How the **** do yu keep up in tech

[newbie123]

Hi,

Ok I really need some help in the tech race, because no matter what happens I seem to be outclassed. I devoted most of my high facility worlds to computers and research centers, and even a few of the red asterisk ones. Now it seems like no matter what I do, the AI outclasses me. This has happened to me in 3 games ( I made it to battleship this time before a fleet of battleships destroyed my colonies, my main fleet(17 ships, no lower than cruiser), and the battlestation defending the warp gate, with the lost of one battleship )

So my question is, what do I need to do to keep up. I'm generating 50,000 points a turn, and I am still behind in everything, including storage. I just don't see how the AI out researches me and outbuilds me when the size of our empires is comparable. He may have been bigger by a system or two but still

ONe Last thing, the star blowing up event sucks. Lost my first game because it took out my best system due to an unstable core or something.

Great game, Haven't had this much fun playing anything in awhile Thanks for the help

edit: this is on low difficulty, playing tdm mod, with no bonus to computer. Sad I know

[ March 26, 2004, 20:59: Message edited by: newbie123 ]

[Slick]

Here are some things you can do:

- research Industry -> computers to get the computer complex that increases research output

- increase your research characteristic during empire setup.

- make Trade & Reseach treaties with your neighbors.

- invade and kill off some of your enemy planets that might be generating research.

- use intelligence or boarding parties to steal enemy ships. then analyze them for techs.

- capture enemy planets instead of glassing. Then use the facilities that you captured to generate points for your empire.

- trade resources for technology.


just some ideas.

Slick.

[ March 26, 2004, 21:03: Message edited by: Slick ]

[primitive]

Where to begin
- Race design, a 20 % bonus to research is well used points.
- Make sure "Distribute points evenly" is turned off !! This wastes all excess points when a tech is reached.
- Make sure your guys are Jubilant (for the bonuses).
- Make T/R alliances with everybody who will let you.
- You can trade tech with the friendly AI's, but this is kinda cheating as the AI's has no sense of tech value.
- Steal tech. Use ship capture and analyse ships. Pretty easy against the AI.
- Learn the tech tree. Do the essentials first, there are plenty of stuff that can wait until later.
- Build more research facilities. I usually build more research facilities than miners, trying to get the research output up to 75 - 80 % of my mineral output until I have done the essentials. Save minerals by using units as your prefered weapons early.

And finally (but unrelated to research). Never ever play on anything else than High Difficulty. On the other settings the AI will be totally moronic, and unless your planets and ships are unlucky enough to be in the path of the (more or less) random movement of their fleets, nothing will happen.

[dogscoff]

the trick is obviously to have more research centres than the enemy, and the trick to doing this ios to colonise like bacteria. BUild colonisers on repeat from the beginning of the game and grab every planet you can. Then set up spaceyard on your colonies and repeat build colonisers there as well. Shift population from your homeworld(s) to your colonies asap in order to get the population bonuses.

This strategy will give you the edge in research and resource production, and is the Way To Win.

Personally, I find it boring. I play Proportions instead, which focusses on developping a smaller number of colonies rather than obsessively spreading yourself across the galaxy like a rash.

[newbie123]

thanks for the ideas. I guess I just have to colonize more. I already tried most of the ideas suggested but I gues it wasn't enough. I don't think I want to try hard difficulty yet tho, considering I am getting creamed on low. thans for the input

[Arkcon]

Also, try and develop a plan of research. I'm guessing you're still learning what the techs mean, but soon you should have an idea and stick with it.

A rule of thumb is not to let your tech for hull size fall more than 1 behind your enemy. Now that's just a rule of thumb, you could beat them with even smaller hulls...

But anyway, you see your problem. You got battleship hulls just when the AI had fleets of battleships. If you have a large fleet of battle cruisers with superior weaponry, you'd have more success.

And you'd have a better research plan than just keeping up with the Jones's

[ March 27, 2004, 03:09: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Suicide Junkie]

A rule of thumb is not to let your tech for hull size fall more than 1 behind your enemy. Now that's just a rule of thumb, you could beat them with even smaller hulls...

As an example, I have fought off Druk WMG Dreadnoughts with hordes of missile frigates.
The key there was a chokepoint between us, and my stack of 150 frigates.
Not to mention being on the correct side of the warppoint so the fleets started at a safe range for me, and the choice attacks to pick off vulnerable single dreads.

The delaying action by the frigates gave me enough time to upgrade my economy and research more tech, leading to eventual victory.

[Wardad]

only 50K of research???
by the time battleships come out, you should have 200K.

also... experienced players target research on key technologies.

many... go for: light cruisers (large mount), DUC 3 to DUC 5, and point defense cannon, in the early game.

then... it's a race for better combat bonuses: training facilities, ECM, Combat sensors, and the top two armors (stealth and scattering).

don't forget... mine layers / mine sweepers

about midgame... choose a second gun (PPB or APB), shields, shield depleters, troops, battleship hulls etc...

While your doing all this don't ignore infrastructure... urban pacification center 3, Mineral miner level 2, Research level 2, and computers. (and peace keeping troops)

Consider using the Advanced Storage Tecniques racial trait.
20% more facilities per planet = 20% more research and production.

AI builds a mix of research/production/intel/bonus facilities on every planet.
You are smarter than that, build to suit the planet values.
This works out nicely when adding the one-per-planet bonus facilities from the computer research tree. The Resource ConVersion facility is also handy here.
Finally... Don't be reluctant to balance your facility output by scraping and rebuilding.

[ March 27, 2004, 13:48: Message edited by: Wardad ]

[Suicide Junkie]

Be sure to build at least 2-3 Space Yard Bases over your homeworld so you can pump out colony ships faster, and warships later on.

If you grab missile tech and a few levels of ship construction, you can neglect a LOT of otherwise critical technologies, and save those research points for whatever research path you prefer.
(shields/armor, sensors/ECM, and such are not needed for missile ships)

The key here is to have sufficient numbers, as combat will be more of an all or nothing deal.
If the enemy has enough PDCs, your ships will be relatively harmless and get slaughtered in a corner.
Otherwise, they'll be pounded by the long range bombardment and be unable to fire back, meaning you win with little to no casualties.

[ March 27, 2004, 16:14: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

[PvK]

Also, while you should set the AI Difficulty to the highest, you should keep the AI BONUS at "None" (or perhaps "Low") until you feel competant - the Bonus is the way to give the AI an unnatural advantage in resource/research/intel production.

PvK