What is the optimum game length for best score?

from Stardock Forums
The gigantic game I just completed took forever and even though I had a raw score of 48k my Metaverse score was only 20k. Now in other tiny games I've played my raw score was lower than my submitted metaverse score, so how and what affects the score (besides techs and stuff like that).
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Here is how the system generally works now:

Difficulty Level:
The base score is based on the intelligence of the various computer players. This makes up the vast majority of the score. There is a slight bonus for playing as the opposite alignment as most of the players for most of the game. It looks at each turn and then looks at how much you are different each turn. But it's a relatively small adustment.

Galaxy Size:
There is a moderate adjustment based on galaxy size. But not much. Gigantic galaxy vs. tiny will be about a 3 to 1 difference in scores if all variables are the same.

Population:
Population is looked at but its value decreases as the game progresses. It is Population P / Turns N ^2. You're actually better off having a pretty good population earlier than having a huge population later and sitting on it. You're not penalized for having long games though, you simply don't get additional points at a certain point. That said, population is a relatively minor part of the scoring. It also takes into account what percentage of the total galactic population you have that turn. That is, your score is then modified by 100% - your percent of the population. So if you have 90% of the galactic population, you're only going to get 10% of the population score that turn.

Technology:
What percentage of the technology tree you have acheived and how fast you get it are added in. A fairly modest bonus but it's still lookeda t.

Economics, Trade Goods, Wonders, etc.
These other things are looked at and a few points added. They won't make that big of a difference (on a 15,000 point score they may add a few hundred points total).

Victory Condition:
Then the victory condition is looked at. The score is multiplied by it. Conquest = 10. Alliance =9. Culture = 8. Technology Victory = 7 (bear in mind that this is partially made up for by having a higher percent of the tech tree completed bonus).

Notes:
You're best scoring scenario is to win but not win too quickly. The system is designed to appeal to the mass majority of players, not the top 10 players. As a result, we want to create a system that rewards people for playing the game as it was designed to be played. That means your best bang for the buck will be games that are medium in length. You get serious diminishing returns. Sitting on 90% of the galaxy for turn after turn is not going to net you more points. You're not penalized either but you're not rewarded for having a huge population if you've got the game wrapped up. On the other hand, win the game in say year 3 due to some specific strategy won't net very good scores because you haven't had time to build up other parts to get multiplied by.

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Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
I play mostly on tiny/rare. I've made some additional observations:

- Turning off "cultural victory" seems to double your score. You then get a military victory by flipping all the AI planets. Similarly, turn off "tech victory" so you can get credit for reasearching each tech, but also the "military victory" bonus. Notice that military victory gets the highest multiplier. When you're about to win, gift planets to the suviving AI so you can get that last trade good and wonder.

- Play evil. Evil races get more trade goods and wonders, and you get a bonus for each trade good and wonder you produce.

- Have a few successful invasions. This seems to boost the military component of your score.

- Have a high average approval rating. This seems to factor into your score, in addition to the population points.

- Have a high average net income. This boosts the economy portion of your score. Trade starbases help here.
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
I get a sneaky feeling that the score tabluations in the various endscreens are not relied upon any more, fsk.

For example, my military score stays pretty much the same when I play games with lots of action, no action, very big fleet, minimal fleet.

Those scoring tabulations could have been superseded by the change in scoring system made by Frogboy.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
I get a sneaky feeling that the score tabluations in the various endscreens are not relied upon any more, fsk.
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Aren't you playing the beta though? Your score tabulations might be totally different than someone still playing 1.05.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Frogboy mentioned that the scoing algo for 1.09 is the same as 1.05 except for the greater weightage for higher difficulties.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
My above comment reflects my experience, both in the actual score and the score summary screens. It's hard to separate "average approval rating" and "population", since higher morale leads to more population.

Also remember that I'm playing tiny/rare/intelligent in 1.05.

It seems that, in 1.05, it's possible to double your score by actively prolonging the game. I get 3k-4k for a quick cultural victory and 8k-10k when I go through most of the tech tree and build every wonder and trade good. It's still possible to get every single wonder and trade good on intelligent.