Starting tactics

[Roanon]

Originally posted by rextorres:
This strategy has never let me down.

Means you never have lost a game?
Or means that it worked better than any other strategey *you* could think of?

Clinging to the same old ideas just because they "have always worked" has been the most common reason for empires / armies / companies / whatever to fail for centuries...

[rextorres]

In my experience spoon's strategy is the best for the first 10 turns - If you use any other you've put yourself at a disadvantage. Now as for the rest of the game there are so many factors that come in to play that of course it's not a guarantee to victory.

[ November 28, 2003, 21:02: Message edited by: rextorres ]

[Roanon]

Again, in your experience. It *might* be true, but I would never be so self-confident about strategies tested only against other strategies that I could think of. Game designers usually do that kind of thinking, and are regulary surprised when a mass of players finds out totally new ways and show them how to play their own game properly

[se5a]

yea, just look how unbalanced the empire creation in the unmoded seiv is...
I hope V will be better balanced.

[rextorres]

Originally posted by Roanon:
Again, in your experience. It *might* be true, but I would never be so self-confident about strategies tested only against other strategies that I could think of. Game designers usually do that kind of thinking, and are regulary surprised when a mass of players finds out totally new ways and show them how to play their own game properly

Theoretically your right there may be the killer starting strategy that may never have occurred to me or someone on the board is keeping a secret to use against us unsuspecting players.

Still, there are certain things you must do at the start of a game to win. You may have a different variation - heck I have different variations - depending on the circumstances. For the most part, though, if you stray too far from the "must dos" - bottom line is you're going to lose.

This I might add is based on playing humans. As far as the AI is concerned I never play it so I have no comment about that.

[ November 28, 2003, 21:41: Message edited by: rextorres ]

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Karibu:
I disagree this with you Fyron. I always build SY first on the big planet at the beginning. Why? In first 40 turns you don't have mineral/rad shortage so you can make SY and build colonyships in big planets during that period. When you are running low on resources, start making mines, etc. in there. Also SY helps if you need to get WP:s or satellites fast when enemy is on sight.

I know that building SY on every planet slows you a little bit down, but only temporarily. After 5 or 6 colonized planets, you have superior manufacturing base compared to any player who has not made SY's on every planet. The bad point in this is, that your science and resource production suffers because of this at first 30 or 40 turns, but you will catch others by turn 50...70 because you crabbed many planets by making so many colonyships with your many spaceyards.

Furthermore, I usually colonize only nearest planet in my home system and breathables if there is any (1-3 colonized planets before leaving system). Then I go and colonize 1 or 2 planets in avery system I encounter to spread as much as possible and lay claim into those systems.

Obviously you have never min-maxed an empire...

[Fyron]

Originally posted by primitive:

quote:

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Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:

quote:

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Sure you can, only my way is faster

Not really.

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You are more stubborn than an old grumbler thrice your age.

Do the math, its no contest. Every BSY built during the first 10 turns will set you back compared to the “fastest” model. You will have a more compact and secure empire, I’ll give you that. But it will be significantly smaller at turn 30 - 40.

If you don’t want to do the math, I’ll be happy to challenge you (or anyone else believing in the BSY model) to an empire building contest.

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Umm... who said anything about a small or compact empire? The BSYs build more colony ships that spread out in the same way you were describing...