Nerfed empires

[EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro]

Did a few races based on MOO2. The Klaxons (Ant-like race) has minimal research, high reproduction, high tolerance, high productivity. Go beserko on other Aliens picnics! Still playing that game, I'll let you know.

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by dogscoff:
Create a "tribble" race: Reduce every trait to minimum except reproduction and env resistance. No advanced traits.

Use my KanesS shipset for this- those traits suit them well=-)

Tribbles.

This would definetly be a disadvantage. Especially the lower ship combat numbers. And with the other numbers lowered as well you'd be hard pressed to come up with a numerical advantage to offset it. You'd have to spread like a virus over the quadrant and really crank out the research facilities to have a shot. I think this would be the toughest challange of any I've heard so far, other then the neutral one. And even the neutral one is likely to kick tribble behind if thye ever try taking them out of their homesystem.

[capnq]

My race from History 2 also kind of fits this thread. They were "big spenders" with Construction Aptitude, Repair Aptitude, and Maintenance Reduction reduced. Everything they made was oversized, overbuilt, and over budget.

I'm not sure of good strategies to overcome these limits; they weren't very competitive in-game. I guess an emphasis on zero maintenance units would help.

[Roanon]

Reminds me of an idea I had some time ago for a 20-player PBW game: GM designs 20 empires that all have some definite weakness, and puts them up for grab. May later modify empires not taken with some improvements until they are taken.
So it's not always playing against the same boring standard no-groundcombat/intel/savy/repair improved-research/defense/maintenance religious hardy-industrialist advanced-storage berzerker empires.

[Slick]

Lots of good ideas:


"trade dependent" - lowered min/org/rad/research/intel and maxxed political savvy.

"stunted" - one/several (non-essential, but desirable) techs are never researched. like Troops or computers, or mines...

"true organic (or other racial)" must only use racial weapons and techs unless there is no equivalant racial item.

"propulsion idiots" - all ships have 2 engine max. Solar Sails are ok.

"blind" - aggressiveness -10% and defensiveness -10%.

"large creatures" - double Life Support and Crew Quarters requirements. Maybe also no Master Computers

"unimaginitive" - no analyzing for techs. All ships of one style for entire game: all carriers, or all beam ships with same weapon or all missile ships, etc.

"politically correct society" - due to government regulations regarding discrimination of farmers and radioactive miners, there must be an equal number of mineral/organic/radioactive/research centers on each planet as much as possible based on number of facility slots.


There's a few.

Slick.

[ April 29, 2004, 22:09: Message edited by: Slick ]

[Atrocities]

I remember the thread and recall the discussion about having only one ship size and one weapon type. I thought it would be a great game idea.

[Ed Kolis]

Originally posted by Slick:
"politically correct society" - due to government regulations regarding discrimination of farmers and radioactive miners, there must be an equal number of mineral/organic/radioactive/research centers on each planet as much as possible based on number of facility slots.

LOL, that's a good one! What about monoliths? And intel?

[PvK]

* Use no weapons on ships or bases, and no mines or fighters. All fighting by drones, weapon platforms, and troops. Massed troop transports to conquer AI planets.

* My fav since SE3: Fleet commander. You only control one fleet of a few ships, with very few exceptions such as making the AI build a repair ship and/or a tanker to help your fleet survive and operate. AI ministers control the rest of your empire. Can you tip the balance using tactical combat?

* Similar to the above, take over the role of one minister, generally the research minister and/or the ship design minister. Can you design the ships, or plan the research, that will lead your empire to victory?

* Similar to above: Spymaster. Win using only intel, and the only research you can order is to have the AI research Applied Intelligence. Ministers control everything else.

* Local control only. Track the location of your one character, and only give orders to things in the system (or sector!) you are currently in. You can do whatever you want there, but nowhere else. You have to be in a sector which has a research facility to change the research queue. You can only change the build queues where you are, etc. Ministers control the rest.

* Tactical brilliance. You control nothing, except up to ONE tactical battle per game turn. After you say yes to one tactical battle, you can't control any more until next turn. Ministers do everything else.

PvK

[ April 30, 2004, 07:42: Message edited by: PvK ]

[Alneyan]

A few random ideas:

- Paranoia at its finest: all your ships are equipped with weaponry, since you cannot be sure what may befall on them. You are to protect all your wormholes with satellites, or other such defensive measures, while your planets require adequate and immediate protection as soon as they are settled. If you happen to have a Racial tech, you may consider only using these weapons, since you should *not* trust the technology used by your foes, plotting in your back. Beware of strange species, of their shades, and of anything out of the ordinary!

- Berserkers at heart: as we all know, the Berserker culture does not provide with many drawbacks. Therefore, a proper Berserker shall focus on weaponry, disregarding any form of protection such as armour and shields. Alternatively, you may also behave in an unusual manner when dealing with other species, such as declaring war on a whim, breaking treaties, or refusing to make contact to begin with.

- Firm believers in chaos: sadly, your research isn't quite predictable, and so a random project is selected once another project has been completed. Tough luck if you happen to keep on falling on the Organic Extraction technology!

- Carefulness saves lives: only Empires short on their budget put only once every essential component on their ships. Therefore, you are to add several bridges, life supports, crew quarters, quantum reactors (if applicable), ECM, Combat Sensors, cloaking devices, or what fancies you as being essential, on every single ship. You might also want to put a Repair Bay on every ship, just in case. Nay, it isn't redundant, but merely careful planning!

- The *Ahem* quick-blooded culture: your citizens happen to have a rather destructive behaviour, resulting in less facilities on each world (or the scrapping of some of them from time to time), and some of your ships might be destroyed in "friendly" duels. They cannot help being appealed by the idea of blowing up planets or stars as well, making such devices in high demand among this Empire, even if their economy cannot quite afford it. You may also want to make this Empire loses happiness as turns go by, while removing the happiness bonus due to troops.

- Virtue is the base of every life: you cannot help it, you are too nice even with your foes, and will make some gifts to them, even in the midst of a bloody war. Obviously, glassing planets or using Stellar Manipulation to harm anybody is not even considered, as you are so good-hearted. There might also be a shortage of warships, since your people does not quite want to become part of a pointless military, expecting all Empires to behave as nicely as their own.

- Our ships make up their own fleets: there is no proper command of your warships, meaning they work on their own without making any kind of fleet, although you might see associations between ships when needed. It unfortunately means that every ship is highly versatile, as it doesn't have a specialized purpose for the lack of a fleet strategy. An average ship will have the fundamentals, a repair bay, fighter and satellite bays, likely a minesweeper or two, a minelay if you are being followed, a sensor, shields and armour, point defence weaponry, and... If you are lucky, you might even have some space left for weapons.

Hmm, these are nice ideas PvK, assuming you can actually be patient enough to bear with the ministers. (Would it be taken as being amiss if the brillant Fleet Command accused all the ministers of incompetency and sheer silliness?)

[Suicide Junkie]

The "Masochistic" happiness type. - They only get happier when they are losing battles and ships, and get angry when they win