Hello everyone: senators, ex-senators, PA, non-PA and the like.

Its been fun reading the updates on how the game has come along. Witnessing the FlagBridge results were inspiring. It's also mind boggling to see the potential of gates.

I miss playing (or more specifically, reading the turn results...not so much wrangling my spreadsheets and parsing data from them ) Sadly, my free time is ultra limited. I tried a minor comeback a few months ago and real life deadlines were simply too daunting to make my turn deadlines. The only way I'd return is to slow play a newbie position (flirting with it...but I'd only pull the trigger once I made a commitment to STAY with the new position)

So: anyone else starting this turn cycle or next?

If I restart, I'm looking to upgrade to large trees, instead of sunflowers But I would still plan on breeding like rabbits (or weeds) (I'll save maybe 300srp this run, what the hell)

In the meantime, I was considering the game "Sins of a Solar Empire." Has anyone tried it?

Lastly, I find the whole TG thing quite amusing in the other threads. Based on what I remember - if the real TG (Death Machine group from SN II, right?) were around, they would have made their organized presence known before now. If they ARE around: I toast an Ale81 to ya.

Welcome Back! (maybe )

There seems to have been a big number of new positions last turn, so you would have some company.And I expect Santa SRP on the second September turn, so do not take to long to consider

And wasn't the PA the Death Machine Group from SN II?

Santa in Sept? Hmmmmm

Crud. (Looks at $10 in wallet) Well, I was planning on ditching diet sodas anyhow Ok. I'll send something in.

As for the Tennessee thing...Wayne..8-12 in Knoxville area...pretty open about their affiliation.

Yeah I think the DMachine dudes were Robert Bunker etc...have to dig in a box in Colorado to verify.

If Norm Anderson is still around (PA), he might remember, too.

As my brother and I recall, the Tennessee group was a great, fun bunch of guys who were tough as nails. They weren't smack talkers or even cocky. Southern Gentlemen. The posts from TG seem a bit...uncharacteristic?

Ok so here we go....

Empire Name: Proliferation Voluns Arachnida

Fleets will be flying under the following banner: Green Skull Held Between A Pair Of Mandibles

Description: A ferocious two-headed flying spider approaches: poison oozing from its mandibles, innards of another creature dripping from its heavy
pincers.

See you newbs soon!

So much for big trees

The whole plant thing...had to turn over a new leaf.

And fast breeding fying spiders emerged from under the leaf

Welcome back E4. Although some things have changed, it is pretty much the same since you left.

They sound friendly :-)

Not!
I've always considered spiders friends of the house wherever I've lived - sounds like I need to watch out for these ones.

Spiders are crucial for a balanced ecosystem. I've seen lots and lots of lesser insect races back in the core, and beyond.

Queen Phaedra does allow for diplomacy, however. No need to foreclose a trade route with like-minded neighbors.

Question is....turtle for a year? Or branch out?

I keep being tempted by Sins of a Solar Empire, but then I run into "Real Time Simulation", which I interpret as "The Fastest Clicker Wins" and pass it by. I like a turn-based simulation, and acknowledge I am just not good at, nor do I enjoy "being on the clock".

Hear hear Pierre. RTS games (Real Time Strategy) games have almost NOTHING to do with strategy. It starts as a slow paced click fest and as more and more units are constructed, then turns into a fast paced 'click fest' where very little strategy is involved. Sadly it's what 'strategy gamers' now days want... ugh. The horror, the horror.

Excellent game. No DRM so don't pirate it please (Need license number for upgrades/patches). RTS but you can control the "clock" so not really a click-fest although you'll do plenty of clicking. Decent AI. Also fun to play "cooperative" with friends against the AI. Nice 3D graphics but still runs on fairly modest hardware including decent laptops. Expansion adds things like starbases. Recommended.

Beware the Novalith Cannon.

P.S. Welcome Back

Greetings and welcome back Eternus!

Thanks for the review Paradigm. Howdy Hob Knob!

So besides Cestvel, anybody else managed to clean up my old empires?

Anybody else recently started or thinking about a restart?

Be a shame to colonize all those shiny new worlds all by our lonesome....

As for Sins...going to hold off for a bit. Might look at the Galactic Civ II expacs instead.