Beta4a comments

from Stardock Forums
Very smooth now generally the multi-threading seems to be adding efficiency rather than feeling laggy - good work Brad & Stardock. Overall the AI processing and general mechanics feel much better than in beta4.

Comments-

Possible bugs-

1. yellow box is not appearing around ship locations if they update position outside of the view area on the mini-map also not centring around the ship if moves left in similar situation (hope this makes sense)

Game-play suggestions (kept fairly basic as close to release version)-

2. Can you or will you be able to reduce the number of AI races playing in a game?

3. I always thought 'rare' was still too-many habitable planets, however beta4a seems to have about the right number on the new huge maps. I have not played other map sizes on bata4a.

4. There needs to be a cursor visible for the save game name/rename field so that you can see where you are located in the string when typing (overwrite should be enabled in my view).

5. Love Mushrooms seem FAR to powerful (other Wonders also perhaps??) I bought about 20 techs and obtained around a dozen ships by trading mushrooms as soon as I researched them - this was more tech than I had researched in the entire game up till this point.

6. It would be very cool is the ship's range this turn was shown (shaded boxes?) as well as the current max ship range currently shown.

7. To zoom-out on the main galactic map a little (x2?) (post-version 1 perhaps?) would be nice - just a small 'stand back' view. This (in combo with shaded range locations this turn perhaps?)would add some interest for those wanting to really optimise ship movements v's value return, particularly early game when ship movement points are like gold dust.

8. Freighters have VERY long ranges. They can go far beyond any other ship it seems until you place a station or research a new drive. This makes them the best explorers (in one sense). I therefore think they are too cheap - also bearing in mind the money they generate over their lifetimes and the fact that they would logically be huge expensive beasts..

9. The 'Ultradrive' (times 3 speed for all ships!) destroyed my last game. It completely made everything totaly unbalanced when it arrived :sniff!:

10. In combo with (9) above, I still think there is far too much low-value space junk. As soom as I got x3 speed (ultradrive) and with my four anomaly explorers on auto explore, I was clicking to close explored anomaly message every single turn! this was a constant repetative clicking. So at that point I stopped playing.

11. Are there still plans to introduce hero's? ;)
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
woops, double post sorry guys dont know what happended there?

s
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
No heroes in 1.0. Maybe in 1.x.

So how does the new gigantic galaxy feel?
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
The bigger galaxy is far more balanced in terms of overall gameplay. In the one galaxy I generated, the stars were clumped into sections far enough apart that it took till gravity mastering to get to the different areas w/o building a starbase.

The planets had multiples every so often, but more 13s and 14s than 15+....that will make for a good balanced game where there will be a midgame boost when you get terraforming and can colonize the 13+ planets.

The AI bargained much smarter, and played much smarter, at least on the average levels. Although the empires seem to be able to generate quite a bit more capital. there were two empires with 10000+

The pathfinding code is much better because I experienced no substantial lag in the game. Although I did add an extra 256 meg of memory as well so my perspective may be skewed.

All in all, I think its beginning to get its edge. Good work!
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
performance is very smooth on the gigantic galaxy. I had 1 game where the sfx of the explosions happened way before the picture was. In fact after the sound the screen changed to the next ship (same sector, but lower) and the explosion finished up across the screen change. I'll play another game to see if the sound problem is consistant
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
The gigantic galaxy feels great. I imagine it will open up all sorts of longer term strategic planning options to win a game, military or none.

In my current game, I am really thinking twice about going to war (as I suspect it would be devastating) and would probably allow the races who avoid the conflict to rush ahead and I really can't afford to engage all the races on all fronts!!

In retrospect I should probably have engaged a neighbouring race early in the game, but this seems risky as it would require huge investment in the millitary early on whereas I normally prefer to invest in growth and speed - decisions decisions!! Superb.

With the new star-seeding algorythm (I assume it's new- stars seem to now be in localised clusters rather than broad sweeps?) it has made establishment of sector ownership and general expansion in a huge galaxy very interesting. In my current game it seems to have resulted in the establishemt of 'empires' which it will be a very challenging to take on militarily. I must say however that the swirls and ribbons of star clusters in beta3 and earlier seemed to generate some attractive galactic aesthetics, but also more importantly some 'daisy chains/stepping stones' for interesting exploration options early game whilst ship ranges were low.

I have noticed huge variation in the relative success of the different AI races in the beta4's. In one game the Altarians did not get established at all (beta4) and in my current game (4a) they are the biggest force in the Galaxy andthis variety is very nice.

I have not engaged in a war at all in my current game and have had lots of fun. The strategic and diplomatic breadth - the games uniqueness - are really starting to show through. I feel very possitive about it all.

I am however worried about one or two balance destroying 'wildcards'. Sorry to harp on about it but the returns you get for trading Wonders seems massively to great and the this 'triple your speed miracle' just sent my game into a spin. If you intend to leave it in maybe it can have a switch-off option or an option to swich off the info pop-up's for the exploitation of an anomoly/space junk as this really did result in me getting fed up and packing in playing my current game. What frequency does it occur at present what are the chances of it re-occuring if I restart?
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
In last two games on 4a also noted that seeding seems to have changed dramatically. in latest couldn't get from smal 3 grouping of stars until built a a starbase or enhanced range twice. Decidedly behind at that point. Didin't get the 3x speed but got 3x research, but saw no real effect from it .. so unclear if implemented in the build.
Although the star placement makes the game decidedly harder with more planning required it does make it harder for some of the AIs .. so might need to rethink AI player placement algorithm and tune it some more.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
I would like to ask a question.

Hands up all thos who think average ai setting too hard.

I played one game on dumb and that seemed about right but average well by the time I meet the first of the ai they have a list as long as your arm of techs and I have none to trade or give away to grease the palms of diplomacy or buyoff the oportunists. I get one at war with me and the rest trying to extort money from me. even when they are warm of friendly toward me. No free ships to aid my gallent struggle as there used to be.

Any suggestions or alternative strategies gratfully acepted.

Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
On a Gigantic Galaxy all Average AI is pretty easy for me... they're smart enough to be bothersome but not smart enough to stop me from winning...
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I think there is a pretty big gap between dumb and average. Whether that means average is too hard or dumb is too easy, I'll leave for the experts.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
How does anybody win on the genius level ?


"Didin't get the 3x speed but got 3x research, but saw no real effect from it .. so unclear if implemented in the build."

I have not seen this is this new ?

"The returns you get for trading Wonders seems massively to great". I do not agree with this statement I need trade goods that bring in a fair price. The question I have about trade goods is why do the minor races under value them ?


Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
Steve's
#2: making them brain-dead would do the same?
#4: I second the motion! Also the ship re-name box need cursor.
#6: why must the sector lines appear in mini-map. An on/off toggle would make ship ranges easier to see.
#7: why not make mini-map with min/max buttons? I would like to sit back and look at it, full screen. It would also be nice if I could toggle mini-map with gal-news during planets screens.
#8: Freighters have long range but are slow and have limited sensors compared to scouts/survey ships. Leave them as is.
#9) I agree about ultra drive's 3x speed. I posted in other tread, but will repeat here: make it into 2 research items, like warp drive, both gives +10 to speed. I like the names: Trans-warp and Ultra-warp. I established a trade route between my planet in sector 0,17 and Arcean's in 17,0. At 10 moves per turn, that's a long way off, I'd say 20 months to get there.

I'm like 18/18 grid. No lag on my p4 1.8/512 ram.

I just noticed that the stats screen does not show number of planets I control.

* The foreign policy Treaties screen show trade between Yor and Arcean but the fist shows everyone at war. Peace lines are missing.

Stevo is right. In my game, the Torians are located in the top center of the galaxy and never colonized beyond 2 stars, even though there was a huge cluster of stars 4 sectors west, including class 26 planet!.

I disagree with Red and agree with Wyrenn! I like average or smart. Genius is way too hard. I set 2 AI to smart, 3 average.

Tech is right! I think Genius AIs gets big prod, research and gold bonus that makes game all but unbeatable.
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
No idea on the research .. 1st saw it and haven't seen in 2 following games. Of course is possible i read to fast and mind played tricks on me.
One thing that is bothering me is the placement algorithm for stars and AIs ... last game i ended up in a star rich area and all the AIs ended up in an isolated corner that took them years to get out of .. by then i had most of the rest of the areas sewed up. Game before just the opposite, i was in isolated place that needed to get 3 range increases and/or plant satellites, took ages. Don't know if the design team is looking at this, but seems about 50%+ of the time not much point in playing.
Usually play on average AI .. if get out and colonize fast stand good chance otherwise see 10s of colony ships and constructors per AI floating around looking for something to do. Would think the build routine for the AIs needs to be looked at .. as build with no reason to do so?
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
winning on the genius level is possible. The trade goods can affect the a.i.'s other than trading for planets, or research or ships. I do wish that we could trade for constructors or starbases. I usually sell the universal translator to the minor races, use their money to buy love mushrooms or other goods i can get to as soon as possible. Pick the weakest a.i. trade him for as many techs as you can, Go to the best race, trade for the best techs he has. he won't even trade 1 colony ship for 1 trade good. Then trade with the other races. I usually do this in one turn. It also does wonders for you when you are neutral and the other races are attacking each other. It's very important to find the influnece and morale anomolies. Also i've been playing using the pacifist role and that gives you a 20% bump in influence. The more sectors you control the easier it is to eventually win. Be warned that the gigantic map with habital planets everywhere might take you 14-20+ hours to finish. One game of my took over 40 hours to play.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
Just finished another game on the latest build (well the system locking up sorta ended it but had 2/3rds of systems so not much point to continuing) and noted that the minor powers now 'appear' to grab one more system and stop. Problem is they have 4-6 more colonizers that they do nothing with?? If true and now limited to what take (don't know if true) would think that would devote resources to other buys. Didn't see it in 1st cause the Drengin red plague eliminated them all before got around to noticing what doing.
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
in another thread it was stated the minor races are only going to colonize the sectors they are in. They are there for us to conquer or to trade with.

hope this helps :D
Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top
it would be nice if there was a tech that could enable us to form an artificial stable wormhole.

but you could like add variables so that 1 out of 20 will allow an alien race to enter the galaxy etc and things like that.

so it could benefit you but could also unleash a race so powerful that it would take all the races to defeat it, or it could let out a race who are so culturally superior that large amounts of your planets defect. if thought over properly could be a very nice addition to the end lvl speed techs. because its established thast wormholes exist so wouldnt it be logical that you can create artificial ones?
Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top
Was wondering if it is possible to change in small way get for exploring the anomolies in the game .. as is rush around checking them out and increasing power of your empire (in theory). If possible would randomize so that maybe create a threat every now and then, i.e. space shark, pirate ship, or something along those lines to spice up the mindless check this n that. Would give small pause to how explore and add element of risk.
Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top
I would really like to have a mini-map viewable at all times. Like when changing production, it would be handy to recall just where this planet is located in case I need to build military there or not. When I get alot of planets, it's hard to remember locations of all of them.

Just a suggestion.
Reply #20 from Stardock Forums Top
Ted asked for the mini-map to have min/max buttons. IIRC, in the OS/2 game it did. I found it very useful, and would like to second Ted's suggestion