Best EMP Set Up.

[TurinTurambar]

Dr. Alneyan, if you weren't in France I'd invite you over for the Christmas holidays for a week and pick your brain about SE:IV mechanics the whole time!

Is there anything you don't know?

Turin

[Alneyan]

Well, feel free to send the plane ticket, along with the booking for the closest suite in the vicinity. My fees are quite abordable incidentally.

I couldn't set up a working military if my life depended on it, my strategies are *Coughs* less than optimal *Coughs* (read, Don't Get Hurt for warships is a common strategy), and I can manage to lose even with overwhelming odds on my side, due to a small mistake in tactics. In fact, I would be very worried if I didn't actually lose key battles, while quietly glassing enemy planets.

That, and I am still busy figuring out how to beat certain players. (Asmala, Joachim and Primitive, at the very least, are quite my nemeses, and do not have this annoying military incompetency) And some of my opinions are not exactly shared by most players, so you might want to ask someone else, and, above all, to try out the nice theories in actual practice. (For example, I seldom use Heavy Mounts on Light Carrier, and would not consider Advanced Storage to be mandatory for short games, but I am digressing once more)

And I have forgotten mentioning my inability to handle the late game (where you have baseships by the thousand, full tech, and scores with eight figures), among other things.

[Atrocities]

Oh come on guys, there has to be a combination that is better than most and is your personal Favorites. Stop being evasive and post what you would do if you were setting up a 2k, 3k, and 5k empire with no rules, and all is fair.

[Fyron]

Atrocities said:
Oh come on guys, there has to be a combination that is better than most and is your personal Favorites. Stop being evasive and post what you would do if you were setting up a 2k, 3k, and 5k empire with no rules, and all is fair.

I wasn't evasive. Follow the link I posted.

[PvK]

For competetive play, use a mod that balances the costs better than the default set.

For my opinions, you can check the readme for PvK Balance mod (see link below).

There were some variations and a few possible approaches in the unmodded game, but there were many that were grossly over- or under-valued. Advanced Storage Techniques was probably the most undervalued. Combat bonuses and construction bonuses, and maintenance, were the other most important and cheap to get.

My favorite competetive setups were either my typical "all-out combat bonuses" configuration, or my "all-out swarm" configuration. In the Universe Cup, the only configuration and strategy that beat my "all-out combat bonuses" design was "all-out construction with as much combat bonuses", led by two players who were really good at rapid mass production, and good at other aspects as well. Nothing ever really defeated my swarm, but I only used it in three games.

PvK

[Atrocities]

I did not mean it in a bad way and was not directed at any one. Just trying to challenge people into giving up their secrets, thats all.

[bearclaw]

I personally enjoy Temporal race. 4x dmg to shields really does an impressive number. Especially on large ships which may have huge shields.

And I also can't get enough of the Temporal Shipyards. But I almost never pick Temporal with a 2k game. 3k mostly and always with 5k. Jack up mineral mining and shipyard rates, add Hardy Industrialists and I end up with a homeworld that can crank out a construction rate of 16k/16k/16k towards the end of the game.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

What's the 'all-out swarm' configuration?

[Suicide Junkie]

That would be maxxed build rate. You pump out ships twice as fast as the other guy, and overcome the combat bonuses with sheer numbers.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ah. Thanks.