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SideshowBob -> Reserach Times (2/8/2003 10:08:39 AM)
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OK, here's a very long dissertation on this game from notes I have kept over the last year of playing about 1 game every 2 weeks:
One very important thing I have noticed, at least in the Advanced level, is that the time it takes to research various tech's varies at different times.
I have now adapted my strategy to this. I start with the auto-build feature off. My scout has 2 drives, 2 rockets, 1 gen, 1 computer. I research Lab first, with the population shifted 70% science. Then shift pop to 70% engineers and build any freighters for scout-cleared planets, plus 2 Lab's. Then I shift pop to 60% science, research Def Beams/Light Beam/Nano Tech/Nano Fact (all the while building nothing but my scout is clearing planets). Then, shift pop to 70% Engineers, build 3 Nano Fact's, more freighters, 1 lab. Then, with 3 labs/fact's, shift pop to 50/50, turn auto-build back on, research Optical Computer/E-Magnetic Drive. Note all this time I have only 1 scout, now with 3 forward lightning beams, 1 def beam, 2 gen's, 1 drive, 1 computer. Easter Egging is slow going at first, as it takes time for ship refit with the planet pop shifted to research. A necessary evil. But have faith (see below).
OK, now at a crossroads - my next desired tech would be a shield. But in checking the 4 possible shield tech's, invariably, one is HALF the duration to research as the other 3! Each game the type of shield varies. Sometimes this doesn't happen at all, sometimes 2 shields are shorter.
Next, I desire Type 2 freighter, as I am running short of cash (from the early population swaps as I researched or built). Note I never build Surface Mining Facility (takes too long to build for too little return, takes up too much space. More on Deep Mining Facil. later.)
If I hold out on the freighter, and follow the short research times, I get: Ram/ Informant/ Spy/ Colony Pod/ Fertility Drugs/ Assult Pod. Then, the choices for Gunboat or Type 2 Fr are the shortest they've been. Whichever one I go with, the next round the other one has a very long research duration. I then have to wait thru several shorter tech researches (Self Destruct, Nuclear Mines, my next weapons family - Waves, Bolts, Fighters, Standoffs in that order if there's time) before going back to the leftover long one.
At this point I have easter egged all the possible systems before bumping into neighbors (about 20 if I go w/8 civ's in 150 stars), all w/only 1 scout (once I get my scout over 50% combat exp, with 2 shields, 2 lightning beams, Optical Computer, Electro-Mag Drive, easter egging goes fast - with 5 engineers/15 navy, repairs are made to minor damage in transit to the next system, so my scout is away from Sol for 4-8 systems or more in a row).
At this point I get a colony started. I build Def Laser Beams, Type 1 spacedock, w/100% engineers.
After refit, I then send my scout out to find out about other civ's from the pirates. I never fight the pirates early (set always to challenging). If they refuse info, I flee (its backfired and I've lost my only ship to Torpedos, tho). I then build spys for any home planets I find out about, using my new colony. I shift my population on Sol to 50% science, 25% engineers, 25% security, and only build on my colony. I turn auto-build off to insure this is my choice. I then steal whatever wisdoms I need. I am at this point into about 18 Atomic age tech's, so, again using my colony, build the Age Lab.
Around this time the colony is transformed to a planet. I build my 2nd ship on planet 2 - Gunboat of course!
The first Fusion Age tech's researched are then: Research Center, Replicators, Replicator Facility, Deep Mining Facility.
I initiate diplomacy with my discovered neighbors. I offer a few lab/factory tech's (I am always way ahead technologically but behind in ships, and, as noted by others, the aliens never use them anyway), then offer to trade for the remaining shields, to put me closer to Single Phase Defl., plus better freighters (the aliens inevitably are ahead in freighter types too - I almost never have to research freighter types).
If war is declared on me, I always bribe my way out w/tech's, then money, then as a last resort, systems I would lose anyway or with a pirate I got no info from.
My 2nd world then gets 3 Rep Facilities, 3 Deep Mining Facil's, and 3 Research Centers (its always Huge typ 1). Rounded out with 4 shields, 2 Laser Beams, 1 Def Wave, Protected Cities.
My next tech's are Fusion Gen, Laser Beam, Single Phase Defl, Graviton Dr, Fusion Mines, Cloning, Bio Computer, Protected Cities, Type 2 Spacedock, etc.
I send my 1st scout to its 3rd colonizing mission (also Huge Type 1). Meanwhile, with Fusion Gen, Graviton Dr, Single Phase Defl, Laser Beams, my Gunboat goes on a pirate-eradicating experience-building mission. If I still haven't located enough aliens, heres another chance. My 3rd colony duplicates my 2nd world. Once my 2nd world is 100%, I move my wisdom artifacts there and the population is 35 sci/ 35 engr/ 30 security. This buys me time as the aliens have to build spies on my 2nd world to get at my wisdoms! I can now go back to Sol, with 80% Engineers, 20% Security (protects my money and tech's) and replace the Nano Fact's and Lab's w/ the newer equivalents, plus 2 or 3 Deep Mining Facil's., then have room for shields and weapons. Meanwhile my 3rd colony is building mines for valuable systems (over $15 or so), and eventually a pair of frigates (my 3rd and 4th ships). Once world 3 is 100%, and Sol has been updated, I juggle the wisdoms around between my 1st 3 complete worlds, which are my research worlds. I turn Auto-Build on for the game's duration. I set the 1st 3 world's pop's all to 35 Sci/ 35 Engr/ 30 Sec (need the Engr's for tech/spacedock upgrades, ship re-fits).
By this time I am anti-matter, and once Terraforming is in hand, I colonize only financially advantageous planets, even if Small/Very Small Type 5 or 6 (if they are worth $12/year instead of -$8, it makes a BIG DIFFERENCE in my civ's cashflow, to where I can get by on a much smaller slice of the galaxy). On these smaller planets I only build Repl and Deep Mining Facil's (with shields and weapons of course), 80% Engineers/20% Security, then I build all my ships, freighters, mines, on these planets only, to free up my 1st 3 to research all the time.
I build about 4 frigates, in 2 fleets of 2, plus my 1st scout and gunboat, which by now are for colony duty only. Frigates hunt pirates and defend systems.
As soon as a colony turns to planet, its time to colonize again - keep it rolling. I dont use the colonize menu now, rather check out high-return systems on the map ($20/year and over), especially if there's less than 4 planets, 1 of them is a real producer!
I skip right to building cruisers as soon as possible. Anything less is a waste in the advanced Singularity age, when both a cloak and detector are mandatory.
I typically don't espionage, as I'd end up with Missles or Torpedos too early (those are last for me). I'd rather trade and build up goodwill, and save the spying for essentials like wisdoms and money.
Once I have anti-matter tech's on my ships, I become much harder to push around (up till now, no amount of supplication was too much). With jump gates, it becomes a cakewalk. Raid my system? My 2 new cloaked cruisers, 1 with 3 phasor bolts, 1 with 3 energy waves, are there. Raid more systems than I have fleets for? My small planets are building mines. Threaten my latest colony? Switch to 100% Engineers, delete Deep Mining Facilities, add generators and weapons, have other planets build mines for this colony, and I'm up to snuff way before the enemy has arrived, with my 1st 6 ships jumped to patrol it while my new cruiser fleets are counter-raiding the attacking alien's best systems. This is the best part of the game for me.
I note that weapons vary in their effectiveness with ages. Beams are best at first - long range and infinite. Torpedos and guns can be the first weapons too, but you must strategize your egg hunt given the shot counts. Waves and bolts are useless till anti-matter, at which point they are the best. Fighters and Standoffs are great for multiple-ship fleets. I pair a new, unexperienced ship with fighters or standoffs with an experienced ship with close-ranged weapons. The enemy alien/pirate is distracted by the fighters/standoffs while my short range ship moves in for the kill. The long range ship gains combat experience risk-free. I can then reconfigure fleets and pair new ships with the more experienced. When I have cruisers with 30% or more combat experience, I load an appropriate artifact (2 shots per turn is great for standoffs or torpedos on a cruiser! Likewise, Overload Weapons W/O Damage is great for 3 waves or beams on a cruiser).
I never federate unless totally desperate and outnumbered. Otherwise I'm too far ahead by Singularity age. I don't enter into alliances with a race at war with everyone (or anyone, for that matter) else in the galaxy. I seldom enter alliances, actually, as it usually leads to a senseless war (well, the designers got that version of history right!). Sometimes I risk war, and if attacked while in a bad strategic situation (ie, while upgrading my ships to anti-matter-age generators/shields while only having Type 1 spacedock), will attempt to buy my way out, usually successfully.
Overall, I favor colonies over ships early on, until I have at least 5 planets (first 3 Huge or Very Large for research, then 2 smaller "gold mines" for production), and avoid war as much as possible until I have cruisers and jump gates. I always build a replicator facility first on a new colony. I try to minimize the amount of freighter routes serving a new colony, in case I'm attacked early and lose it, it minimizes the loss. Thus, I have to weigh the economics of the planet with its location and size and type. I also never build more than Protected Cities. By the anti-matter age, I am relying on my ships to protect any planets that well developed. I'd rather have an extra Deep Mining Facil. on the planet and use the cost of domed cities for (almost) another cruiser. That's what the game is all about after all!
To colonize later in Singularity Age, I put Jump Drives on my 2 smallest ships, pick up a distant valuable system either thru raiding or from the ashes of someone else's war, then get a colony there quickly. I have to hang on while the colony is developing, but once it has 2 cities, been terraformed to Type 1, has shields, generators, weapons, and a jump gate, I can then start buying/threatening for surrounding systems, plus I now have a very strategically-placed jump gate to cover a distant part of the galaxy. This is also a lot of fun to pull off.
I think I mentioned cloaks above. In Anti-Matter Age, my cruisers all have an e-mag cloak, 3 shields (2 fore, 1 aft). In Singularity, 1 fore shield gets replaced with a cloak detector. Cloaked enemy ships are very difficult to fight, even when yours are evenly cloaked. Its riskier to only have 2 shields, but the cloak helps a lot, especially against un-cloaked enemy ships. Cloaks are the best standoff defense there is. I love watching enemy standoffs search for my ships then fade away. Aliens rarely use cloak detectors, so my cloaks always have a real advantage. I can also see what weapons they are carrying ahead of battle.
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