avoid irritating early war?

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avoid irritating early war? - 6/4/2014 5:41:11 PM

niftyc

Posts: 3
Joined: 6/4/2014
Status: offline

I've played just a few games now on classical era small/small and I find my games tend to get into a certain slump. There always seems to be an early game period where I get into a scuffle with an aggro racist bug dude (or someone similar). He has only one or two colonies while I have ~six. We are neighbors but not that close. No disputed stations in the same system or anything.

My objection to this war is that neither of us can do anything except knock down each other's bases and mining stations. Our fleets are typically pretty evenly matched. We both knock down each other's bases except the biggest one at the home world. This appears to harm my economy a lot (?) and then I have to wait for a long time to either get any decent way of invading him (need techs/troops) or taking down his superbase or fleet (need techs/ships).

This period is pretty boring. It's an era where I have only a handful of tiny colonies that I can protect well from invasion (no one has invented bombardment) but anything built in space can be knocked down except the biggest things. So it appears to set back my expansion a lot while I slowly create a way to win this irritating little war against this dork. I feel like I then have spent a lot of time waiting -- saving money, recruiting troops, researching tech, having war weariness. This is not super fun. I'd rather not have the irritating war in the first place as we aren't that close and I could be expanding on other fronts. And what is the war about? I don't want his planet(s). He is listed 5th vs. other factions on most dimensions -- he's not a rival.

But aggro bug dude is aggro. I don't have that "we are competing..." negative opinion modifier, or a bad reputation, it is pure aggro. I tried reloading earlier saves and heading off the war but he cannot be deterred. I've allied all neighbors against him, bought him off, etc. If I convince him to make peace he breaks the treaty the next day. Nothing works. Is there a way around this? I feel like I am doing something wrong.

Not sure what else to try. Maybe my expansion strategy is off? I could invest more in ships and less in expansion and maybe he will be deterred if my fleet is large enough? I admit I have not tried this because I enjoy expansion. But maybe that's the way.

How do you avoid these irritating aggro dudes who want to fight wars no one can win (for a long time)?

Or is this just how the game works on classical? There is often a period in the early game where you can't keep a base up.

Thanks for any advice.

Post #: 1

RE: avoid irritating early war? - 6/4/2014 6:10:37 PM

Bingeling

Posts: 5186
Joined: 8/12/2010
Status: offline

Expanding more slowly surely could help when it comes to affording more forces, and having less territory to defend.

You could try to watch diplomacy and see if sending small gifts nudges them in the right direction. You see the value for their attitude to you.

(in reply to niftyc)

Post #: 2

RE: avoid irritating early war? - 6/4/2014 6:15:36 PM

Locarnus

Posts: 287
Joined: 5/30/2010
From: Earth, Sol
Status: offline

The AI weighs your firepower vs strategic value(both listed in the diplo screen). Aggro bugs tend to go after the empires with low relative rating (also relative to theirs). If you check the other AI empires, they tend to have higher firepower/strategic value ratings thant most players...

Also dont spread out too much, the AI seems to notice it if you have outlying colonies with poor military power in the vicinity.

< Message edited by Locarnus -- 6/4/2014 7:16:57 PM >

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RE: avoid irritating early war? - 6/4/2014 7:58:45 PM

niftyc

Posts: 3
Joined: 6/4/2014
Status: offline

Thanks Locarnus and Bingeling. I think I "get" what the game is doing here better after reading your answers.

I do love outlying colonies with low military power. Time to change that!

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Post #: 4

RE: avoid irritating early war? - 6/5/2014 6:24:01 PM

Jeeves

Posts: 940
Joined: 9/28/2010
From: Arlington TN U.S.A
Status: offline

They covet my colonies until I add troops and warships in an orbiting fleet. Then they change their minds. So military strength in the system and on the planet is definitely a factor.

Lonnie Courtney Clay

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Live long and prosper!

Lonnie Courtney Clay

(in reply to niftyc)

Post #: 5