AncestralHamster

Join Date 04/2009

Assorted Newbie Questions

So I've bought the Ultimate edition and started my first game as the Altarians in a Small galaxy, (EASY, 5 civs, No Tech Brokering) with a custom opponent (Tholian Holdfast, using the Thalan tech tree, AFRonin's Tholian ships, and Super Isolationist SA.) At this point I've explored 90% of the galaxy, have four colonies (none better than class 9), a Production resource starbase, an Influence SB, and an Ascension crystal SB. I've no real warships yet, but have just gotten the small ship hull, and need the next tech to actually have weapons for it. Scouts like crazy though.

The thing is, I'm not sure what I need to do next. My economy has not tanked, but it is definitely sliding towards ruin due to maintenance, and I will start building freighters after the current build is finished. I still have a little space on all my worlds to build, but I stopped building factories etcetera since I was not sure if I should leave space for later, more sophisticated social projects.

So I have several questions for the community.

1. Is there a strategy library like that at Civ Fanatics where people post game articles on specific topics that I can visit? A detailed walk-through or AAR of a beginner's level game would also be helpful.

2. Should I use every space of my colonies, and just plow over older buildings? Or should I save space as I am currently doing?

3. How do I build a healthy economy in this game? (Or the Altarians if econ strategies are race-specific).

4. Do I need to hook up my star bases? Right now, only the Ascension SB is actually producing. Not sure what status screen it is, but it claims I don't have any SB bonuses.

5. Should I build up a single SB until I've maxed it for my current tech level, or should I claim as many resources as possible with just a basic SB on each and then improve them from there?

6. When a space on a tile gives an Approval bonus, can that bonus apply to either Morale or Influence, whatever building is first built there?

7. Should I build Starports on every world? Originally, I was going to specialize, but most of my colonies are forming a loose cordon around the Drath Legion, so it seems like a good idea to make them into military production centers, freeing Altaria for bigger projects.

8. What tech(s) are needed to settle Toxic worlds? There is a Class 13 and Class 17 near Altaria, but at my present tech they are unusable.

BTW, when I started this game, I was planning to go for a Tech victory, since my usual play style in TBS games is to do rapid early expansion, then turtle until I have massive tech superiority, and only then conquer the world or galaxy, but if I can just turtle and tech for the win, that's great! (I'm a Builder-style player, and only occasionally a Warmonger.) Since it is a first game, I may just scrap that and not worry about winning until I get a better feel for the way GCII plays. Ascension is very tempting since four of the five are either next to or close to my homeworld, and it also reminds me of the Transcendence victory from Alpha Centauri, my favorite TBS game to date.

Thank you for your time.

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Well, here's what I know, or do....

1) Not that I know of

2) You'll play some games where you have extra tiles you can easily save for later, other games where it seems you need to build out immediately. You can imagine the tradeoffs -- if you change a tile from a bank to a factory or special project, you lose some (most? all?) of the resources used to create the bank.

3) Build economic buildings. Have your Economic Capital on the right planet. Research the economic tree to give you upgrades. Start trade with far-flung civilizations, keep those routes healthy. Plant economic starbases where they do the most good.

4) and 5) If you don't get the starbases when you can, someone else will get them. So I normally grab what I can. Also, in larger galaxies, starbases extend your ships' range. Later in the game if nobody is at war with me, I sometimes will sentry constructors next to starbases of people who are at war... wait for the base to be destroyed... and swoop in to take it over.

6) Approval is morale; Influence is Influence... two different bonuses. You might not have seen the Influence bonus tile yet.

7) Prioritization of resources... I like to have starports on each planet... but sometimes it's a low-class planet in a safe area, so I don't worry so much. But when you're at war and needing to crank out defenders, it's nice to build local.

8) Look for the green research techs. There are Heavy World, Radioactive World, Toxic Atmosphere, Aquatic, others. Obviously... research the ones you need. Selecting a planet will tell you what it needs.

Have fun!

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Thank you for your answers.

As regards grabbing resources when you can, I have just learned that lesson the hard way, since the AI races have snapped them all up. Meanwhile Thalan influence is pushing my borders back and costing me asteroid mines. Am attempting to counter with Influence starbases, but will be focusing on the military techs soon ... the Thalans are too big for my tastes and diplomatic relations are hostile.

RE: Approval is morale. Thanks. By beginner's luck I built the right building on it.

Have fun!

Thank you, I will!

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Quoting ,

quoting post

4. Do I need to hook up my star bases? Right now, only the Ascension SB is actually producing. Not sure what status screen it is, but it claims I don't have any SB bonuses.

You may have figured this out by now, but you need to send more Construction ships to the starbases to upgrade them with bonus modules. The Ascension starbase has no upgrades so that's why only one ship is enough for it to begin producing.

Hope you're having success against those pesky Thalans. I don't trust them...

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Quoting DamienShade,

reply 3

quoting post
4. Do I need to hook up my star bases? Right now, only the Ascension SB is actually producing. Not sure what status screen it is, but it claims I don't have any SB bonuses.

You may have figured this out by now, but you need to send more Construction ships to the starbases to upgrade them with bonus modules. The Ascension starbase has no upgrades so that's why only one ship is enough for it to begin producing.

Hope you're having success against those pesky Thalans. I don't trust them...

I just finished that game this morning, and so I've seen the differences between the starbases. The Planet detail screen was referring to the Economic SB, and I did not have any at the time, so therefore no bonus production.

As for the Thalans, I eventually crushed them (and really, I should, playing at Easy), although the culture war was ugly for a while. I'm keeping the Thalans in my second game since what little I've read in this forum suggests they are tough opponents normally, and the Klackons from MOO2 were also a hive species and were often my nemesis in that game.

My victory was through culture, thanks to the Thalans. I had to build so many influence starbases to counter theirs that when I conquered them my sphere of influence surged accross the galaxy, bringing victory ten turns later.

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Quoting AncestralHamster,

reply 4

While I did research up to two levels of SB defenses, I never had the option to put shields/armor/point defense on the Influence and Econonic starbases. Did I need to go another tech higher, or are defensive military upgrades limited to the Military starbases?

As for the Thalans, I eventually crushed them (and really, I should, playing at Easy), although the culture war was ugly for a while. I'm keeping the Thalans in my second game since what little I've read in this forum suggests they are tough opponents normally, and the Klackons from MOO2 were also a hive species and were often my nemesis in that game.

My victory was through culture, thanks to the Thalans. I had to build so many influence starbases to counter theirs that when I conquered them my sphere of influence surged accross the galaxy, bringing victory ten turns later.

Good job.

As for the starbase defenses, did you install a "Battle Stations" module? You can't upgrade weapons and armor until you do.

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Quoting DamienShade,

reply 5

As for the starbase defenses, did you install a "Battle Stations" module? You can't upgrade weapons and armor until you do.

Ah, that may be it. One of my first bases had one, but later bases (other than the military ones) did not, and there was no need to upgrade the first base militarily now that is was deep in my territory. Thanks, I'll see if that makes the difference this game.

In case other new players are following this thread, I've found this guide to the TA (Twilight of the Arnor) expansion by DivineWrath highly useful.

https://forums.stardock.com/310907

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