Does anyone else try to play with a "high" AI bonus

GruelThePurple · #1 May 16th, 2001, 08:39 PM

My current game is Mid-Diff with High Bonus, set for 255 systems, Low Tech and high cost, single homeworld, 13 AI & 5 Neutrals, TDM Modpack; and I have seen some henious things.

I have run through about 145 turns so far, and the top spot belongs to the Zorians. They have spread like the plague and colonized everything they could. After nailing some of the colony ships, I found out why... They are only running with 5M to 10M colonists a pop.

However, with a huge operational base of planets (something like 140), it is not uncommon to see 40+ ship fleets being thrown against my forces.

Whenever I do gain some ground against the zealots, I normally have to withdrawn shortly thereafter to resupply and re-equip. By the time I return to the system I had cleared, it has been recolonized.

Talk about cockroaches...

Not to mention they and the Darloks are currently both Espionaging me into the ground.

If it wasn't for a couple key warp points and tons of mines, I would have been overrun a long time ago.

I have also run into the Borg and the Rage. Strangely enough, the Borg has yet to leave their home system, and they own only their home planet... I have run into very little of the Rage, but they had propositioned me with a Trade Treaty right off. Due to their distance from me (with some Partnered Neutrals in the middle), they are not a threat any time soon.

This should prove to be a long, bitter struggle.

[This message has been edited by GruelThePurple (edited 16 May 2001).]

DirectorTsaarx · #2 May 17th, 2001, 08:42 PM

quote:
Originally posted by GruelThePurple:
Strangely enough, the Borg has yet to leave their home system, and they own only their home planet...

Did you remember to put them on computer control at game startup? You may want to take control of them for a turn, turn on "Full AI" (i.e., all ministers, etc.) and return them to computer control...

GruelThePurple · #3 May 17th, 2001, 09:42 PM

quote:
Originally posted by DirectorTsaarx:
Did you remember to put them on computer control at game startup? You may want to take control of them for a turn, turn on "Full AI" (i.e., all ministers, etc.) and return them to computer control...

Yeppers. They, as the rest, were on computer control. I did take temporary control of them to see what was up, and it looks like they may have run into another race quite early in the game, which caused them to flip modes before they got any colonization under way. They had a sizeable fleet, but were not producing colony ships (hence my assumption above).

On a side note, due to the Zorian cockroach problem, I am left with but a single remaining option to dislodge them; Stellar Nucleonic Torpedoes.

[This message has been edited by GruelThePurple (edited 17 May 2001).]

DirectorTsaarx · #4 May 17th, 2001, 10:33 PM

You could be really nasty and use an Inverted Quantum Beam... not even asteroids left for them to remote mine or turn back into planets... and they have trouble moving ships through...

Dracus · #5 May 17th, 2001, 10:36 PM

Go in and add the colony ship to each mode, that way they will build them no matter what mode they are in.