Game Strategies

[Resident Alien]

Is anybody interested in a general game strategy thread?

[Resident Alien]

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Originally posted by Resident Alien:
Is anybody interested in a general game strategy thread?

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Here's some of my humble strategies to start with:
1. I always pick Natural Merchant attribute. The best one to have in my opinion. No need to build Space Ports, saves a facility spot in each system, resources are imediately available from new colonies. Systems cannot be cut off by loss of Space Port.

2. On first turn scrap 2 x mineral miner facilities on each homeworld. Build mineral, radioactive and organic storage to replace them, ratio would be something like 3:1:1. Bank as much of each resource as possible in the early years. Keep building storage, scrap facilities if you need more space.

3. Decide policy themes for research. If military focus decide what size ship and weapons you want to focus on for your early, middle and late game basic attack ships. Then work your way towards them through the tech tree.

4. The smaller the map and the higher the number of AI's there are, the more focus on military techs you need. In a small map, high number of races, you wil be running into them early on. On a large map with few races then you can focus more on resource gathering and economical techs (eg. robo factory, computer complexes etc.)

5. Build 3 x Escort size ships, no weapons and with supply storage, and send out to explore as soon as possible. I turn on the Explorer minister and set each ship to minister control.

6. Build lots of colonies is obvious. More colonies => more resources => more ships => victory.
Pick up the Special worlds to get the research bonuses.

7. First contact. Offer a trade alliance to gauge mood and personality. A strong refusal probably means trouble sooner or later. I always try to build a trading relationships in early game. Of course if you have a battle fleet available, and they look weak.........

8. In strategic combat I have found that direct fire ships have the advantage over missile ships. There's no stand off missile duels, it's all close in combat and shooting every turn wins. Get to Proj Weapons V as soon as possible if you don't intend to resolve with tactical combat. Phased Poloron beams are nasty, phased shields are quite a way up the shield tech line. Grav Hellbore looks meaty, especially with Heavy/Massive mounts.

9. I defend planets with Weapons Platforms and ships. No satellites or bases. Use sats for recon or remote mining, bases for construction yards.

10. Stealth armour is nice to get. Gives defense bonus and low level cloak.

[God Emperor]

An alternative strategy that I employ is as follows;

1) Leave you homeworld alone intially. Pump out 5 satellites and a transport equipped with two satellite pods and say three supply bays. Send the transport off exploring whilst you pump out a colony ship each turn. Occaisionally, pump out another 5 satellites and a transport.

The transport ship (equipped with satellites) is a good craft as it can travel a long way and if it bumps into someone agressive, you just choose the launch units option to fire off two defensive satellites each combat round. Against a human, this will early on result in a stalemate combat, the computer though usually comes gunning in after your transport and dies.

2) tech wise, I usually like to get armour fairly early (helps you to get through the blackhole affected warp points) and beefs up your satellites. Capital missile 2 tech is also one of my early favourites. Upgrading projectile weapon tech is a must.

3) Trait-wise, I quite like the reduced maintenance option, propulsion, happiness and research as my options.

4) I also like to go to Trade Alliance with any one willing to do so and am happy to go to partnership with anyone who uses a different planet type to me (eg Rock vs Gas vs Ice) Against human players though, I might be a little more discerning....

Anyway, those are my early game tips....

[Tomgs]

1) For Racial traits I like propulsion expert and advanced storage technics. Sometimes I use organic instead of the propulsion if I want a more challenging early game. This is all with a low technology start. Organic and Crystalline are very powerful if all technologies are maxxed at the beggining.

2) I agree with scrapping some facilities on your homeworld to build storage units and then on your first planet colonized at least also build lots of storage those "free" supplies come in handy later.

3) My research queue is first cargo, then ship building, then missles, repeat on divide evenly off. This is with a 3 world start. I would start the same with 1 world but it would take a bit longer.

4) Build as many Colonizers as you have planets you can colonize. Colonize in order breathable worlds, then the largest Unbreathable worlds working your way down in size although large is usually as small as I go for those unless worlds are very rare or it has some special technology.

5) Build explorers I favor Destroyer bodies as soon as they are availiable with one missle and one beam weapon (so you can protect yourself and still take out those satelites also) the rest all supply storage units. I usually never build ships untll I have at least frigates unless there is another race's homeworld in my system. With a Destroyer and this design you have 9,000-10,000 supplies with Cargo III and you can start to explore the galaxy. Remember range is much better for your safety then firepower. Who cares if you lose a ship if the enemy never has a chance to get close to your home system because you meet them many systems away. You can always design ships to meet the threats if you have a couple systems warning that they are out there.

6) When you get destroyers CargoIII and missles II or better then research physics 2 levels and research Phased Poloron beams to level II and missles to level III then research research, propulsion, missles, and phased poleron. By this time you have met the enemy and research what you need to win. For example if you meet the Terrans or other missle race early research point defence.

[This message has been edited by Tomgs (edited 27 December 2000).]

[Puke]

quote:

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Originally posted by Tomgs:
4) Build as many Colonizers as you have planets you can colonize. Colonize in order breathable worlds, then the largest Unbreathable worlds working your way down in size although large is usually as small as I go for those unless worlds are very rare or it has some special technology.

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lots of good ideas. I would like to add, its not usually necessary to put points into colonization tech. you can usually either conquer a neutral AI and take their colonization tech, or make an alliance with a real AI and either (a) trade them for it (they seem to like resources, comm channels, and ships.. i like to give away my escort ships that ran out of supplies after trucking 5 systems) or (b) demand it from them. you will be supprised what the AI will give you if you just keep demanding it repeatedly (as someone pointed out to me)

[Atrocities]

I have but one strategy. WIN.

I do this one of four ways, but usually in combo with each other so I will call it the 4X concept.

eXpand
eXploit
eXplore
eXterminate

j/k

Seriously, I hog up on research, and go directly for mines and sats. I then set them up at warp points after exploring about 10 systems. Kinda establishing a boundry of sorts. During this time, I colonize all Rock/Oxegen planets I come acrossed, and research ICE and GAS. Upon abtaining them, I begin to expand upon my research facilities.

I think that the best way to win, is to be more advanced than your enemies. I have been been back and nearly destroyed by many AI, but I always pull through with glorious victory.

(Usually, the AI gets board and leaves me alone for a few turns.)

Unfortunetly, I have never been able to finish a game because of Range Check Errors and such so I can not play out my strategies.

[rdouglass]

I like most of the ideas presented, but I'll add one more. I personally invest in Intel almost as much as research. I NEVER research the other planet types, 'cause once I meet an AI (usually by about turn 25), I usually have enough intel to do Crew Insurection (or whatever it's called). This Intel operation seems to be effective 99% of the time and will yield you the enemy techs cheaply. The only trick is to get them to a ShipYard that you own, then analyse them.

Using this tactic, I rarely ever have to research the AI standards like Projectile Weapons, Propulsion, Fighters, or Point Defense. I then can put all my research into the areas that the AI doesn't use, like Stellar Harnessing.

My 'staple' research projects are Stellar Harnessing, Missle, Shields, Storage and Point Defence - I just steal most everything else early in the game (before turn 100).

My basic strategy is expand to every planet you can, protect the strategic Warp Points, and research HEAVILY. Let's face it, technology RULES in this game - those with the best techs usually win.