How the space was... lost
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Wow.
I just had a nice game and thougt I tell you about it.
Small map, planets common, all AIs bright.
Federalists, bonus on speed, sensors, production, hitpoints.
Act 1
Used my speed advantage and went into dept a lot grab as many systems as possible. Quite succesful with that. A very strange picture begins to form:
Terra - 4 systems
Arcean - 4 systems
Everybody else - only 1 system each !
(minors were of no real importance throughout the game)
Of cause, the guys with only on system are able to develop there planets much faster, while I needed some time do get out of my depts.
But the best thing: I colonized the Hespis-system with a 26 PQ and a 18PQ - nice. Two econ recourcess, too.
Act 2
With a good start, I begin building up a very solid economy. Build some starfighters so the Arceans won't come for me.
Um. Those Arceans get pretty big. Have 3 nice system in one sector near me.
First UP meeting: We need a place for our space zoo. Everybody thinks "$$$" and votes for himself, so the Arceans get it.
My economy starts to kick in, but I'm technological behind.
Act 3
Of cause, the Arceans use there power and start pushing the Drengins and Yor till they are at war with both.
Good for me - weakens the Arceans a bit and buys me time. So I start to supply the Yor with some techs.
Start to power up the Hespis-system with everything possible. All my trade routes start there.
The Yor and Drengin have no chance against the Arceans. But the Yor are grateful and surrender their only system to me. Excellent! The Drengins surrender to the Altarians, which gives them a huge boost.
Act 4
Some time later...
My money-machine is working. Big TradeBases around Hespis.
Me and the Arceans are military equal, but his tech is far better than mine.
The Altarian and Tollarian allied, only together they manage to keep up with the Arceans, but I don't know for how long.
Then the Arceans got Dreadnought-tech while everybody else is still trying to invent battleships. I bought some other techs with all the money I make - but they don't sell something like this.
Uh-oh... he will build a fleet of dreadnoughts and then go for the Tolarian-Altarian-alliance (got good relations to both, neutral to Arcean at this point).
They don't have a chance... and when he conquered both, he will come for me.
That's what I thought. But then...
Act 5
Remember those space-monsters in the zoo?
They broke free, started to roam between the 3 central Arcean systems and killed 40% of his fleet.
Shortly thereafter, the UP issue: tech-shring come up. We outvote the Arceans and force him to share 8 techs - including Dreadnoughts!!
Wow.
And one of my scouts managed to lure the spacemonsters to an big Arcean Base which they destroyed. Found it very very cool that that worked.
No, that changes everything.
Act 6
Now all 4 races are on the same tech level. Soon me, the Arceans and the Altarian/Tolarian - alliance each have a fleet strong enough for defence, but noone really got the power to start a war. I notice how the Arceans surround their central 3 systems with a ring of military-bases, pretty much as a human player would do, cool.
So what follows is a long time of peace. Lots of trade. Upgrading Hespis to every kind of capital. PQ on HespisII is 32 now. 8 traderoutes there.
After some time, EVERYBODY is allied with EVERYBODY - except the Arceans and me. So I try to make the 4-side-alliance perfect, redirect all my traderoutes to the Arceans, give him some nice gifts like Micro-Repair-Bots etc.
"It's only a matter of time", I think.
Act 7
Weeoosh! Event at the terran/arcean border - PQ rising!
Affects his centrals systems as well as Sol and Hespis, which are now incredible. So I use the boost I got from that event too get every planetary upgrade that ives research bonus and play with 100% science-spending - thinking "either the Arceans will ally with me after some more trading & tech-gifts, else I just go for tech-victory"
That's when I thought I had own and just started to push the "End Turn" button, complelty neglecting micromanagement&fleet upgrade.
Act 8
There were some rumors about Hespis, but I didn;t exspect this to happen:
A evil guy named Dragolis (or something like that) takes control over it. With my beloved systems goes 50% of my production, income, research... my fleet is to outdated to deal with the affair.
Well, not that bad... I have enough money to buy some Avatars and get the system back.
But then I recognize something far worse:
With the Hespsis-system, all my Traderoutes to the Arceas vanished. as a result, our relation dropped from 'friendly' to 'cool'. And his ships allready start moving.
*sigh* No chance to survive that, so I quit.
----
My mistakes:
1) Read Act 7 again. The way I thought and played there would be correct for ANY game - except galciv.
In this game, there is no "just hit 'end turn' till you won", you have to play concentrated till the end.
2) I relied to much on one good system.
All in all, this was one of the most exciting TBS-games I ever had. And I can't wait to show the AI that I learned from my mistakes in the next game
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]
I just had a nice game and thougt I tell you about it.
Small map, planets common, all AIs bright.
Federalists, bonus on speed, sensors, production, hitpoints.
Act 1
Used my speed advantage and went into dept a lot grab as many systems as possible. Quite succesful with that. A very strange picture begins to form:
Terra - 4 systems
Arcean - 4 systems
Everybody else - only 1 system each !
(minors were of no real importance throughout the game)
Of cause, the guys with only on system are able to develop there planets much faster, while I needed some time do get out of my depts.
But the best thing: I colonized the Hespis-system with a 26 PQ and a 18PQ - nice. Two econ recourcess, too.
Act 2
With a good start, I begin building up a very solid economy. Build some starfighters so the Arceans won't come for me.
Um. Those Arceans get pretty big. Have 3 nice system in one sector near me.
First UP meeting: We need a place for our space zoo. Everybody thinks "$$$" and votes for himself, so the Arceans get it.
My economy starts to kick in, but I'm technological behind.
Act 3
Of cause, the Arceans use there power and start pushing the Drengins and Yor till they are at war with both.
Good for me - weakens the Arceans a bit and buys me time. So I start to supply the Yor with some techs.
Start to power up the Hespis-system with everything possible. All my trade routes start there.
The Yor and Drengin have no chance against the Arceans. But the Yor are grateful and surrender their only system to me. Excellent! The Drengins surrender to the Altarians, which gives them a huge boost.
Act 4
Some time later...
My money-machine is working. Big TradeBases around Hespis.
Me and the Arceans are military equal, but his tech is far better than mine.
The Altarian and Tollarian allied, only together they manage to keep up with the Arceans, but I don't know for how long.
Then the Arceans got Dreadnought-tech while everybody else is still trying to invent battleships. I bought some other techs with all the money I make - but they don't sell something like this.
Uh-oh... he will build a fleet of dreadnoughts and then go for the Tolarian-Altarian-alliance (got good relations to both, neutral to Arcean at this point).
They don't have a chance... and when he conquered both, he will come for me.
That's what I thought. But then...
Act 5
Remember those space-monsters in the zoo?
They broke free, started to roam between the 3 central Arcean systems and killed 40% of his fleet.
Shortly thereafter, the UP issue: tech-shring come up. We outvote the Arceans and force him to share 8 techs - including Dreadnoughts!!
Wow.
And one of my scouts managed to lure the spacemonsters to an big Arcean Base which they destroyed. Found it very very cool that that worked.
No, that changes everything.
Act 6
Now all 4 races are on the same tech level. Soon me, the Arceans and the Altarian/Tolarian - alliance each have a fleet strong enough for defence, but noone really got the power to start a war. I notice how the Arceans surround their central 3 systems with a ring of military-bases, pretty much as a human player would do, cool.
So what follows is a long time of peace. Lots of trade. Upgrading Hespis to every kind of capital. PQ on HespisII is 32 now. 8 traderoutes there.
After some time, EVERYBODY is allied with EVERYBODY - except the Arceans and me. So I try to make the 4-side-alliance perfect, redirect all my traderoutes to the Arceans, give him some nice gifts like Micro-Repair-Bots etc.
"It's only a matter of time", I think.
Act 7
Weeoosh! Event at the terran/arcean border - PQ rising!
Affects his centrals systems as well as Sol and Hespis, which are now incredible. So I use the boost I got from that event too get every planetary upgrade that ives research bonus and play with 100% science-spending - thinking "either the Arceans will ally with me after some more trading & tech-gifts, else I just go for tech-victory"
That's when I thought I had own and just started to push the "End Turn" button, complelty neglecting micromanagement&fleet upgrade.
Act 8
There were some rumors about Hespis, but I didn;t exspect this to happen:
A evil guy named Dragolis (or something like that) takes control over it. With my beloved systems goes 50% of my production, income, research... my fleet is to outdated to deal with the affair.
Well, not that bad... I have enough money to buy some Avatars and get the system back.
But then I recognize something far worse:
With the Hespsis-system, all my Traderoutes to the Arceas vanished. as a result, our relation dropped from 'friendly' to 'cool'. And his ships allready start moving.
*sigh* No chance to survive that, so I quit.
----
My mistakes:
1) Read Act 7 again. The way I thought and played there would be correct for ANY game - except galciv.
In this game, there is no "just hit 'end turn' till you won", you have to play concentrated till the end.
2) I relied to much on one good system.
All in all, this was one of the most exciting TBS-games I ever had. And I can't wait to show the AI that I learned from my mistakes in the next game
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]
