Philosophy / Play Style

[Gryphin]

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.

[Fyron]

See the quote in my sig.

[Jmenschenfresser]

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.

[Arkcon]

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.

[Baron Munchausen]

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. 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 ]

[tbontob]

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...