Planet Strategies on Maso

from Stardock Forums
I hear people saying that a key to having an easier go on maso is to colonize more planets than the AI's - and I hear people often saying that they do just that. Hmmmmm. In my games I play rare tight clusters and I have ctrl-U'd just to see what is available to me vs the other AI's. Generally there is usually one other system with a PQ at 15 or above in proximity to each AI. Beyond that nothing worth grabbing or so I thought.

My last game I started with a PQ19 and a PQ14. That's it! I didn't think the other AI had much more to work with, until I saw the Torians, Arcaens and Yor with numerous systems!!! Yikes - what a hole!

When I capture or destroy these systems, they are all PQ20 or MUCH HIGHER. How is this done??? Sometimes they get the event that raises the base class of the system, but not too often - and why is it I never get that?

What am I missing? Should I be going after PQ13, 12 and 11 systems too?

~SDC~
2,462 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Ok, I must just be naive. The AI's MUST have some nice PQ bonus that I never thought of. I just checked a year into the game all the AI planets - 21 or better all over the place!!

On a side note, I just tried colonizing a 12, 13 and 14 planets and didn't get a single colonization event - whoever thinks these things are happening more frequently must be high!

Argh - do I start over or play the hand I am given?

I guess I am up for a challenge.

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
It was a 30% PQ bonus in 1.10. I don't think it's changed since then. You could always start a game and invoke a couple cheat codes, then pour espionage into the AI to see what the exact bonus is.
Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
kasualkid

I play rare maso tight clusters too. In the huge I am playing now, I started with 4 yellow stars. And, two of those were due to my +1 speed bonus barely beating the Torians to one and Carinoids to another. I consider 4 an OK start - not great. After I met all the other AI, I was in 4th place for planet number behind the Drengins, Arcean, and Yor (they had 6 or 7 each) but ahead of Altarians and Torians (they had 2 each). The I-League recently had 3 and the other minors had 1 or 2. I think that is pretty typical for one of my huge masos in 1.11 where the minor AI expands.

I colonize 14's because Ray said there is no penalty but apparently with 13 & 12 there is a 5 bc per turn penalty IIRC. I might colonize a 13 if it is in a sector with yellows where I might build a production starbase. Even then I wait until right before I shift my effort to infrastructure (soil & habitat, etc.) so I don't pay the penalty for many turns. I don't colonize adjacent to major AI star sytems because the major flips my planet too often.

It is not that big of deal to start behind in planet number. Just stay alive long enough to trade. Don't make enemies and finally build party palaces. You can catch up. One of adjustments I had to make playing maso was to give up dominating (especially in the beginning) and simply play to win. Good luck. :)
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Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
I colonize 14's because Ray said there is no penalty but apparently with 13 & 12 there is a 5 bc per turn penalty IIRC.
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Just click the planet details to see for yourself. There is a line which states the planet maintenance.
PQ14s don't incur any.

~SDC~
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
ric,

IIRC, you play non-militaristic, like me. I don't know if it is because you can't go toe to toe with the AI, like me, or you just don't like that style of playing, also, like me. It seems to me that if just a small number of AI tweaks and the logistics ability will make maso "impossible" to win again.

Not that this is inherently bad, BUT if stardock is successful in making the AI "smarter" it would lessen the need for some of the other "bonuses" they get - like turning a PQ 15 planet into a 21 by the time soil and habitat improvement are done when we can only make a 17 or 18 out of it.

Hmmm. I wonder how difficult it would be to have the ability to enable the cheat mode and then have the AI bonuses configurable by the player.

~SDC~
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Just click the planet details to see for yourself. There is a line which states the planet maintenance.PQ14s don't incur any.
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Thanks Ray. You never stop being a source of information. And, from another post, you got me to read the FAQ from our own empire too. LOL.

Glad you came back to the forums after your military duty. We missed you. :)

IIRC, you play non-militaristic, like me. I don't know if it is because you can't go toe to toe with the AI, like me, or you just don't like that style of playing, also, like me.
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I mostly play things like Combat Mission or Sid Meier's Gettysburg for my "combat fix". With Gal Civ, I mostly play non-tactical combat strategies because Gal Civ is such a great diplomacy game and I like building my civilization. I have played militarily but I if I do, I always use an alpha strike. My latest fun is a "vulture alpha strike" by getting an AI to provide the firepower so I can alpha strike with my combat transports and never build capital ships. That will teach the I-League they better ally with me next time. LOL.

Mostly I change a little something each game to keep it fun. As Stardock says, "Never the same galaxy twice". :)