Galactic resource rush - any tips? Also empire ability question

from Stardock Forums
Hi everyone. First I would like to thank many of your helpful posts on the opening moves, how trade works and the advanced culture influence tactics. They helped me lots on my first game.

However my play style is particularly weak on the claiming of galactic resources. For three games in a row, AIs not only had their own sectors' resources claimed by Starbases by the time my own constructors are rolling out of assembly, some of them even snuck into my own Sol sector and claimed half of mine.

Opening - 100% military - colony ships, 100% spending to rush the planets

Early game - planet improvements and research, 0% military, 50/50 for the social / research - Universal Translator and Diplomacy. Even with 33/33/33, Constructors at this stage cost 25 turns to build.

Mid game - rush for wonders / trade goods, with enough manufacturing capabilities (fusion reactors), I start cranking out constructors, but it is all too late. What is the best time to build constructors? Should the second phase of my game play focus on constructor rush instead of Social / Research? Wouldn't that delay my rush toward wonder / trade good constructions? I feel like I can't do it all with the limited resources.

I am also wondering about the empire ability Planet Quality. Has anyone invested in it? Usually I go for + speed, + economy, + diplomacy, + social production with Federalist. However I am quite interested on how the 5% will help my planet qualities. Is that over time improvement, or right off the start of a planet's colonization? 15 * 1.05 = 15.75 -> still 15. same for 16, 17 and 18 and 19. The effect is only visible on a class 20 planet, and the improvement is only 1. Are there something I am not aware of on how this improvement ability works that justifies the 3 point cost?

Lastly on the trade goods: is it possible to build it all before the AI does? The minor races beat me 3 out of 5 times on completing them, which I feel uncomfortable of them sharing with the other majors. I would much prefer my empire taking control of at least 90% of the trade goods and all the wonders. What are your tactics? Do you build anti-matter reactors before the trade goods, so the production capability goes up to cut down on the time?

Thanks again!

~SDC~
2,905 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
I don't focus on getting the resources early on. Start building a constructor on a nearby planet when I see it, and if I get it, I get it. Later in the game, though, when the AIs start going to war with each other, I have constructors ready to swoop down on any resources that become unclaimed.

5% alone won't help with a planet that's below 20, but it won't be alone, will it? Soil Enhancement and Habitat Improvement will be the first things you build on every world, so that gives you +25%. That's an extra planet class on everything from 16 on up.

~SDC~
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
I'm sure someone could answer this question better than me but il give it a go.

I usually build constructors during my colony rush on planets that are a good distance from where the colonizing is now taking place. I am usually able to grab a few resorces this way.

As for the planet quality, I dont know exactly but i think it has an effect on two different classes. I dont think the planet has to have a PQ above 20 for it to work though?

Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Lastly on the trade goods: is it possible to build it all before the AI does? The minor races beat me 3 out of 5 times on completing them, which I feel uncomfortable of them sharing with the other majors. I would much prefer my empire taking control of at least 90% of the trade goods and all the wonders. What are your tactics? Do you build anti-matter reactors before the trade goods, so the production capability goes up to cut down on the time?
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A few hints to have a better chance at building the trade goods/wonders first. Always do exactly one ctrl-n at the beginning, regardless of the what your initial sector look like. If you don't, some AI will cash-rush a trade/good wonder as soon as they have the tech for it. If you do more than one, all ai will cash-rush all the trade good/wonders they can. Don't save and reload until you have built all the trade goods/wonders you want, AIs are likely to cash-rush them upon reload.

Limit yourself in the expansion phase, I find that 5-10 planets is more than enough to win on gigantic maso, and don't take anything below pq 15. The more planets you setle, the more your limited money is spread, which limits how much production you can have on your best planet. Anti-matter plants take too much research and cost 300 bc to build, almost as much as many trade goods/wonders, so I find those plants useless for wonder building. Your best planet should have both pq enhancement, a bank, an entertainment network, a fusion plan, a manufacturing center and a manufacturing capital before trying to build your first trade good/wonder. Your other planets should not have a fusion plant or a manufacturing center unless you have excess cash at 100% spending.

Anyway, that's what works for me and I build all trade goods and wonders but one or two in most games. I don't build any constructors until the early trade good/wonders are completed, but I do build 3-5 freighters as soon as I have the trade tech.

~SDC~
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Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Limit yourself in the expansion phase, I find that 5-10 planets is more than enough to win on gigantic maso,
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I guess that habitability should be taken in account for the number of planets ...
[Message Edited]
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Argh! I meant to write gigantic maso with rare habitability. Somehow it slipped out of my mind.
~SDC~
[Message Edited]
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Always do exactly one ctrl-n at the beginning, regardless of the what your initial sector look like. If you don't, some AI will cash-rush a trade/good wonder as soon as they have the tech for it. If you do more than one, all ai will cash-rush all the trade good/wonders they can. Don't save and reload until you have built all the trade goods/wonders you want, AIs are likely to cash-rush them upon reload.
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Could you explain how changing the star map effects a cash rush by the AI and what do you mean by save and reload? If this is a stupid question forgive me for being dense and just ignore it. :)

~SDC~
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
what do you mean by save and reload?
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I maybe wrong but to avoid abuse about saving the game, play a little, turn bad, reload the previous save etc... there is a feature where upon each reload, the AI enters in diplomatic session (exchange tech between them or with you, come to extort you money ...) and can rush build some wonders/trade goods.
It is here to balance the fact that a human player can abuse with reloads
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
This may not work with other settings, but as soon I start a game I set any planets I get to building constructers; if I find a yellow star later I just switch Sol to a colony ship. I play with rare/large/loose clusters, so I typically don't need that many colony ships right away anyhow.

And I always start with 80% Research and 20% military and go straight for the Impulse Drive before anything else, it helps a lot.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
Hi Icevic,

Normally I don't bother with getting galactic resources in the early game, I let the AI get them and trade for them once their built up - saves me building alot of constructors. Also it means you can shift your resources into other areas in the early game such as building planetary improvements and research. Also in the mid-game the AI's start to war with each other and starbases tend to get destroyed :D which if you have a constructor nearby you can grab.

Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Thanks for all the advice! On two games I managed to crank out 5 constructors along with my colony ship rush, but due to the logistic I had to make them camp the nearby resources for several years. Then the galactic war broke out and every AI was fighting one war or another. Using Exar's tactic, I grabbed almost all of them amid heated AI battles. :)

~SDC~
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
As Exar i don't go for the ressources early on.

I wait untill mid game and either:
1) Trade for those i need
2) Park constructors next to them and hope for another AI attacking it
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
In 1.20 you can say "no" on the starbase construction prompt and then park/guard your constructor on top of the resource - this is useful mid/late game when the AI is destroying enemy starbases left and right and you don't neccessarily want/can't afford the extra logistics.