First maso win!
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Had my first maso win yesterday. Thanks to Ray and co for the tech tips.
Had a few failed attempts trying my normal tactics... colony rush, race for trade goods, race for resources - but just couldn't keep up with the AI.
This time after my colony rush (only 3 planets in two sectors though), I set my military production to zero and left it there until mid-game.
I concentrated on TG techs and building diplomatic translators, gravity accelerators and tritonium steel. They were the only TG or wonders I got for the whole game.
I sucked up to the Torians and Altarians, (leased some freighters and traded with them) gifting them tech when ever I could and giving in to their demands whenever possible. Took Ray and co's advice and traded for tech with all 5 plus minors. Anytime my relationships with the 2 good civs headed toward neutral I gave them gifts to keep it at warm or above.
Didn't bother with starbase or ships at all. The other 3 declared war and the two good civs gave me some frigates and a battleship. Used this plus speed to take out transports. The others had battleships/deradnought before I had even frigate tech but as I had no starbases or ships in orbit they couldn't do anything - except pay maintanence on their ships. Just kept attack their transports and retreating.
Torians joined me in war and I let them fight my battles. Bribed the Altarians to fight the Yor and Dregnin but Arceans were most powerful so couldn't get them to fight them.
Eventually got peace with the 3 warring civs, but they all still kept fighting amonsts themselves. At this point I set my military production to 100 and started churning out constructors.
There were two economic and one military resource near me with AI starbases on them, so I kept a constructor near each one until another AI destroyed the starbases and then moved mine in.
Started culture bombing everyone by building bases in the sector next to the systems and never built one in their system otherwise they would demand I hand it over.
Eventually only left me and the Torians.. flipped all their planets except for 3. They just wouldn't flip. Still only had dreadnaught tech at this point whilst they had about 20 Overlords plus countless Dreadnaughts, Rangers etc. Two of my flipped systems were building overlords so left those in production.
Two of their planets were heavily defended with no hope of me taking them out. The last one only had some battleaxes, ome overlord and some dreads.
I built two trade starbases next to the defended systems. Then in the one turn - sent a fleet of constructors to each, upgraded to Terror Stars and blew up their planets. Invaded the third one with my overlords and some transports and won. I was always in 2nd or worst position in every category except Influence (way behind in tech, Torians had twice as much military) right until that last turn.
Thanks again for the advice, good fun to win on masochistic.
Had a few failed attempts trying my normal tactics... colony rush, race for trade goods, race for resources - but just couldn't keep up with the AI.
This time after my colony rush (only 3 planets in two sectors though), I set my military production to zero and left it there until mid-game.
I concentrated on TG techs and building diplomatic translators, gravity accelerators and tritonium steel. They were the only TG or wonders I got for the whole game.
I sucked up to the Torians and Altarians, (leased some freighters and traded with them) gifting them tech when ever I could and giving in to their demands whenever possible. Took Ray and co's advice and traded for tech with all 5 plus minors. Anytime my relationships with the 2 good civs headed toward neutral I gave them gifts to keep it at warm or above.
Didn't bother with starbase or ships at all. The other 3 declared war and the two good civs gave me some frigates and a battleship. Used this plus speed to take out transports. The others had battleships/deradnought before I had even frigate tech but as I had no starbases or ships in orbit they couldn't do anything - except pay maintanence on their ships. Just kept attack their transports and retreating.
Torians joined me in war and I let them fight my battles. Bribed the Altarians to fight the Yor and Dregnin but Arceans were most powerful so couldn't get them to fight them.
Eventually got peace with the 3 warring civs, but they all still kept fighting amonsts themselves. At this point I set my military production to 100 and started churning out constructors.
There were two economic and one military resource near me with AI starbases on them, so I kept a constructor near each one until another AI destroyed the starbases and then moved mine in.
Started culture bombing everyone by building bases in the sector next to the systems and never built one in their system otherwise they would demand I hand it over.
Eventually only left me and the Torians.. flipped all their planets except for 3. They just wouldn't flip. Still only had dreadnaught tech at this point whilst they had about 20 Overlords plus countless Dreadnaughts, Rangers etc. Two of my flipped systems were building overlords so left those in production.
Two of their planets were heavily defended with no hope of me taking them out. The last one only had some battleaxes, ome overlord and some dreads.
I built two trade starbases next to the defended systems. Then in the one turn - sent a fleet of constructors to each, upgraded to Terror Stars and blew up their planets. Invaded the third one with my overlords and some transports and won. I was always in 2nd or worst position in every category except Influence (way behind in tech, Torians had twice as much military) right until that last turn.
Thanks again for the advice, good fun to win on masochistic.
