How to be successful in hard mode?

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

How to be successful in hard mode?

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> The War Room >> How to be successful in hard mode?

Page: [1] 2 3 next > >>

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 1:23:11 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

I've played a few games, and I've noticed on normal mode the AI opponents really aren't much opposition, the pirates are the biggest threat through most of the game. Of course this depends on what race you choose, but normal mode seems pretty easy nonetheless.

However, when I try hard mode I get my ass kicked. Not by the other empires, although they certainly hold their own better. Not by pirates, although they're still annoying little pests. No, it's my empire's accountant!

I know this is a terribly vague question, but how do you keep a decent budget in hard mode? For example, do you usually build a defense base at each colony? How much of a fleet do you keep around when you have 2 or 3 colonies? Do you keep any standing troops? Are wonders a bad idea to build this early on, or does the quality bonus make up for the high upkeep?

When I played on hard, I rushed the bakuras shipyards, having read a lot of people doing that here. I also tried to get colonization techs early, to grab as big a piece of the galaxy as I could while everyone was still expanding. Then I tried to invade a neighbor, and stole 3 colonies from them. But after that, I could not get my economy back on track, I was deep in the red and couldn't get out. I tried letting the computer manage my tax rates, I disbanded most of my ground troops, I remove the armored facility from my capital, but still, I was bleeding money. I ended up abandoning that game because I couldn't stabilize my economy, and the other empires were getting way ahead of me.

Like I said, I know I'm asking a vague question here, but I know some of you guys play on the harder difficulties, so I was wondering what you do? I don't want to abuse tech selling or civilian retrofitting, I assume the hard mode economy can be tamed without those kind of exploits.

Post #: 1

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 2:41:08 PM

Bingeling

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

How hard is "hard"? Just default hard?

I have not played much for a long time, and I usually automate more than I raise the difficulty. For me, extreme can be a bit too tight, I don't really enjoy tightly optimizing or doing things that I feel like smell like exploits (apart from some very manual fleet control in a tricky spot).

I typically play somewhat non-aggressive with slow (or slower) research. This is very different from "grab alien capitals and good racial bonuses as fast as possible" play. I usually automate research to not gain an advantage there, so I only grab wonders the AI lead me to. With AI mod, there is no advantage of any size to gain, anyways.

My key is: Small colonies are evil. Especially if you defend them. In early game it is a balance between "I do not want any colonies" and "I need to get that 99% colony!". I try to grab multiple colony locations at the price of one, find the one that get others under control. Colonies below 70% are pure loss, those below 85% are not much to write home about, but nice to have once populated. If there are pirates, and I am weak, I think very carefully about "do I really want to colonize?". I do want those decent quality independents, though, as they ought to give some money from the early days as "get large" faster.

In early game, the non-low-tax-abusing me wants the capital to fill up, as population is key to high tax income. Getting several new colonies is incentive for the capital population to migrate away. I do not want that until it is nearly full. So I do absolutely do NOT colonize any prospect very near to the capital (inside the control circle) until feeling "rich".

I realize that a full capital can fund a good fleet, and a good fleet can grab just about any colony. The really well defended ones just require a bigger fleet and more troops.

So why bother colonize if the neighbors can pay the bills and (not) deal with the early game expenses and pirates? Hopefully they soon declare war on me, and the colonies will be mine and soon enough free of pirates. By the time I get them, they have grown a bit and can fund their own defense and a bit more.

How much to defend? Apart from exposed border colonies, maybe 1 troop each to make noise if invaded. If it is a rich colony, and it is not extremely safe - spaceport and defensive bases (balanced around "not too many spaceports"). And maybe a decent fleet. Half-decent colonies on the borders get defensive bases (spaceport) and fleet. The AI goes for the closest targets with some eye to defenses and value, so it should be a limited number that are exposed. Any colony important and exposed enough to require a defensive base+ and a fleet, also requires enough troops to stop a single troop transport drop easily.

But there are only so many valuable ones that need lots of defense, and each of them is valuable enough to fund itself and then some. From the start there will only be the capital that is really valuable, and there is no enemy that will bust a large spaceport with some help for quite a while. So when do you really need defensive bases there?

To me you look crazily over-extended from your description. You do not want the small colonies of your enemy, you want the good ones, but I try to play clean enough to grab the "nearby crap ones" around the good one I take. And I try keep the border clean.

How many ships? As many as I feel I need or as many as I can easily afford, whichever is less. In early days it is a fight to afford a pirate busting fleet, which probably equals some 40-50 AI destroyers. Once that can be fielded, the local pirate bases are not safe, and the pirate threat goes down.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 2

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 3:09:25 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Heh, well if you can manage it with all that automation, I should be able to manage it with manually designed ships and taxes and what not. I probably am just too aggressive when it comes to expanding.

You say colonies with less than 70% are pure loss. How so? I know the game filters out quality less than 50%, but I guess I don't understand how that works. Do you pay upkeep on colonies? I don't colonize the ones under 50% quality, although I don't really understand what the difference is.

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 3

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 4:08:20 PM

Bingeling

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

Well, below 70% is not pure loss if full, but they are not profitable enough to bother. Also, quality is a main factor in max population, and population is the key (alongside quality and development level). Remember that (barring Shakturi), the game is hardest in the early phase. Leave the "crap ones" from when you feel rich.

There is a hidden colony cost, but to hit that one 60% is probably enough if filled up. It is maybe 1-5K.

A screenshot from a "bit into" the AAR I did at Universe launch. Taken before colony numbers are large enough that the poor ones are hidden.

Dhayut was the race, they breed slowly and are no economic wonders. The top colonies (continentals) are all Atuuk based (they reproduce fast), as the Atuuks never managed to get their independents, and sucked like they always do and were wiped by the Securans.

Notice the bottom feeders, 65%. They are max population or close to that. 28% of 53k, is 15k, or enough to pay for the upkeep of a few warships.

The top guys probably struggle a bit at this point in time. Below is a much later image, where the bottom feeders are outside the shown list:

Notice Pirgetur 2 near the bottom. 99% quality, low population. But still almost matching Arexie above which is full and with almost 3 times the population. Arexie will not be more wealthy apart from the possibility of a wonder, it is full. Pirgetur 2 is a top colony in the making. I suspect that Pirgetur was a "late game colony" due to being volcanic and requiring expensive colonization tech. So it has not yet matured.

Notice Grau and Gurqi 3 two deserts sitting approximately middle of the list. Comparable populations, but Grau is 100k more revenue. But notice the regional capital on Gurqi 3, one can expect that all colonies not near a capital has 50% corruption (depending on galaxy setting). So it is likely that Grau would have twice as much revenue with a regional capital. The 72# on Gurp 3 is not good enough to be valuable. I happen to remember that the Mortalu system was not too far from my Capital (it was the former Mortalen capital system), so maybe Grau was not quite at 50%.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 4

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 6:23:41 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Interesting. I guess I'm trying to invest too much toward long term gain when I have more pressing immediate needs.

Why do you say Gurqi 3 was not good enough? 72% quality, but it was giving revenue of 195k! It only costs 10k at absolute worst to defend a colony, right? (That's a couple defensive bases and a couple ships)

Or is it that it just takes too long to get to that point?

Another thing I wonder about is this: Do colonies have higher growth % when they are less full? Or does that stay pretty constant based on happiness?

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 5

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 6:38:30 PM

Retreat1970

Posts: 948
Joined: 11/6/2013
From: Wisconsin
Status: offline

Besides quality, the planets size matters too.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 6

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 6:45:23 PM

Bingeling

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

The game has corruption that peaks at 50%. That means revenue is half of what it could be. Having a (regional) capital removes this corruption. The penalty increases with distance from nearest capital.

Some stupid AI put a regional capital on Gurqi 3. So one can easily think of it as only "half as good" as it looks. The regional capital would be better used on a richer world with good neighbors. So without that regional, Gurqi 3 would not show up on that list, it would be "below the cutoff". There is only 15/46 colonies displayed.

But as long as it does not need a lot of defense, it is a fine colony to have at this stage of the game. One could even hope that it is attacked rather than a more valuable one during war :)

A couple of ships make no real difference during war, to really defend a colony I would put a 15-20 ship fleet of cruisers and carriers (and capital ships if I have that). As far as I see, a defensive base and 5-10 ships of assorted smaller ships would lose to a normal AI main fleet heading for invasion.

Growth % should depend on happiness and of course racial growth of population. Since the AI taxes less at lower population, the small ones should have a bit higher growth. For the almost full ones with high population, it should be an issue that the growth is "lost". Migration is not large enough to move away the surplus.

Oh, and about migration, compare Sipan 4 in those images. Dhayut use enslave, but this does not prevent them from migrating. And who is happy about being enslaved?

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 7

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 8:20:37 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Heh, maybe that's another big difference in difficulty level. As it is now, when I think of defense, I'm thinking of constant piddly pirate attacks, not war. If there's a war where the AI is actually competitive, I wouldn't expect a defense base and a couple ships to make any difference.

I guess my main take away is that I should be much more picky about where I colonize, and not worry too much about keeping up with the AI's expansion. How important is it to get more colonies before your main one is at full population?

I'm currently winning a game in normal mode as the Dhayut, which is a lot harder than normal mode as human! Slow growth, no research bonus, everyone hates you... but that hyperdrive is nice! But obviously the most important aspect of doing well is how fast you get the snowball rolling, so races with fast growth and research bonuses seem like the best ones. My last hard mode attempt was with Dhayut, maybe I ought to pick something a bit easier (any recommendations?)

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 8

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/15/2016 10:00:37 PM

Bingeling

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

If you search around, I am sure you find recommendations for the easiest races.

Quameno for research. Kiadian for the same. Securan for peaceful hippie growth. Teekan for trade income? Gizurean for fast early growth? Ackdarian for larger, cheaper ships? Ikurro for decent all-round?

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 9

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/16/2016 3:20:53 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Thanks for your responses Bingeling. I'm glad there's still some activity on these forums. I really enjoyed your AAR by the way.

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 10

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/27/2016 5:05:22 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

I've tried a few hard mode games now (and won!). I guess the hard part is right at the beginning, I suppose 4x games tend to be rather front loaded, so that's not a big surprise.

Firstly, pirates are pretty unpredictable. One game I barely saw any pirates for a long time, another had 3 pirate gangs hitting me up constantly, with one of them actually parking ships in my system!
It seems the only way to work with them is to keep making protection deals, then breaking them immediately. This is unfortunate, but it seems like sometimes it would be impossible to get anywhere if you don't do this. I imagine the AI doesn't do this, which probably explains the AI empires with nothing but a homeworld and a couple pirate facilities.

After that, not going overboard on early colonies is very important, as you pointed out. A new colony will not make any money for possibly the entire game, their most important function seems to be to allow your empire to have more population, and therefore more research, as well as moving up the victory % numbers. Of course, victory is kind of the point, so you do want to build more colonies, just don't expect them to help your economy. For most, if not all of the game, each freshly colonized planet is a net drain on your economy.

On the other hand, grabbing decent independents is very helpful. Since they start with a decent population, you can actually tax them and make money, or hold off and let them grow until you need the increased revenue. Since they have more population, you can build a defense base or whatever a lot faster.

Grabbing homeworlds is a giant boon, on top of the huge population, you get some racial bonuses.

Later in the game, it seems that every colony without a regional capital has insane corruption, so almost all of your money is made at systems with capitals. You really want to capture regional capitals if you see them!

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 11

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/27/2016 5:17:31 PM

Bingeling

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

I believe the AI make protection deals just fine, not that I have studied it a lot. They do manage to colonize at least, even if they are unable to keep pirates away from their colonies afterwards.

I play with the private rule that I do not make deals with pirates once my spaceport is shielded and safe. It makes for a rather rough time in the early days. Without a first protection deal, the spaceport is unlikely to ever be built, though.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 12

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/27/2016 6:56:17 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

I think the AI makes protection deals, I just don't think it ends them very wisely. I don't think the AI asks for protection, then immediately cancels the deal when the pirates move out, for example.

Do you usually leave your original protection deals on until you're ready to end them for good? I can imagine that working out for a single pirate enemy, but I can't see how you can pay multiple protection arrangements in the early game and still make money.

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 13

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/27/2016 8:44:45 PM

Bingeling

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

When I play (which is not too often), I would start build my spaceport. If pirates appear while it is being constructed, protection deal. When they leave. Cancel.

If the spaceport is up and shielded, no more pirate deals at all.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 14

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 1:25:58 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Do you make a special spaceport with extra research facilities and strip off the weapons, or do you just build the standard SSP-1? I saw in your AAR you were using a lot of automation, is that how you typically play? It just seemed like you were fighting your own empire's AI as much as you were fighting the enemies.

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 15

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 2:27:13 PM

Bingeling

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

It is fun to fight the AI :)

I would typically run with AI designs and build a medium spaceport at the start. I do not play many games, and how much I automate may be different between games, but I have never bothered to mess much with ship/base design.

I can't remember if I have ever added more labs to the home spaceport, I figure I have mostly lived with the default amount (and that on other spaceports). If I need more labs, I am more likely to build research stations underneath the home spaceport, than I am to modify its design. I guess that if I bother to play extreme I may actually have to save some money and do the "more labs on spaceport" thing...

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 16

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 5:25:48 PM

Twigster

Posts: 1023
Joined: 1/13/2015
Status: offline

quote:

Do you make a special spaceport with extra research facilities and strip off the weapons, or do you just build the standard SSP-1?

I always play Extreme/Chaos on full manual (no automation). I also always DO design my starting Medium Space Port with added Labs, the idea being to present as few targets that need to be defended in my very early games (this has the dded benefit of even further reducing maintenance costs- I am guilty of min-maxing too). I find that I am FAR more efficient/successful with custom-designed ships than with using the default designs. However, style of play and objectives figures lot into this determination, IMO.

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 17

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 6:02:24 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Hmm, so you guys start with a medium space port, and not a small? Doesn't that slow down your early research and exploration?

I generally custom design a super stripped down space port, no weapons, no armor, no cargo, and enough labs to max out my research. Much later on I will upgrade that to a special medium base with extra labs. Eventually I have enough regular starports scattered around to retrofit my main space port to a regular large without needing the extra labs.

I find this lets me get explorers out as fast as possible, meaning I get stuff around my home world scouted out, as well as warp bubble researching as fast as I can. I consider the gerax to be the point when you really start being able to do anything, so I want to get there as fast as I can.

I generally design my own explorers and construction ships pre-warp, but use auto designs after that. I usually manually design a cruiser which serves as my main ship type for my fleets, as well as a capital ship with a long range scanner to spot for my fleets. I also design the civilian mining bases, putting a long range scanner and some weaponry on them. They'll still fall to a decent pirate fleet, but they can hold off a couple ships on their own.

The mining bases feels like the most abusive part of my play, because eventually I have to retrofit all those bases, and due to a bug, my empire gets the retrofitting costs, meaning I can just steal money from the private sector. So I try to only do 2 big retrofits, the first when long range scanners are available, then again when extreme range scanners show up.

I'm starting to see hard mode as too easy, so I guess my next game will be on very hard. My fear is that it's going to be about the same when it comes to AI difficulty, with the only real hardship being my own economy. Basically, if you can semi-competently run your own empire, you'll win, from what I've seen. I really ought to try winning in a peaceful way, but I just don't see how that's even possible.

(in reply to Twigster)

Post #: 18

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 7:49:46 PM

Bingeling

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

Try to add the AI mod and very hard (it probably does not play that well unless AI gets a boost). It helps in areas like ship design and research order, making the AI avoid some detours.

The effect of difficulty is not in upgrading the AI, but to tweak the penalties/bonuses between you and the AI. With higher difficulty, you do everything a bit worse (research, mining, money...), and the AI does it a bit better.

When it comes to starting up, I want the spaceport to be able to fight of any pirate that shows up in early game. And I don't trust a small SSP to do that. When it comes to research, "starting to research" is more important than finding the bubble plans. You want a few other energy researches before heading "into space" anyways. Construction size, shields, maybe engine upgrades... If you look at Icemania's mod, the research order has warp bubble a bit down the list.

When it comes to pre-warp, I find it a bore, and may just turtle behind my spaceport until I have Gerax. Being "at war" with all pirates helps when it comes to having issues keeping any mine alive, anyways.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 19

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 8:02:50 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Hmm, that's a good point, and it does feel a bit exploity to keep making and breaking protection deals to allow me to ignore any kind of defense.

But what do you do to protect mining bases in your home system? Do send pre-warp warships to each mine, or do you just not bother building any mines until you can defend them?

I do wonder if a pre-warp start is just another huge handicap to the ai. The player can milk every advantage out when there's so little to do, and a little head start just snowballs further and further down the line. But it's so nice thematically to have to research warp tech...

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 20

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 8:21:37 PM

Twigster

Posts: 1023
Joined: 1/13/2015
Status: offline

quote:

Basically, if you can semi-competently run your own empire, you'll win, from what I've seen.

Please spend some time playing either RetreatUE or AI Improvement Mods on Extreme/Chaos difficulty and get back to me about this statement. More than competent at running my own empire, I have been absolutely crushed a few times. But, I win sometimes also.

quote:

I do wonder if a pre-warp start is just another huge handicap to the ai.

Not in my experience, at the settings I play with.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 21

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 8:51:53 PM

Bingeling

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

Keep in mind, that with added difficulty you get a research penalty, while the AI get a research boost.

During pre-warp I would tend to do nothing. There is nothing to gain there, the likely effect of trying to "win" in my system is to spend the initial stores on ships and bases to be destroyed by pirates.

Protecting mines is generally very hard. Keep in mind that I usually play with (very) slow research, making it take longer time to catch up to the pirates. Add to this, quite a lot of pirates and no protection deals, and mines are under constant attack.

In the capital system there will typically be one or two mines that are targeted, while some are ignored. For instance in the "very many pirates, nearby" AAR I did, I had a continental with carbon fiber and stuff that was constantly attacked. I did have enough capital system forces to prevent pirates from hanging around, though.

Having a mine in a "minor colony" system was futile. Raiders arrive, it is hard to defend against them especially if they have weapons bypassing shields. This means they will hang around, and while doing so they will attack any mine in the system.

However, since I had a long pre-warp, any nearby system is already explored by the pirates starting nearby. And the rest may have gotten exploration data from spying or trading. And pirates do not visit system "randomly". Thus, a mine in a system with no colony, will tend to be left alone. Since pirates won't know it is there. I feel that such mines will only be attacked if pirates respawn and start nearby. Then there is a new group that will explore the systems and find the mine.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 22

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/28/2016 9:00:00 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Heh, I really need to try playing that way. I know my "Build mines absolutely everywhere" strategy won't work so well there... Especially if I don't make them mini defense bases...

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 23

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/29/2016 2:55:33 AM

Twigster

Posts: 1023
Joined: 1/13/2015
Status: offline

I second what Bingeling has said about mines in non-colony systems. Also, it hit me once while playing mega-empire; I checked my Resources and noticed that I had dozens of sources of every resource needed (OK, only a fraction of that for the major Luxury ones, but you get my drift). It was then that I realized that I could get along with far fewer sources, and ever since then I have far fewer mines (yes, I do that manually as well). And also, yes, they do tend to be (not-so-mini) defense basis. That the private sector pays for.

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 24

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/29/2016 7:32:45 AM

Bingeling

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

Build mines everywhere works quite well with lots of pirates. Lots of them will be destroyed, some of them will survive. And as long as "a few of each type" survive, you have no issue.

One "issue" could be that in non-colony systems, it could be better if all mines are destroyed than if "some" are destroyed. Because if pirates busted one mine, they should have discovered the other mines there and possibly return later to bust them. While if the system was empty when they last saw it, they have no reason to return.

Apart from that, one benefit of not doing "mines everywhere", could be that you can actually learn what is needed. If you spam "mines everywhere", I am not sure why you bother with manual construction ships. The AI can do that just as fine.

(in reply to Twigster)

Post #: 25

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/29/2016 1:23:11 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Heh, true enough. I do like being able to specify where the mines go, and later on their main purpose is really to be a monitoring station with some guns(That I don't pay for directly). And early in the game, there's a lot of waiting around anyway. I probably could afford to start automating them a bit earlier in the game though.

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 26

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/29/2016 1:29:49 PM

Bingeling

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

I have never understood the need to cheat yourself by having the civilians pay for what is a state thing. In this case, monitoring stations.

If you want to cheat, just do the retrofit dance on your mines

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 27

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/29/2016 2:32:42 PM

Damiac

Posts: 73
Joined: 6/14/2016
Status: offline

Well, to me it's not entirely unreasonable for the government to require a "private" base (The government did pay for it after all) to keep a scanner running. After all, the government is protecting those bases, and it's probably more of a licensing thing than the civilians actually owning it.

Where it gets ridiculous is them paying me to retrofit their stations. I wish that could be patched out.

But, I know the AI doesn't stick monitoring stations on their mines... and I could take it further and stick scanners on all my civilian ships...

Of course, if the private sector weren't so outrageously wealthy, then it wouldn't be so easy to make them pay for everything. Where are they getting all that money anyway?!?

I'm currently playing a game on very hard, and once I got my medium space station armed and shielded I broke my protection agreement and haven't turned it back on. It's such a difference when you have to actually tax your home world, and worry about protecting your mines early on. I'm considering making a couple warp bubble warships to defend my home system mines... I plan to stick with the AI mine designs, but I guess we'll see how that goes as the game goes on. It's easy to start out with noble intentions...

I suppose I could build monitoring stations... but then I have to actually be picky about where I put them. What is this, a strategy game or something?

(in reply to Bingeling)

Post #: 28

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/29/2016 11:54:28 PM

Twigster

Posts: 1023
Joined: 1/13/2015
Status: offline

quote:

I have never understood the need to cheat yourself by having the civilians pay for what is a state thing. In this case, monitoring stations.

Heh!... I have never seen it as cheating- it is a game dynamic. I do not, however, do that exploit whereby you pump up private sector bases to get private sector cash and then step them back down to previous lower-maintenance states. That is cheating, IMO.

< Message edited by Twigster -- 6/30/2016 12:39:30 AM >

(in reply to Damiac)

Post #: 29

RE: How to be successful in hard mode? - 6/30/2016 12:05:15 AM

Retreat1970

Posts: 948
Joined: 11/6/2013
From: Wisconsin
Status: offline