More new chum questions

from Stardock Forums
First some background. I am playing a game on a tiny map at beginner difficulty and have restricted myself to my home star system to figure out how to squeeze the most out of a system.

I noticed my morale went down to 30 on one planet and 40 on the other so I set a counter-espionage budget and eventually morale went up to 40 and 55. I don't see why it won't go higher particularly since I have many buildings and a happiness resource. I am sharing a sector with a minor race who apparently have a lot of influence.

1.Could their influence be dragging down my morale?
2. Could my system culture flip to a minor race?

I have a maxed out starbase in my home sector and trying to finish starbases on two resources in adjacent sectors but when I max them out I am wondering if I should build more in my home sector.

3.Will I get additional bonuses if I build another starbase in my home sector?
4. If so, what is the limit to the number of starbases I can get incremental benefits from?

I am giving my minor race neighbour battleships to help in his war against the Yor.

5. Does this reduce relations with the Yor?

The Drengin have several techs I seem unable to research.

6. Do evil races get their own secret tech?
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
what? there's *counter* espionage?

1 don't know.
2 it's possible but tends to be highly unlikely.
3&4 the limit to benefit is some multiplier of the planet's planet quality, not sure what the actual number is though. typically i don't bother with more than one unless there's the UP ruling in effect that limits the number of modules on a starbase.

5 not that i know.
6 yes. however, i'm pretty sure you can trade for them and make use of them that way.

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
1. No
3&4. The amount of the gain goes down over certain thresholds (different for IU and free IU), up to a maximum (which is related to PQ) where you only get the tiniest extra benefit. (Tangential curve?)
5. No, but I think it should. (Arms scandals... Contras...)
6. "Goodies" get some special tech too.

For more info on the economy, see the new manual - available in SDC, or seperate download from my site (url in another thread)

Two overview points:
- Your morale is directly realted to overcrowding on the planet - ship some people off.
- For most of the game, be happy with a morale in the 55-60 range: high enough to win the election, low enough you are getting good tax revenues.

[Exception: I am now of the view that during the early game you should keep morale at 100% to get the extra 3% population growth bonus. You only get it at 100: 54-99 all give the same growth. (Under 54, stable or shrinking...)]
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Peter, I was messing around with this same thing just yesterday. The thing I think you have to keep in mind is that morale is a constant struggle. Anything you do to raise morale will increase your population, which in turn reduces morale.

I'm no expert, but I would suggest if you know ahead of time you want to do something like this, consider taking a PQ bonus, but do not take population bonuses...in fact, you might even consider making choices on events or when colonizing that penalize population growth, thus delaying the inevitable.

I'd also keep taxes and spending high as you can and build some morale improvements if you have to (but see above) ;p

I'd be interested to see how people handle morale late game. The game I won the other day, morale plummeted late in the game because I was going all out on constructors and ignored it except during election years (this seems like an exploit to me personally, but the game would be *much* harder without it, probably too hard for my feeble mind)

I'm no pro, so take this with a big grain of salt.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
I have been dealing with morale problems by building Combat Transports. Draft enough of 'em and the rest realize that maybe life isn't so bad after all.