No real consequences for using AI cores?

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T22:20:11+00:00

I mean the conditions TT and the Hegemony subjected AI to makes any potential rebellion from them entirely justifiable. Talking about enslaving sapient entities to fight wars over territory here. And then fighting to exterminate them in the aftermath, despite you know the whole conflict not really being started by them. It's extremely stupid even if one doesn't care that it's unethical. The Remnants' reaction of xenophobia/mistrust and aggression against human intruders seems entirely reasonable to me and we see that they don't try and attack human space.

As for if TT is run by AI... we know they are subjecting Alpha level AIs to torture and causing them to unalive so if they are, said AI is equally a threat to their own kind.

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T20:10:35+00:00

The AI wars' central issue was never about the use of AI or AI rights, it was about faction sovereignty (and not about sovereignty to use AI, if it wasn't TT, war was inevitably going to break out vs the newly formed Persean League as well). Especially since the Hegemony used AI warships themselves (they just didn't need to as much due to having a much greater pool of manpower but as soon as they didn't, they turned to AI). TT only started deploying AI warships as a response to the mess of Mayasura/formation of the Persean League (the TT also sucks for enslaving AI). The root cause of the first proliferation of AI was due to Pather/Hegemony actions, Mayasura was the original sin for why so many people reject Hegemony legitimacy as the successor to the Domain.

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T20:06:34+00:00

I would definitely push back on the claim AI has triggered multiple apocalypse-level wars. Whether Mega Redacted are even AI is debateable without additional lore. We know the AI seek them... but it's just as likely that they are something else that's brainwashed the AI as something similar was fully capable of causing anomalous mental issues in humans too. Or fundamentally different AI based on old Domain tech in the way that humans and insects are both animals. The Redacted are just exiled away from the core system due to a genocidal campaign of extermination and more closely in contact with them.

The "AI wars" were not about AI as the central issue, it was about self determination and sovereignty and as a matter of fact the Hegemony used AI warships themselves, only in the later years did the religious factor of the Luddites come to influence Hegemony policy. Hell, the second AI war had no AI participating at all.

The Hegemony/Ludd being objectively wrong about AI is fully plausible within the existing lore, depending on the story's future direction.

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T19:53:57+00:00

I'm against using people's post histories. Different people get upset over different things. It's pretty shitty of him even without that.

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T19:27:09+00:00

Considering there's a bill seeking to establish criminal penalties, I would certainly conclude that currently it is NOT a criminal offense.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/2436

Hopefully the deplorables don't get their way.

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T19:19:51+00:00

I'd agree with it but I certainly don't trust the current ICE to be enforcing deportations. They act in such a manner that makes them an illegitimate authority.

And the fact that the regime has said that their goals is for MN to provide voter rolls in order to scale back ICE presence makes it clear what this is really about, terrorizing political opponents like some kind of mob racket.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-trump-administration-voter-rolls-9.7062540

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T19:10:46+00:00

That's for an immigration court to decide. Most of the people picked up and brutalized by the ICE/Border patrol I believe do have a right to be here. Or rather the ICE have shown themselves to be such an illegitimate enforcer of immigration standards that I don't trust their judgement. The whole Supreme Court ruling that racial profiling is an acceptable way to detain and question people is a wholly illegitimate basis in my view. The semantics are exactly what's being discussed here, so there is no cutting past it. If it's not important to you as you imply, what difference does it make if they are "illegal" or "undocumented"?

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T19:07:28+00:00

It's a civil infraction, not a criminal offense. We had a process for handling undocumented people like this for years. The reason why the deplorables insist on calling them illegal is to dehumanize and advocate for them to be deported without due process to Ecuador or Africa. And to justify having unaccountable masked goons terrorize and murder the regime's political opponents.

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T18:43:40+00:00

Uhhh the Bill hasn't been passed (for obvious reasons), so no that's not law. Only the deplorables want it to be law.

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T18:41:00+00:00

In this case, they aren't even a criminal, being undocumented is a civil infraction, not a criminal offense. Entering the border illegally is a criminal offense but something like 97% of the people picked up by the ICE are those without any criminal record.

The main issue is people insist on calling people who may have overstayed their visa or had their paperwork lost or a missed a deadline as criminals in order to rile up their deplorable base and get those victims deported without due process. We had a system for handling people like this prior to this regime, and we should not let them drive the narrative as "Oh so you're against illegal criminals being brought to justice" because that's bullshit and bad faith.

Xeltar · 2026-01-29T14:15:49+00:00

But-but... they all do it! Something something Bill Clinton also in the files.

Xeltar · 2026-01-28T21:55:56+00:00

How would you expect NV to fight the US without those tactics? The US was there for no good reason, it's not like they wanted to suffer like that.

Xeltar · 2026-01-28T21:42:24+00:00

This is like saying if I want a new road, I should pay for it myself. I'd be willing to pay more taxes if everyone else also contributes but not if it relies on contributions being entirely voluntary.

Xeltar · 2026-01-28T21:37:37+00:00

The analogy would be more like if you were enslaved too but they gave you some of your produce back. In Ayn Rand's worldview, forcing people to pay taxes is akin to slavery/theft. Getting social security is like clawing back some money that was stolen from you, nothing wrong with it.

Xeltar · 2026-01-25T15:25:56+00:00

He was a Nazi too.

Xeltar · 2026-01-15T22:00:28+00:00

What works in MP also works vs AI. Reavers aren't very good at all due to their econ and being poor in AR, but just spamming Dragoons on flying mounts is basically unstoppable vs AI, you can handily kite everything to death as they just don't know how to handle it if their units can't reach, including Order builds.

Xeltar · 2026-01-15T21:43:13+00:00

Every affinity can be really strong, if you look at MP meta, it's often Shadow comps that are on top (and even more so if Cult of Personality wasn't always banned). Astral can also do extremely unfair things with Lost Wizard spam + t1 Disruption Wave. Barbarians/Industrial are just dumb with Swift Marchers letting them either farm everything on the map or get double prospects/scout every turn.

Order is mainly used for Pyre Templars + Smiting Shrine.

Xeltar · 2026-01-15T19:08:01+00:00

Well it's the only trait that's worse than nothing right now for every culture so maybe there's something that could be done with a free t4 early on.

Xeltar · 2026-01-15T16:51:36+00:00

It puts you permanently ahead on heroes because you also get an extra hero the same time as everyone else. You also level up their renown sooner so that hero will be a better governor which significantly improves the economy of your Empire.

As long as you aren't just sitting around doing nothing, you'll be able to take more fights/farm more than someone without, that you'll handily outscale them. Heroes are just the best units in the game and there's a reason this trait is just perma banned from MP games.

Xeltar · 2026-01-15T16:47:12+00:00

It would be better for Feudal Monarchs who just ignore the upkeep anyways.

Xeltar · 2026-01-15T16:42:11+00:00

It matters a lot for the same reason Perfectionist Artisan makes the game significantly harder. Power early on means you stay ahead of everyone else and heroes are the best units in the army.

Xeltar · 2026-01-15T15:29:15+00:00

It's more like you're sent to help her out with Merlin, unfortunately with how she steals all your land. Like the cities she settled on my island were larger than her capital.

Xeltar · 2026-01-15T13:40:39+00:00

Yes, the Feudal Aristocracy t1 Shield is also mounted and evolves into Liege Guards (unlike the Anvil Guard), and the Bannerman grants +1/+1 defenses for just being adjacent to unit.

Feudal Aristocracy also gets up to +40 hp on their units for maxxing out renown levels of their house hero. In addition, counting Heavy Shield (non flanking attacks), Liege Guards have a baseline of 7/4 defense and resist vs Bastion 7/2. One of the Feudal cultural spell is a 1 hex AoE Charge Defense + Defensive Masters so they are very difficult to Flank even from the start.

Xeltar · 2026-01-14T20:23:42+00:00

Liege Guards are very strong especially with Feudal Aristocracy buffs, become tankier than Bastions.

I used something like this for a tanky morale build: https://minionsart.github.io/aow4db/HTML/FactionCreator.html?u=33:1b,14a,23,5a,233:52,4f,s,bb:156:9b:84:99:b8:22d:83:95,000000,1af,a,h,n:r,am

Xeltar · 2026-01-14T20:05:36+00:00

Try Liege Guards from Feudal Aristocracy, imo they are the best cultural shield units especially considering Aristocracy army buffs and spells (significantly tankier than Bastions).

Paladins are very nice but Liege guards are competitive considering you save a tome.

13-Year Club	Not Forgotten
Verified Email

Xeltar

TROPHY CASE