Do you find yourself playing the same each time?

from Stardock Forums
When it comes down to 4x games, I always find myself playing the same. It basically boils down to me trying my hardest to stay atop of research and trade, while neglecting things such as defense and military ships. It kind of makes the end game a little hectic, with everyone trying to annihilate each other and then with me playing catchup. It's not that hard, since by then I have the most cultural influence, the most money, the best techs and a large amount of people. But it is a little frustrating having to manage planets that keep defecting to my side, or building up planets i've had for a while but have neglected in favor of earth and a few of my ealier colonies. Another thing I find hard to do is colonize early, and get up starbases. Despite knowing what my problems are, I do this each time I play. Do you also do this, and if you do (did), how did you improve?

~SDC~
518 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
My starts are Always the Exact same but but half way through they branch out a little eather i am the most powerful but slowest to moblizes navy with best tech or the fastest to moblize navy and best tech. Depends on if i am using my new Metaphyical Theory Techs i made but still testing but i will upload them to the libray as soon as i have a few more techs and SB modules and figure out how to use winzip to zip the files not jsut unzip them :p
Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
I tried to repeat the strategy I easiely won with at Beginner difficulty in a small Galaxy. Now it's a Medium Galaxy and Sub Normal and I think it's not gonna work... But I think more because of a general mistake than that it is a bad strategy.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Good question, Tetracell. Yes, my handwriting would probably always be recognizable. I will usually be found sitting in a fortified corner of the map, putting into motion a complicated, sinister long-term plan. :)
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
corners are for wimpy sinister villains... join Gamer Revolution! be brave. try tactics others might call "stupid" or "suicidal" or even "the sort played out by one whose mother fed paint chips to." vive la resistance!
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I'm still perfecting the Good But Devious Trading Strategy, so yeah, I tend to do the same sorts of things.

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
I find myself playing differently every time, actually. Depending on the situation within the game.

I play on "large" with "uncommon" planets. Each civ usually ends up with 10-15 planets by mid-game. Because of the few number of planets, one civ is usually crippled in the opening game. Sometimes that civ is me, and I'm forced to do some creative things to get back on top.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
My inability to change my style just cost me this one game. Small galxy with a scattered setting. I had the worst starting position ever. 3 stars with one habitable planet (feasibly) each. That's counting Earth. The only thing I had going for me was I had 2 resources all to my self that I immediately threw starbases onto. Since it took me a while to find anyone, I wasn't getting much money from trade, so things were taking longer to research and to build. I finally managed to finda minor-civ and started trading with them. But, since the drengin had other plans for me, I found myself sitting at war with them like 6 turns after finding them. I managed to get control of 5 other resources, but all the starbases in the universe couldn't save me thanks to my horrible population and starting point. I suppose someone probably could have made that work. I should practice going the military route a few times.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
I used to use the same strats all the time too, but for the last month or two have been trying to deliberatley adopt different strats from this forum and make them work. I am enjoyign the game even more. And I anticipate being much better at my 'natural style' when I am done.

~SDC~
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
I usually play good-guy, cause I notice that halfway through the game either the Alterians or the green-guys, get pretty big. But game play definitely changes depending on who my neighbors are.

Things I've done so far:

1.)After reading posts here and seeing that it really doesn't change my alignment. I attack any and all minor races and take them over.
2.) Militarily I will wipe out one race (opposite my alignment), just to make the end game easier to manage and expand my empire.
3.) Never research techs that have cost of more than 1.
4.) Be tech intensive, until I need to go to war, so usually my first ships are Dreadnaughts.
5.) Trade with minors and 1 major same align race, so I can gain a quick ally.

Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
I do widely different things at different games.
I play many different galaxy sizes, so tiny games with rare stars are always different games, even one form another, because you might use the colony ship in one game, or not, and then you'll be a major power, or not.
Then I choose good/evil depending on whether I want allies later on.
As for the research path, I often go the trade goods way, but sometimes I just go for impulse drives + military... Depends on how the Drengins look like during the early game.
I also have different starbase startegies depending on whether or not I have resources nearby, and particularly military resources.