what am i doing wrong

from Stardock Forums
Hi,

I've played over 12games in cakewalk mode (with varying amount of players on fool playing ability) I'm always loosing planets

I try to keep moral high (above 75%) but eventually i always end up loosing 1 planet after another (sometimes up to 3 at once)

I build the stuff to increase moral .. and try to keep population growth down .. I always end up with a negative treasury no matter what i do (no i don't ever lease anything)

Even playing with 1 computer player on fool they end up wipeing the floor with me..

I'm normally quite good at these types of games.. but for the life of me i can't seem to come to grips with Galciv

Its so frustrating but I love the chalenge

I normally play on gigantic maps but always seem to bump into the computer player before i have 12 colonies

please help me if you can

Blue Steel


~SDC~
2,604 views 3 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
BlueSteel,
first advice is to start playing on tiny or small maps. These will let you come to grips with playing the game before you move onto the higher maps. Then read the unofficial strategy guide (see the main forum) for tips. In particular remember to increase your spending to 100% at the start of a game and initially focus on 1 thing at a time (military, social or research). If you are having problems getting more planets than the AI then choose speed bonus' as your initial picks. If nothing you read helps then I suggest you post a more detailed account of your first few turns and what you do.

Paul.

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Morale is on a per-planet basis. So, your overall approval rating could be 80%, but you could still have some 1% morale plants that will defect to the I-League.

Solutions:

- use transports to move population away from low-morale planets

- rush-build entertainment network and soil enhancement on newly acquired planets

- keep overall tax rate around 33%

- max out your morale resource starbases
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
One more thing: watch what you spend!

Money sinks:
a) Ship maintenance. Every scout, transport, star fighter, etc. will cost you money every turn. If you have a bunch of scouts and nothing to do with them, give them to the AI so you won't have to pay the maintenance costs. Plus, you get a diplomatic boost sometimes as well.
b) Improvement maintenance. This is NOT a build everything everywhere game. In fact, there are a number of buildings that you probably shouldn't build at ANYWHERE, because their maintenance isn't worth their benefit. If you're really in a pinch you can save a few bc/turn by destroying improvements in your planets' "Details" screen.
c) Leases. Since you don't use them (smart move unless you have lots of spare cash), no problem here.
...and most importantly...
d) Spending. On the economic policy screen, you'll notice that there are separate spending and taxation sliders. Unless you WANT to go into debt, make sure you keep the spending slider low enough that you have a positive net income. The only exception is the initial 100%-spending rush while you burn through your starting treasury. Just remember to slow down once you get near the zero mark.

Also, know where your money comes from:
a) Taxes. The more people you have and the higher your tax rate is, the more you get. Note that you will hit a point of diminishing returns if you increase this too far, as people will start refusing to pay. Also, note that unless you keep morale high (usually by relatively low taxes), you lose population growth, which hurts your eventual tax potential.
b) Trade. Don't neglect this! Build freighters as soon as you can and get them moving toward the strongest alien worlds. In addition to $$/turn, you get a constant diplomatic warming effect from active trade routes.
c) Tribute. You can sell techs, trade goods, ships, influence, even star systems for cash via the diplomacy screen. This money, if you set it up as a long-term (10-20 turn) lease, will show up under tribute in your economic policy screen.

HTH,
-EtherMage


~SDC~