early. mid and late game
 

How do you describe Early, Mid, and Late game? I tend to go with engines. Perhaps time is a good way"? but diferent styles come into play.

Re: early. mid and late game
 

I go by a mixture of how colonized the map is, and the weapons available.

Re: early. mid and late game
 

Everyone must have different definitions, here's some of my ideas:

Early -- you constantly tweak the research queue to find the right balance between theoretical tech you need and components tech you need.

You carefully desigh sat's and weapon platforms, hopeing they'll hold

You wonder, what's in the next door system, a large, planet with your atmosphere, or the Sergetti and Rage homeworld?

Somewhere in the Mid game -- you have light cruisers with shields, armor, a level 3 direct fire weapon, point defence and combat sensors

you wonder -- Who's holed up in the corner of the map behind the 2 nebulas and a black hole.

Late game is possibly defined as -- monolith III's and robotoid factories on planets waiting for their atmosphere to be converted. Your fleet of dreadnoughts and heavy carriers asks not "Can we wipe out the enemy?" but "How can we wipe out the enemy, creatively?"

"Oh I know, mine their space yard planets, then use engine destroyers to knock out all but one of their engines, now that's funny http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif "

Re: early. mid and late game
 

Early.... expand and place a colony on every available planet...

Mid.... expand and place troops on every available planet.

late... expand and just gas the planets because it is a nightmare to remember what is going with your own planets and by adding any more to them....chaos

Early i like to get some base yards up there so by turn 8 or turn 10 the homeworlds can build computer centres and robotic factories...

After that it changes depending on whats going on

Re: early. mid and late game
 

Early: Rapid expansion and scattering. Colonize core worlds and systems close. Send out long range & long term recons. Deploy colony ships to setup far flung outPosts and future core worlds.

Mid Game: Military buildup, but at a low level to avoid AI attacks. Protect core worlds and move the center of production closer to the front lines. Upgrade and revisit colonies for production drops and anyone I lost/forgot about. Small wars and skirmishes along borders with enemies.

Late Game: Just blow the enemy to hell.

Re: early. mid and late game
 

Early game: Find 'em

Mid game: Hunt 'em

End game: Kill 'em

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: early. mid and late game
 

Early game = explore the map; worlds to colonize chosen mainly based on resource production needs.

Midgame = quadrant either completely mapped, or unmapped areas inaccessible; colonies chosen more for strategic reasons than for production.

Endgame = new colonies have to be taken from enemies; wars of conquest, MEE triggered (not necessarily by me).