Strategy Guide in the Archive

[Dubious]

The zip file in the "Space Empires: IV - Modding and other Help Tools/Information" archive has been updated (same name: SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide). Link to the first 'Modding Tools' Archive page: http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/For...ML/000019.html

The "SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide" is an editted compilation of threads from the forum. It is a "work in progress".

Comments and additions or corrections are welcomed here.

Revision 10 June 2001: Added warning about avoiding corrupted save games under "GETTING STARTED"; added new sub-topic "Favorite Ship Designs" under "PROJECTING YOUR INFLUENCE"; added some info on missiles and torpedoes under sub-topic "Weapon Research Comparisons"; added some discussion about AI component use under "AI BEHAVIOUR" topic. Added new topic "STRATEGIC COMBAT".

[Dubious]

The zip file in the "Space Empires: IV - Modding and other Help Tools/Information" archive has been updated (same name: SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide). Link to the first 'Modding Tools' Archive page: http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/For...ML/000019.html (ignore posted date)

The "SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide" is an edited compilation of threads from the forum. It is a "work in progress".

Comments and additions or corrections are welcomed in the discussion forum under this topic.

It's been a VERY fruitfull week in the forum for the SG.

Revision 17 June 2001: Added "Formations" and "Cloaking" sub-topics under "PROJECTING YOUR INFLUENCE". Added discussion on using Ministers; the effect of Environmental Resistance, and unit limits under "AI BEHAVIOUR" topic; on Temporal Weapons and some old discussion about Emissive Armor under "Armor, Shields, and Damage"; some old info on Long Range Scanners under "Scanners and Obscuration"; about defending Warp Points under "Restricting System Access"; trading tricks under "Treaties"; subtleties of patching discussion under "PATCHES". "Favorite Designs" has been promoted into a major topic with specific ship and unit types as separate sub-topics to enhance searching, with MUCH added discussion including the enlightening "Face of the Enemy" thread and after-action report; added tip on achieving zero maintenance under "Combat Tips" topic (obsolete with the next patch which requires a minimum of 5%). Added new major topic "ANNOYANCES AND THE UNEXPECTED".

[Mordante]

Thanks dubious ...

I will be updating the "face of the enemy" after action report during the week (when I get some time) - it does have plenty of late game detail and some discussion of hideous weapons and grand engagements ...

like;

when exactly is it worth killing 5 billion of your own people with a system nova for strategic advantage?

what happens when 300 organic tech ships hits a fleet of 200 no-maintenance base-ships in open space?

why warp point combat highlights potentially the most exploitable limitation of the game so far ....

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

[Suicide Junkie]

Did you catch the latest on Armor, Shields, Damage?

Basically, weak/small armor gets hit first most of the time.
Large/Tough internals get hit first most of the time.

The more extreme the difference in strength/size the more the above observations hold.

Ie. 1kT vs 10kT armor may be hit first 90% of the time, but 5kT armor vs 10kT armor may only be hit 65%of the time.

[Jubala]

sj, is this based on the size of the component or the damage the component can take? (tonnage space taken or tonnage structure)

[Dubious]

SJ: Yes I did get that included. Just missed adding it to the revision info. I've also added the Last two lines from your post below to the original information. Thanks for making sure I had caught it.

Mordante: Glad to hear it. I held off Last night as long as possible hoping it would go up before my self-set deadline, but I'm sure everyone would prefer to wait for a good writeup over a hasty one.

You might want to consider re-writing it as if an actual after-action report or historical analysis for submission to the Academy. It certainly fits into their "lessons" criteria, and it makes for interesting reading. Just assume the reader has no specific knowledge of the game (treat it as if it actually occurred) but has a general interest in strategic conflicts. Leave out the technical ship and weapon details but describe the general differences which had to be accounted for. Don't go light on the logistics difficulties either. An old saying goes "amateurs focus on the tactics, professionals focus on the logistics". This sounds like a classic example of that.

[Dubious]

The zip file in the "Space Empires: IV - Modding and other Help Tools/Information" archive has been updated (same name: SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide). Link to the first 'Modding Tools and Help/Info' Archive page: http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/For...ML/000019.html and go to the oldest page (ignore posted date).

The "SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide" is an edited compilation of threads from the forum. It is a "work in progress".

Comments and additions or corrections are welcomed here.

Revision 24 June 2001: Added some fleet strategy to "STRATEGIC COMBAT" topic; instructions on automating newly contructed ship delivery to a waypoint under "ANNOYANCES AND THE UNEXPECTED"; some additional tips on satellite use under "SHIPS, SATELLITES, ETC"; additional design ideas under "Satellites" sub-topic; added a tip about an unexpected tactic under "Minesweeping" sub-topic; added discussion on how to add new shipsets and about victory conditions under "IN THE BEGINNING" sub-topic; about advantages between ship vs fleet training under "FLEET OPERATIONS" sub-topic; more discussion about Counter-Intelligence under "Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence"; about how Ministers handle a new ship class under "AI Behaviour"; disucssion about multiplexing under "Fighters in Defense" sub-topic; discussion about the worth of Auxilliary Bridges, the relative worth of Ripper Beams and Shield Depleters, and how multiple repair bays work under "Ships, Satellites, etc"; a clarification about what damage is stopped by Phased Shields under "Armor, Shields, and Damage"; further comparisons on relative weapon types under "* WEAPON RESEARCH COMPARISONS".


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"All sources are dubious until their reliabilty has been repeatedly proven. Even then their information should be independently verified." - The unwritten "spooks handbook"

[Dubious]

The zip file in the "Space Empires: IV - Modding and other Help Tools/Information" archive has been updated (same name: SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide). Link to the first 'Modding Tools and Help/Info' Archive page: http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/For...ML/000019.html and go to the oldest page (ignore posted date).

The "SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide" is an edited compilation of threads from the forum. It is a "work in progress".

Comments and additions or corrections are welcomed in the discussion forum under topic "Strategy Guide in the Archive".

Revision 01 July 2001: New "PBW/PBEM" topic. Added some more "STRATEGIC COMBAT" peculiarity discussion; comments on the tone used in a message affect on AI response under "Politics & Anger" & "AI Behaviour"; comments on Environmental Resistance characteristic, creating maps, which cultural modifiers are not working, & the effect the different AI starting bonuses under "IN THE BEGINNING" sub-topic; report that fleet experience is functional & another about lost contact under "FLEET OPERATIONS" sub-topic; why to "save empire" during a game under "ANNOYANCES AND THE UNEXPECTED"; added Default Races Chart to "AI BEHAVIOUR".


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"All sources are dubious until their reliabilty has been repeatedly proven. Even then their information should be independently verified." - The unwritten "spooks handbook"

[Dubious]

The zip file in the "Space Empires: IV - Modding and other Help Tools/Information" archive has been updated (same name: SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide). Link to the first 'Modding Tools and Help/Info' Archive page: http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/For...ML/000019.html and go to the oldest page (ignore posted date) of the message; the message gets edited and the file updated, but the message date never changes). Remember you may need to set the archive forum to display "all dates" instead of the default: "only the Last 20 days", to see the 'Modding and other Help Tools/Information' "thread" if you don't use the link above.

The "SE4 Dubious Strategy Guide" is an edited compilation of threads from the forum. It is a "work in progress".

Comments and additions or corrections are welcomed here.

Revision 23 Oct 2001: Added new sections "CLOSE COMBAT WEAPONS", "BUYING TIME". Confirmation satellites are not launched from planets in Strategic Combat, autoluanch using Ministers under "SHIPS, SATELLITES, ETC"; resource bookkeeping sequence, which types "stack" under "FACILITIES"; ground combat lessons under "TAKING PLANETS"; added new subtopic "Ground Combat Lessons"; added a bit on "capture planets", thread on "how big does your navy get", on ship vs fleet orders, and fleet simulator bug, formation preferences, default ship orders under "FLEET OPERATIONS"; a (different) thread on how to capture a planet, general tips, related patch v14.9 fixes under "STRATEGIC COMBAT"; added a thread to "REMOTE MINING" effects after v1.41 patch; added 2 lengthy threads on how to be successfull versus human opponents, handling "missed turn" situations, related patch v14.9 fixes, "PBW Guide" thread under "PBW/PBEM"; thread on "Natural Merchant" racial ability under "GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS"; further discussion under "CLOAKING"; some sequence of events, general questions, calculating supply costs under "AI BEHAVIOUR"; more on installing shipsets under "MODS AND MOD PACKS"; using subjugated race to colonize, peculiarities of subjugation / protectorate requests & offers as "trade" under "TREATIES"; long thread on PPBs, and a short one on Allegiance Subverters under "WEAPON RESEARCH COMPARISONS"; summary of factors affecting happiness of "Neutral" race trait under "RIOT CONTROL"; poll on ship design preferences under "FAVORITE DESIGNS"; update on warp points in the same sector under "ANNOYANCES AND THE UNEXPECTED"; defending small planets under "BUYING TIME"; some clarification on ship design under "CAPTURING SHIPS"; some clarification on repeat research under "RESEARCH STRATEGIES"; allies roaming your system under "RESTRICTING SYSTEM ACCESS"; cloaked can't sweep under "MINE SWEEPING".

Revision 06 Aug 2001: Moved and revised new "WARNINGS" topic to the beginning of the Guide (before "Getting Started") and added "CI bug" to it; new sub-topic "Riot Control"; advice on attacking Satellites under "FLEET OPERATIONS" sub-topic; new sub-topic "Underappreciated Weapons"; comments on Ground Combat lessons learned under "Taking Planets" sub-topic. Added more specific info on incorporating new races which are missing ".emp" files into the game; adding different Nebulae images under "Mods and Mod Packs" topic; some clarification about the use of the "Load Cargo" command, reestablishing contact without planets under "ANNOYANCES AND THE UNEXPECTED"; discussion about "Human" player Partnerships swapping ship designs under "PBW/PBEM" topic; mention that Satellites no longer launch under "Strategic Combat" topic; discussion as to how the "build minister" decides on which ship design to use, about victory conditions, how to induce the AI to trade, and how much time you have when a 'star is about to explode' under "AI Behaviour" topic.


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"All sources are dubious until their reliabilty has been repeatedly proven. Even then their information should be independently verified." - The unwritten "spooks handbook"

[This message has been edited by Dubious (edited 24 October 2001).]

[Atrocities]

What happend to Dubious?

MY GOD, I cannot believe we lost this thread and the links in it. Talk about pages of history turning to dust and having to be re-invented. A search for Dubious turned up a mountain of very old, yet very important information for all.

I have added this thread to the New Members Look Here featured topic.

[ July 29, 2004, 02:22: Message edited by: Atrocities ]