finally finished my first game
 

Hi,

yesterday i finally finished (and won) my first game. I am usually in the habit of quiting a game when i see i am the strongest but this time i finished it. I heard the victory scene isn't much and damn right it wasn't :-)
I didn't play long enough to build sphereworlds :-(

Since i don't have much time to play Online, i'm thinking of trying the TDM mod since the ai is reported to be quite good. Any other recommendations for making a tougher (more exciting )game?

What type of galaxy / size is recommended for playing against the ai?
Is starting with a fully researched tech tree interesting?
I do already play with limited resources since it seems more realistic to me. Storage facilities tend to be more important this way.

Last tech i researched in that won game was a basehip. What purpose does it server? Is this the kind of ship you need for the sphere worlds?

Thanks and sorry for the rambling :-)

Re: finally finished my first game
 

Each member has their own ideas and many are similiar. you may try some of the following

1 High aggressive
2 High Bonus (real tough if your new to the game_
3 TDM, P&N, Proportions, Delv or some of the other mods
4 download the mount mod to increase mounts sizes
5 starting racial points 5000, but you only take
2 or 3000
6 play straight ie no trait weapons (temporal etc)
7 take 3 or 5 starting planets, med tech
8 high catastophic

other ways, no using intel, giving AI racial points with you taking none, various different ways, Best way take ideas and experiment and see which ones you like have fun

just some ideas mac

Re: finally finished my first game
 

Biggie:
Don't play finite resources against the AIs.
They will strip mine their worlds, and then choke to death.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

minipol, as already mentioned, "finite resourses" should never ever used against AI. For you next game, install latest TDM, set highest AI difficulty and bonuses and post the your observations. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif If it is still too easy, we might come with some ideas.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

mac5732,
Isn't that the equivalent of "self genocide"

Re: finally finished my first game
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I like to play high tech with the AI in an small ancient galaxy. Often the only systems available for colonization are the ones you start in. No sissy allainces either -- its me or them at the instant I see them. Sometimes the AI chokes itself on the units limit, you gotta set that high. Its fun to almost win, then switch sides.

I build baseships sometimes. Often with warp open and close and repair bay III. Just to warp around the map spreading hurt without any plan at all.

Once I tried to build a heavy bombarment baseship, it was control, 2 qe engine, solar sail, nearly 75 % armor and shields and ecm, and a bunch of torpedos (the seekers), statagy-max weapon range. I thought it would possibly be a match for a homeworld full of Heavy mount Ripper, Incinerator, and WMG. Ummm. No. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: finally finished my first game
 

Arkon states in his recent post:

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">How do you change sides? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/confused.gif

Re: finally finished my first game
 

Tbontob: go to the menu where you save games...there is a pick-bar with "players" listed. click on it. Your race will NOT have a green bb in it. click to put a bb there then click on the other race you want to now play then click end turn. you are now the other race. PSS: you may want to turn ministers to complete AI on your "old" race before clicking end turn.

[ September 17, 2002, 23:00: Message edited by: pathfinder ]

Re: finally finished my first game
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The sphere world components won't fit on the baseship hull, you have to construct starbases at the star.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

Thanx pathfinder. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: finally finished my first game
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You have to remember to turn on the ministers first. More then once I wondered, "Where is he? I set him up so good." and then I realized, I forgot to turn ON THE AI

Re: finally finished my first game
 

wow, a lot of good suggestions! thanks. hhmmm, i think i might get creamed by the ai this time http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: finally finished my first game
 

is it best to sue simultaneous movement? i used turn based in the Last but everybody seems to use simultaneous movement.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Small galaxy is better against the AI. It gets you into contact quicker and gives less breathing space for your superior planning skills to out-wit the Artificial Idiot.

Starting with all techs researched and a large number of starting homeworlds in a small or medium map is a pretty good game if you like 'free-for-all' warfare. Not much of the 4X esxperience in this, though. No planning how to grow your empire in a careful fashon. Just build ships and start fighting for territory. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

The AI is useless in a limited resources game. It's bad in a standard game but it's totally helpless in limited resurces mode. It has no ability to manage resources whatsoever. Don't expect the Ai to give you a long-term fight in this mode. It'll get into resource crisis by mid-game and be paralyzed.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

Give PBW a shot. It really doesn't take all too much time. Especially if your only doing one game. It might take many months to finish but the most it will ever take in a day might be 15-20 minutes and that's only late in the game. In the beginning you'll be lucky if it takes a full minute to do your turn....

There is no better challenge than human players and the variety of their play is far more interesting. Human players will do things the AI would never ever even concieve. Some things will boggle your mind! Some will make you shake you head with the stupidity of it and then a few turns later you're shaking your head at the genius of it.

I've had a player actually bait me. I ran over a few of his systems that appeared to be defended though weakly. In my arrogance I thought I was just either better or farther ahead in tech and or something. In reality he had seen my attack coming.

He'd loaded those fringe systems of his with his scraps...

A few turns later no less then 3 cloaked fleets RAPED me. And then the kicker, 2 wormholes open in my rear area.... He didn't even bother capturing my homeworld, just nuked the star....

Ouch....

Play PBW my friend... You won't regret it...

Ken

Re: finally finished my first game
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">"Nuked my star - you won't regret it" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif sounds a bit sadistic http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif just joking, i might give it a try later. anyway, if you here about all the devious plans people come up with, it does sound a lot more interesting.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Since simultaneous is the only way to play against humans who aren't in your house, you have to get used to it.

Some say that simultaneous is the way SE4 was designed and turn-based confuses the interface.

I dunno, simultaneous is really pretty wierd after turn based, I lose all connection with what the ships are going to do, but you have to bite the bullet and learn it.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

Somebody actually bothered to research and build SM (that's Stellar Manipulation not SadoMasochism http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif ) up to the level of Star Destroyers in a PBW game??? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

Re: finally finished my first game
 

Ancient quadrant is probably the worst pick for the AIs, because they don't deal well at all with black holes and damaging warp points.

A lot of people think using Tactical Combat against the AI is an unfair advantage, but I think it's more fun than Strategic. PBW games can only be played using Strategic Combat and simultaneous movement.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, I know. But if there are only 2 systems with planets, theirs and yours, they'll usually find a path. Ancient really doesn't have as many black holes and damaging warp points as you might think -- more nebulas and asteroid systems. Generate a few small ancients and see.

My goal is to insure a dogfight between massive max tech fleets, not to watch a pair of battleships pick off my new refining colony that hasn't built a weapon platform yet.

At max tech, with only one good system, the AI has no problem building atmosphere converters, colonizing all planets, and building lots of ships.

Re: finally finished my first game
 

"Somebody actually bothered to research and build SM (that's Stellar Manipulation not SadoMasochism ) up to the level of Star Destroyers in a PBW game???"

I know of at least one game that Lasted long enough for multiple ringworlds to be built. And in some of my games I could get to star destroyers fairly trivially if I wasn't RPing. I'm making 140k research all by my lonesome and not touching that area at all.

Phoenix-D