Strategy Articles!

Slick · #1 June 4th, 2003, 05:10 PM

Strange that nobody has responded to this yet. I for one can't wait! Personally I would like to see "17.3 Managing Your Economy" next; although I eagerly await all of them and would be happy with any of them.

If you do 17.3 next, here are some of the things I would like to see your methods of doing:

- Could you include your methods of keeping track of things? Like how do you do it? paper? memory? notpad.exe? Specifically, I like to keep track using the system notes on the galactic map of such things as which system-wide facilities are built, if the system has cloak detection sats, and other system type info.

- The things I get bogged down with in the mid game are upgrading facilities once level III's come out. i.e. can't be built in 1 turn so I build level II's and upgrade later - but sometimes forget to upgrade when the Last one is built.

- Also, your methods for efficiently moving units & population around.

- Also, how many planets per system do you build spaceyards on?

- Do you use spaceyard bases to supplement spaceyard facilities?

- How do you tweak your production & construction so that you have no large defecits or surplusses?

- How many storage facilities do you build?

Sorry for rambling. I don't really think I do a terrible job at these things, but I would like to see your methods, which have been developed far longer than mine and are thus probably much better. Thanks.

Slick.

Stone Mill · #2 June 4th, 2003, 08:34 PM

Thanks Slick, 17.3, Managing your Economy will be next.

Your questions, ideas and suggestions are actually very good, and not necessarily different from mine. This game is wide open when it comes to play styles, and what I present will be what logically suits my style.

deccan · #3 June 5th, 2003, 03:40 PM

Does anyone use the Emergency Propulsion Pod, and if so, for what reason?

Slick · #4 June 5th, 2003, 05:37 PM

I use them on a few designs:

My planet maker Battleship, because I need repair capability any way, it has a huge maintenance cost due to its Matter Gravity Sphere component so I don't want to spend excess turns in transit to asteroid fields. Each turn I use the pod and the on board spaceyard repairs it making it ready for the next turn. Note that you don't need a spaceyard to repair the Matter Gravity Sphere (only a repair bay), but you do need a spaceyard to repair the EPP.

My Ambulance Destroyer (which has a Medical Bay, speedy engines, solar sail and lots of supplies) because I want to get any plagues cured as fast as possible. I don't have a spaceyard on the DD obviously. I build, then mothball usually 3 or 4 of these Ambulances strategically placed in the empire so that I can get it to any plagued planet in a few turns.

Slick.

teal · #5 June 5th, 2003, 05:48 PM

Last time I tried to use a Matter Gravity Sphere nothing would repair it after it was used. A repair bay wouldn't repair it and taking the ship back to a shipyard wouldn't repair it. I was quite confused and decided to give up on the whole making planet idea entirely. Any rampant speculation as to what I was doing wrong...

?

Slick · #6 June 5th, 2003, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by teal:
Last time I tried to use a Matter Gravity Sphere nothing would repair it after it was used. A repair bay wouldn't repair it and taking the ship back to a shipyard wouldn't repair it. I was quite confused and decided to give up on the whole making planet idea entirely. Any rampant speculation as to what I was doing wrong... ?

I sure can't think of what it might be. I have never had such a problem. Try it again and if you can replicate the problem, we can help troubleshoot. If we can't figure it out, you can email the saved game to MM.

Slick.

teal · #7 June 5th, 2003, 06:19 PM

Tested it again by starting up a high tech game and making a planet maker very quickly. No problems. My repair bay III repaired the ship the next turn. No idea what happened that first time...