So how is this game ? (Full Version)

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Bozz -> So how is this game ? (10/20/2011 12:08:56 AM)

First sorry for my english i'm french.

I just wanted to ask some questions before I buy the game

I was wondering if this game really is good, I saw some people saying that it's even better than moo2 (that would be amazing)

is the AI good ? (it's the most important think for me)

and should I buy the expansion supernova, is it standalone or do I need to buy expansion + the main game ?

for now I was playing distant world but the AI really isn't good, and Sword of the stars...

thanks !!!



martok -> RE: So how is this game ? (10/23/2011 9:45:12 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bozz

First sorry for my english i'm french.

No worries, man. Your English is just fine. [:)]



quote:

ORIGINAL: Bozz

I was wondering if this game really is good, I saw some people saying that it's even better than moo2 (that would be amazing)

Yes, it's an excellent game. Birth of the Federation has been my favorite 4x title for 12 years now, and it wasn't until Armada 2526 came out that I finally found another game to be its equal (if not superior).



quote:

ORIGINAL: Bozz

is the AI good ? (it's the most important think for me)

Yes, the AI is very good -- one of the best I've ever seen in a PC strategy game, in fact.

It's ultimately still no match for a good human player, of course, but it's still generally quite competent (which is more than can be said for the AI in most games). And for us "merely average" players (and I am certainly one of them!), the AI generally gives you a good run for your money.



quote:

ORIGINAL: Bozz

and should I buy the expansion supernova, is it standalone or do I need to buy expansion + the main game ?

Definitely get the Supernova expansion. You'll need to also purchase the main game as well, but it's well worth it. Supernova adds so much more to the original game, that I honestly can't imagine playing without it anymore!







Anguille -> RE: So how is this game ? (10/24/2011 4:01:51 PM)

As Martok says...get Armada 2526 with the Supernova expansion....currentely the best 4x game on the market. However, you won't be able to design your ships unlike in MOO2.



Blueberry -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/16/2011 11:09:10 PM)

To be honest, and, of course, this is only my opinion, this isn't the best 4x game on the market right now but it certainly is an attractive one. I've been playing it for a month or two and it is quite fun and I can recommend it to any space strategy gamer. Definitely worth the money. Not as complex as some other games and perhaps that is where its true beauty lies. It isn't difficult to get into and understand how the game works. Doesn't mean it is a simple one though. Ship design would make it a winner. Don't play without supernova.

Have fun.



sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/16/2011 11:36:30 PM)

I'm enjoying the game so far. The simplicity and ability to come to grasp with what is going on, or what I "think" is going on makes the game playable and approachable without having to read hundreds of pages to play.

Of course Martok and Anguille have helped a lot too. [:D]



Rosseau -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/17/2011 2:47:26 AM)

Unless you want a really dumbed-down Distant World, I can't see you happy with Armada/Supernova. I have all the games, so that's just my opinion.



sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/17/2011 2:55:15 AM)

I have DW, and there are many times I just don't feel like booting it up, but do want some 4x game play. I'm still learning DW. I was up and playing in no time with Armada. Just depends on my mood. When I prefer combat I boot up Sword of the Stars. I think all the 4x games have a place and time.

Merry Christmas everyone!



Blueberry -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/17/2011 10:00:53 AM)

DW vs Armada is on old topic that has been discussed hundreds of times. Two very different games not to be easilty compared meant for the same genre of 4x space strategy gaming. Apples and organges. DW is my favorite no doubt about it. I can't touch skyrim after DW legends' release. But Armada has its own charm, style and gameplay pace. Nowadays, most people have so little time to spare on gaming. In order to satisfy their 4x needs without spending too much time on it, they go for the likes of Armada. DW demands a considerable amount of time allocated to it to understand and discover its true potential. Armada, on the other hand, lets you in right away.[;)]



martok -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/17/2011 10:23:50 AM)

@Blueberry:  I'd say that's fairly accurate -- both your comparison of the two games (Armada 2526/Supernova and Distant Worlds), and your description of Armada's charm & appeal.  I really like both, but Armada is just so much easier to pick up and play (and without being shallow), whereas I feel like I have to set aside a certain amount of time to sit down and really play DW. 

Still, they're both excellent 4x titles.  "Apples & oranges", as you said.  [:)] 



@sabre1:  Glad you're enjoying it so far!  So are you ready for a PBEM campaign, yet?  [:D] 




sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/17/2011 3:01:31 PM)

Just a "little" more play time my friend. Give me the weekend, and I send you a PM to see if you are still interested.



martok -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/18/2011 12:44:51 PM)

Marvelous; I look forward to it (getting my butt kicked, that is).  [:)] 




cpdeyoung -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/18/2011 5:18:51 PM)

I got this game when the Matrix Sale was announced. I was going to get some others, but I have been playing this game almost continuously for the last 24 days.

I am not kidding, I play every chance I get. I love games where production and research are vital and this fills that bill. A friend bought it on my recommendation, and we sometimes play with the phone on speaker, listening to our comments. I suspect I will play less in the future, and I hear there is a holiday coming up, but for now it is all campaigning!

Chuck



martok -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/19/2011 6:10:16 AM)

Ah good, another adherent.  [;)]  

So who's your favorite race(s), cpdeyoung?  (If you can't pick just one, I understand; I have at least half a dozen that enjoy playing regularly!) 






sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/20/2011 1:30:54 AM)

Martok,

PM sent.



cpdeyoung -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/20/2011 4:35:51 AM)

Martok,

Ah, there is only one choice, the obedient, respectful, diligent Hoon Yon!

I am 540 turns into a 2,000 turn campaign and am in 4th place of 4 races, but am confident of eventual victory. I can build colonies in profusion, without having to worry about bureaucracy! I currently have about 100 more colonies than anyone else. The other races, random, are Jellutions, Humans, and A.R.O.M. No very aggressive races, so we have only had 75 battles in 540 turns. I have won 50 of them, and expect the Humans will be the most aggressive opponent. The Jelly Fish have some impressive defenses, and I have only fought them once to push 4 armored assault craft and 8 assault craft from a colony of mine. I have not fought Monkeys yet, and have been warring with the Tin Men. Other than sneaking in behind me to recapture a colony, which no longer is so easy, they have shown little concern with my aggression. I do notice massive deficit spending on their part however.

My second favorite race is the Klurgu.

Chuck

PS : Jellutions were great neighbors, and generous in sharing tech, and trade.
PPS : Supernova.



martok -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/20/2011 11:31:38 AM)

@sabre1:  Acknowledged!  I should be getting back to you later today. 



@cpdeyoung:  Looks like you've got a good game going there.  The Human Union does seem to be a bid more....energetic, in my experience, but I wouldn't discount the Jellies or the AROM just yet!  The Borg-wannabe's, in particular, have surprised me in the past with unexpected military advances into my territory.  

The Hoon Yon are one of my favorite races as well, and are in fact probably my #1 choice overall.  The Jellutions, Xepectrada, Walden Forest, and (increasingly) the newly-introduced Volmar see a lot of play time from me as well, but I seem to have the largest affection for those sentient mechanical critters! 




sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/20/2011 4:42:02 PM)

If I'm not colonizing fast enough, and my population is growing to fast do I raise taxes to control them?



martok -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/20/2011 6:13:55 PM)

Wow, your population is growing too fast?  Tell me, what's that like?  (Honestly, I almost never have that problem until later on.)  [:'(] 


Anyway:  Yes, raising taxes is one of the things you can do to lower growth.  The problem there, however, is that you can only keep taxes high for so long before you start to deal with serious Popularity problems....which in turn affects a colony's Security rating....which itself determines how likely the people are to riot/rebel. 

Really, though, just about anything that lowers Happiness will do.  Building/upgrading Mines is often a good choice, as this will increase Pollution (and lower Happiness), while at the same time increasing your income and lowering your productions costs. 

Another trick is to colonize some not-so-nice planets (Barren, Icy, Dead, etc.) if you have the technology, as their growth rates are usually low (except for a few select races).  So you can transfer your "excess" population there, secure in the knowledge that once on the new, less pleasant colony, they won't reproduce quite so quickly!  Note:  It helps to have extra transports on hand for these types of situations. 





sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/20/2011 11:44:16 PM)

My population on my colonies was growing faster than I was colonizing. I was paying attention to income staying positvie and not focusing on pop. growth. Oh well, I'm in the learning phase.



cpdeyoung -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/21/2011 1:35:35 AM)

Martok and sabre1,

That is certainly not my problem . I have an average of 22.775 pop factors per colony, with many, many colonies at 3 or less, and far too many at 1. I have many transports on auto-distribute, and some I manage myself, but with 281 colonies (turn 571) distributing population is cumbersome. The Hoon Yon are not big breeders either.

I am growing at a rate of 3 or 4 colonies per turn. Hoons cannot populate all these, and I have no aliens in my population.

Chuck



martok -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/21/2011 10:59:45 AM)

Yeah, that's a weakness of races like the Hoon Yon and Qa-Qa Assembly (another favorite of mine):  Low growth rates can really hamper you!  Of course, that's one of the challenges I like in this game.  [:)] 





sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/29/2011 4:50:19 PM)

It seems to me that a MP game on a huge system could take forever? Or mighty darn close.

The game is fun, and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm still not sure how research works, but I'm getting there.

Just now reached the point where I can travel through wormholes, so I may start building/researching warships. I only have destroyer class ships presently and no weapon development to speak of.



Rosseau -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/30/2011 2:46:20 AM)

I know you'll resist my evil temptation to mod xml in-game. If not, just be sure it's a generic ship of your own race. I assume you are playing SP.

<!-- Destroyer -->
<ShipType Name ="Destroyer" Level="1">
   <Construction Cost ="350" Time="3" Icon="Art\\Ships\\Production\\Destroyer-LV1.png"/>
   <Upkeep Amount="21"/>
   <Requirements>
     <Tech Item ="Destroyer"/>
   </Requirements>
   <StaticRequirements>
     <RequireEither>
       <Race Name="Human"/>
       <Race Name="Silq"/>
     </RequireEither>
   </StaticRequirements>
   <ReplacedBy Type ="Destroyer II"/>
   <Mesh Name="Ships\Meshes\Destroyer\Des-LV1-Hi.X" Maps ="EnvSpecularMap"/>
   <Mesh Name="Ships\Meshes\Destroyer\Des-LV1-Low.X" Distance ="3000" Maps ="EnvSpecularMap"/>
   <Texture Name="Ships\Meshes\Destroyer\Textures\Destroyer-LV1-Blue.dds" Use="Own"/>
   <Texture Name="Ships\Meshes\Destroyer\Textures\Destroyer-LV1-Red.dds" Use="Enemy"/>
   <Texture Name="Ships\Meshes\Destroyer\Textures\Destroyer-LV1-Green.dds" Use="Ally"/>
   <Texture Name="Ships\Meshes\Destroyer\Textures\Destroyer-LV1-Orange.dds" Use="EnemyAlly"/>
   <Texture Name="Ships\Meshes\Destroyer\Textures\Destroyer-LV1-Specular.dds" Use="All" Type="Specular"/>
   <Material Spec="25" Spec2="75"/>
   <BasicCombat Defence ="12" />
   <Weapon Type="Small Energy Beam" Vector ="2" Attack ="3" GroundAttack="3"/>
   <Weapon Type="Small Energy Beam" Vector ="7" Attack= "3" GroundAttack="3"/>
   <Weapon Type="Pulse Cannon" Vector ="1" Attack ="2" GroundAttack="0"/>
   <Weapon Type="Pulse Cannon" Vector ="8" Attack ="2" GroundAttack="0"/>
   <Weapon Type="Pulse Cannon" Vector ="3" Attack ="2" GroundAttack="0"/>
   <Weapon Type="Pulse Cannon" Vector ="6" Attack ="2" GroundAttack="0"/>
   <Weapon Type="Tracking Missile" Vector ="4" Attack ="30" GroundAttack="0"/>
   <Weapon Type="Tracking Missile" Vector ="5" Attack ="30" GroundAttack="0"/>
   <Tactical MaxSpeed="1200" Acceleration="300" TurnRate="180"/>
   <Movement Speed ="4"/>
   <Transport Capacity="0"/>
   <Graphics Icon="Art\Ships\Icons\Destroyer-LV1.png"  />
</ShipType>
<ShipType Name ="Destroyer II" Level="1">
   <Construction Cost ="350" Time="3" Icon="Art\\Ships\\Production\\Destroyer-LV2.png"/>
   <Upkeep Amount="21"/>



sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/30/2011 7:06:01 AM)

Rosseau,

Pardon me for being dense (which I am), but what am I suppose to do with that spagehtti? Yes I'm playing SP (luckily I knew what SP stood for, I think).



Rosseau -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/31/2011 1:47:43 AM)

Some people consider modding "cheating," which is fine with me. It can also ruin a tense, balanced game. Go to Armada/XML/and open up ShipTypes, preferrably with Notepad++ (free and worthwhile to download). Back up the file first. You'll notice most races have their own generic corvettes, destroyers, etc., and some specific to their race. Change the generic ones for the race you are playing. After all, you don't want to buff your enemy's ship. I don't know what race you're playing be search for it and improve the attributes of your ship(s).

What I like is you can then undo your buffs after a few turns and put old file back in. "Factions" is another interesting file to mess with to add extra ships or make the AI a lot tougher.



sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/31/2011 3:52:51 AM)

Thanks for the explanation Rosseau. I think Martok and I will be starting a PBEM campaign here real soon.




sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (12/31/2011 7:51:59 PM)

The MP part of the game seems pretty smooth so far. The only down side would be that it will take a LONG time to finish.



martok -> RE: So how is this game ? (1/1/2012 2:55:55 PM)

^  Of course, that also depends a lot on how good your fellow player is at getting off his dumb ass and checking for new turns....  [:'(] 






sabre1 -> RE: So how is this game ? (1/1/2012 3:30:43 PM)

^Pretty funny!



cpdeyoung -> RE: So how is this game ? (1/9/2012 12:57:18 AM)

This afternoon this game gave me one of the two finest moments I have enjoyed in a long history of gaming. The one I compare it to came in "Third Reich", the board game from Avalon Hill!

I was playing as the Klurgu, and far behind all the other races, but I was nibbling away at them, and confident. The "trees" were hugely in the lead, with a huge number of colonies and ships, and I had just stolen one of their colonies. Tugging at the lion's tail but feeling good about it. Suddenly the skies over three important colonies, including Ploor, were darkened with over a hundred Walden Forest ships. I was shocked!

I think all the ships were fast movers, perhaps ten were not. I had no defenses, and no ships anywhere near, but they did not attack. They hovered over my cities, and asked me for some tech. I got away with a very respectful "No".

Over the next six or eight turns I pulled together a counter force at two of the colonies. This period of tension was just a wonderful moment in gaming.

Buy the game. If you are lucky you will have a moment like this.

Chuck



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