Are Terror Stars Overpowered

from Stardock Forums
I won a maso game on a small map in a very simple way. As long as you find some way to survive until you can create terror stars you are unstoppable. Simple position 5 constructors next to each enemy star system of the ai you are targetting. Turn off all spending until you have enough money to make all the terror stars you need (for example 30k for 6 stars). Make the terror stars. Wait one turn. Blow up all the stars. It's the equivalent of an alpha strike but it doesn't matter if the ai is miles ahead of you in technology and he has no way to defend against this. After this, You can either move your terror stars to the next ais stars or start over with new constructors. On a small map unless you have fallen way way behind none of the enemy ais is likely to have more than 6 stars.
Perhaps this isn't feasible for huge galaxies but who knows. Seems a bit overpowering to me.
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
I won a maso game on a small map in a very simple way. As long as you find some way to survive until you can create terror stars you are unstoppable. Simple position 5 constructors next to each enemy star system of the ai you are targetting. Turn off all spending until you have enough money to make all the terror stars you need (for example 30k for 6 stars). Make the terror stars. Wait one turn. Blow up all the stars. It's the equivalent of an alpha strike but it doesn't matter if the ai is miles ahead of you in technology and he has no way to defend against this. After this, You can either move your terror stars to the next ais stars or start over with new constructors. On a small map unless you have fallen way way behind none of the enemy ais is likely to have more than 6 stars.Perhaps this isn't feasible for huge galaxies but who knows. Seems a bit overpowering to me.
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well, the thing about that is, by the time i could get terror stars, i could have gotten party palaces before it. Those constructors building the terror stars get turned into party palaces sooner, and ya win the game sooner. But, both strategies work well on smaller maps, as the AI doesnt know whats going on most of the time.

I think both terror stars and influence are overpowered.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Those constructors building the terror stars get turned into party palaces sooner, and ya win the game sooner.
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True but we already know (at least i think we do) that influence is currently bugged in that it multiplies instead of adding so in my games I've been restricting myself to only one culture star base per sector. No one has really mentioned pure terror stars before.



I think both terror stars and influence are overpowered.
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Agreed.

Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Essex99
Somewhere on another post is an explanation of why influence works the way it does.As I am still trying to figure out math behind it,this number can grow into the billions if I remember correctly.I will try to dig up post and reply when I find it.
If I remember correctly all other mods are additive and only influence was multiplied.I think this has to do with spanning out across multiple sectors which are based on the center sector and then the ones that are immediately adjacent.Those numbers are totalled to give influence in sectors across whole map and the farther away from star influence the less it counts.Try going to farthest corner after starting new game.Wait one year and then use influence button (top screen in middle ) and see what your influece rating is.Every sector has a bit from every race left and the strongest gets the sector ownership.
Don't know if this helps.
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Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Terror stars are definitely overpowered and AIs also don't know how to use them.

I've made some suggestions in my Galciv blog on TS.

1) Restrict to building one TS module per turn
2) All races become hostile to TS builders (declare war for those building in their sectors) and TS owners

~SDC~
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
All races become hostile to TS builders (declare war for those building in their sectors) and TS owners
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Sounds like civ and SMAC where if you used nuclear weapons, every civ declared war on you.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Sounds like civ and SMAC where if you used nuclear weapons, every civ declared war on you.
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That's the key--if you USE them you are universaly hated, and if I'm not mistaken GC is already like this. There should be no reason though to be penalized just for building them, as you could want them for other reasons (portable culture/moving resources/deterrent via MAD/etc).
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Just saying you are going to develop weapons of mass destruction gets you hated. :)
The fact that you can use them anytime once they are completed makes it worse.

~SDC~
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
Eradicus: Thanks for the info. I was already aware that influence affects sectors adjacent to the one you are in and moves on from there. However, I'm fairly sure that right now starbases are bugged in such a way as to give you more influence than you should get. Many people have posted about influence starbases multiplying by each other instead of adding as they should. For example if you have 2 SB's which give 100%influence I think you end up with your influence times 4 instead of times 2.

Kryofx

That's the key--if you USE them you are universaly hated, and if I'm not mistaken GC is already like this
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In my game I wiped out 3 different ais using terror star alpha strikes and none of the others complained or changed their diplomatic status towards me.

Ray: I like your suggestions, personnaly I think the ai should be able to demand you remove constructors from their sectors and should declare war the same turn that a terror star enters their sector.

Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
Overpowered? Well, not for a device named a "Terror Star". Maybe if they were named "Anxiety Stars" or "Somewhat Alarming Stars", then they'ed be overpowered.

I do agree, however, that there should be diplomatic consequences for building and using them.
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
Ive always thought that it was strange that your in game actions did not affect your morality. Especially things like using asteriods to take out a planet, building a terror star, etc. Shoot even destroying "colony" ships could be seen as pretty evil. Having a terror star is probably the weirdest one to me. When you vote on it in the UP, all the good empires vote against them, so why dont that get mad at you when you actually BUILD one. Oh well.
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
Maybe it would be good if the penultimate module allowed the terrorstar to move, with only the final module allowing destruction and causing universal hostility.

Or even a whole seperate sequence of modules that cause mobility, so that if you complete the TerrorStar without the finished mobility modules, then it is a sitting duck and totally useless (unless it is already adjacent to a star).

Then using the thing causes universal war. (However, how would alliances work? I seem to remember in Civ and CivII that allied civs didn't mind you using nukes, but everyone else did.) However, what about if you destroy an uninhabited star system?

Actually, thats another point, I also think they should only be able to destroy planets, not stars. The ability to destroy stars should come with a later tech, and sequence of modules.

A bit late to alter GalCiv 1 this drastically, but maybe they'll do it this way in GalCiv2?
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
How about just modules that allow your starbase to move? Maybe make it even faster than a terror star? I don 't like having to spend 5k to make my culture palaces move around.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
I've thought about this too, that you should be able to mobilize a starbase without going the whole way and installing the superlaser too. That way you can build mobile palaces, etc. without bothering with actual terror stars.

Of course the devs could also do something like limit you to one fully-fledged terror star at any given time. After all, building and maintaining such a huge artificial structure would be ridiculously expensive...