Hello,
I am very glad I finally found this board. I got used lately to see publishers not willing to put up with a board on their site, so this site was the Last one I was thinking about...
I am a noob to SEIV Gold. I have started two major campaigns, finished none so far. I have a few questions if anyone cares to answer, and I'd appreciate it if anyone could comment on whether my strategies are good for the long term.
In short, I think the game is much too easy on the default settings (from what I have seen so far).
I first started a short test game, to familiarize with the interface, learn how to build, design and fight, for a few dozen turns.
Then I started my first true campaign. All settings to default, Medium galaxy size, playing as human, no goals but world domination.
I defined my strategies as follows:
- Expand until completely surrounded by alien systems.
- Colonize every colonizable planet in my systems after that.
- Every planet that has 100+ minerals receives Mineral Miner facilities, the remaining slots go to Research; add a few Organic and Radiation facilities when needed, scrapping research if necessary.
- Don't build any armed ships until a neighbor gets a little aggressive. I might (didn't happen so far) lose a system (and that frontier system would be the least developed), but this will buy me time to raise a fleet quickly, I just need a good economy.
For the violent part, I thought about doing the following:
- capitalize on range and speed in tactical combat. Modified later on by using fleets of highly specialized ships with only attack weaponry and engines; electronics used to pad the weight to the maximum the design allows:
* Capital-Ship-missiles-only ships for the bulk of the fighting
* Flak ships with point defense only for fighters
* DUC or preferrably anti-matter guns for satellites or the remaining fighters
* Tankers with supply pods only
I found no use so far for shields and armor. Enemy ships are not supposed to reach firing range, and the barrage of missiles does not allow that. Later AI Light Cruisers had 1-2 point-defenses, barely enough to prevent a CS Missile V volley from a specialized cruiser/lightcruiser from crippling it. Specialized flak ships would have ruled here, 2 Light Cruiser flaks obliterate a Light Carrier load of fighters in one turn.
- have mobile formations for the strategic stuff. So far I found no need for mines, stations or weapon platforms since the goal is to conquer and not defend, and the AI does not seem aggressive enough so far.
I guess these are rather straightforward strategies, nothing too smart, but I was surprised at how well they worked. I found out that the AI does not expand nearly enough, does not gather enough resources, does not research enough and cannot fight (i.e. build ships, create strong fleets and fight on the tactical screen). In my first campaign I assimilated the first 4 races with hardly a loss. I got cruisers, 120K research/turn, Research 2, Mining III, Rock and Ice colonization, Shipyards 2, 5-6 in most weapons, 1/5 of the systems. I lost a few ships while figuring out that missiles can't target a fighter, when I found out that the AI does use mines, of when I charge a protected planet to drop troops instead of obliterating it with stand-off missiles, to conserve population. Seeing what is left of the Galaxy and the number of races, I don't think I'll have many problems with them.
I started another campaign, as human, all default but a Small Quadrant. I supposed that with tighter resources I'd have more of a challenge. No way, with my 5 systems, I am strong enough both economically and militarily to crush all 5 races around me, at the same time.
When I have colonized all I can and fully developed in 5 systems, the AI had half-developed 3. When I had 20+, the AI still had 3-4 systems per race.
I am no genius, I usually don't have it that easy on most games. But in SEIV it seems too easy. The AI doesn't expand enough, doesn't seem to focus on the most important economic features, and can't fight.
Of course I like winning, but I'd need a bit of a challenge. What settings can I modify to make the game a bit harder, not too hard of course
With my lack of experience with the game, not knowing exactly what a modification in a setting would bring, I am afraid I might choose an unwinnable or not fun combination, and discover it very late into the campaign. Besides there does not seem to be that many setting to change from the default ones. No AI aggressivity setting that I found. All I found to make to make the game harder is add 100.000 starting resources (instead of the default 20.000) to the AI, but seeing how alien races developed so far I suppose this advantage will be negated in a few years.
I don't want to have my butt handed to me on a silver platter, but a bit more of a challenge. An AI that is more aggressive both in expansion and combat, yet still falls to my cunning
Currently, the AI races play as if learning the game, as I did on my first test campaign.
Oh, the questions:
1. I didn't notice my ships gaining experience in combat. Then I found an old year 2000 post on this board saying that ships don't gain exp for firing missiles. Is it still in effect? Hey, it's VERY hard to lock onto a target at 12 range then run away
2. What is the difference between Ship experience and Fleet experience? I know that Fleet experience is used when the ship is in a fleet. Are thoses bonuses added? If I train a ship in a fleet, will that ship carry the bonus when I put him in another fleet? For instance: ship A trains for 10 exp in Fleet 1, ship B trains for 5 exp in fleet 2. I disband both fleets, and create fleet 3 with just ships A and B. Will both ships carry their experience over to this new fleet? Will ship A still have 10 exp and ship B 5 exp in their new fleet? What if a 3rd ship with 0 fleet exp joins their fleet?
3. What is the difference between the 'Move' and 'Attack Commands'?
If I have a treaty with the race, both 'move' and 'attack' make my fleet move into the same hex as the other ship. Without a treaty, both commands ask me if I want to move into that enemy hex and fight.
4. Is there a trick to speed up population growth, besides constantly ferrying people between planets that are at/near maximum and the less populated ones? Besides making the population happier through gathering military facilities in the sector and building Urban Pacification Centers? I have found a Climate Control facility and have yet to assess its use and usefulness. From what I read on this board there are also some kind of 'atmosphere changing' facilities along the research tree. Anything else?
What is the max population growth rate one can have? Mine was 20% (which in fact is 2% if you do the math) on an Optimal planet with Jubilant population , can it go higher?
Is it possible to ferry population between two planets with indigenous population from different races?
5. How to subjugate a race? There was one, very weak, not expanding beyond its system. I was 20 times stronger economically and militarily. I made many offers, no go. Killed a few ships, then all of them to show my might, no go. Liberated a planet, no go. They were constantly in a murderous mood, one would think they's accept a protectorate or subjugation from someone as powerful, but no way, they preferred to be fully occupied. Interestingly enough, all occupied planets had their indigenous population as indifferent, the homeworld was even happy on the turn it was 'liberated'! As if I had rid them of a hated regime. Are there any special tricks to make a protectorate or subjugate a race? (I would of course prefer to have 100% of the race systems to myself, but I am not sure the need will not arise one day)
Anyway the games looks great, never before did a 4X game capture my undivided attention for more than a few hours, and I am deep in SEIV for 2 weeks now. I wish there were more treaties though, like a Military-only Alliance, without me having to share my resources/research with my future enemies.
Questions/RFCs from a newbie
Asteroids Champion!
) and i cant link you to the TDM because i dont know where to get it, but i am sure that someone else will do it.
Linear Mode
