27 replies to this topic

[EternusIV]

Just an overall "feel of the game" type post......

I sense a severe slowing of tech advances now that many of the races have either spent SRPs, or are hitting items that they cannot spend SRPs on. (I haven't seen anything that really makes my jaw drop since I saw the Matter Transporter ANZ a few turns back)

Now that some of the cookie cutter tech pathways and plans have been set and made, it will be interesting who makes what tech advances over the next year.

One things for certain - the game is extremely well balanced.

If an empire doesn't fall asleep at the helm, they should be a match for any opponent.

Combat comes down to particular weapons match-ups and ground combat will soon be more important than we realize.

The game has evolved into an almost "Star Trekish" feel.

Let the diversity really begin! (or, well, continue I suppose )

[Locklyn]

I disagree.
Anyone who didn't save 3-500 SRPs at the start of the game are way behind in technologies and will keep playing the "catching up" game for at least 20-30 turns unless they do something innovative like find the path to the research bonus

/Locklyn

[EternusIV]

I'm guilty of running out of SRP's too....but I don't think I'm playing catch up by any means. Heck, thats what neighbors with tech items are for

I'm convinced that this game is not just: "who has the prettier tech tree is teh winnar"

We're "catching up" with them at any rate Lock - SRP's go only so far and don't apply to the things that give a tremendous advantage (in my humble opnion)

[Hughestrog]

I've just joined with my first empire and spent over 1900 set-up points. If I can develop an empire, great, if not, hopefully I'd have learnt something.

Many of you have been playing this game for years(!) and are still discovering things and way's to do things better. In the end, those set-up points you spent on making your race impervious to hostile conditions and being able to skewer folk with your six pointy tails from two meters away should be worth something. This game seems to be fairly well thought out, so once we've all caught up with the empires with saved set-up points, which should happen, then those racial modifiers will kick in.

Just a thought,

Hughestrog.

[Ur Lord Tedric]

I second that post!!!

I'm having more fun with the Star League (who spent all their 2000 pts) right now, than with the second empire that saved 740........

It's big and beautiful out there - we just need the remaining 5% of the game rounded off as soon as it becomes necessary

Lord High Seneschal to Ur-Lord Tedric

[PhaseDragon]

A race that saved points and also took the max research bonuses in INT, SENSE and Long Life Cycle would always be ahead. There is no possible way to "Catch Up" in research. The balance is in the ground combat. The super brain would have some negative bonuses somewhere and they could be exploited by a race that was designed well.

Also, as techs take more points to research and advances become fewer, economics and colonization will take on a greater importance. You could be able to build twice as many technologies as your neighbor but if your production is only half of your neighbor he would probably have the advantage in a long term game such as this.

[octagon999]

Hughestrog, on Jun 9 2004, 07:01 AM, said:

I've just joined with my first empire and spent over 1900 set-up points. If I can develop an empire, great, if not, hopefully I'd have learnt something.

If you spent them on colonization and similar qualities, then I think you are going to be just fine. All the tech in the world (so far) does not equate to a natural colonization ability. Those bonuses are worth every point.

Does it put you behind in the tech race? Of course. But there are lots of techs you don't even need.

Enjoy,
Tom

[EternusIV]

Another thought:

Even with tech points, you can only go certain directions:

1) super engines? (NTWD and Antimatter etc)
2) super industry? (Improved IC, Improved SM)
3) super weapons? (Oh and then down WHICH path?)
4) super defenses? (Again- which path? )
5) super colonization bonuses?
6) super sensors?
7) super ground combat?
8) super gravitonics to pirate and/or open up matter transporters?
9) fighters/drones?

etc etc etc etc (realistically you could pick two...MAYBE three from that list...MAYBE)

And guess what - suppose you go fighters and your neighbor goes gravitonics and neither of you bothered to defend the other.....what use are all those SRPs now? You have a dogfight on your hands as each empire scrambles to counter the other to gain an advantage...and by then....the guy is either out of SRPs or the defenses that will give you the edge are unbuyable anyway.

:lol:

And after all of THAT - even if you get lucky and manage to work past those deathstars camped at the home system warp points...you gotta go to the ground. I can only shed a tear for the mindsphere in that regard - a race that in all liklihood sacrificed physical strength for research advantages (may they RIP )

No chance can you do it all - which is what makes trade and diplomacy so essential.

A jack of all trades in this game, flying solo, even with gobs of SRPS, will eventually run into problems of bumping into a well organized neighborhood that have strong trade routes and coordinated tech trees.

As the master of the universe told me when this game started in October 2002:

"Its all one big balanced spreadsheet"

[Hughestrog]

octagon999, on Jun 9 2004, 07:52 AM, said:

If you spent them on colonization and similar qualities, then I think you are going to be just fine.  All the tech in the world (so far) does not equate to a natural colonization ability.  Those bonuses are worth every point.

Does it put you behind in the tech race?  Of course.  But there are lots of techs you don't even need.

Strangely, I wasn't aiming at a race with good (or even decent) GC/CC/DB but I've ended up with a race (so far mind you, I've got A LONG WAY to go) that I'm happy with. I know I'm not in the heavy weight league, but I'm certainly not a brain blob- far too squishy. I always keep thinking of HG Wells War of the Worlds when everyone mentions Brain Blobs, and we all know what happened to them!

Who knows what advantages/disadvantages my neighbours have but if I've got something they need and they've got something I could do with, then trade seems to be the order of the day.

Now I've got to work out what I want to build, research, explore, so many things...

[octagon999]

EternusIV, on Jun 9 2004, 03:31 PM, said:

And guess what - suppose you go fighters and your neighbor goes gravitonics and neither of you bothered to defend the other.....what use are all those SRPs now? You have a dogfight on your hands as each empire scrambles to counter the other to gain an advantage...and by then....the guy is either out of SRPs or the defenses that will give you the edge are unbuyable anyway.

Ironically, I think the biggest advantage to having SRPs is when you DO run into someone who is hostile. Once you know what their main weaponry is, you can quickly research at least the basic levels of defenses for those vectors. A very big advantage.

The non-SRP race either has to have some basic investment in a broad range of tech or be prepared for a crash program in specific defenses (or both).

[Octus Imperium]

Hughestrog, on Jun 9 2004, 09:07 AM, said:

Strangely, I wasn't aiming at a race with good (or even decent) GC/CC/DB but I've ended up with a race (so far mind you, I've got A LONG WAY to go) that I'm happy with. I know I'm not in the heavy weight league, but I'm certainly not a brain blob- far too squishy. I always keep thinking of HG Wells War of the Worlds when everyone mentions Brain Blobs, and we all know what happened to them!

Who knows what advantages/disadvantages my neighbours have but if I've got something they need and they've got something I could do with, then trade seems to be the order of the day.

Now I've got to work out what I want to build, research, explore, so many things...

I my mind, this is exactly the right attitude.

Octus Imperium

[Raja]

OF course, if you were superior like us cats, then you would be brainy and massive colonizers at the same time. So far this really rocks. Cats rule!

[Sha'thar of the Gosht Kohr]

Sha'thar seconds Raja's post.

[MadMartinB]

There always seems to be discussion about SRPs and the advantages of having them. I sitll have them as the Eyre but wish I had run out a while ago and had a different setup. here is an example:

Small/Decrepit/Weak = some 1500 saved points.

Defense in Ground Combat: .1

That means it takes 10 of my divisions to take on a human. Kick them in the shins. So now I am killing the Mindsphere HW. Now he is a braniac with some saved points so he is weak as well but it still takes 3 or 4 of my divisions and 12 turns of focused tech to even have a chance.

Thank god he is not a storm giant.

[ali-t-akua]

Quote

OF course, if you were superior like us cats, then you would be brainy and massive colonizers at the same time. So far this really rocks. Cats rule!

Aloha. We are Polynesians, not cats and we are brainy and great colonizers too. (As well as decent fighters if we need to be)