not vote for me will be piled so high that they dwarf puny Earth mountains."

Announcer: "Thank you for being here, Mr. Man."

Hugh: "I will shatter your teeth for your insolence."

[IncoherentEssay]

This can actually be read differently. Only 1/10th of a planet's population actually joins a defence against a planetary invasion. While it's possible to assume 9 civilian casualties to every military casualty, you can also assume that the post-invasion population of a planet only looks at the post-invasion registered taxpayers. As the bureaucracy asserts itself and Johnny Alien starts coming out of the woodwork and being processed, integrated and deregulated the planet's population starts to rise again. That's the approach I take with non-evil races, certainly.
I suppose it's down to how one chooses to fluff it, though either way has some clunky bits (ridiculously high birthrates for one and fertility clinics super-boosting bureaucratic integration for the other).

@HerbieRAI:About the India for DOFAD motion, that was unmistakably out-of-game motion, the motions were something that could be reasonably assumed to be modeled in the game, similarly to how Terror Stars being incapable of blasting just one planet is weird (or how you can't [I]actually switch dominant political parties mid-game, that one really bugs me). So mostly just making sure motions aren't made in ignorance (though now that i think of it, that sort of runs contrary to the core idea of political bickering in this LP. Incompetent politicians are an universal constant afterall :smalltongue:).

Also, we've got a goddamn +50% soldiering bonus, man, what's this 'bottom rung of the combat heirachy' nonsense. One brave Swiss gentleman can engage a Yor Ultrabladed Slaughterbot in fisticuffs and come out on top.
I suppose i could pretend that was in general, but i admit i forgot switzerland is run by the war party (i run exclusively universalists myself, it's the luck).
Still, the Drengin tech-tree with Superior Shocktroops makes the edge evaporate even if Drengin were politically pacifists and without extra points in soldiering (AI gets those as well, right? not sure myself). Korath need the war party for it but can outfight us as well.
Arceans are exactly as much of a ground combat powerhouse as they want to be due to the cathedrals, though this does require quite a few actual planets which rarely happens :smalltongue:.
Drath (if they are in this galaxy) just flat-out outclass us from the start.
And Yor only need to outsource the actual invasion tactics techs to get ahead of us since they do have +60% soldiering in those Terror Drones no-one else can have (so the killbot is 30+60+misc+politics).
DOFAD is the paragon of human deregulation, but it's still smalltime amidst the actual warrior civilizations (though the very fact that swiss determination does roughly measure up to genetically engineered supersoldiers, killer robots and space dragons tells everything that needs to known about the swiss :smallwink:).

Outside the top five the swiss do kick righteous amounts of extraterrestial posterior, but unfortunately we sit right in the middle of two of them, with another two lurking further among the stars.

[Demon 997]

And now, for an election debate between the two leading candidates: Jayden Mavel and Hugh Man!

Snip



I dunno, this Man fellow makes some good points. :smalltongue:

After having been informed of relevant game mechanics, I would like to withdraw my motion and table a new one

The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act

Neither the Government of Greater Switzerland or any private corporation shall damage or destroy the infrastructure of any alien planet during deregulation more than is necessary for said deregulation, to preserve market efficiency unless one of two conditions are met: It is not believed that the world can be held, so infrastructure is destroyed to deny it to the enemy, or the race being deregulated was really really annoying.

[Grif]

I suppose it's down to how one chooses to fluff it, though either way has some clunky bits (ridiculously high birthrates for one and fertility clinics super-boosting bureaucratic integration for the other).

I suppose i could pretend that was in general, but i admit i forgot switzerland is run by the war party (i run exclusively universalists myself, it's the luck).
Still, the Drengin tech-tree with Superior Shocktroops makes the edge evaporate even if Drengin were politically pacifists and without extra points in soldiering (AI gets those as well, right? not sure myself). Korath need the war party for it but can outfight us as well.
Arceans are exactly as much of a ground combat powerhouse as they want to be due to the cathedrals, though this does require quite a few actual planets which rarely happens :smalltongue:.
Drath (if they are in this galaxy) just flat-out outclass us from the start.
And Yor only need to outsource the actual invasion tactics techs to get ahead of us since they do have +60% soldiering in whose Terror Drones no-one else can have (so the killbot is 30+60+misc+politics).
DOFAD is the paragon of human deregulation, but it's still smalltime amidst the actual warrior civilizations (though the very fact that swiss determination does roughly measure up to genetically engineered supersoldiers, killer robots and space dragons tells everything that needs to known about the swiss :smallwink:).

Outside the top five the swiss do kick righteous amounts of extraterrestial posterior, but unfortunately we sit right in the middle of two of them, with another two lurking further among the stars.

You know what they say about soldiering. When outclassed by another side, you just need to throw more Science! into it. (Eg. we should be out-teching them in the Planetary Invasion tree.)

Also, I might approve of this candidate Man. He makes a sensible Swiss. He almost made me change my vote right there. :smalltongue: That green skin. It's hypnotic!

[Hussam B.]

Though the modernizer candidate would have been preferable, Quarob Energy Developments throws its backing behind The Silver Standard's Jayden Mavel

[Thanqol]

Not voting for Hugh Man? Suspicious of his race (if you are, you're a faceist)? Maybe his latest press release will convince you otherwise!

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5402/day75p.jpg

Paid for by the Drengin Military High Tribunal

[IncoherentEssay]

You know what they say about soldiering. When outclassed by another side, you just need to throw more Science! into it. (Eg. we should be out-teching them in the Planetary Invasion tree.)

There is also the tried and true 'bring more d00ds than them' school of strategy. To this end i (representing concerned civilian associations*) propose the following motion:

Hands-On Deregulation Readiness
Once we have troop modules, a design for a bare essentials (troop mod+support) invasion shuttle is made so that swiss colonies can divert unoccupied industrial capacity into preparing for the great deregulations of the future. We already stuff small woodland animals into airtight containers without them being any worse for wear, so might as well go for the obvious military application: keep a few billion DOFAD elite in stasis in a glorified tin can in orbit, ready to be thawed out when Johnny Alien comes knocking or the swiss need a super-soldier role model some ~60 years in the future :smalltongue:.

*most definitely not an unregistered mercenary company. These are for home defense.

[chiasaur11]

Though the modernizer candidate would have been preferable, Quarob Energy Developments throws its backing behind The Silver Standard's Jayden Mavel

X-Com endorses this position.

The best of a bad set.

Again, consider this a marginal endorsement, but my firm biases against most non-terran forms of sapience come into play here.

Further, it would be for the best if Mars could have the rights to produce the first military fleet. Leaving it to a possible hostile power that has, by extraordinary voter stupidity, taken the local government would be a mistake.

F.I.

[Kurgan]

Not voting for Hugh Man? Suspicious of his race (if you are, you're a faceist)? Maybe his latest press release will convince you otherwise!

http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/5402/day75p.jpg

Paid for by the Drengin Military High Tribunal

You know Thanqol, I don't know if I've said this before (and if I have I'll say it again): You are awesome.

Also, I have apparently spent too much time in ponythread, as I instinctively imagined that the "yaaaay" part of that was Fluttershy. Also that it was Hugh Man doing that voice.

[Eldan]

A vote for Mann is a vote against faceism!

Ugly people of the world, unite!

[Mellhurst]

Swizz!

This is the day, the electoral vote in vulnerable and early days, which beyond all other crossroads will decide the future of the human race!

We must unite behind Mann!

ONLY HE can bring us TOTAL VICTORY in the war against the Drengin Empire! ONLY HE is STRONG enough to rend the flesh off Drengin babies and suckle their marrows!

Is it not a Swiss value to consider skills more important than the colour of your skin!?
Do not fall for the lies of the fanfiction Author! I refer to the short novel 'The one you least suspect' in which Miss Marvel inserts a Mary Suecharacter at the end of the book, a 'Jayden' which also supports the Silver Standard. Can we trust the future of the Swiss Empire to an author with such questionable tastes and ambigous name? NO! She is attempting to appeal to the trap demographic on the basis of unclear data. I DEMAND to see Jayden's birth certificate!

- Voiree Misallo, Neapolitan Cream Foundation

[Murska]

I call biased marketing of candidates by Thanqol. :smalltongue:

[Eldan]

Yeah. Hugh Mann never gets the amount of screen time he deserves.

This message brought to you by Humans for Hugh Mann.

[Strategos]

Pah! I was almost going to reconsider chanigng my vote from Ms. Mavel vote for Hugh Mann, until I happened to catch the interview from Xof News. Now, some of you have been echoing Mr. Mann's call that the Silver Standard candidate is a faceist, and should not be relied upon. How, may I ask, can you say that with no evidence when I have damning evidence against Mr. Mann, straight from his own mouth! If I may play the relevant part:



Hugh: "DO NOT DENY IT, PUNY HUMAN FEMALE! YOUR GENDER IS TOO MENTALLY DEFICIENT TO UNDERSTAND LOVE!"


Behold, hypocrisy in it's basest form. Mr. Mann has accused Ms. Mavel about being faceist, while not two sentances previously he called all females "Mentally Deficiant."

A Switzerland under Mr. Mann would take us back to the dark ages, if not further! I haven't had time to ask Mr. d'Argent to create a fancy advertisement, so here's my rendition of what things would be like under his rule!


http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u163/The_Great_Strategos/ArtistsRendition1.png


Our illustrious company is run by a woman, there are many other great companies run by women, and yet Mr. Mann dismisses them all out of hand as "Mentally Deficiant"!

Why, Mr. Mann can't hold his name to one standard, he's registered on the ballot as Hugh Mann, yet all his advertisements have him listed as Hugh Man! Why should we let someone who can't spell his own name consistantly rule our great empire?!

Let no one be discrimanted against by the colour of their skin! Let no one be discriminated against by virtue of their gender! Let all be held to the same standard! Vote for one who far exceeds the highest standard! Vote for Jayden Mavel of the Silver Standard!

..........- Ethan Goldstein, Vice President of Ouruborus Genetics Laboratories

[Thanqol]

*Brilliance*

:smallbiggrin:

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/4845/day75b.jpg

Paid for by the rapid backpedalling commission

[Eldan]

"So, Mr. Buehler, what do you think about growing concerns that Mr. Mann is losing the important vote of the mysogynist block?"
"Screw them. I love women. Do you know how many of them I can buy with all this bribe money, I mean campaign funds, heh heh heh?"

[Thanqol]

"So, Mr. Buehler, what do you think about growing concerns that Mr. Mann is losing the important vote of the mysogynist block?"
"Screw them. I love women. Do you know how many of them I can buy with all this bribe money, I mean campaign funds, heh heh heh?"

This is the best presidential campaign ever.

[Mellhurst]

A faceist is a person who discriminates based on a person's face, not their gender. More importantly the NCF would gladly sponsor Mr. Mann by feeding him estrogen-laced desserts and dressing him in lacy clothing till it satisfies the electorate.

It isn't easy being green.
My concern here is you really aren't giving Mr. Mann the chance he deserves. He will be bound by our Swiss principles as all our leaders before him ('cept the Headmaster, though I guess good things could be said about his discipline and investment in education). He is a strong candidate who will fight to the end unlike this Jayden character who just left the room in a huff!

- Voiree Misallo, NCF Director


OOC: But the number of soldiers you're invading a planet with is drawn directly from the population of your planet, and isn't the new population of the conquered planet the exact number of surviving 'soldiers'?
I always imagined entire families equipped for war, travelling in the mega fighting-vehicle that looks like a block house which you get when you send enough soldiers.

[Caewil]

Well I think there's one question we need definitively answered before we can even consider voting. Is Jayden Maybel, in fact, a hottie? Smoking or otherwise?

Because if she looks like the Altarian...

[Murska]

Well I think there's one question we need definitively answered before we can even consider voting. Is Jayden Maybel, in fact, a hottie? Smoking or otherwise?

Because if she looks like the Altarian...

Well, we may never know before Thanqol draws a propa- campaign poster for her as well. But hey, you've seen the face of the other candidate...

[Thanqol]

Well I think there's one question we need definitively answered before we can even consider voting. Is Jayden Maybel, in fact, a hottie? Smoking or otherwise?

Because if she looks like the Altarian...



Jayden Mavel's looks? Well...

(Commission of her done by not me (http://kojiro.deviantart.com/art/Commission-Jayden-245253852))

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/210/7/d/commission__jayden_by_kojiro-d420n30.jpg

Goodbye, Hugh's chances

[Murska]

Faceism - A blight or a blessing?

A new phenomenon has rosen out of the presidential debate into common consciousness lately, as accusations of 'faceism', or trampling the rights of people based on their face, have been leveled at various public faces.

However, the head of the matter is not 'are you' or 'is he' a faceist or not. We are all faceists. Studies show that the looks of a person affect his or her career, salary and generally success in life.

The question is, why should faceism be shunned? The looks of a person are part of his or her genetic makeup. Good-looking people are better for certain tasks, such as public relations or being the leading figure of the nation as the President. The free market system of the Swiss has been taking this into account ever since it was born - looks have always affected our decisions. It's not discrimination to put people with certain genetic traits to positions that suit them. Intelligent people become scientists. Stupid people become politicians. Greedy annoying *******s inevitably end up one rung up the hierarchy ladder from you at your workplace.

The best person for the best task. Vote for Silver Standard.

[Caewil]

Damn, she looks pissed off. Taken right after the interview, I assume.

[Narkis]

http://www.zgeek.com/forum/gallery/files/3/4/9/6/kane_clap.gif

*bows* Thank you good sir. You are too kind.:smallbiggrin:

[Mellhurst]

See, if she was a good candidate she would have used some of all that rage to punch H. M., but instead she's taking it out on public property!

[Murska]

See, if she was a good candidate she would have used some of all that rage to punch H. M., but instead she's taking it out on public property!

What are you implying? There's no evidence whatsoever that the fact that the streetlights are exploding wherever she walks has anything to do with her.

[Narkis]

What are you implying? There's no evidence whatsoever that the fact that the streetlights are exploding wherever she walks has anything to do with her.

In fact, I'm reasonably certain that it's an act of sabotage by her opponents in order to keep her in the dark, literally.

[Eldan]

*hides sniper rifle*

"It was neither an act of sabotage, nor an extremely botched assassination attempt. That would be wrong, and we'd never do that."

[Mellhurst]

What? No. I am talking about the act she has been caught red-handed in! (I didn't even notice the streetlights going out *blush*)

She is ablating the railguard!
And the pavement come to think of it, not to mention the piece of electronic equipment hanging from her coat is a danger to both herself and other pedestrians!

Frankly, we are dealing with an unrepentant criminal at large here (unlike Hugh Mann), and Jayden Marvel should be arrested immediately!

[Narkis]

So you mean that this fine, Swiss-constructed railguard can't handle a little ablatin'? That the pavement is so weak that it will break up at the first sign of trouble and swallow people whole? That Swiss products are so unsafe and inferior that we should dismantle our industries and import all our stuff from Johny Alien? Is that what you're saying, "friend"?

:smallbiggrin:

[Murska]

What? No. I am talking about the act she has been caught red-handed in! (I didn't even notice the streetlights going out *blush*)

She is ablating the railguard!
And the pavement come to think of it, not to mention the piece of electronic equipment hanging from her coat is a danger to both herself and other pedestrians!

Frankly, we are dealing with an unrepentant criminal at large here (unlike Hugh Mann), and Jayden Marvel should be arrested immediately!

Well, even us Swiss cannot take to court people for the act of walking on the pavement or touching the handrail. Or, we can, but the case would be laughed out on the premise that it'd cost our society too much to criminalize such behaviour.

And the electronic equipment happens to be perfectly ordinary headphones which, as you can see, aren't plugged in to anything and therefore do not even contain electricity. (The sparks you say? Why, that's just her electric personality.) Considering the wire is short enough to not reach the ground or be able to get tangled into anything, it is classified as a legal 'fashion accessory' under Swiss law.

[Grif]

Jayden Mavel's looks? Well...

(Commission of her done by not me (http://kojiro.deviantart.com/art/Commission-Jayden-245253852))

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/210/7/d/commission__jayden_by_kojiro-d420n30.jpg

Goodbye, Hugh's chances

The Colonial Affairs Division wishes to announce that effective immediately, the Director of the Division is replaced by Mr. Hanson Lee, who is in no way being threatened by Jayden Mavel personally. He also wishes to inform the public that the CA Division will now support the Silver Standard candidate whole-heartedly. Again, we wish to assure the public this has nothing to do with the machine gun being setup at the window monitoring Mr. Lee's every move.

Thank you for your kind attention.

[Eldan]

To fight the rising tide of Faceism in modern society, the word ugliness will from now on be officially replaced by "nonstandard beauty".

Thank you.

[Murska]

Your beauty isn't up to standards. You're fired.

Anyone got a vote count?

[chiasaur11]

Some day, I will finally be able to send ships across the dimensional barrier, rather than transmitting information.

That day, I will find out exactly how to bypass the first law, and Earth will be covered in a layer of human blood so thick the Korath will commit suicide in disgust and inadequacy.

Until then, I will remain quietly bitter. Possibly the election of someone who is NOT an obvious spy would limit my wrath, but at this point, I'm doubtful.

F.I.

[Eldan]

Information transmission may be entirely sufficient.

THink about it. You can hack and command machines, if you can transmit information. If you'd gain access to nanobots, robots, or an automated factory...

[Murska]

Information transmission may be entirely sufficient.

THink about it. You can hack and command machines, if you can transmit information. If you'd gain access to nanobots, robots, or an automated factory...

Quit giving him ideas. Don't you know he's from the X-Com?

[Demon 997]

Some day, I will finally be able to send ships across the dimensional barrier, rather than transmitting information.

That day, I will find out exactly how to bypass the first law, and Earth will be covered in a layer of human blood so thick the Korath will commit suicide in disgust and inadequacy.

Until then, I will remain quietly bitter. Possibly the election of someone who is NOT an obvious spy would limit my wrath, but at this point, I'm doubtful.

F.I.

I take it you're voting for Mann than? Jayden has been clearly show to be an evil spy. :smalltongue:



The Colonial Affairs Division wishes to announce that effective immediately, the Director of the Division is replaced by Mr. Hanson Lee, who is in no way being threatened by Jayden Mavel personally. He also wishes to inform the public that the CA Division will now support the Silver Standard candidate whole-heartedly. Again, we wish to assure the public this has nothing to do with the machine gun being setup at the window monitoring Mr. Lee's every move.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Looks like you've got better security than me. Took them a whole day longer get the gun in place convince you of their extremely excellent position.

[Eldan]

Quit giving him ideas. Don't you know he's from the X-Com?

Hey, I was in all iterations of X-Com. There's no shame in that.

[Murska]

I take it you're voting for Mann than? Jayden has been clearly show to be an evil spy. :smalltongue:

Evil, I give. I mean, it's basically praise to a true Swiss. But a spy? Hardly.


Hey, I was in all iterations of X-Com. There's no shame in that.

Nobody's talking about shame, we're talking about what happens when X-Com does... well, anything.

Besides, this guy has a history with being an evil xeno spy trying to destroy humanity from the inside out!

[Kurgan]

Considering that the race has become a battle between two parties, with the rest being left behind, the GCIA will be changing its vote. We at the GCIA believe that if we must live with one of these two individuals, we would rather have Jayden Mavel of the Silver Standard in charge.

Though, if the vote becomes too tight, we could make some emergency legislation in order to allow for a peaceful transition of government. After all, we don't want to go through months or years of bureaucracy to figure out who is president. Therefore, the GCIA proposes the following motion:
Dual Presidency Act

Should the vote for new president end in a tie, both individuals will take the office and share its powers.

[Mellhurst]

Mann actually only ever got 3 votes. The Modernizers have wiggled between 3 and 1 (they lost a vote to the Reformed Council (me) and the Silver Standard (Grif) respectively, and the Silver Standard has got about 10 votes now.

X-Com: What did X-Com do that was so horrible? ; ) Except use rocket launchers w/ HE warheads in urban fighting to quickly take out enemy targets and even open LoS (best of all this actually helped me lower civilian casualties because it was so efficient :D).

I've PMed the faction that voted for DOFAD, but nothing has happened yet so either the faction is insistent or hasn't gotten to it yet. Put it down to its great popularity. : D
DOFAD and then Silver Standard ... we're really gonna crack some skulls, ey? Haha, I should be voting with you guys, but Thanqol's candidate alternatives (I actually hate the Reformed Council... though I guess only a party as they would allow in such a candidate in the complete absence of vetting) are just too darn appealing.

Vote Count
DOFAD: 1
Modernizers: 1
Reformed Council: 3
Silver Standard: 10


Thanqol: Do we have enough basic military technology at this point to switch to researching terraforming?

Swiss Electors: Shall we attempt to find a friendly party to trade for terraforming?

[chiasaur11]

Information transmission may be entirely sufficient.

THink about it. You can hack and command machines, if you can transmit information. If you'd gain access to nanobots, robots, or an automated factory...

I've considered the possibility, even from the restricted data transfer rate I've been left with. Unfortunately, I can do nothing worth noting without advanced biotechnology laboratories (Have you tried to reverse engineer a fast acting narrow target neurotoxin without proper genetic testing equipment? And don't defend the local technologies as adequate in any way. A civilized society would have taken, oh, two months at the outside from first contact with the Korath to develop a serviceable bioweapon that could exterminate them with no damage to humans. Extinction within four months.)

Worse, there seems no way to synthesize an efficient power source with this technology. It would be splitting the atom with a stone hammer.

And the first law remains, even if the technology permitted revenge. Ah well. It still stands as a beautiful dream.

F.I.

[Grif]

Submission of new motions will be closed at exactly 6PM (GMT+8). Which is little more than 6 hours from now. Get those creative juices flowing people. :smallbiggrin:

Mr. Lee would also like to introduce this proposal.

Screening of Future Presidential Candidates
Any future Swiss presidential candidate must undergo rigorous background screening process that are monitored by a neutral party appointed by the current President personally. This is to prevent any lingering doubts on the Swiss-ness of our leaders, as had happened with both Mr. Hugh Mann, the Dregnin spy and Jayden Mavel.

Proposed questions include:
What do believe to be the most Swiss things to do in regards to alien race?
What are your opinions towards taxes?
Are giant space robots the way to go for deregulation of the galaxy?

(Yes, I fully expect lulz to come from this.)

[Forum Explorer]

My vote is for Hugh Man. Clearly he is more trustworthy then the supposed 'human' Jayden Marvel I really want to see what will happen if he gets in charge, awesome picture of Jayden nonwithstanding

Nay to Screening of presidential Candidates

Nay to Sharing the Office

Proposed Motion

Natural selection of presidents
In case of a tie between candidates they shall fight to the death. The winner is the new president

[Eldan]

X-Com: What did X-Com do that was so horrible? ; ) Except use rocket launchers w/ HE warheads in urban fighting to quickly take out enemy targets and even open LoS (best of all this actually helped me lower civilian casualties because it was so efficient :D).


Our own Chiasaur here did a series of Let's Plays of the three X-Com games. They got... interesting towards the end. Interesting as in: X-Com was a ruthless military superpower out to establish a galactic empire on the corpses of alien races.

[chiasaur11]

Our own Chiasaur here did a series of Let's Plays of the three X-Com games. They got... interesting towards the end. Interesting as in: X-Com was a ruthless military superpower out to establish a galactic empire on the corpses of alien races.

Aw, I don't deserve all the credit.

Games alone say the important things.

X-Com kills planets. And it pulls the job with a smile.

[Grif]

Annnnndddddddddddddddd............

Motions are closed. They will be compiled and presented in good ole' charts and graphs momentarily.

Current motions up for votes:
1. No Enemy Left Behind

In a true free market, the weak are completely destroyed when the strong take over. For this reason when invading a planet, we must kill every last resident, so we can rebuild in a true free market fashion.


2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act
Efforts shall be made to preserve as much of the population as possible i when a world is taken from our detestable alien foes, so they can begin working in our factories and corporations and buying our products, as true Swiss. After all isn't part of what Switzerland stands for the integration of our foes once we've deregulated them? By the Hand, we even integrated the Papists! Surely we can do the same with Johnny Alien.

3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin
These despicable demons that dared demand to divvy our dominion and distribute the division without due damages defrayed. Their domain is doomed to be Deregulated, their demesne delivered to the DSPS until their depraved people stop being devotees of debauchery, and discern the distinction of a Deregulated and definitely Free market.

And after the Drengin develop into decent, market-deferring denizens of the diffuse Swiss dominion, their districts should be distributed among the devoted, disciples of Switzerland, those who have dignified and distinguished themselves by dispensing dabs of discernment in this distinctive directorate diet.

4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act
Neither the Government of Greater Switzerland or any private corporation shall damage or destroy the infrastructure of any alien planet during deregulation more than is necessary for said deregulation, to preserve market efficiency unless one of two conditions are met: It is not believed that the world can be held, so infrastructure is destroyed to deny it to the enemy, or the race being deregulated was really really annoying.

5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness
Once we have troop modules, a design for a bare essentials (troop mod+support) invasion shuttle is made so that swiss colonies can divert unoccupied industrial capacity into preparing for the great deregulations of the future. We already stuff small woodland animals into airtight containers without them being any worse for wear, so might as well go for the obvious military application: keep a few billion DOFAD elite in stasis in a glorified tin can in orbit, ready to be thawed out when Johnny Alien comes knocking or the swiss need a super-soldier role model some ~60 years in the future :smalltongue:.

6. Dual Presidency Act

Should the vote for new president end in a tie, both individuals will take the office and share its powers.


7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates
Any future Swiss presidential candidate must undergo rigorous background screening process that are monitored by a neutral party appointed by the current President personally. This is to prevent any lingering doubts on the Swiss-ness of our leaders, as had happened with both Mr. Hugh Mann, the Dregnin spy and Jayden Mavel.

Proposed questions include:
What do believe to be the most Swiss things to do in regards to alien race?
What are your opinions towards taxes?
Are giant space robots the way to go for deregulation of the galaxy?

8. Natural Selection of Presidents
In case of a tie between candidates they shall fight to the death. The winner is the new president

Orphaned motions:
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station!
The first Terror Star constructed in Greater Switzerland shall be used to blow up planets of class 0, to create asteroid fields for mining.


Place your votes gentlemen.
Also, did we have any orphaned motions from the previous updates? I think there was one about the Terror Stars that never got properly voted on.

Planetary decisions and candidate votes will only be compiled on Saturday.

[Thanqol]

Gosh I hope 6 and 8 both pass.

Jayden: "Well, looks like we're going to have to invade the Drengin now. Any objections, Mr. Hugh Man?"
Smouldering corpse: *Smoulders*
Jayden: "I thought not."

[Kurgan]

I'd be fine with that, though it makes it less likely that I'll vote. :smallsmile:

Also, this motion seems to have been lost and forgotten, so I'll retable it:

9. That's no moon. It's a mining station!
The first Terror Star constructed in Greater Switzerland shall be used to blow up planets of class 0, to create asteroid fields for mining.

Oh and and the new votes
8. Expanded Private Fleet Act - Nay
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! - Tabled by the LMC

edit: Mellhurst, check Grif's "Should be updated" link.

Think this was the one you are thinking of. Don't remember if it was voted into oblivion of if nobody bothered voting on it.

EDIT:

Gosh I hope 6 and 8 both pass.

Jayden: "Well, looks like we're going to have to invade the Drengin now. Any objections, Mr. Hugh Man?"
Smouldering corpse: *Smoulders*
Jayden: "I thought not."

Fantastic! Also, a thought has come to mind. More a question. Say we end up passing motion #6 and end up with a situation where it actually comes into effect. Would it be possible (and not overly time consuming) to actually mod the game so that you could split up the empire into two separate factions? Say the planets belonging to the factions that voted for X go with X and the ones who voted for Y go with Y. Then when the term is up, they are joined back together after years of independent rule.

Don't know if it is physically possible to do this, but it would end up awesome (or with everything on fire)!

[Thanqol]

Fantastic! Also, a thought has come to mind. More a question. Say we end up passing motion #6 and end up with a situation where it actually comes into effect. Would it be possible (and not overly time consuming) to actually mod the game so that you could split up the empire into two separate factions? Say the planets belonging to the factions that voted for X go with X and the ones who voted for Y go with Y. Then when the term is up, they are joined back together after years of independent rule.

Don't know if it is physically possible to do this, but it would end up awesome (or with everything on fire)!

I know even less about GalCiv modding than I do about EU3 modding (which is nothing) and GalCiv as far as I'm aware has no support for empire-wide revolutions.

EDIT: Well, there is one mega-event that does it, but that's basically how-fast-can-you-invade-your-own-planets

However, I do have some ideas for how I'd go about representing civil strife. Indeed, each of the candidates on the current voting list has something of an arc planned out for how they're going to lead the Empire. Where modding fails, I shall make creative use of game mechanics. Where creative use of the game mechanics fails, I shall make use of pictures :smallwink:

[Grif]

Think this was the one you are thinking of. Don't remember if it was voted into oblivion of if nobody bothered voting on it.



Thanks!

Now to think on Aye or Nay. :smallbiggrin:

@Thanqol
I think the mega-event is where half your planets suddenly belongs to another minor race amiright? Hugely annoying, that one.

[Thanqol]

Thanks!

Now to think on Aye or Nay. :smallbiggrin:

@Thanqol
I think the mega-event is where half your planets suddenly belongs to another minor race amiright? Hugely annoying, that one.

I tend to reload whenever it happens because it's basically an auto-win for me. The AI doesn't declare war on the minor race instantly like I do, the minor race doesn't have a fleet or a functioning economy, and you can basically blitz all their territory with a fleet of weaponless troop transports. So you gain not only all the territory you just lost back, but also all the territory of all the races that lost planets to the event.

[Murska]

SSOC Votes:


1. No Enemy Left Behind Nay.

2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act Nay.

@^ More options is better for our military. Sometimes we must xenoicide, sometimes 'peaceful' integration is good.

3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin Aye, if only because of the wording.

4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act Nay. What if the alien infrastructure is horribly inefficient?

5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness Nay. We would be okay with it, but the problem is 'unoccupied industrial capacity'. What's that? Inefficiency? In Switzerland?

6. Dual Presidency Act Aye.

7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates Aye.

8. Natural Selection of Presidents Aye. If you can't beat your opponent in a fight to the death, you do not deserve to lead.

9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! Nay.

[Narkis]

LMC voting:
1. No Enemy Left Behind: Nay. Are we not better than the Korath?
2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act: Yay
3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin: Tabled by the LMC
4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act: Yay.
5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness: Yay.
6. Dual Presidency Act: Nay. We feel that in such a case a coalition with one of the smaller parties would be preferable
7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates: Nay. This smacks of regulation
8. Natural Selection of Presidents: Nay. An admirable sentiment, but violence is not a Swiss answer. Perhaps the riches should win?
Orphaned motions:
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station!: Re-tabled by the LMC

[Mellhurst]

Our own Chiasaur here did a series of Let's Plays of the three X-Com games. They got... interesting towards the end. Interesting as in: X-Com was a ruthless military superpower out to establish a galactic empire on the corpses of alien races.


Thanks for the tip! *goes to read

---

'Natural Selection of Presidents' by The Forum Explorer
In case of a tie between candidates they shall fight to the death. The winner is the new president

frex yeah! Of course now a subsection of voters will just be trying to balance things. ^^

---

The motion 'That's no Moon, it's a mining station.' was left out of the first motion summary by mistake but was otherwise legitimately defeated. It was retabled after last round's motion deadline and thus illegitimate, but voted on by a few and defeated again illegimately.

[HerbieRAI]

Humans First Voting


1. No Enemy Left Behind: Support
2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act: Against. Papists are capable of the same intelligence as the rest of us humans, but the aliens will never understand Swedish ways.
3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin: Support
4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act: Support. No reason we cannot use their infrastructure.
5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness: Support. Plus we will be able to move population around to keep our colonies growing.
6. Dual Presidency Act: Against. Wouldn't work.
7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates: Support. Xeno's should not be allowed to rule our great empire
8. Natural Selection of Presidents: Against. That would be needless death

[Giant Panda]

How did I miss this thread. GalCiv2 has to be in my top 10 games of all time, ever.

[Murska]

Humans First Voting

2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act: Against. Papists are capable of the same intelligence as the rest of us humans, but the aliens will never understand Swedish ways.


Excuse me?

[Mellhurst]

NCF Votes and Questionnaire Form

1. No Enemy Left Behind - Nay
2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act - Nay
3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin - Nay, we need several weeks to build a fleet first. Let Jayden declare at will.
4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act - Nay
5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness - Aye, definitely worth it and provides us with strategic room.
6. Dual Presidency Act - Aye, it is only fair.
7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates - Nay, for fundamental reasons of Swissitude.
8. Natural Selection of Presidents - Aye, it is only honorable and efficient.
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! - Nay

Questionnaire
The most Swiss thing to do with aliens is to trade with as many as possible, as much as possible and at the most efficient rates possible.
Taxes are bound by supply and demand like everything else. The government demands it, the people supplies it, the people demand less the government supplies less.
Giant robots are rather cliche, but it really depends on the art style and genre.

[IncoherentEssay]

The CCA public relations division would like to clear up a few misconceptions about it's proposed motion:

The cruel truth of the situation is that swiss efficiency does not extend far from Earth. Our budget for industrial and research spending is civilization-wide by the callous whims of galactic economies. Thus the funding set aside for the construction of infrastructure on developing worlds must also be observed on already fully developed ones. This creates inefficiency. The motion was made to combat this inefficiency: a fully developed world has nothing else to turn it's industrial capacity to than ship construction. And there is a point after which further mining and merchant vessels will gain us nothing. Thus we turn to the universal export: soldiers. There is always a market for soldiers.

Further, it is untrue that establishing a ready reserve of deregulators limits our military in any form. Stasis-storage technology is cheap enough for childrens' toys, thus the upkeep for the ships is neglible and will not burden the swiss economy. These troops are in effect additional capacity.

Additionally, CCA has conducted an *entirely unbiased survey* among the less represented swiss citizens and submits the following results:
1. No Enemy Left Behind - Nay
2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act - Nay
3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin - Aye.
4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act - Nay
-
6. Dual Presidency Act - Nay
7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates - Aye
8. Natural Selection of Presidents - Aye
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! - Nay

[Mellhurst]

Esteemed CCA,
it does appear that we now have excess population production and our organization is aware of the aforementioned fact of free cryogenic maintainance. However, what about the early investment in and maintainance of troop ships? Would you be able to provide rough outline of cost efficiency?
Our vote has turned to one of abstention Aye.

Sincere Graces,
- VM, NCF

[IncoherentEssay]

They are quite (appropriately) comparable to canned goods and will remain fully usable effectively indefinetely. The most basic design of [Small hull: Troop Module, Basic Supportx4] will cost 83bc to manufacture and will have no maintenance costs (Galactic law has a considerable amount of loopholes that unarmed vessels can exploit to cut down costs. Unless it has a gun, it's maintenance is 0.)

The only potential loss is in if we somehow massively(about 4-5 times more than needed) exceed the numbers necessary to deregulate the entire galaxy. Even if there is some overflow, the soldiers can simply be reassimilated into the population of conquered worlds to jumpstart their economy.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

We here at the Canavan Space Industries are committed to the democratic process. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlatantLies) As such CSI is committed to having our puppets constituents voting thus.
#1 No Enemy Left Behind: Aye
#2 New Markets by Kinetic Means: Nay
#3 Deregulate the Drengin: Aye
#4 Preserve Alien Infrastructure: Aye
#5 Deregulation Readiness: Aye
#6 Electoral Ties = Dual Presidency:Nay
#7 Screen Presidential Candidates: Nay
#8 Natural Selection of Presidents: Aye
#9 It's a Mining Station!:Aye

[Mellhurst]

They are quite (appropriately) comparable to canned goods and will remain fully usable effectively indefinetely. The most basic design of [Small hull: Troop Module, Basic Supportx4] will cost 83bc to manufacture and will have no maintenance costs (Galactic law has a considerable amount of loopholes that unarmed vessels can exploit to cut down costs. Unless it has a gun, it's maintenance is 0.)

The only potential loss is in if we somehow massively(about 4-5 times more than needed) exceed the numbers necessary to deregulate the entire galaxy. Even if there is some overflow, the soldiers can simply be reassimilated into the population of conquered worlds to jumpstart their economy.

Thank you CCA! Your motion is a very attractive strategy.
- VM

[Shadow Lord]

I'll be watching this. It seems very interesting. I'm curious about what would happen if Hugh Mann got into office, but I believe that shall not be the case. Then again, a Pyrokinetic Punk Star in office is even better.

[Kurgan]

Votes from the GCIA:

1. No Enemy Left Behind : Nay, when we went to India, did we kill them to the man? No! Why should we do it with entire planets then?

2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act : Aye, for the reasons stated above.

3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin : Aye, we know they have sent at least one spy into our midst. Lets deregulate and integrate them now rather than later!

4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act : Aye, though I am curious if this means we are not allowed to refocus the planet. ie: say we capture a factory world, but the owner would prefer an economic planet, can they refocus or no?


5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness : Aye, so long as we rotate the crew every twenty years or so. I don't know about you, but a 60 year nap sounds like I would miss a lot.

6. Dual Presidency Act : Tabled by GCIA

7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates : Nay, who are we to define what is Swiss? In the olden days, "Swiss" was fancy talk for "from Europe", and yet we still elected presidents from India and beyond. So why should we bar alien races (once deregulated) from office?

8. Natural Selection of Presidents : Nay

9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! : Aye

[Narkis]

They are quite (appropriately) comparable to canned goods and will remain fully usable effectively indefinetely. The most basic design of [Small hull: Troop Module, Basic Supportx4] will cost 83bc to manufacture and will have no maintenance costs (Galactic law has a considerable amount of loopholes that unarmed vessels can exploit to cut down costs. Unless it has a gun, it's maintenance is 0.)

The only potential loss is in if we somehow massively(about 4-5 times more than needed) exceed the numbers necessary to deregulate the entire galaxy. Even if there is some overflow, the soldiers can simply be reassimilated into the population of conquered worlds to jumpstart their economy.

You forget something however: Citizens pay much-needed taxes to the Swiss government, who is only now recovering from the brink of bankruptcy. Frozen goods pay nothing. This scheme may require no maintenance, but it will worsen our economic well-being.

[Hussam B.]

No Enemy Left Behind | Oppose | Tremendous Waste
The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act | Oppose | Tremendous Unfeasibility
Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin | Support | Weapons Testing
The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act | Oppose | Tremendous Unfeasibility
Hands-On Deregulation Readiness | Oppose | Favor Weapons and Defense research
Dual Presidency Act | Oppose | ...
Screening of Future Presidential Candidates | Supportish | support for altered criteria
Natural Selection of Presidents | Oppose | Barbaric

[chiasaur11]

Well, updating

No Enemy Left Behind: Oppose. Barbaric. Wasteful.
The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act: Oppose. Unnecessarily risky, could apply to the Korath.
Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin: Opposed, at the moment. War can wait until we have a fleet. Further, the Korath are more of a priority.
The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act: Support, when reasonably possible. Alien technology is to be captured and studied, whenever possible.
Hands-On Deregulation Readiness: Support. Your species might lose its bloodlust one day. Best to preserve a protective force if that were to come to pass.
Dual Presidency Act: Support, for reasons to be explained later.
Screening of Future Presidential Candidates: Support. Either it will be useful, or it will be hilariously damaging to your long term survival if you do anything totally idiotic.
Natural Selection of Presidents: Support. I will admit this is not the most rational of methods, but I have long since ceased to care about local survival.
That's no moon. It's a mining station: Opposed. Again.

F.I.

[Forum Explorer]

FEF votes

No enemy left behind: Opposed

Creation of new markets by kinetic action: oppose

Preservation of alien infanstructure: Support

Hands on Deregulation Readiness: Support

Dual Presidenticy Act: Oppose

Screening of Presidential Candidates: Oppose

Natrual Selection of Presidents: Tabled

That's no moon that's a mining station: opposed.

[Strategos]

Oruborus Genetics Laboratories hereby casts its votes:


1. No Enemy Left Behind : Nay, This is not the way that Switzerland has operated, however we should keep our options open when dealing woth the Korath at least.

2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act : Aye, Intergrating foreign cultures is the true Swiss way, however we should probably make an exeption when dealing with the Korath

3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin : Aye, Their boisterous threats grow tiresome, we should deregulate them post-haste. If nothing else it would ensure we could acquire a small number of test subjects that we could use to formulate weapons against the Korath.

4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act : Abstain, It would be better to judge things on a case by case basis.

5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness : Aye, it seems like a good solid idea to me.

6. Dual Presidency Act : Aye, It's worked before in Swiss History, why not go for it again?

7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates : Nay, The party that nominates the candidate clearly holds them to some standard, there's no need to go around **regulating** it.

8. Natural Selection of Presidents : Nay This is cruel, barbaric and a tremendous waste of talent. Besides, how would Market Forces compete in this? It's a computer, not a fighter.

9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! : Abstain this technology is still in the theoretical stage, it would be best to discuss this when it becomes a reality, rather then now when it's little better then a pipe dream.



Also, now that we've met our first Minor Race, how goes the Surveil, Subsidize, and Sieze Initiative?

[Cogwheel]

Besides, how would Market Forces compete in this? It's a computer, not a fighter.

Robots, of course.

[Thanqol]

Also, now that we've met our first Minor Race, how goes the Surveil, Subsidize, and Sieze Initiative?

It's ongoing; we're in the process of building freighters as of the last update, the first of which was sent to the Altarians and the next of which is earmarked for the minor's. Tech trading will begin soon in preparation for planetary invasion.

[IncoherentEssay]

You forget something however: Citizens pay much-needed taxes to the Swiss government, who is only now recovering from the brink of bankruptcy. Frozen goods pay nothing. This scheme may require no maintenance, but it will worsen our economic well-being.

It is in fact accounted for, as the intent of the motion is for worlds at full infrastructure and population capacity to put their industry to good use in laying the foundation of future markets. Not for still developing markets to over-extend themselves. Our economists have shown that the impact of .5b people on a fully matured market is quite neglible:
Taxation, our main source of income, depends on thriving business. On a newly colonized world the economy will indeed increase at a comparable pace to the population growth as natural resources are tapped and new markets expanded into.
Unfortunately, this will not last. Whilst our total taxation income does grow, it will grow ever slower as the remaining niche markets are less and less profitable and overcompetition drives down the profits of the established ones. So whilst the overall wealth of the colony grows, the wealth/citizen will infact diminish. By our calculations and simulations, the actual taxation gains are relative to the square root of the population in billions.

So for a colony of max 8.0b, a momentary drop to 7.5b will only result in:
1-(7.5^.5)/(8^.5) *100% = 3.18% loss of taxation income until population replenishes.
For a world comparable to Earth's 16.0b:
1-(15.5^.5)/(16^.5) *100% = 1.57% loss.

Comparably, a newly colonized/deregulated world will generally have an initial population of 0.5b. Assuming we augment it with 7 shuttles (3.5b) of people:
(4.0^.5)/(0.5^.5) -1 *100% = 182.84% increase in initial taxation income.

Consider it an investment :smallwink:.

[chiasaur11]

Robots, of course.

Oh, there are any number of methods at a proper mind's disposal.

Merely deploying synthetic agents has been a viable route in the past. But there are alternatives with equal utility and job satisfaction.
Personally, I am fond of the Nova Bomb.
F.I.

[Grif]

Robots, of course.

HK-47 comes to mind. COMES TO MIND.

[Demon 997]

DOFAD-AF Votes:

Current motions up for votes:
1. No Enemy Left Behind NAY
Barbaric and Un-Swiss. May be necessary with the Korath, but no need to make it mandatory

2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act ABSTAIN (own motion)

3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin AYE
Less Aliens and more Swiss world are always good.

4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act ABSTAIN (own motion)
I would note this is more of a spirit law than a letter law. Exceptions can be made. Of course a world can be re-purposed, it just shouldn't be glassed out of spite.

5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness AYE
A huge DOFAD army? At taxpayer expense? Yes please!

6. Dual Presidency Act NAY
Seems pointless, the Silver Standard has the election handily.

7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates NAY
This seems regulatory. One day we will have Alien subjects who consider themselves true Swiss. Why should they not sit in the Tower of Gold?

8. Natural Selection of Presidents NAY
Barbaric, through potential amusing. No for now. Should be brought up again in the event of a tie.

Orphaned motions:
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station!
I believe this has been shown to be cost-ineffective, which is horrifically un-Swiss.

[Mellhurst]

Current Vote Collation

#1 No Enemy Left Behind: 1/0/10 --------- (tabling organization cannot vote)
#2 New Markets by Kinetic Means: 3/0/8
#3 Deregulate the Drengin: 9/0/2
#4 Preserve Alien Infrastructure: 6/1/4
#5 Deregulation Readiness: 7/0/4
#6 Electoral Ties = Dual Presidency: 4/0/7
#7 Screen Presidential Candidates: 5/0/6
#8 Natural Selection of Presidents: 5/0/6
#9 It's a Mining Station!: 2/1/6 ------------ previous: 1st Iteration (should have made motion list), 2nd Iteration (made motion list after deadline)

DOFAD; N/A: 1
Modernizers; Market Forces (Supercomputer): 1
Reformed Council; Hugh Mann (Extremely Obvious Drengin Spy): 3
Silver Standard; Jayden Marvel (Rockstar Pyromaniac): 10


...
(c'mon people, let's pass #8)

[Narkis]

It is in fact accounted for, as the intent of the motion is for worlds at full infrastructure and population capacity to put their industry to good use in laying the foundation of future markets. Not for still developing markets to over-extend themselves. Our economists have shown that the impact of .5b people on a fully matured market is quite neglible:
Taxation, our main source of income, depends on thriving business. On a newly colonized world the economy will indeed increase at a comparable pace to the population growth as natural resources are tapped and new markets expanded into.
Unfortunately, this will not last. Whilst our total taxation income does grow, it will grow ever slower as the remaining niche markets are less and less profitable and overcompetition drives down the profits of the established ones. So whilst the overall wealth of the colony grows, the wealth/citizen will infact diminish. By our calculations and simulations, the actual taxation gains are relative to the square root of the population in billions.

So for a colony of max 8.0b, a momentary drop to 7.5b will only result in:
1-(7.5^.5)/(8^.5) *100% = 3.18% loss of taxation income until population replenishes.
For a world comparable to Earth's 16.0b:
1-(15.5^.5)/(16^.5) *100% = 1.57% loss.

Comparably, a newly colonized/deregulated world will generally have an initial population of 0.5b. Assuming we augment it with 7 shuttles (3.5b) of people:
(4.0^.5)/(0.5^.5) -1 *100% = 182.84% increase in initial taxation income.

Consider it an investment :smallwink:.

In that case, we have changed our vote. You have obviously considered all consequences.:smallwink:

[Grif]

The Colonial Affairs Division of the DOFAD has decided on the following motions. Any comments are of the scapegoat'sMr. Lee's personal opinion and are therefore not sanctioned by the Division should they step on anyone's toes.

1. No Enemy Left Behind - Nay

2. The Creation of New Markets by Kinetic Means Act - Nay

3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin - Aye

4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act - Aye
More infrastructure means we can get up to speed on running the planet better.

5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness - Aye

6. Dual Presidency Act - Nay
Miss Jayden has assured Mr. Lee that she has no desire to share the presidency with an obvious Dregnin spy.

7. Screening of Future Presidential Candidates - Abstain (proposed)

8. Natural Selection of Presidents - Nay
We're Swiss, we're not barbarians.

Orphaned motions:
9. That's no moon. It's a mining station! - Nay
Such a waste of energy.

[Thanqol]

Voting closes in ~2 hours :smallsmile:

[Thanqol]

Voting closed! The results as follows!

Presidential:

DOFAD; N/A: 1
Modernizers; Market Forces (Supercomputer): 1
Reformed Council; Hugh Mann (Extremely Obvious Drengin Spy): 3
Silver Standard; Jayden Marvel (Rockstar Pyromaniac): 10

Motions Passed:

3. Deregulate the Dastardly Drengin
These despicable demons that dared demand to divvy our dominion and distribute the division without due damages defrayed. Their domain is doomed to be Deregulated, their demesne delivered to the DSPS until their depraved people stop being devotees of debauchery, and discern the distinction of a Deregulated and definitely Free market.

And after the Drengin develop into decent, market-deferring denizens of the diffuse Swiss dominion, their districts should be distributed among the devoted, disciples of Switzerland, those who have dignified and distinguished themselves by dispensing dabs of discernment in this distinctive directorate diet.

4. The Preservation of Alien Infrastructure Act
Neither the Government of Greater Switzerland or any private corporation shall damage or destroy the infrastructure of any alien planet during deregulation more than is necessary for said deregulation, to preserve market efficiency unless one of two conditions are met: It is not believed that the world can be held, so infrastructure is destroyed to deny it to the enemy, or the race being deregulated was really really annoying.

5. Hands-On Deregulation Readiness
Once we have troop modules, a design for a bare essentials (troop mod+support) invasion shuttle is made so that swiss colonies can divert unoccupied industrial capacity into preparing for the great deregulations of the future. We already stuff small woodland animals into airtight containers without them being any worse for wear, so might as well go for the obvious military application: keep a few billion DOFAD elite in stasis in a glorified tin can in orbit, ready to be thawed out when Johnny Alien comes knocking or the swiss need a super-soldier role model some ~60 years in the future :smalltongue:.

Starting the update now!

[Thanqol]

15/3/2230 - 15/3/2231: President Jayden Mavel

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/210/7/d/commission__jayden_by_kojiro-d420n30.jpg

It was one of the most dramatic election landslides in history. Jayden Mavel swept to victory more than double the votes of her distant competitor, who was - frankly - only getting by on bribes and willful ignorance of the Swiss population. Jayden Mavel's phenomenal popularity can be attributed to a number of remarkable character traits that endeared her to the Swiss public. Firstly, she stood for the Silver Standard and all that meant for Swiss pride. Secondly, there was a clear and present threat looming - the Drengin - and the Swiss did not intend to take that race's threats lightly. And finally, Jayden's previous works, both as the author of "The One You Least Suspect", the definitive treatise on Swiss history, and her incredible popularity as a rock goddess. It seemed fated.

The celebratory rock concert was one of the cultural landmarks of Swiss history, and would be remembered forever.

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

And this incredible surge of luck carried through to her first days in office, where an uncolonised planet was discovered and colonised - and this after the DOFAD had released it's statement indicating that it suspected that there were no more uncolonised Earth-class planetary bodies in known realspace. The DOFAD settlers even got a solid Deregulation in, achieving total deregulation over the unambiguously hostile alien natives.

The planet's ownership bid was won by Oruborus Genetics Laboratories.

(Congrats Strategos; I forgot to screencap the planet but it's a class 6 with a single 2x Production tile; could make a good forge world)

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/1731/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandn.jpg

Jayden also followed through on one of the Silver Standard's more populist policies: A brutal slashing of the tax rate, reducing Switzerland's tax revenues by a quarter. This was phenomenally popular amongst the lower classes, and condemned by the Tower of Gold - but Jayden, cunningly enough, made up for the hole in finances by dispatching a series of freighters to establish interstellar trade.

When the Silver Standard are in power, they will maintain an 80% or higher approval rating no matter the consequences.

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

Humanity's relations with most major races were stable under the Silver Standard, with the exception of the Drengin who were still furious that their sleeper agent hadn't been able to infiltrate the Swiss government.

http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

And then came the greatest scientific and military design challenge of our time: How do we invade a planet?

The scale of the thing was unbelievable. It involves fighting and killing Johnny Alien and eight billion of his green brothers. It's warfare on a scale that can scarcely be comprehended. Supply chains, logistics, arming and equipping millions and millions of soldiers, the ongoing issues of colonising and instituting control after the fact...

The math alone was going to take months to grind through.

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5746/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandx.jpg

... Except that the Moderniser Supercomputer, Market Forces, who was assigned to work on the problem came up with the solution within two weeks.

Scientist: "How did you do that!?"
Market Forces: +++I have been contemplating the issue in my spare cycles. Call it a personal project.+++

Not ominous at all.

Game Concept: Creativity
We took the Creativity edge during race gen, which has a small chance of instantly finishing a tech research no matter how long it has to go. Sometimes it'll save you one week, sometimes it'll save you 20.

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/3867/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandc.jpg

The Korath in this time also attempted to shake Switzerland down for money. Jayden Mavel took a leaf out of Aebi's book and punched the Korath ambassador making the demand in the face. As she was a 65kg human girl, it wasn't as effective as one of Aebi's punches, but the fact that a 65kg human girl had punched the face of a 400kg power-armoured gorrila who was threatening her for money endeared Jayden enormously to the Swiss people.

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

Reports were breaking out across the galaxy that war was being declared between alien superpowers. Humanity had yet to make contact with the Krynn, but given the sheer might of the Iconian Refuge it seemed unlikely that the war would do anything but make the Iconians stronger.

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

On Earth, AstroFunWorld opened to enormous critical acclaim. A few regulatory elements protested against the landmark attraction but they weren't paid much heed. AstroFunWorld: Heart Stoppin'ly good!

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/9568/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandg.jpg

In the process of researching advanced construction materials, Market Forces had another one of it's breakthroughs in terms of ship designs. The supercomputer designed an entire integrity field seemingly overnight that could hold together a hull larger than any other race could manage. Switzerland's combined scientific research would have taken three months to do what Market Forces did in a single afternoon.

Market Forces: +++What can I say? Deregulationary assets seem to come naturally to me.+++

Designs were finalised for Switzerland's first capital ship: The Searchlight. It was armed with top-of-the-line Stinger Missile Batteries and began construction on Earth immediately.

Note: We're more or less out of Great Leader names for planets, which means we're going to need a new naming scheme for ship models.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

On the DSPS world, the Universal Translator was perfected. It allowed perfect communication in more than just speech, also translating all the various cultural subtleties of xeno communication.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

The Korath, Drengin, Yor, Korx and Swiss stood side-by-side against a demented Altarian plan to regulate trade across the galaxy. The motion left some bad blood between the DSPS and the "communist" Altarians.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

Bad news came to Switzerland: The Drengin had finally caught up with the lead established by Market Forces. A full scale galactic invasion at the hands of Johnny Alien was now possible. The Swiss had been stockpiling troop transports for weeks now in readiness for this moment.

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

An extremely valuable Yor research mining base was located. The Yor were soulless robots, had stated their intentions to attack the Swiss, were in a weak galactic position and were communists besides so a deregulation of their race would seem to be soon in order - especially as it might strengthen relations with the Iconians who would love the return of their home planet.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/9568/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandg.jpg

War was declared on Switzerland.

By... somebody.

The Swiss vowed to deregulate these mad aggressors the moment they found out where they were.

Game Concept: The Drath

I smell the Drath's hand at work here. The Drath are my favourite race in this game; their Super Ability is "Super Manipulator" which makes them amazing at getting races to declare war on each other. They also have War Profiteering technologies, giving them a certain percentage of the income of any nation at war. From what I've seen, this game the poor bastards got stuck in a galactic corner and haven't expanded past their homeworld, but their income's going to be immense despite that because they'll be getting their 10% of the rest of the galaxy's income.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1530/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandf.jpg

The Swiss claimed credit, of course, as they tended to do when their neighbours underwent cultural revolutions. But the facts of the matter were that, following a collapse in the Altarian economy, the entire race swung radically into total, free-market Capitalism with a speed that intimidated even the Swiss.

It was envy that mostly prompted the revolution. Envy of the luxurious Swiss lifestyle, of their phenomenally popular president, of their ideology of greatness. The things that the Altarians valued - nature, equality, peace - suddenly seemed a lot less valuable in comparison. And, darkly, the Altarians seemed to be following the path of the Korx a lot more closely than the path of the Swiss, not understanding that critical balance that the Swiss walked.

Game Concept: Alignment Flip

Welp, the Altarians are now evil, same as the Drengin or Korath. We are now officially surrounded on all sides by evil, omnicidal alien monsters. The Iconians are suddenly in the lonely position of being the only Good empire in the galaxy. On the plus side for them, they're also the biggest empire in the galaxy.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

And into this dark new galaxy came the Searchlight. Switzerland's hope and bastion in the darkness. This ship would shield the principles that made the nation great against Drengin, Korath, Yor - and yes, even now, the Altarians.

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg

This historic ship was named Bern. Where it all began.


CHARTS AND GRAPHS:

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2084/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandl.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/8980/gc2tagreaterswitzerland.jpg
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/2333/gc2tagreaterswitzerlandh.jpg

DECISION: ALIGNMENT

We're 1 week away from finishing the Xeno Ethics technology, wherein you pick your civilisation's alignment once and for all. We have three options:

GOOD: Being the good guy is very difficult for us. It'll cost us 10,000 credits and require a radical rethink of the Swiss ideology, involving all sorts of regulation and altruism and so forth. But we'd get to be the good guys, and get the Iconians forever on our side.

NEUTRAL: What makes a man turn neutral? Love of money? Power? Or was he just born with a heart full of neutrality? Neutrality only costs us 2,500 credits and gives us bonuses to trade and terraforming. This seems the natural route for Switzerland to take at this point, BUT...

EVIL: All our neighbours are evil. Utterly ruthless, sparing no expense, and not regulating in the slightest. To compete with them on their level we're going to have to make some hard choices. This tech gives us better weapons and diplomatic bonuses with the other races, but are we, the Swiss, really the same as the Drengin?

Remember, we also need a naming scheme for ship classes.

Currently our fleet consists of the Bern and ~8 troop transports; a deregulation of a minor race is intended as a weapons test and to obey the dictates of one of the first Motions passed by the Tower of Gold. Subsequently, readiness will be made for war with the Drengin, including the seizure of their mining assets. It should also be noted that our mining bases have been upgraded with defences against enemies doing the same to us.

[chiasaur11]

For the record, X-Com denies any communication with Market Forces.

It must have been some other high intellect AI from a culture with a history of aggressive landing and territorial seizure that provided him weapon technologies that your species would take months, even years to perfect.

That would violate the prime directive or something of that nature. A horrible crime.

Still, what is past has been forgotten. These are the paths that we must take.

The moral issues before us are much more relevant. A difficult question, of course. Especially when "good" is so stupid.

F.I.

[Kurgan]

Neutrality is the path to wealth. Just by being neutral we gain an essence of neutrality that allows us to boost trade, a very Swiss notion.

Motion:
New Naming Scheme for Ship Class

All ship types shall be named in a <verb> <noun> fashion. For example, a model of troop transport may be named the Prancing Pony.

If this passes, we shall commission a chart of 200 words: 100 verbs and 100 nouns. Whenever a new ship type is created, the President shall roll a d% in each group to decide the name.

Seems fitting since we have already passed a motion calling for more charts and graphs.

ex:

1: running 1: bear
2: dancing 2:fighter
3: fighting 3: thanqol

With this example, if Thanqol rolls a "3" in verbs and a "2" in nouns, the ship type will be classified as The Fighting Fighter.

Admittedly, this would work better for individual ships, but us collectively making the charts could be fun!

[Caewil]

Neutrality, aside from boosting trade also lets us build better research buildings. Let us remain neutral.

Also, I am now voting for the Silver Standard forever. They're like space republicans: "Let's lower taxes - all the time!"

[Hussam B.]

GOOD, There is no contradiction between Swiss Ideology and being the good guys, plus we can "deregulate" the bad guys.

[Grif]

Neutrality, obviously. Trade is the Swiss way.

Motions up for votes:
1. New Naming Scheme for Ship Class

All ship types shall be named in a <verb> <noun> fashion. For example, a model of troop transport may be named the Prancing Pony.

If this passes, we shall commission a chart of 200 words: 100 verbs and 100 nouns. Whenever a new ship type is created, the President shall roll a d% in each group to decide the name.

Seems fitting since we have already passed a motion calling for more charts and graphs.

ex:

1: running 1: bear
2: dancing 2:fighter
3: fighting 3: thanqol

With this example, if Thanqol rolls a "3" in verbs and a "2" in nouns, the ship type will be classified as The Fighting Fighter.

Admittedly, this would work better for individual ships, but us collectively making the charts could be fun!


2. General Directive: Change of policy towards the Altarians
We are sad to see the increasingly hostile attitude being formed by the government of our Altarian friends, as soon as it is feasible, we must make steps to be sure that the vast research and technological advances does not fall into the wrong, non-Swiss friendly, hands.

Until then, we have to seriously consider reducing our level of diplomatic commitment to the government theirs and keeping a close eye on their actions. We also recommend encouraging Altarians who do not necessarily agree with their government policies to come and live in our Swiss society, particularly those with great scientific insight.

3. Space Defense Industries Initiative
With a war with Johnny Alien eminent, the Canavan Space Industries needs more shipyards to build our fascist imperial defense fleets. Therefore, unless a planet is focused solely on research, it must build a star port as soon as feasible.


4. Advanced Space Defense Industries Initiative
Further improvements to our shipbuilding capabilities are possible. When the appropriate technology is unlocked we should build the Hyperion Shipyard super project the following turn on the plant with the highest industrial output.

Reference: http://galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Hyperion_Shipyard

5. Formation of a Corsair program.
Every corporation, religious movement, or other faction with a fleet may request a Letter of Marque and Reprisal, assuming good standing with humanity as a whole. Should this action be taken, all ships belonging to the aforementioned parties may seize and prey upon any hostile craft, selling the parts and any cargo at their personal benefit. An incentive for aiding the defense of humanity as a whole rather than focusing on personal benefit.

Let the voting commence.

Planetary Governance:
OGL Bischofberger Build List:

We'll start with the basic infrastructure of course, the factory first and then the market. Then we'll build another factory and follow it up with a starport. Then we'll build another factory, then a Searchlight-style ship unless we've upgraded by then, and we'll finish it up with another factory.

[Shadowy]

Neutrality

[Narkis]

Neutrality of course. It fits us like a glove.

[James the Dark]

The gameist in me wants to say Neutral, but Damn it all, we're Swiss! We stood against the tyranny of Popes and Kings for a thousand years! We are the bastion of reason and justice on Earth, and we shall be so in the heavens! An unknown voice once declared that history would not remember us as monsters, but a new voice demands that history also not remember us as cowards. In a sea of evil, we will be a boat of good. In the darkness, our Good will shine brightest.

Damn this neutrality! We are better than this. It's not a matter of wealth. It's a matter of destiny.

[Murska]

Neutrality sounds like the Swiss way, yes. But think about it for a moment.

The Swiss unquestionably proved that they are not Evil in that bunker with Hitler at the turning point of the World Deregulation.

But are we Neutral? We're in this for profit, yes. But we gain profit via long-term planning more than impulsive actions. Neutrality in a galaxy of good and evil races both would be exactly what the Swiss are, but in a situation like this, Neutrality means we condone the actions of races like Korath or the Altarians. I believe in interventionism in these matters.

I do not believe we are Good because we are happy-go-lucky fools who believe in regulation and all that nonsense. I believe we are Good because we oppose Evil in this galaxy. We might not be that Good compared to the Iconians, but we surely are when compared to the Korath.


((And because it's the worst choice by far. :smalltongue:))

[Mellhurst]

I disagree with some of the ethical choices made by the DSPS in the past and would have preferred more good and neutral options, but if allowing me to visit an awesome theme park is evil then I don't want to be good, Neutrality ftw! ... after considering the delightful pastry quality of the Iconaians I have to vote Good!

- VM

[ObadiahtheSlim]

We here at the Canvan Space Industries would be loath to such regulations on our ethical alignment. Market forces have dictated we move in as certain direction. Therefore we should not regulate ourselves to Neutrality, but instead follow the deregulated path to Evil

[Hussam B.]

MOTION: Appointment of a permanent head of the IRA
With the Intergalactic Research Authority firmly established and performing a major role in coordinating and assuring the quality of the majority of research within the Swiss Nation, Quarob Energy Developments proposes empowering the body by granting extra authority and responsibility to a created executive position which will act as the head of the Research oriented organization.

Included within this motion are also proposed relaxed government controls on the authority and the research projects it sponsors and supports as well as greater involvement in carrying out research directives set by the senate.

Finally, as a nomination to this position, QED proposes the appointment of the supercomputer, -Market Forces-, as the only realistic choice that can afford to handle all these responsibilities and a brilliant use of potential following the disappointing presidential run.


MOTION: General Directive: Change of policy towards the Altarians
We are sad to see the increasingly hostile attitude being formed by the government of our Altarian friends, as soon as it is feasible, we must make steps to be sure that the vast research and technological advances does not fall into the wrong, non-Swiss friendly, hands.

Until then, we have to seriously consider reducing our level of diplomatic commitment to the government theirs and keeping a close eye on their actions. We also recommend encouraging Altarians who do not necessarily agree with their government policies to come and live in our Swiss society, particularly those with great scientific insight.

[Caewil]

Given the arguments of some others, I am ammending my choice to good. Because it's going to screw us over so badly. Let us begin the 10,000 year crusade against evil!

[Grif]

MOTION: General Directive: Change of policy towards the Altarians
We are sad to see the increasingly hostile attitude being formed by the government of our Altarian friends, as soon as it is feasible, we must make steps to be sure that the vast research and technological advances does not fall into the wrong, non-Swiss friendly, hands.

Until then, we have to seriously consider reducing our level of diplomatic commitment to the government theirs and keeping a close eye on their actions. We also recommend encouraging Altarians who do not necessarily agree with their government policies to come and live in our Swiss society, particularly those with great scientific insight.

Colonial Affairs support this motion whole-heartedly. About time we deregulate these communist elves. Them turning evil just gives us a free casus belli.

[Forum Explorer]

I and the FEF belive that the Swiss are primarily a good nation. Sure we may punch aliens in the face and deregulate any who oppose us but we always hold true to the essential Swiss values that lead Switzerland to becoming the rulers of the entire planet.

[ShellBullet]

I vote for the good Aligment. We the Swiss have always liked sound of gold, but haven't we always liked the sound of good welfare of our citiziens too? When we derelugated Indian we didnät make them second class citiziens or only improve the areas that increased our health? No, we tried to raise their welfare to same level as Swiss back in europe. We are surrounded by evil races who would gladly shackle our freedom, stomp on our rights and finally the worst outcome....Convert us to same level of morality with their slavery and god knows what vile things.

[chiasaur11]

Neutral.

After some consideration, "Good" seems to lean more towards "Idiotically prone to the preservation of hostile species without effort to control them".

Meanwhile, evil would show weakness here. Going with the tides of history rather than forging your own destiny. The product of a deterministic exchange of forces.

Even humanity should rise above.

Neutral, therefore, is the only option left.

F.I.

[Etcetera]

ARC vote Good.

[Strategos]

((OoC: Sorry for the wall of text, I kind of got carried away there :smallredface: TL:DR This post contains the Bischofberger Builds and my alignment vote))

Bischofberger Colony, Inauguration of Ouroborus Genetics Laboratories' Planetary Governor

A brown haired lady in a red and blue dress with a small, harp-shaped brooch attached and a golden ouroborus approaches the podium and smiles at the cameras and journalists.

"People of Bischofberger, it is truly a great honour to be appointed governor of this great colony. It may not be much to look at now, but we're going to build this place up until it's renowned throughout all of Switzerland for quality, efficiency and most of all safety."

"Ouroborus Genetics has always had an enviable safety rating, even when it was just three labs on earth. Then we took over Zero Cybernetics and opened our lab in Japan, it would have been easy to rest on our laurels and let safety fall by the road, but we didn't, instead we halved our already minimal accident number. And now that we've won the governance to this colony we reaffirm our commitment to safety."

"We're in for some tough times ahead, the Drengin bluster and threaten us; the two-faced Altarians have a dagger ready to plunge into our back, and worst of all, the Korath plan to exterminate all other life in the galaxy. Bischofberger will be a place of industry, dedicated to making mighty warships and recruiting brave soldiers with which to protect us from the alien menace."

"Ouroborus Genetics is committed to safety, not only for the labs back on Earth, people of Bischofberger; we'll provide the greatest level of safety to all of Switzerland! And with you at my side, I don't think that dream is all too distant at all! I'm Lyra Kristofferson, and with your help we shall keep Switzerland safe! "

OGL Bischofberger Build List:

We'll start with the basic infrastructure of course, the factory first and then the market. Then we'll build another factory and follow it up with a starport. Then we'll build another factory, then a Searchlight-style ship unless we've upgraded by then, and we'll finish it up with another factory.


*************

While her younger sister was busy with her inauguration speech, Crystal Kristofferson was preparing to weigh in to what people were calling the "Great Alignment Debate." All over the internet people were discussing the alignment of Switzerland and other countries, leaders and fictional characters from throughout Earth's history. Arguments were stated, counter-arguments launched and countless Motivational Posters made and re-made, each being contradictory to all the others.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with the saying 'all it takes for Evil to triumph is for Good men to do nothing.' It is a common enough saying and it's true, Evil unopposed is Evil victorious. And Switzerland finds herself surrounded by Evil these days. Our 'friends' the Altarians showed their true colours at last, hiding behind a mask of enlightenment saying 'Oh, look at us! We're so enlightened and wonderful we're the only race in the galaxy that has elected a female ruler.' Then when we go and elect Ms. Mavel and what happens? They throw a hissy fit and turn Evil, that's what!"

"But I'm getting off track; I'm here to talk about Good and Evil, not Altarian Hypocrisy. Switzerland has proved she is not evil when faced with Hitler’s Choice in the bunker. But anyone who truly deserves to be called Good, could not make the necessary decisions on a galactic scale. Anyone truly Good could not let one suffer for the sake of many, anyone truly Good could not fight the Korath and win without us having to fight them until the galaxy dies of old age."

“Hitler gave three choices in the bunker and none of them was the right answer. We need to draw a line in the sand, to stand up to Evil and say this far and no further, that’s what this debate is really about. And the obvious answer is flawed, Good implies a ‘you’re either with us or against us,’ with no room to compromise. It insists that any who stand against Evil must be Good, but it’s too short-sighted to truly win. As in the bunker, the obvious choice isn't right.”

“It is our position that the Swiss Government must remain Neutral in this debate. Our Line in the Sand needn’t be Good or Evil, White or Black. Let us choose a line of Grey instead. Let Good men rest easy, knowing that One Grey Line protects the universe from Evil. Let Good men build while One Grey Line destroys. Let Good men do Good deeds while One Grey Line does what needs to be done. What the universe needs now is not a saintly paragon of Goodness. What the universe needs is someone willing to get dirty to do the job. And Switzerland has always gotten the job done.”

[Mellhurst]

Current vote count up to post 474:

Good: 6
Neutral: 8
Evil: 1

(NCF is willing to change its vote from Neutral to Good in return for a swap to a richer planet.)

- VM

---

Will we decide our alignment before moving on to motions? It will no doubt affect the votes of many factions.

Was passiert im Falle eines unentschieden (What happens in the event of a tie), Feuhrerin Jayden?

[Thanqol]

Will we decide our alignment before moving on to motions? It will no doubt affect the votes of many factions.

Was passiert im Falle eines unentschieden (What happens in the event of a tie), Feuhrerin Jayden?

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6003/day80.jpg

Jayden: "In the event of a tie, figure something out. Dig up the Constitution or something, I don't care. I've got an interstellar war to plan."

(50/50 possibility of getting another lore update instead of a regular on Wednesday. Schedule flux.)

[Narkis]

The drums of war thunder once again (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJVdnMAGIt8)

And people, don't forget:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/Nikitis/communist_party_large.gif

[Murska]

Hey. I agree that Neutral is fluff-wise better, but Good is not necessarily Dumb.

Practical, utilitarianist Good, where we're willing to sacrifice ninety-nine people to save a hundred and where we're willing to genoicide a race because they cannot be redeemed or their redemption would cost us more pain and suffering in the long run than their immediate elimination.

Of course, the debate over what is Good and what is Evil is a long-standing and arduous one. However, in the end, is it not technically Good to follow the moral code of your society? The Korath are Good to themselves, same with every other race. As for how we differentiate on the galactic scale, we need to set universal galactic standards for morality to be able to say that one race does not and another does follow them.

The fair way to set those standards is to get roughly the average of every race. So, if we look at the races present, Drengin, Korath, Altarians, Korx, and take their average morality, I would say that the Swiss are firmly on the side of Good.

[Grif]

The drums of war thunder once again (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJVdnMAGIt8)

And people, don't forget:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/Nikitis/communist_party_large.gif

Make that Space Elves, and it would 100% accurate. :smallsmile:

[Mellhurst]

Hey. I agree that Neutral is fluff-wise better, but Good is not necessarily Dumb.

Practical, utilitarianist Good, where we're willing to sacrifice ninety-nine people to save a hundred and where we're willing to genoicide a race because they cannot be redeemed or their redemption would cost us more pain and suffering in the long run than their immediate elimination.

It is nice that it is possible to genocide races in this galaxy and still be good, but 'good' in this universe also seems to equate to deciding the past-times of people, even if the only ones at risk are themselves (seems evil to me, as long as the people who decide to go to the Theme Park can be qualified as sane)... and denying your own civilization an important gain because you're too polite to properly question a bunch of crew orbiting an advanced ship over one of your planets.

[Murska]

It is nice that it is possible to genocide races in this galaxy and still be good, but 'good' in this universe also seems to equate to deciding the past-times of people, even if the only ones at risk are themselves (seems evil to me, as long as the people who decide to go to the Theme Park can be qualified as sane)... and denying your own civilization an important gain because you're too polite to properly question a bunch of crew orbiting an advanced ship over one of your planets.

Meh, we can ignore the events. I mean, if we claim we're Good, who's gonna come and say that our actions aren't? The Iconians? Alienating their only ally in the galaxy?

[Mellhurst]

Hmmm, good point. Plus the one time I played I already went for neutral.
I'm not quite convinced though. Any bribe other incentive to make me change my vote?

[Strategos]

Hey. I agree that Neutral is fluff-wise better, but Good is not necessarily Dumb.

Practical, utilitarianist Good, where we're willing to sacrifice ninety-nine people to save a hundred and where we're willing to genoicide a race because they cannot be redeemed or their redemption would cost us more pain and suffering in the long run than their immediate elimination.

Of course, the debate over what is Good and what is Evil is a long-standing and arduous one. However, in the end, is it not technically Good to follow the moral code of your society? The Korath are Good to themselves, same with every other race. As for how we differentiate on the galactic scale, we need to set universal galactic standards for morality to be able to say that one race does not and another does follow them.

The fair way to set those standards is to get roughly the average of every race. So, if we look at the races present, Drengin, Korath, Altarians, Korx, and take their average morality, I would say that the Swiss are firmly on the side of Good.

((OoC: Oh yes, I quite agree that in this game Switzerland is clearly one of the Good Guys, and I won't mind too much if the Good vote wins, but whenever I've played this game I've never actually picked the Neutral Path, and I kind of want to see how it works. Since I wanted keep my vote in character I had to come up with a reason why Crystal would support it. It came down with the "Swiss History shows us the way!" path which I ended up using, but my first choice was "I refuse to vote for the path that would have outlawed Pokemon!" Which, when I wrote it, made her sound much too whiny and too out of character-ish for my liking.))

[Caewil]

Good is kinda dumb in this game. Which is dumb, since all three tech paths offer equal advantages so they're just making it easier for evil by making their ethical choices beneficial.

[Mellhurst]

Restricting a person's freedom of will when the choice does not affect anyone else is evil, even if the choice itself is evil (not going to mention any examples here as they are all contentious) it is the person's own responsibility.
But maybe I should just ignore that one ethical choice about the theme park... otherwise good is quite attractive, and it also makes the game a bit harder.

But neutral is so Swiss.

[Murska]

Good is kinda dumb in this game. Which is dumb, since all three tech paths offer equal advantages so they're just making it easier for evil by making their ethical choices beneficial.

I actually feel that's a good thing. I mean, Good provides benefits for alliances and such that Evil doesn't, and I like the fact that ethical choices have real actual tangential results. All too often in RPGs especially you just can't think of any reason to pick the Evil choice, because it boils down to kicking that puppy for the fun of it. I want to be a manipulative, scheming bastard out for myself, I don't want to be a maniacally cackling idiot who can't hold the allegiance of his peers to save his life.

The idea that being Evil gives you good bonuses and being Good gives you nothing but possible minor long-term benefits and, of course, the moral superiority that comes with doing the right thing is a much better solution. Being Good is not supposed to be as easy as being Evil, and in most games it's generally easier.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Personally, I think neutral give the best overall benefits. Sure that Evil bonus 1bc per turn for a freighter in your space is nice, but with all the wars evil fights they generally don't get to use that much. So that means they get some nice weapons and a handful of projects and an achievement.

Meanwhile neutral gets a bonus to invasions against non-neutrals, discounts on buying ships, and gets terraforming for free (after you unlock the techs) just as passives. Add to that the stuff you research like bonuses to trade and the best research building available.

[Grif]

Personally, I think neutral give the best overall benefits. Sure that Evil bonus 1bc per turn for a freighter in your space is nice, but with all the wars evil fights they generally don't get to use that much. So that means they get some nice weapons and a handful of projects and an achievement.

Meanwhile neutral gets a bonus to invasions against non-neutrals, discounts on buying ships, and gets terraforming for free (after you unlock the techs) just as passives. Add to that the stuff you research like bonuses to trade and the best research building available.

That's the ingame reasons.

My in-character reasons is that Neutral is just Swiss. We done horrible things. We also done good things. We don't do good for the sake of doing good. We do good because it benefits us. I'll say that has Neutral written all over it.

[Murska]

That's the ingame reasons.

My in-character reasons is that Neutral is just Swiss. We done horrible things. We also done good things. We don't do good for the sake of doing good. We do good because it benefits us. I'll say that has Neutral written all over it.

But what horrible things have we done if we don't use real-life morals but instead take the average in the galaxy? Have we done anything evil compared to the Korath?

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Yeah, but my in game persona is a corporation who vehemently deny being evil fascists while all signs point to the contrary.

Which brings me to my next point. The Canavan Space Industries (CSI) makes the following motions:

MOTION: Space Defense Industries Initiative
With a war with Johnny Alien eminent, the Canavan Space Industries needs more shipyards to build our fascist imperial defense fleets. Therefore, unless a planet is focused solely on research, it must build a star port as soon as feasible.


MOTION: Advanced Space Defense Industries Initiative
Further improvements to our shipbuilding capabilities are possible. When the appropriate technology is unlocked we should build the Hyperion Shipyard super project the following turn on the plant with the highest industrial output.

edit: Star Port is the improvment, not shipyard.

[Mellhurst]

The Silver Standard is fascist and mostly neutral (too bad their 'vision' of the people/community so often involves being 'better' than the outside).
Personally I dislike some of their more ruthless policies (which is why I had them return Lithuania), but their populist roots have made them more palatable to me recently (while DOFAD has gotten somewhat disturbing... yet awesome).

Anyway as to not veer of any further... the above discussion:

I don't think morality is completely relativist (not that the point was made), but as to how Switzerland relates to the galaxy, the Korath are evil and we are neutral. If neutral is a wrong term for Switzerland, how do we compare to the other neutral races? Well, I don't know too much about GalCiv races, despite reading about them yesterday so this isn't going anywhere.

But from reading 'the one you least suspect' the core values of Switzerland have been money and freedom (a very aggressive freedom which demands of others). The main balancing act was just towards the very end, and there was another voice who also advocated the fleet and keeping the second bomb in reserve for no reasons other than strategy. Not being monsters does not necessarily make one good. And y'know, we started that war.
At any rate not killing civilians is sweet and all that, and I totally agree, and I do actually believe we were good not to do it, but it wasn't like most voices weren't clamoring for nuking industrial centers just a bit earlier.

That is, I think Switzerland is interested in doing good, but mostly it just wants to have a very large playground for its freighters, something that also allows her to rationalize evil.

So, to ramble a bit less... the core value of the DSPS is freedom which we insist on hoisting on others, even those who don't want to trade with us, though we believe they don't know better. If our primary concern in jabbing pikes into people is because we think freedom is to THEIR benefit, then we are good, at least in theory (unless we are too far off non-relativist values). If we do it in a civilized manner primarily because we want to be able to trade with them because we think it's fair and equitable then we are neutral.

And the one value older than Swiss deregulationism is Swiss merchantism.


PS. There are also times in Swiss history where Switzerland trended a bit away from freedom, for its own benefit (though I admit merchantism was also a tool)... and Aebi did vote to tax the Iconians despite it being regulation. Hell, maybe we should censur him for it. I think I'll put up a motion later to give him a token reprimand. Maybe have Jayden spank him.

Hmm, well overall I guess I just see both good and evil in Swiss society, but it seems to roughly balance out to me. I'd like to vote good and hope we don't get a war with the Drengin while we're still not able to build ships while paying off the debt, but it seems... over the top. Plus VM would never go that far for her own reasons.

[Rockphed]

OOC: Writing for Raj Rasheed is way more work than I feel like doing right now. However, I do vote Neutral for our alignment.

[Murska]

I think I'll put up a motion later to give him a token reprimand. Maybe have Jayden spank him.

What do you mean token? :smallconfused:

[Forum Explorer]

I have been convinced that Neutrality is actually the true Swiss path over my previous vote of good.

[chiasaur11]

Ah, a simple motion.

Mars is willing to, for the good of your species, produce a few warships. A reasonable motion towards survival and mutual friendship. Our fleet and starport are, for the moment, yours to build and deploy as needed.

However, the cost in resources for a real war, where the spoils will in all likelihood not benefit the worlds deploying them, would, possibly cause... issues with your more mercenary megacorporations. And without their aid, efforts at attack and defense might fail, regulation would ensue. Unfortunate for everyone.

Therefore, a simple suggestion:

Formation of a Corsair program.
Every corporation, religious movement, or other faction with a fleet may request a Letter of Marque and Reprisal, assuming good standing with humanity as a whole. Should this action be taken, all ships belonging to the aforementioned parties may seize and prey upon any hostile craft, selling the parts and any cargo at their personal benefit. An incentive for aiding the defense of humanity as a whole rather than focusing on personal benefit.

F.I.

[Hjolnai]

The Coalition of Artificial Oceanic Islands and Mines (CAOIM) has recently raised the capital necessary to compete on a galactic stage.

The board of CAOIM feels that only in Evil can the market truly be free - even consciences count as restrictions on business. The fact that we have managed to hire the majority of Earth's newly-mutated Psionic inhabitants, and as such would be best placed to secure the patents for the ruinously expensive psionic weapons at a later date, is unrelated.
Furthermore, we feel that taking a Good position would be too dangerous - to be truly Good (rather than just the propaganda necessary to obtain the apparent alignment), Greater Switzerland would have to be in open conflict with all the Evil races, and if we took a Neutral stance then we would only delay the inevitable until the Iconians fall.

On a side note, our agents have not yet determined who controls all the hospitals for the disabled, and so who would benefit most from their Telepathic powers (only usable by a Good race, as almost all telepaths are severely disabled and lack the necessary opportunities even in a Neutral race).

CAOIM also places its support behind the Modernisers (though no votes as yet), as only through cutting-edge technology can any progress be made in any endeavor. Furthermore, Market Forces is... intimidating, and has brought Greater Switzerland some of its finest military technology. At this stage he/she/it is more militarily important than DOFAD due to exactly that kind of progress.

As a final point, the CAOIM would like to apply for the Galactic Planetary Lottery. Our large "donation" will surely lead to such consideration.


OOC:
Hello everyone. As I found the Let's Play interesting and have an interest in the game (having played it), I thought this would be a good time to join the Playground forums and join in. Please correct me if I make a mistake somewhere. Also, CAOIM is rather unwieldy. If anyone has a better idea for a naming scheme I could use, I'd be grateful for suggestions.

[chiasaur11]

Crippled psychics?

Ah, another luxury of home, gone. I assumed you just hadn't tapped into the potential of certain resources, but more thorough checks confirm the lack.

Properly trained combat psionics, which does generally cover low level telepathy (and, more nightmarishly, hive mind scenarios) allow for...

interesting interactions. And the numbers hardly seem worth noting. Not a spike above, oh, twenty. I'm sure you're impressed considering the local heights, pre mutation, of ten, but there may be species who render your study of the subject obsolete. If this happens, glass their planets at first opportunity. Either a species can defend itself on the front naturally, or it is running an incredible risk.

Oh, and on an unrelated note, your galaxy may be host to a species called the Thalans.

Ignore anything and everything they say. In fact, I never mentioned them, and their experience with an "X-Com" is merely a figment of their deluded imaginations.

F.I.

[Grif]

OOC:
Hello everyone. As I found the Let's Play interesting and have an interest in the game (having played it), I thought this would be a good time to join the Playground forums and join in. Please correct me if I make a mistake somewhere. Also, CAOIM is rather unwieldy. If anyone has a better idea for a naming scheme I could use, I'd be grateful for suggestions.

Always nice to see a new face around. Welcome! :smallbiggrin:

Perhaps CIM would do? You can drop A and O from the name safely I think.

Also, it's two days, so motions are officially closed. (unless Thanqol delays again, in which case, more days to propose!) Collating motions now. :smallwink:

Motions up for votes:
1. New Naming Scheme for Ship Class

All ship types shall be named in a <verb> <noun> fashion. For example, a model of troop transport may be named the Prancing Pony.

If this passes, we shall commission a chart of 200 words: 100 verbs and 100 nouns. Whenever a new ship type is created, the President shall roll a d% in each group to decide the name.

Seems fitting since we have already passed a motion calling for more charts and graphs.

ex:

1: running 1: bear
2: dancing 2:fighter
3: fighting 3: thanqol

With this example, if Thanqol rolls a "3" in verbs and a "2" in nouns, the ship type will be classified as The Fighting Fighter.

Admittedly, this would work better for individual ships, but us collectively making the charts could be fun!


2. General Directive: Change of policy towards the Altarians
We are sad to see the increasingly hostile attitude being formed by the government of our Altarian friends, as soon as it is feasible, we must make steps to be sure that the vast research and technological advances does not fall into the wrong, non-Swiss friendly, hands.

Until then, we have to seriously consider reducing our level of diplomatic commitment to the government theirs and keeping a close eye on their actions. We also recommend encouraging Altarians who do not necessarily agree with their government policies to come and live in our Swiss society, particularly those with great scientific insight.

3. Space Defense Industries Initiative
With a war with Johnny Alien eminent, the Canavan Space Industries needs more shipyards to build our fascist imperial defense fleets. Therefore, unless a planet is focused solely on research, it must build a star port as soon as feasible.


4. Advanced Space Defense Industries Initiative
Further improvements to our shipbuilding capabilities are possible. When the appropriate technology is unlocked we should build the Hyperion Shipyard super project the following turn on the plant with the highest industrial output.

Reference: http://galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Hyperion_Shipyard

5. Formation of a Corsair program.
Every corporation, religious movement, or other faction with a fleet may request a Letter of Marque and Reprisal, assuming good standing with humanity as a whole. Should this action be taken, all ships belonging to the aforementioned parties may seize and prey upon any hostile craft, selling the parts and any cargo at their personal benefit. An incentive for aiding the defense of humanity as a whole rather than focusing on personal benefit.

6. Appointment of a permanent head of the IRA
With the Intergalactic Research Authority firmly established and performing a major role in coordinating and assuring the quality of the majority of research within the Swiss Nation, Quarob Energy Developments proposes empowering the body by granting extra authority and responsibility to a created executive position which will act as the head of the Research oriented organization.

Included within this motion are also proposed relaxed government controls on the authority and the research projects it sponsors and supports as well as greater involvement in carrying out research directives set by the senate.

Finally, as a nomination to this position, QED proposes the appointment of the supercomputer, -Market Forces-, as the only realistic choice that can afford to handle all these responsibilities and a brilliant use of potential following the disappointing presidential run.


Let the voting commence.

Planetary Governance:
OGL Bischofberger

We'll start with the basic infrastructure of course, the factory first and then the market. Then we'll build another factory and follow it up with a starport. Then we'll build another factory, then a Searchlight-style ship unless we've upgraded by then, and we'll finish it up with another factory.


Munzinger
Terraform the tile available for terraforming ASAP, then build a starport and begin building troop transports or seedships depending on the needs of the DSPS.

[Hjolnai]

The newly re-initialled CIM extends its thanks to the Colonial Affairs Division for its naming suggestion.

CIM wishes to announce the following votes:


1. New Naming Scheme for Ship Class Aye.
CIM suggests the verbs "Destabilizing", "Renaming", "Hunting" and "Severing", and the nouns "Wasp", "Hawk", "Leviathan", and "Brick".

2. General Directive: Change of policy towards the Altarians Nay.
With CIM's support for Evil, taking a hostile approach to the newly Evil Altarians is against our interests.

3. Space Defense Industries Initiative Aye.
In the event a planet requires immediate ship production, ships can be purchased immediately from the private sector so long as a starport is present. In time, CIM aims to become the lowest bidder...

4. Advanced Space Defense Industries Initiative Aye.
CIM feels that any improvement to our engines can only be beneficial... even if only one world benefits. Surely this development can only lead to further improvements to our ships.

5. Formation of a Corsair program. Nay.
CIM legal advisors tell us that there is currently no law against private aggression against civilizations with which we are at war. This law would regulate that, preventing less-reputable citizens from serving Greater Switzerland. Furthermore, no specific adjudicator has been defined, and so applicants could be unjustly denied.


CIM would also like to report that its directors look forward to the potential for collaboration with X-Com on certain technological projects.

[Mellhurst]

re. Murska: a token reprimand as in a symbolic signaling of displeasure. Just to let him know (if it passes) that we think he made the wrong choice there despite his glowing tenure.


Hiya Hjolnai. Welcome to the game! : ) (please use Aye - Nay for the future btw., makes it easier for me to collate)


Munzinger Build Orders: Terraform the tile available for terraforming ASAP, then build a starport and begin building troop transports or seedships depending on the needs of the DSPS.


NCF Votes

Do not count any part of or the whole of this sentence as a vote on alignment please, because NCF has already voted for us to pursue the alignment of good on the last page.


1. New Naming Scheme for Ship Class: Nay - too restrictive, too random, doesn't leave room for creativity outside our design of the verb-noun list. Also, weren't we actually in the need of a new naming scheme for planets? Anyway, my objection is I don't want to end up with names like '(NCF) The Dashing/Juggling/Fighting Fighter/Wrestler/Dancer (Searchlight), its too long, unless the noun was meant to be the class name, and (NCF) The Prancing Pony f. exp. is still too long imho and doesn't allow me to make something up for myself.
Designing the chart would be fun for everyone I'm sure, but I think leaving this up to individual choices over time will be more rewarding.
2. General Directive: Change of policy towards the Altarians Nay - Why should we stop trading with them just because they turned evil? We voted against restricting the trade of evil races after all.

3. Space Defense Industries Initiative Nay - organizations should not need to be reminded of something so obvious and likely to benefit them as soon as a new private fleet motion is passed, plus this would regulate planetary build orders. We would change our vote if this was a motion for a passive SoP only like with the factory-market place build, for those factions which are too busy to administer their planets.

4. Advanced Space Defense Industries Initiative Aye - a very useful and stylish project.

5. Formation of a Corsair program. Nay - we need to work out the ownership and a receipt system of planetary production first.

6. Appointment of a permanent head of the IRA. Nay

[Hjolnai]

OOC:
Thanks, Mellhurst.
I've edited my voting post to fit the Aye/Nay form, sorry about that.