Philosophy / Play Style
 

Wondering if others would like to share their Philosophies on playing SE IV against the AI or Humans.

I play to have fun. I enjoy the surprise of the unexpected. I wonder what will happen next and can I both predict it and prepare for it. Winning and loosing are just a bunch of numbers to me. I wonder how common that is.

I play a very ethical game against humans or the AI. My word is my bond. Most of the time I play against the AI it is with one hand tied behind my back. What I mean is I don’t use a few of the resourses available to me such as Intel or Training facilities. I won’t trade with AI for Colony types. I do trade for Minerals but always give 5 to 10 percent more than I get. I will colonize a “Ruins Planet” inside a neutrals turf, (but I do gift it back on the next turn). Hmm, guess I’m not perfect.

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

See the quote in my sig. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

I'd say, my game philosophy is much the same. I play for fun. To please the stories in my own head. Sometimes for other reasons. Any aggression I show in games is slow. I don't play a Borg or Rage race well.

With the AI, I like to decide before hand what weapons and style I'll use. I may use other weapons but always on a limited basis. Lots of times, I advance and grow slowly on purpose, so that in the mid game, there are several empires larger than me, and usually one that is super massive.

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

It is always a good idea to play for fun. I noticed that phased polaron beams, researched rapidly, rain pain upon the AI. I stopped doing that, and learned the value of balanced tactics. Ditto for null space and WMG.

I tried to play as a pirate before SJ wrote his mod. I restricted the research of weapon techs. I thought a pirate should have good cargo storage, so I researched that -- now I always research cargo early, it's that useful.

There are so many options that no one cares about -- a fighters only race, a missiles only race. Yeah it's tough, but therein lies the game.

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

Well, I think everyone is playing for 'fun' in one sense or another. The question is what you consider to be 'fun' about the game. Frankly, I'm playing a 'SimCity' variant more than a 'wargame' and I actually like micromanagement. I would like it more if I could choose what to micromanage, of course, instead of having to micromanage everything. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif So, that's why I want lots more 'environmental' details like planet gravity/radiation/temperature, etc. SimCity is nice, but a game where NO conflict can occur just doesn't seem realistic. But a game devoted totally to conflict is not much fun either. Yet some people apparently like 'competition' more than anything else and play the game for the sake of 'winning the competition'.

[ August 24, 2002, 05:00: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

I almost always wait until the AI declares war on me which more or less leaves me no choice but to "take the action to them".

I feel a tournament is a different genre entirely...

Most of the participants are not exactly peaceful. If they were, the tournament would carry on forever...

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

Baisically, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

As Dr. Jekyll,

Build up the infrastructure, build up strong border lines, help allies, give and trade tech, become number 1 in the economy sector and populations, persue partnership treaties with all others, do not declare wars.

As Mr. Hyde,

Bombard any threat colonies if necessary, destroy any enemy spacecraft that violates space even if it's a medical ship or a transport carrying ... 300 Million people, all or nothing, take no prisoners.

Yes, I'm one of those hypocrits.

Game Philosophy:

Quality before Quantity (Ie: A battlecruiser that can take down a lone dreadnought/battleship, 2 battlecruisers, 3 cruiser, 4 light cruiser and so on.)

[ August 24, 2002, 01:23: Message edited by: TerranC ]

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

I follow Teedy Roosevelt's axiom: "Walk softly but carry a big stick."

I mind my own business but I build up my forces and strictly enforce my borders. I expand until I think I've gone far enough and then colonize everything in sight. Once I have my arsenal built up - I research Ice/Gas/O2 - colonization (whatever I need) to increase productivity to the max; some planets being almost all storage.

If an alien race attacks me - I never accept surrender.

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

I play against AI empires and I usually play a friendly empire style: That means I accept almost all treaty propositions and keep them, try to make fair trades (I do trade colonization technology because I think the AI profits as much as I do) and try to capture colonies and not to destroy them.
I heavily invest in my infrastructure and colonize every planet I can and as soon as I have the technology use atmosphere converters. In the late game I like to build ring- and sphereworlds until the game get's so complex (I usually play in a quadrant with 250 systems) that my computer takes more than a hour for processing one turn.

Re: Philosophy / Play Style
 

Any game that doesn't end in a good war is dull dull dull. Does anyone really enjoy the game when they are surronded by allies and all their planets are full and they are sitting there watching their atmospheric converters being built? unmodded SE4 just doesn't have the depth or micromanagement level to make an totally peacfull game fun. (and that's they way it should be http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif )
As far as playing to win or just for fun. They are the same thing. Doesn't mean you have to win to enjoy the game but does anyone seriously play and not try to win?