Ver 1.02 vs 1.03

I've had no problems with stability in 1.03. Or with 1.02 for that matter.

I think there have been a few crash to desktop fixes in 1.03. Most stability issues ave been with mods, from what I've heard.

No new problems with 1.03, but it does seem to be a bit more balanced. It's much harder to dominate by selling techs, but you can still do it with trade goods. Hopefully, that will be next on the list...

The AI is getting smarter, and that's a good thing!

As long as it doesn't get too smart! I can't seem to get the opponents to buy any tech that actually lets me make a profit. They all want it for less than retail!

~SDC~

Bobo say if Ai want tech for less than retail, Ai like all people who go to mall. Pretty soon all tech cheap and fall apart because come from crappy planet!! But Ai not care...they got tech for low price! Maybe Brad put new race in update: the League of Mass merchants.

Ow. Bobo make personal opinion. Now head hurt. Think too much. Go now.

> No new problems with 1.03, but it does seem to be a
> bit more balanced. It's much harder to dominate by
> selling techs, but you can still do it with trade
> goods. Hopefully, that will be next on the list...

Uh, I'd like to have something left that actually has value. Trade goods are a monopoly, they should be worth something because there is no way to get them other than from the race that builds them initially. Even conquering that race doesn't allow you to sell the good yourself.

Apollo, you loose PQ+10 and PQ+15.

The AI is tweaked a bit.

Some of the other starting abilities that didn't actually work now work.

You cannot cheese the AI by giving him very worthless planets.

I get tons of CTD. Most seem to revolve around saving issues... very aggravating to me. I am not running a single mod, and have plenty of HD space. So, while 1.03 is nice for many, it isn't as stable for at least a few people (ok, one?).

No problem so far...to me, it seems to be more stable than 1.02

But than again, you can't really say that for eveyone else, cos everyone has different systems specs. So it is pretty hard to make it stable on everyones computer. Hence, the constant updates and tweaks.

The problem is that it is far too easy to get on top of the AI by hoarding Trade Goods.

Perhaps they could modify the AI to rush after Trade Goods and then try to sell them to you.

You have to admit Trade Goods are way overvalued. There was one game when I rushed to Diplomatic Translators and traded them to one AI for 5 techs and over 20 BC for 20 turns. The other AIs gave me over 40 BC for 20 turns -- in the early game when the economies are very small.

That is insane. Would YOU pay that much at turn 15 for a Trade Good if an AI offered it at that price? Of course not, so why should the AI?

I'm not asking that Trade Goods be nerfed. I'm asking that the AI be smarter when dealing with them.

Actually, until recently (don't know if it is game tweaks or my migrating up in AI Intelligence levels), the AI did run for various trade goods. Especially the minor races.

And they charge an arm and a leg for them.

I'd never give them a Diplo trade good, btw. You are just reducing your ability to negotiate long term sales. For example, most games, I have no trouble selling my obsolete battle axes for 5 for 29 turns... or battle hammers at 5 for 80 turns... or battle ships at 5 for 95 turns...

The better your diplo is over theirs, the more you can squeeze them silly.

You have to be more economically self-reliant in 1.03. It's harder to techwhore, but as other have pointed out, Trade Goods still work.

Population has more of an effect on moral, so you do end up building most of those moral-improving projects.

1.03 is super stable on my machine, even with frequent atl-tabs to look at the tech tree. Not a single crash yet.