More stupid newbie tricks ( questions ) !

[Grandpa Kim]

NEVER let your counter-intel projects fill up. Take them to about 80% or 90%. If you complete them, they are gone! They only operate while active.

Once a project reaches that 80% or 90% level move it to the back of the queue and start another (or go on the offensive). When you are attacked, you will notice that your counter-intel project at the end of the queue will actually decrease in value. What I do is keep my strongest project at the back, and my weakest at the front. This takes a little management each turn when you are being attacked but will keep you safe for a long time. (In fact, only if your opponent(s) is attacking you turn after turn with more points than you can replace each turn, are you in any kind of trouble at all.) When tail-end-Charlie drops, swap it around so that you always have the best project at the end of the queue. Meanwhile, you are building up the one at the front.

Nothing is foolproof but this is a good way to keep the enemy at bay.

[Gandalph]

I actually take that a step further. I fill up a counter intel project (the highest capable at the time) to about 80%, then move it to the back and put in another counter intel project. When taht one gets to 80 %, I move it to the back and fill up the front with offensive intel, with the overflow going to one of the counter intel projects. If one of the counter intels gets depleted, or starts to fill too much for that matter, I switch them. This allows me to do offensive intel while being protected from enemy intel.

[Dogberry]

Just had a bunch of comp players up & declare war ( Empire too large )... w/o any warning at all ! This included a partnership & others that were feeling "brotherly". I assume this is normal AI behavior.. or was there something else at work ?

Was building up my navy for a war with a hostile AI... guess he will just have to wait. LOL

Woof ? .. Dog

[TerranC]

MEGA EVIL EMPIRE

It strikes you when you least expect it.
It strikes you when you least need it.

It strikes you when you are the biggest empire in proportions... if you are about 3x bigger in scores than the second place empire, You trigger MEGA EVIL EMPIRE.

What It happens is this:

As you get more powerful, you tend to get more scores. when you hit a cirtain score bigger than the second player, all AI declare war on you thinking that you are going to swallow up the whole galaxy and their empires. Even though you give them countless stuff and even get your score down; it takes a long time for them cool off as the AI anger drops below 50

Even though you want to be benign, you will have no choice but to fight.

Good luck, but if you are triple in scores, you will have no problem beating them

Edit: Note to meself; use the darn preview.

[ May 19, 2002, 20:02: Message edited by: TerranC ]

[Dogberry]

Was kinda planning that .. swallowing them up I mean, but at my own pace. Within 3-4 turns, I expect a surrender from my ex-"partner" ( if divorce was that easy ! ). If he surrenders I suppose I don't get his Shard technology. Can I get this ? What do I have to do ? Capture a ship ? A planet ?

Arf !

Dog

[capnq]

If he surrenders I suppose I don't get his Shard technology. Can I get this ? What do I have to do ?

You can only capture a racial tech if you have that Advanced Trait yourself.

So in this case, you can't get shard tech unless you took Crystallurgy at the start of the game.

A couple people have done tech mods that make the racial techs researchable, but I don't recall which mods.

[QuarianRex]

If you want access to racial technology (from racial abilities that you don't possess) you have to go into the tech area file. Go to the desired tech area and change 'Racial Area' to equal 0 (zero). This will allow you to reverse engineer the tech or recieve it through surrender.

You can even do this with your current game. Just shut it down, make the changes and start it back up again.

[ May 19, 2002, 21:52: Message edited by: QuarianRex ]