Question for Technician:

from Stardock Forums
Here it is:

"Dude. What is UP, man?!"

I don't begrudge anyone their talents for the game, and in fact am highly admiring of anyone who can put in the time and study to excel at anything in life, but this guy is pumping out two or three gigantic/maso victories PER DAY for the past, what... half year or so? What is UP?

Other questions are:

1. How long does each one generally take?
2. How does it not get boring doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over again? (At least, when you look at the game record, it looks somewhat repetitive... maybe each of the games is a new, exciting adventure, I dunno.)

I'm afraid this message will sound accusatory, trust me that I don't mean it to. I'm just curious how (and why!) he does it.

I mean, even on Large, the only games I've played which took less than three or four hours were ones that I lost quickly (and there were a LOT of them, don't you worry!)

Is this just a ONE-MAN GC WRECKING CREW or what?

(If this has been discussed before, just point the way. I did a search but failed at finding anything.)
3,514 views 210 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Somthing to know for rapid 60K scoring:
- get an alliance victory in january 2190
- avoid wars, play the diplomatic game to stay out of wars
- some mods can help, espcially research.inc party for this kind of games

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
I'm not really interested in learning how to get the 60K, as I find more joy in sort of figuring out my own strategies and finding my own way.

It's just the sheer *volume* of games that my man Technician is uploading, without fail, for months on end, that astonishes me. I mean, he don't even take *weekends* off!
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
"Dude. What is UP, man?!"
End of quote


LOL LOL LOL

Some have suggested that Tech is insane. I think we should all show respect for Tech. He is not only the number 1 guy in the verse but he also will ultimately become the founder of a 12 step program entitled;
"Galactic Civilizations Anonymous"
[Message Edited]
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Galactic Civilizations Anonymous"
End of quote


:D LOL :D LOL

arrr.. where does one sign up?
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Sorry I missed your question.

I hear you.

You many say I am addicted :)

As far as boredom is concerned I play to relax, every game is slightly different an it keeps me interested.

I am slowing down playing only one or two masos some nights.

I could use GCA
It used to be I could only play one game everyday day or two and I could not figure out or care to figure out how to play faster. As Peace said there are ways to quickly play a game since you want to learn on your own I will not get into them but a game lasts me 1-1.5 hours.

I find it ironic that tables have turned not too long ago I was asking the same questions.



Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
about my quickest game .. it took me about 2 1/2 hours my agverage games take me about 4 hours (note: they used to take me 2 days thats about 16 hours of playing)

I honestly don't know how people can play the game any quicker and still finish in or after 2190 (thats a magic year... hint... hint... don't finish before then)

another tip.. its harder to get a high score when playing good against good.. its easier to get a high score playing evil against evil.. I need to play longer when I play good to get the same score (allbe it less than 2000 points.. every little bit helps.. look at me scores and you'll see what i mean.. most of my good morality games are just below the 60,000..)
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
That's awesome, Tech! Thanks for sharing that.
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
Followup question, if I might!

Technician, do you ever (or if not, ever consider) mess around a little and play the game differently, for fun? Like, go for a cultural or military victory, in a modified galactic environment? Or do you pretty much stick with Gigantic/Maso/Alliance the entire time?
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I did spend a year playing GC difffent ways.

I do not much like conquesting the Galaxy with military and cultral wins are not possible at the Maso level so I tend to stay with the alliance win.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
He is not only the number 1 guy in the verse but he also will ultimately become the founder of a 12 step program entitled;"Galactic Civilizations Anonymous"
End of quote


Actually, I'm the founder. I did one some time back. It went:

1 Admit that you are powerless over your addiction to GalCiv, and that your life has become unmanageable due to your addiction.
2 Believe that a higher power, such as alcohol, can restore you to sanity.
3 Make a decision to turn your life around and never play again, except maybe once or twice a month to stop you dropping out of the Metaverse.
4 Make a searching inventory of your life, and another one of your hard disk, to see if there’s something else you could be playing.
5 Admit to yourself and others the exact nature of your problem. Do not post this problem on the strategy forum.
6 Remove GalCiv from your hard disk, in order to improve the quality of your life (but keep the CD, just in case you need it for some reason).
7 Seek to overcome your shortcomings, rather than overcoming the shortcomings in GalCiv’s AI.
8 Make a list of all the people you have harmed by your addiction and either make amends or teach them to play GalCiv so they’ll know how you felt.
9 Vow to go on harming people and making amends in the future.
10 From now on, promptly admit that you are wrong, even when you aren’t. It saves on tedious arguments about the respective merits of different versions of Master of Orion or the Metaverse scoring system.
11 Pray that Real Life turns out to be less boring than you remember it.
12 Having experienced a profound spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, carry this message to other addicts and annoy them with your newfound moral superiority.
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
I think that Tech is only at step 1. It may take years for him to get to step 3 though. :)

Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
and cultural wins are not possible at the Maso level so I tend to stay with the alliance win.
End of quote


I would disagree with that statement.

Although I have never submitted a cultural win at MASO, you can definitely achieve one on Tiny/Small/Medium maps. If the scores were worth it I could play my games quite a bit faster by going with the cultural win.

Alliance wins with Tiny/Small/Medium maps are not worth that much either.
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
It may take years for him to get to step 3
End of quote

Even seemingly hopeless cases can be cured by The 12-Step Downie Technique! Greldon, Naqmir, Magnumaniac, Primipilus Alexus, JaxomCA, Mayito and Lothmorg are just some of the people who have succesfully reclaimed their 'lives'! Was The 12-Step Downie Technique responsible? Yes! And that's a fact! A fact so clear it needs no evidence!
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
Although I have never submitted a cultural win at MASO, you can definitely achieve one on Tiny/Small/Medium maps. If the scores were worth it I could play my games quite a bit faster by going with the cultural win.
End of quote


Try a cultral win on a gigantic map. :p
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
Culture was my standard technique for winning gigantic maps, back in my pre-AP days. I always switched off cultural victories so it would score as a conquest. It's really quite easy on gigantic maps, because there tend to be a lot of influence resources. If you can buy, beg, borrow or steal them all, and build a +68% starbase on each one, then you can usually culture flip the entire galaxy, with a bit of help from Party Palaces in the difficult spots.
Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top
Come on Tech don’t be shy. That whole incarceration thing did help free a lot of GalCiv playing time for you. ;p
Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top
Off-topic: It is my understanding (and experience) that building up starbases on top of a cultural resource doesn't add to that resources overall civilization bonus, just to the culture in that particular sector.

Is my understanding incorrect? I tested it by building a starbase on a cultural resource, then checking the culture level in some far-off sector, then upgrading the starbase, and checking the culture level in that same far-off sector, and there appeared to be no change.
Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top
Resource bonuses should affect your entire civilization. The improvement in influence isn't instant, which probably explains your misleading experimental result.
Reply #19 from Stardock Forums Top
I understand the bonuses affect the entire civilization. I'm asking about IMPROVEMENTS to those starbases. Example:

You grab a culture resource with a starbase. That's +5% culture bonus for the entire civilization. Then, you had a Culture +20% improvement to THAT STARBASE. I don't believe that that 20% affects the *resource bonus* (i.e., you don't all of a sudden get a 6% civilization culture bonus isntead of a 5% one.) Know what I mean?

Anybody know the answer?
Reply #20 from Stardock Forums Top
Then, you had a Culture +20% improvement to THAT STARBASE
End of quote


If you add a cultural improvement, you add a bonus for the sector and the surrounding sector. If you add a mining module on a strabase located on top of an influence ressource, you will increase your empire wide influence bonus.
Reply #21 from Stardock Forums Top
Right. So, adding cultural improvements doesn't increase the civilization-level bonus you get from the mined resource.

Glad we straightened that out!
Reply #22 from Stardock Forums Top
Right. So, adding cultural improvements doesn't increase the civilization-level bonus you get from the mined resource.
End of quote


That is correct.

Peace' statement is correct.

For any resource, when you add mining modules to that resource you get improvements civilization wide.

When you build cultural improvements those improvements affect the sector that the starbase is in and then there are "spill over" culteral affects in the surrounding sectors.

When playing Crippling/Maso you can not build cultural starbases in a Major AI occupied sector because they will go to war with you. Build these starbases in an adjacent sector to flip the AI.
Reply #23 from Stardock Forums Top
I am slowing down playing only one or two masos some nights.
End of quote


hehe, except that Tech just posted 7 games in 2 days! If that is slowing down I can't wait to see what he posts when he plays normal. ;) LOL
Reply #24 from Stardock Forums Top
except that Tech just posted 7 games in 2 days!
End of quote


Oh great, it looks like Tech is bingeing again.

Actually, I'm the founder.
End of quote


I didn't know that you, Matthew D., were the founder. It looks like Tech could use a sponsor. (hint hint)
[Message Edited]
Reply #25 from Stardock Forums Top
It looks like Tech could use a sponsor.
End of quote

He's not there yet. First, he needs an intervention. All his friends need to get together and tell him he has a problem. If that doesn't work, we could try a military intervention, more extreme but probably appropriate for such a severe case as this.