How the **** do yu keep up in tech

[newbie123]

thanks for the ideas. I guess I just have to colonize more. I already tried most of the ideas suggested but I gues it wasn't enough. I don't think I want to try hard difficulty yet tho, considering I am getting creamed on low. thans for the input

[Arkcon]

Also, try and develop a plan of research. I'm guessing you're still learning what the techs mean, but soon you should have an idea and stick with it.

A rule of thumb is not to let your tech for hull size fall more than 1 behind your enemy. Now that's just a rule of thumb, you could beat them with even smaller hulls...

But anyway, you see your problem. You got battleship hulls just when the AI had fleets of battleships. If you have a large fleet of battle cruisers with superior weaponry, you'd have more success.

And you'd have a better research plan than just keeping up with the Jones's

[ March 27, 2004, 03:09: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

[Suicide Junkie]

A rule of thumb is not to let your tech for hull size fall more than 1 behind your enemy. Now that's just a rule of thumb, you could beat them with even smaller hulls...

As an example, I have fought off Druk WMG Dreadnoughts with hordes of missile frigates.
The key there was a chokepoint between us, and my stack of 150 frigates.
Not to mention being on the correct side of the warppoint so the fleets started at a safe range for me, and the choice attacks to pick off vulnerable single dreads.

The delaying action by the frigates gave me enough time to upgrade my economy and research more tech, leading to eventual victory.

[Wardad]

only 50K of research???
by the time battleships come out, you should have 200K.

also... experienced players target research on key technologies.

many... go for: light cruisers (large mount), DUC 3 to DUC 5, and point defense cannon, in the early game.

then... it's a race for better combat bonuses: training facilities, ECM, Combat sensors, and the top two armors (stealth and scattering).

don't forget... mine layers / mine sweepers

about midgame... choose a second gun (PPB or APB), shields, shield depleters, troops, battleship hulls etc...

While your doing all this don't ignore infrastructure... urban pacification center 3, Mineral miner level 2, Research level 2, and computers. (and peace keeping troops)

Consider using the Advanced Storage Tecniques racial trait.
20% more facilities per planet = 20% more research and production.

AI builds a mix of research/production/intel/bonus facilities on every planet.
You are smarter than that, build to suit the planet values.
This works out nicely when adding the one-per-planet bonus facilities from the computer research tree. The Resource ConVersion facility is also handy here.
Finally... Don't be reluctant to balance your facility output by scraping and rebuilding.

[ March 27, 2004, 13:48: Message edited by: Wardad ]

[Suicide Junkie]

Be sure to build at least 2-3 Space Yard Bases over your homeworld so you can pump out colony ships faster, and warships later on.

If you grab missile tech and a few levels of ship construction, you can neglect a LOT of otherwise critical technologies, and save those research points for whatever research path you prefer.
(shields/armor, sensors/ECM, and such are not needed for missile ships)

The key here is to have sufficient numbers, as combat will be more of an all or nothing deal.
If the enemy has enough PDCs, your ships will be relatively harmless and get slaughtered in a corner.
Otherwise, they'll be pounded by the long range bombardment and be unable to fire back, meaning you win with little to no casualties.

[ March 27, 2004, 16:14: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

[PvK]

Also, while you should set the AI Difficulty to the highest, you should keep the AI BONUS at "None" (or perhaps "Low") until you feel competant - the Bonus is the way to give the AI an unnatural advantage in resource/research/intel production.

PvK

[Puke]

yeah, difficulty to high - always. otherwise, they dont use fleets and do lots of really dumb things that make the game boring. if you are having a hard time, turn their bonus off.

the AI bonus multiplies their construction rates, research, and resource generation by up to five times. unless you are playing in a large quadrant and are good at expanding, its hard to stay ahead in points when the ai has a large bonus.

which reminds me of one of the easiest tricks to expanding quickly: the first thing you should build ought to be a space yard base over each homeworld. consider emergency building them if your construction bonus is not enough to build them in one turn, and consider building between 2 and 5 of them, depending on your resource income and starting position. you wont get colonies quite as quick, but you will get LOTS more of them by the time your colony ships start rolling off the lines.

[ March 31, 2004, 00:06: Message edited by: Puke ]