Re: Other thread
I would like to post a short review of my last game against that awful AI most of the other posters here keep complaining about.
After some successes on smaller maps, I decide to play a huge map with normal difficulty setting. I chose the Altarian Republic to bring peace to the galaxy
Early Expansion
I'm lucky and start the game in a corner of the universe with enough stars around to expand, but with enough distance to the other empires. This will give me some time to prepare for first contact. While expanding, I focus my research on improving my diplomatic skills, because I (playing a good nation) would prefer to win the game by allying with everyone else.
The Drath Wars
Everyone likes me, even the evil Drath Legions. I have remained neutral for most of the time, but now I have to make a decision: The Drath Legions (stongest fleet at that time) have invaded my neighbour, the Iconian Refuge (weakest empire around). Being good, I can't stand bullying and have no choice but to intervene. After diplomatic channels fail to produce a solution, I declare war on the evil Drath. After some initial defeats, my fleets manage to hold their ground and the war comes to a hold.
First universal war
The largest nation, the Torian Alliance, rules the center of the universe. They have common borders with all other nations. Their influence has spread into the territory of their neighbours, and some planets have started to break away from their empires to join the Torian Alliance. Of course those empires have no love for someone stealing their planets, and war errupts. The Torrian Alliance, due to it's delicate position in the middle of the universe, needs a strong ally and secure borders. They chose to ally with the Drath, joining the two separate wars into a big mess. I take the chance and attack the Torian Alliance, snatching some planets next to my borders. Crippled by the attack, the Torian Alliance slowly begins to lose the war, even with the help of the Drath. After some time they offer me peace, grudgingly handing me the control over two more planets. I again declare war and hope to bargain another peace for even more planets. It shall not be, as the Torian Alliance realizes it's defeat, and surrenders all it's remains to the Drath, which are now both the largest and strongest force around. Just as the war comes to another hold, with forces on both sides being depleted, the Dominion of Korx enter the war, it's untouched fleets rampaging through the Drath territory and conquering a large part of the Drath empire. The Drath finally agree to cease fire, and peace returns to the galaxy.
The aftermath
The war leaves me in a mixed position. While I have a massive fleet, many ships are old and not much of a use in future wars. At the same time my people are starting to revolt because of the high taxes I had to collect to keep the war going. I thought my security granted by my three allies. Killing two birds with one stone, I ordered a large part of my fleet to be dismantled, providing the credits to lower my taxes and to buy an alliance with the last neutral empire: The Dominion of Korx. While the Korx had joined the war against the Drath, we never became friends enough to become allies. It would require some time to earn their friendship, or so I thought.
The second universal war
The Korx sensed my weakness and immediately declared war. Much to my horror, only the Iconian Refuge, bound by years of common struggle, honored it's alliance and declared war on the Korx. My other two allies remained neutral, waiting for the right moment to make their own moves. The Korx, who were neutral for most of the first universal war, had a state of the art fleet. Were it not for the Iconians, I would have been overrun in the first few turns. However, I only lost some border colonies and had time enough to rebuild some strength to reconquer those planets. At the peak of the war, my two allies which had remained neutral so far decided to act. The one next to the Korx declared war upon me, fearing that the Korx would destroy it else. The other declared war upon the Xorx, attacking the traitor's flank and grapping some border colonies.
With a diplomatic victory out of reach now, everything seems possible. Who will win this war? Will the Drath use the time to recover? Can a diplomatic victory be achieved? I'll find out later.
|
Hybrid Mode
