buying techs and score

No hard figures, Maxtipherous. But I do buy a lot of techs in Maso and from my experience, buying techs either nets you zero or few points as compared to researching them the old fashioned way. However, the scoring on tech states that you are rewarded for the % of tech tree completed and the time you took to research. So researching every single tech will mean you complete the tech tree much later. I've no idea where's the best trade-off so I continue with my usual style of trading for most of the early tech but researching most of the mid-end ones.

~SDC~

Well, I have a good map to try it on, but I haven't gotten past the "we all hate you" stage on it yet hehe. Judging by your scores it looks like it isn't a big deal, though
Cheers!

I've just finished a Maso Tiny where I bought over 40 techs and researched the 110 odd others. Score is 20k. The highest Maso Tiny score I've seen is 22k but H50 played pure good against pure evil whilst I played pure evil vs pure evil so he got a slight alignment bonus to score.

Let us know your findings after your game.

~SDC~

Well Ray,
I failed hehe. I *thought* I wasn't buying many techs, but it looks I traded for like my typical 40+ or so. My score was good, 18K MPoints, so I am making progress anyway. Any other tips for increasing score?

I assume all the AIs are pure evil in alignment already. The alignment bonus can be significant in 1.05.

Do you get all the TGs/wonders at Cripping? You should get all or most at that difficulty level.

To increase pop score, grow your pop quickly early on but ensure that the AIs are also growing healthily by giving or selling them morale and pop growth techs/TGs.

~SDC~

Maxtipherous,

I know I've asked you before and I hate to be a nusiance by repeating myself but any interest in joining the Fellowship?

~SDC~

Maxtipherous,

We like folks who start threads in the strategy section so please consider the Fellowship of the Ring. Here is the link: http://www.galciv.com/metaverse/empires.asp?id=329

Happy gaming.

Rick

sorry -- I will stay indie for a while.
Ray, I had 2 pure evil, 2 chaotic evil, 2 neutral. Next crippling game all will be pure evil. And I built all the TGs/wonders I was targeting, and of course took all the others over. One key for me has been to disable the cultural victory.

I am still trying for another awesome huge map for a maso start. Basically, I feel I can win once I get through the opening diplomacy "they all hate me" rounds hehe. I like the idea of the AI's changing alignment midgame though -- so I can't be to sanguine about the middle game anymore *wink*
Cheers!

Hope we didn't irritate you too much with our invites. A player such as yourself is bound to attract interest from empires. We'll hold off.

Yes, go for the pure evil alignments. Then reduce the no of techs traded for. That should up your score. Anyway, a Maso Huge should net you 40k+ points in 1.1 easily.

~SDC~

Look for a big jump in overall score next week when you grow a new monthly block.

~SDC~

Indeed. When you've managed to pit all the ai's at war against all other ai's (and not you), you have won the game, even though you own a single sector in the galaxy.

Yup, unfortunate but true.

Well, in my next blog instalment on Galciv diplomacy, I would be discussing the issue regarding how easy it is to get AIs to drag each other to their deaths.

~SDC~

I have never used the trick of bribing them to go to war. I guess that is a "style" thing. I do use massive starbases though, so I am gonna be in a world of hurt at 10BC each. Lets see, rough estimate . . .

Trading Center -- 8-10
manufacturing -- 10 sets of 3-5
curtural takeovers -- 50 sets of 4-6

um . . . 3000 BC / month, plus the hundred or so constructors powering their way across a huge map -- sheesh!

I think if the attempt was to make having a fleet of starbases cost something similar to an invasion fleet they might have gone overboard. If the intention was to cause us to win my war rather than culture they succeeded admirably!

You can probably get rid of old culture starbases when their job is over and they are far from the action. I feel the effect of far away culture starbases decreases so rapidly that you can safely scrap them after use.
I don't think the costs will prevent culture wins, because money has never been much of a concern late game when I went for cultural conquest. Doubling the upkeep cost of starbases will not change much.

LDiCesare,
You mean they used to cost five? Hehe I didn't know that. I just finished my fisrt extra-huge maso map and had starbases out the sally-port. No cash worries until a zillion sub-par planets started flipping hehe. 37M on a 14! Space them puppies. Darn near maxed out the score, too.
Cheers!

Good job with the Maso Gig win, Maxti.

~SDC~

hehe thanx -- kinda surprised me. Of course you maxed out the score the day before!!

I broke down and bribed the most obnoxious major to go to war with the frontrunner -- I understand they are kinda inclined that way -- then kept them at war and kept them well supplied with ships *grin*. Avoiding war keeps my resources safe until I can launch my cultural attack.

BTW Ray, do military resources add to the military score? Rather, is the score based on unmodified ship strength or modified (other than starbase of course!)

Cheers!

Oh, and is it based on the ship value at the end of the game, or cumulative during the course of the game? In the latter case I see an exploit with building and spacing repeatedly. Hmm.

Some players believe that military helps your score but I belong to the school who doesn't. My basis is that Frogboy did not mention military when he revealed the scoring mechanics.

~SDC~