Wyndstar

Reply to Thoughts and analysis on TA as of beta 4 in AARs GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Nicely argued Wyndstar.[/quote] Thank you. [quote]and most of us would agree that it is decided in the first few turns on larger maps[/quote] Yes. In my experience at least every map size up to and including large the first year is the most important. [quote]However, I think that your idea for the hyperion matrix is potentially overpowering early. Please realize that the value of a structure is not only determined by it's output relative to cost and maintenance,

Reply to Thoughts and analysis on TA as of beta 4 in AARs GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]6/6/1 would be IMO more appropriate[/quote] Yes, that is more workable. The Thalans don't come with anything that is so fined tuned right now though. Their buildings either produce 16/16 or 12 research or 12 industry. They have nothing lower than a 12 in production... That does make for interesting game design. I wouldn't mind more control with lower output buildings. I was just trying to stick with what I felt was the original theme of the new Thalans. Jus

Reply to Thoughts and analysis on TA as of beta 4 in AARs GalCiv2 Forums

Thanks for your 2c Iztok. Yes, I know the 50 bc upkeep is huge. That is why it would have to be coupled with a tech tree that reduced the upkeep. I arrived at that number by looking at what already existed in the current Thalan tech tree. The first Thalan research center provides 12 research at a 20 bc upkeep. The first Thalan industrial center provides 12 manufacturing at a 20 bc upkeep. My idea for "one building that does everything" starts at a 12/12... a combina

Reply to Which Ethical Alignment? in Dark Avatar GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Which Ethical Alignment?[/quote] Evil. That is... if you care about score. If you don't care about score, whatever suits your playstyle and game environment. Forget the military bonuses of evil, its all about the +100% economy bonus that makes evil unbeatable. +50% military production isn't bad either... but for me third on the list is the extra weapons you get access to. It also depends on version. For me I always thought (and still do) that Neutral was actually

Reply to Thoughts and analysis on TA as of beta 4 in AARs GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]What could happen if you customize their abilities/political party to have the creative bonus?[/quote] I agree the creativity bonus helps under the current incarnation. Still, I think there are several problems with that. First, I can't choose what bonuses the AI takes. Second, it only helps if the AI gets lucky and creativity "procs" on key techs early so they can possibly get up to speed. Third, no race should rely on one [I]optional[/I] ability to make itself competitive a

Reply to Thoughts and analysis on TA as of beta 4 in AARs GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]given some time to pick up speed, the Thalans can be pretty formiddable even with minimal resources[/quote] The problem is on the highest difficulties you don't get the time to "pick up speed". Thanks for the feedback, ~ Wyndstar

Reply to Thoughts and analysis on TA as of beta 4 in AARs GalCiv2 Forums

[B]Analysis[/B] Well, OK, the AI has always had problems if when it colony rushes you simultaneously tranport rush. It was part of why my last longish post here was on the supremacy of the Planetary Invasion tech. Still, I know the AI is going to get a bunch of improvements and that is part of the reason the release date keeps getting pushed back. Overall I REALLY like the improvements to the tech trees/buildings that TA offers. Its obviously not a finished product,

Thoughts and analysis on TA as of beta 4 in AARs GalCiv2 Forums

Hey Galciv II fans. Well I've been slowly sinking my teeth into the new betas of TA. Its not finished or balanced yet, but if you haven't tried it I will happily recommend the expansion to those still on the fence. Recently Beta 4 was released that packed a bunch of changes. The one that appealed to me the most was the inclusion of the Thalans and their unique techs. The Thalans have been my favorite race since I bought my first shiny copy of Galciv II, and I couldn't wait to see th

Reply to Please strenghten StarBases in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Starbases really have nothing going for them in terms of military use.[/quote] Depends on how you define "military use" I suppose. I've pulled many a losing situation out of nowhere with proper use of military starbases with between 1 and 3 upgrades (so 2-4 constructors each).... using nothing but "- enemy speed" and "+ ship speed" modules. And there are terror stars. ~ Wyndstar

Reply to Please strenghten StarBases in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Or are they to be regulated to a purely supportive role, such as the roles you pointed out? This is the real question here. If the techs exist to increase the defense and offense of a starbase, then this insinuates that Stardock intended them to be feasible in combat. As of right now, they only hold up in this role for a short period of time, till mid game tops, and by then it is far too cumbersome to craft a starbase that can stand up to a direct assault when you could simply ma

Reply to Please strenghten StarBases in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

With all due respect, I think you are missing the point of starbases. They shine the best when used in conjunction with something else, not on their own. I would like them to be stronger in combat given the cost, sure. But, especially with the adding of repair modules, the game has come a long way. To say that all starbases are too weak for what they do suffers from looking at one starbase. Sure, a +25% ish bonus to production to a planet or series of planets might seem pric

Reply to bad economy in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]AND increased overall ship maintenance about three-fold.[/quote] But just think how much this will help when you play the Drengin and suddenly you get 40 super dominator corvettes outta nowhere ;) ~ Wyndstar

Reply to Super Abilities need help in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Super Spies - Let's you waste more money, faster! Espionage is pretty much a joke, and Super Spies is just pathetic.[/quote] Yeah, this one is worse than worthless, because it wastes money. Good thing the rest of the Krynn advantages let you ignore this sad ability. [quote]Super Dominator - Lots of little ships appear when you're attacked. This both can totally cripple your economy, and is usually pretty worthless. Early game they can sorta help, but later it's jus

Reply to Super Abilities need help in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]Super Organizer - When attacked, your ethical allies will respond. This is pretty much like a shitty version of Super Manipulator.[/quote] I disagree with you there, you can win entire games with super organizer. For one, it works automatically... and instantly, so you don't have to worry about trade fatigue or if you are low on funds. It can also break alliances. Plus the Altarians come with a different play style than the Drath - and it is nice to have the ability with the A

Reply to Question to hard core players in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

I'm also an all X fan, but IF I for some reason mix labs and factory type buildings across all of my planets, each planet will be dedicated to one or the other. Especially if I am splitting I try and find a large quality planet (lots of tiles) to make into my research capital, because the tech capital adds such a large bonus. One such world and a proper array of starbases can give you all the research you will ever need. In either case, I'll have a fair amount of dedication to cash pl

Reply to Ship maintenance is killing me, where is all the new money again? in Beta Reports GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]One thing I haven't looked into was, do freighters cost ship maintenance? I'm just wondering if the mini-freighters are pouring more money down the drain then what they can bring in.[/quote] Yes, at least in DA freighters cost more than they brought in for the first 1-3 years depending on the map setting. This was something I initially complained about in DA, then I gave up and just stopped using freighters. Remember in addition to upkeep you have to figure in the initial cost

Reply to Twilight of the Arnor Beta 4 in GalCiv Journals GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]+ NEW: Cost of technologies re-designed to be based on # of habitable planets in the galaxy as opposed to the size of the galaxy. This will have the general effect of making techs cost considerably more but this can be adjusted in the user settings. The availability of "immense sized" galaxies had caused techs to be ridiculously cheap. This will need to be play tested and tweaked.[/quote] Does this combine with the already present tech speed variable? If so, no two games tech s

Reply to DA: "Defender" ships without any weapons in Bug Reports GalCiv2 Forums

Its not far more effective. They are there to waste turns and stop unarmed transports (or spore ships) from nabbing planets from a distance. An unarmed scout vs an unarmed hull (however you conceive of that difference) is not much different. In general, you want to go with the cheaper option. - Wyndstar

Reply to Ten New Years Resolutions for the Game Industry in GalCiv II News GalCiv2 Forums

I like them all, but special praise is deserved for #3. If only everyone in the industry understood.... - Wyndstar

Reply to Common AI mistakes and tech speed in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]A promotion for Wyndstar for an insightful post.[/quote] Wow, great! What an honor. So what does this make me, rank 2? I know I've heard "rank has its privliges"... so what are my new powers? Seriously I'm glad if I can be of help. I've always really appreciated your response in fixing the combat imbalances I preached about from the very first version of DA, so I'm happy to do anything I can. [quote]Other than that

Reply to Common AI mistakes and tech speed in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]I have started wars on large plus maps with as few as three warships and a ~ten transports. This equalizes tech and gets me the jump I need to keep steamrolling AIs just as fast as I can move ships. [/quote] Yeah, I do something similar on tiny maps, although it is often with as little as three transports and a tiny fighter with 1 gun to knock out cargo hulls/scout ships that might be hanging in orbit. I think of the tiny/sparse/9 opponents games as a "Cage Match". It i

Common AI mistakes and tech speed in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

Purge asked for my opinion on game difficulty as it related to tech speed on smaller maps in another thread. I've been (rightly) accused of thread-jacking lately, and as my reply started to get longer I realized I should just make this a new topic. First off, and as a slight response to an excellent point by Mumblefratz, suicidal is suicidal. If you haven't been playing this game for a very long time and come to one of these threads it is easy to be misled. When I talk about a map si

Reply to Influence of tech-speed on the all-x approach and something else ... in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

[quote]I was the one having troubles on a tiny, suicidal map.[/quote] No shame in that. I find tiny maps with max opponents to be the most challenging game myself. One mistake and the AI can blitz you, out tech you, or worst of all - decide to gang up on you and take you out in just a few turns. Problems with "escorting" troop ships hurt the AI less because their transports are only in space for about a turn with everything cramped together. Maybe some people find this setup as easi

Reply to Influence of tech-speed on the all-x approach and something else ... in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

Personally I don't always use an "all x" approach because I like variety and inventing new challenges for myself. That being said, even when I build a mix of buildings my sliders are almost always x/x/0 or 0/0/x... its just when I use a mix of buildings I "turn off" a lot of the tiles in my empire at any one time. I do indeed play this way as a function of the way the CURRENT economy works. Looking at some of the "New Tech Tree" ideas and buildings the SD team has let us see I think t

Reply to Influence of tech-speed on the all-x approach and something else ... in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

1. Fast tech is preferred for an all factory approach because even though the AI can get even MORE techs, there are some techs that are just vital you need as soon as possible. How long does it take to research planetary invasion on very slow tech with an all factories approach? Answer: too long to ever let you be a threat 90% of the time. A good colony rush CAN overcome this disadvantage, but is really only available on the largest maps typically. 2. Yes, after I have won the g