Yet Another Newbie Post
 

Hey everyone, I'm fairly new to this board and fairly new to Space Empires. But I love the game and am using up all my spare time playing. I'm not new to the genre. I've played a bunch of turn based strategy games in the past. I'm still waiting for them to release Masters of Magic 2 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif . Now onto the questions.

1. Is it just me, or do these games take a very, very long time. I realize I am playing in a huge galaxy with about 15 AI opponents, but it has already taken about 2000 turns and I only have about 1/8 of the galaxy taken over. Am I just playing very slow, or is this game just a long one to complete in all out wars?

2. With research, when is it a good time to update your ships with the new technology you have discovered? I find myself never upgrading my ships until I have reached a new size, and once I got to the maximum size I have not upgraded yet. I keep finding myself waiting until I research that weapon up one more level, or get better engines. When is the best time to upgrade? I don't want to wait until I have the whole research tree completed.

3. How important are satellites and mine fields? I have created one satellite with a lot of weapons, but I find myself just destroying my enemies with my own fleet and that satellites are not really necessary.

4. What is the best way to keep large fleets full of supplies? I have a transport ship designed with a lot of supply components, but my fleets still seem to run out fairly quickly.

5. How many research points and how many intelligence points should I have coming in each turn? I have about 200,000 research points coming in each turn at this point and my technology is progressing quite nicely. Intelligence I have neglected and only have about 20,000 coming in each turn. What is a good point to be at with 1/8 of a huge galaxy conquered.

That is all for now. Thanks to anyone who takes the time to answer these.

Nate Reiter

Re: Yet Another Newbie Post
 

1. They normally don't take that long. Once you get more experienced with the game, they will take a lot less time.

2. You should upgrade your ships frequently. Whenever they aren't being used, and you have spare resources, you should try and retrofit them.

3. Minefields are very powerful early in the game. They prevent wars from happening too early in the game. Satellites are also useful as an early game defense against small fleets.

4. Quantum reactors are best, cause they give unlimiyed supplies (require Resupply 5). Solar Panels generate supplies each turn (require Stellar Harnessing 1-3, which requires Astrophysics 1).

[ 26 April 2002: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]</p>

Re: Yet Another Newbie Post
 

1) all depends on your pace and playing style

2) should update as quickly as possible always produce the best ship possible don't build obsolete ships

3) mines are good for blocking up exposed wormholes or as a first defense for planets. Sats are good at detecting cloaked vessels and such in your systems just build one with the appropriate sensor package

4) research quantum reactor and never run out of supplies

5) as much as possible for both

On a side note, these things all become critical to know how to use when playing against a human opponent (especially upgrading your ships)

Re: Yet Another Newbie Post
 

Hey Reitman1

Welcome.

2000 turns. WOw I have never made it that far.

The longest I have went is 500 turns.

What's it like that far into the game ??

Re: Yet Another Newbie Post
 

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Reitman1:
[snip] already taken about 2000 turns [snip] Intelligence I have neglected and only have about 20,000 coming in each turn.
Nate Reiter<hr></blockquote>

WOW! Have you not met other races? In my games, I would be intelled to death with only 20k of counter intel.

Re: Yet Another Newbie Post
 

That is impressive, if you have been going on for 2000 turns i don't see why the AI hasn't kiled you or something or you killed htem, very peaceful if you know what i mean. ANyway, you will get very good soon. More precisly, will expand very fast.

Really important note: Don't get obsessed with upgrades, i would never ever fight a war becuase i was always upgrading to newest design (more level of weapons, engines, ecm, cmbt senseor) just accept the fact that some ships will be slightly out dated, but never!!!!! build obselete desgins cause your waiting for something, just build the newest design and add the components to a new design and call it somthing 2 or someother notation. Goodluck, if you wouldn't mind sending me the turn files foryour game (chocolatefro@angelfire.com) i would love to see how it is going.

Re: Yet Another Newbie Post
 

I would imagine its not too different from early parts of the game. I am in contact with about 6 other races right now, but I am in a brotherhood treaty with all of them except 1, and that 1 race is at war with me. I guess I just got off to a slow start because that race declared war with me very close to the beginning of the game and I had to take a defensive stance and do most of my research on ship upgrades for quite some time. After I finally drove them out of my sectors, I waited a long time doing more research and expanding into sectors that were not taken yet. It has probably Lasted this long because this is the first game I have played in Space Empires and I usually like to go the scientific route for much of the game until the end when my race is powerful enough to take over the galaxy. I was just brought into war much sooner than I planned. Thanks for all the help everyone.