MD: Yes you can (they haven't fixed that feature yet). So if I choose to exploit that I could pump out constructors, build about 20 terror stars, and go about 100K in the hole just before the Big Bang.

Sir: Maybe Alliance is the way to go, and I think my morality was about 39 at last check (speaking of watching out for the Altarians). As my other trade partners go poofie I can replace those routes with ones to the Drengin. Now, about attacking their enemies and "watch it" -- which awful fate or mistake do you have in mind? If I do so it would be a terror star alpha strike. How does the saying go? "He who would strike a King must kill the King."
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In my experience, I never saw an ai initiate a trade for something else than tech. They never proposed me anything against a TG in an ai-initiated trade. Though they'll gladly buy 3 of my TG against one of their own if I propose that (and have a good enough diplomacy rating) .

As for the way to go, I agree that Alliance should work without your morality being evil.
As for the lack of cash to build terror stars, you can work around it by building them all the same turn and winning immediately afterwards. It's kind of broken, but you can pay a terror star when you're far into the red.

Like Matthew says, you can use terror stars and go massively in debt but you might want to make that a super alpha strike. I did a 25 terror star alpha strike once and it was pretty cool. If you are going to destroy the planets that you flip, you might as well terror star alpha strike the race and while you are at it, why not terror star alpha strike everyone. It's only 5 constructors per system and on the last big turn of the game, who cares about money?

Nothing like watching 125 constructors fanning out of your territory! LOL

Yes, the Web of Evil on the minimap!

I think I may be in deep kimchee in that game. I just played a few turns last night, but the Drengin keep dropping from Friendly to Warm, which bodes ill for the Alliance idea. From memory: 3 of my 6 trade routes go to them; I'm considering killing the other routes and replacing them with Drengin routes. 4 of their 7 trade routes come to me. I think the rest go to the Altarians...so I should probably bribe one of those two to go back to war with the other. I just built a few trade SB to boost the value of my trade (to the Drengin as well as to me), but I think I'd better research some techs that I can give to them.

I was looking at AI stats and noticed something surprising: every single one of them is shown as being Demonic. Is this a 1.12 bug? I didn't see any events reporting alignment changes. I also couldn't find where it tells me what percent of their income comes from trade with me. Maybe my espionage level isn't high enough?

If the Alliance idea doesn't work out I'd better spam out constructors and set off the Big Bang before the galactic roof falls in on me. -- HtL

For the Alliance idea, try killing off all your trade routes to everyone but the Drengin. Give them lots of virtual hugs until the get Close. Ally with them. Then proceed to kill off all the trade routes with them and set up trade routes with the next alliance "victim". Rinse and Repeat.

"Gonna wash that Dren right out of my hair!" (standing under a warm mass driver shower). I'll try that. Worst that could happen is the annihilation of the human race...

Well, I was able to get my alliance with the Drengin...which of course meant I was promptly dragged into war with the Altarians, then the Arceans, and then the Torians, so I got one alliance and a three-front war! Fortunately I was "behind" the Drengin and let them do all the heavy lifting (though I did indeed send out some Rangers on raids to pop starbases and orbiting transports).

I also already had ten constructors en route to the Arcean border, with evil intent. I sent five constructors up to the nearest Arcean world, built a terror star...and discovered I couldn't attack because I was out of range! [Hmm...in range for constructors but out of range for terror stars; seems a pointless restriction.] So I diverted a constructor and built a "relay" starbase...then blew up the Arcean system. No resistance from the Arceans, even as my terror star lumbered over to the Arcean homeworld. Arcea KIA. Building that terror star put me about 3Kbc in the red, but about this time a new minor (the Furan) obligingly appeared (the only one for the whole game), and I used my trade goods to put them in hock for the rest of their natural lives (469bc for 50 months or some such).

Meanwhile I sent another 5-pack of constructors toward the single Torian system. About this time, Torian warships blew up an economic starbase that I was fond of...so I retaliated by blowing up their home star! [Served 'em right, the lizards! :notsure: ]

About this time the Drengin conquered the Furan...and made peace with the Altarians! (That was a mild surprise.) So I made peace (couldn't get much of anything out of them, pipsqueak that I was) . . . while my two terror stars crept slowly closer. The border Altarian worlds were trembling under the weight of Drengin influence, and started to flip.

Throughout this period I was running about 50/50 military and research, pumping constructs for trade SB(and Avatars to protect the terror stars), and trading new techs for more techs. That research and trading was basically just going through the motions; it had little impact once I had terror stars, and I think I had to research avatars myself. Just at the end I researched Overlords, but didn't bother to start any. [The Drengin had LOTS of Overlords! But the Drengin never once invaded an Altarian world; they only invaded the minors.]

The Altarians allowed my terror stars to lumber up to the outer two of their remaining three systems. Boom, boom. Then the two converged on the Altarian homeworld. When they were one parsec out, the Altarians surrendered to the Drengin, and I had my Alliance Victory.

So the advice worked, and my thanks to Sirian et al. This was a One Sector Challenge, presumably much easier than One System or One Planet, so I may have to try this again. The maso win was worth about 26K on the Metaverse...cancelling out my second maso win because I forgot this was from the same starting position. [Whups!] Onward and upward! -- HtL

Congrats, Hermann!

Okay, this seems very weird to me. A Terror Star is basically a SB with movement. I've never gotten a message that a Terror Star couldn't attack because of out-of-range. Has anyone else? :notsure:
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You would get this more often if you played gigantic. Although I have seen it a couple of times on huge maps. Nothing mysterious, it only means the terrorstars have 1 less range than the constructors. Should they be equal in range?

I would think that, since a Terror Star is a specialized star base, it should cary its own range around with it.

~SDC~

I think it makes sense for a TS to have short range... imagine the supply issues involved in keeping a station like that operational.

Well, yesbut...all I have to do is send one extra constructor and produce an AI-like functionless starbase, then my terror star can go on its merry (?) way. This doesn't seem like a worthwhile complication. No big deal if you know about it, of course, but a bit annoying to spend 5000bc and then have a temporarily useless terror star. "Whaddayamean, the extension cord isn't long enough????"
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This seems to be the optimum answer. It just seems silly to me that you can build something that is out of it's own range. I agree that it needs range limitations.