LTjim

Reply to First Game at Challenging Level in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

Yes, ship design is mostly rock-paper-scissors. It is vital to see what the enemy uses for weapons and defenses and design your ships with the right defenses and a weapon for which the enemy defenses does not stop well. The larger problems begin when you have multiple foes with different weapons.defenses. For example, suppose the Drengi use missiles and shields, while the Terrans use guns and armor. Well, in that case, you want to research missiles, since neither

Reply to Help building an economy in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Keep in mind that at higher AI settings the AIs get extra bonuses. Some basics: - don't build much on the first few planets, unless there is an irresistible bonus tile - wait until the new planets show a positive cash flow - keep taxes low at first to take advantage of the 100% morale growth bonus - raise taxes when you need to but try to keep morale above the next growth threshold (71%?) - rush build very few items and try to stretch the fi

Reply to Why don't my armour upgrades show up? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

That must be TA. In DA, one does the ship design manually, component by component, and the new tech stuff shows up as options when you complete the research.

Reply to Is this a bug? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Another trick depends on you being able to choose where the big battle will be fought. For example, suppose you have a red or green base which sits in a spot where the AI will naturally be able to send fleets at it. What you can do is build another base, a military base, adjacent to it. Optimally, you would build several such bases and overlap their circles at the point of battle. Now, add the combat ship assist modules to those bases. The bonuses will be

Reply to Is this a bug? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Another point to consider is the red mining base effect. That is, the first step in any big war is to kill off the enemy red bases and protect your own. Remember, each fully built-out base adds a +39% factor in attack and defense to every ship everywhere in the galaxy. The next-most important thing is the green bases, as they boost the economy by +39%. The yellow bases add +39% to morale, and the blue ones +39% to influence. By late game, the research bases a

Reply to Is this a bug? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

IIRC, some AI races start with a racial bonus in logistics. Did you check the Korath for that? (Pretend to start a new game and look in the Korath race set-up.)

Reply to Bug! in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

I have never been able to get an AI to take back a War declaration right as they declare it. Have you? On how to "get back" a chance to speak with them, did you try exiting the game and re-starting it after they declared war? That tactic can be used/abused for other situations, but I have never tried it immediately after a war declaration. If you try it, maybe you could post here your results!

Reply to Should I be worried? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

The warning you got was that the Terrans had achieved the necessary % control (Influence-wise) for an Influence victory. One desperate measure you could attempt would be to build Influence starbases out in Neutral Space to try to get the Terran span of control back under the Influence Victory conditions.

Reply to Wow, How Did THIS Happen?! in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

I have won Influence victories many times, and the Victory screen reads just like that Defeat screen, only reversed. So, the Terrans must have obtained the necessary threshold for an Influence Victory and sustained it for 10 turns. IIRC, the threshold number is 75%, but I may mis-remember. That earlier warning was the start of the 10-turn clock. There is a very similar warning and Defeat screen for Research defeat/victory. Playing Suicidal, I generally

Reply to All-x and Economy in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

I await your playing sandbox games on difficulty above Tough. I know that at Suicidal (DA), I dare not rush for Aphrodisiac. If I want it, one of the other AIs will build it fairly soon and I can trade for it.

Reply to All-x and Economy in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

Franton - My all-Fac approach is very similar to you all-Lab. The biggest hurdle is that the early factories give very little research in focus. I rarely build Trade Centers or Banks, going for Stock Markets when I can. However, I pretty much end up using each factory type except the first one, because it is too big a research stretch to enhanced factory. I do go to the next one afterwards, but never the last one, as I judge the gain not to be worth the extra m

Reply to Tech's and Trading in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

I think you meant the mining ship upgrade, not the flagship. One day, I will play a game with essentially NO habitable planets and use space mining but on all other settings, space mining is just not worth the trouble. I used to delay the mining ship conversion to a colony ship until after developing the asteroid belt right at the home system, but even that seemed not worth the delay in that second colony. Remember that you will get incrementally more in each Minor AI tr

Reply to Research focusing doesn't update in real-time? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

As I said, I do not know if it is a display (only) bug or if it is a calc one. Since I go back to that screen anyway, I have just settled for the "work-around." There are many techs that I do not WANT to waste resources on the next level one (e.g., Sensors) and others I want so bad that I am willing to screw production to get them (e.g., Xeno Entertainment). So, I often tweak and tweak to get the Turn to Tech to exactly where I want it, thus I always end up at that screen

Reply to Tech's and Trading in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

I play DA, so there are no race-unique techs. Thus, I cannot answer that part. A standard tactic is to sell techs for cash to minor AIs. In an earlier post (I think of yours) I recommended working to expand the flagship reach to grab more anomalies and contact Minor AIs. I research Trade not because I use freighters, but because I want the Minor AIs to send me THEIR freighters. Additionally, most of the Major AIs do not research Trade early, so it is somethin

Reply to Research focusing doesn't update in real-time? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

All I know is that I always go back to the economy screen last and toggle a slider a notch and then back again before I hit "Turn." Always. I go back to that screen last also to optimize tax rates, etc. One day I may do tests from saves, but maybe not.

Reply to When can we expect to see multiplayer? in Game Talk GalCiv2 Forums

A countdown turn clock. Next turn auto-initiates when last player hits "Turn" or in (say) 10 minutes even if not all players have entered all their orders. That is, the game code hits "Turn" for all players who have not hit "Turn" themselves.

Reply to Cannot figure out how to make money. in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

I offer advice different from that of Echelion. 1) Dock the flagship and relaunch it and redock it until you have done all four "corners" of the square containing your Homeworld. This maximizes what you can "see" at the start. Once in a while, a good planet is revealed or an anomaly or a mining resource for a mining base. For example, if you see a "green" one, shift tactics to get a constructor there before an AI does. (AIs start off with absolute knowledge of

Reply to All-x and Economy in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

Interesting, and good efforts! I have not tried all-lab. How do the intermediate positions compare? That is, one does not start with Manufacturing centers or discovery spheres. Did you consider the relative difficulties in researching, etc? For example, how many research points to get to the two end techs? You may need to consider also the boosting techs, like Quantum Plants and Research Coordinator, or what theever the names are. Also, how long t

Reply to Cannot figure out how to make money. in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

bloodstone44 - The mining starbases on anomalies help w/o any other actions (no routes). The contributions by mining bases increase as you add mining modules. One constructor builds the base. Each additional constructor that tries to enter the square with the base prompts a choice of module upgrades. As you gain certain techs, more modules become available. IIRC, the max boost to a stat from a mining base is 39%. E.g, a mining base built o

Reply to Cannot figure out how to make money. in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

bloodstone44 - The numerical morale/approval of your planets will not affect the timing of appearance of the debt "red frowned smiley." Once it does appear, the approval numbers will start to drop and drop until you restore (as HighWater said even if for only one turn) a positive treasury balance. Additionally, high morale/approval also does not prevent "flipping" due to influence. The main impact of low morale/approval is the effect on popula

Reply to Game set-up bug? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Well, it happened! I will try it again tonight. Seeing the alignment on the "Treaties" screen after a couple hours play made me turn off the pc. Yes, it's a different sort of challenge, but I was playing a custom race on Suicidal, so I already had enough challenge!

Game set-up bug? in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

Facing a dilemma in game set-up (in DA - don't know if it affects DL and/or TA). The only way to remain in ignorance of which other races are in the game is to choose "random" races. This is also the only way to prevent threats before meeting them in space. However, sometimes this results in "Team" settings between alien races or even with the human player. If it is with me, I can tell at game start and reboot the game. If it is between two AIs, how

Reply to Need a quick tip... in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

One can "buy" a building on a planet even if one does not have the tech to olonize it. (At least one can do this in DA.) Typically, other than by colonization, one can gain a planet in trade, by influence, after invasion, or by surrender. One need not have the colonizing tech to gain planets by those other means. In such cases, one inherits the buildings (and population) but cannot build. That one can "Buy" the buildings anyway is a long-standing "bug

Reply to Cannot figure out how to make money. in Strategies GalCiv2 Forums

The starting setup ALWAYS has just two planets in thge home system unless you mess with the settings. I think one variation in race and home world REnaming produces an extra PQ8 planet in the home system. You must use the starting colony ship to grab a planet in a DIFFERENT system, and also "upgrade" the miner to a second colony ship and grab another in a third system. If you ever want to colonize the second planet in your home system, just build an engineless hull just bi

Reply to Game Type Questions in Galactic Civilizations II GalCiv2 Forums

I played only a few of the Campaign scenarios. Per posters here, I think some of the older scenarios are now bugged as the game has been revised many times since the game was issued. The main game is the sandbox game. DL is the oldest and simplest in PC terms. DA is probably the best in terms of being challenging and well-debugged. TA is the newest, has the shiniest toys, and still contains some problems that were never fully addressed, if posts here are to be