Interesting. A contrast in styles between the top players and the federation is the carrier investments. Why does a trading federation build so few?
Trade Federation positions up till cycle 4 only had industry on their home worlds. Beyond the ships necessary for position expansion at the game start, more carriers were largely unnecessary, particularly if the position being played didnāt have fighting going on. Compare that to a regular player, who does build industry (edit: empire wide). To tap that ship building capacity requires extra āferryā carriers to be built, as well as carriers destroyed in war to be replaced.
To mobilize and conduct offensive campaigns against other players thus requires a larger investment in carriers. If you are content to grow only to a certain point, and only have to fight a defensive war, the necessities for a larger carrier count are reduced.
Cycle 4.5
Interesting game developments, enough to comment on as a separate entry before Cycle 5 completes. It becomes harder and harder to strain the information I should share and should not. Players are reading this game assessment, and adjusting their play in some cases in ways they might not otherwise. For example, commenting on players at the top of the leader board shines a spotlight on them, and that is attention they may not want. However, being that such information is public, and being that the lead group of 3-5 really are the bench mark for how other players are doing, Iāll continue to post the top portion of the leader board only, with a much reduced commentary on individual play.
As a bonus, other players are opening up about their experiences, none of which I can share here, lest I see those avenues of communication close. A picture of at least one of the corner alliances begins to grow, and with it my interest in the other corners, as the center of the map Iāve largely figured out.
In the āInboxā of every player, there are two tabs, one marked āDiplomacyā and another marked āEventsā. When an enemy attacks a system of yours, lets call that system āPlanet Hulkā, a event notice is generated, which reads something like the following:
(tick) 80
Your forces have engaged the enemy at Planet Hulk.
(symbol of your empire) HULK entered the battle with 294 Ships and has 0 Ships remaining.
(symbol of their empire) IRON MAN HULK-BUSTER entered the battle with 2515 Ships and has 2263 Ships remaining.
As defender HULK fought with a bonus +1 weapon tech. IRON MAN HULK-BUSTER was victorious.
Unit Before Tech After
3 Star 294 Ships 17 0 Ships
7 Carrier 2515 Ships 21 2263 Ships
The new improved Event summary adds ship losses, and the format is better. When you join a new game, I expect you will see the changes immediately and see them as a clear improvement.
Yes, Iāve a new found respect for him watching him climb the leaderboard, though Iāve yet to be smashed by him. Being smashed by someone soon cannot be far off.
The winning strategy in a smaller game is never get too far ahead early on. A frontrunner normally falls at the final fence. The creation of the alliance in this game is a different dynamic, there is an obvious, larger threat to deal with.
Iād very much like to see your end game write up. As for anything Iāve shared with you, publically or privately, feel free to pass on.
Edit: CYCLE FIVE
Rosslessness 29 Stars, 392 Ships in 9 Carriers
Bermuda 26 Stars, 392 Ships in 7 Carriers
Coffee Reavers 24 Stars, 372 Ships in 7 Carriers
Tech Bro 23 Stars, 373 Ships in 9 Carriers
Padre Nick 23 Stars, 378 Ships in 4 Carriers
Duckbill Doctor 23 Stars, 369 Ships in 4 Carriers
Gomer 23 Stars, 310 Ships in 6 Carriers
Red Trade Federation (no change) 15 Stars, 245 Ships in 3 Carriers. Now militarizing in the face of Purple Cross fleet movements on border.
Slug Trade Federation (+1) 13 Stars, 190 Ships in 5 Carriers. Lacking a enemy invasion, the STF remains unmilitarized, with 190 ships being the beginning production of only the home world. Fleets once squaring off against potential invasion have now returned to the home world, since that player QUIT, and no significant threat from neighbors detected.
Yellow Trade Federation (-1) 12 Stars, 204 Ships in 5 Carriers. Now attacked in a three prong invasion by two players, with one prong broken, another halted, and a third about to be snipped off at its root. A lot of interesting diplomacy has resulted, and maybe will see an exchange of a system or two more before lines are back to where they started more or less. Other players all eyeing the prize of a take over of the whole YTF, but none wanting to pay the iron price. The position now militarized.
Green Trade Federation (-3) 7 Stars, 142 Ships in 2 Carriers. A punishing defense vs one enemy has inflicted disproportionate losses on an enemy. An appeal to neighbors for aid, brought about a secondary invasion, which has taken 3 very valuable systems. The position now militarized, with W3 holding off further attacks.
Orange Trade Federation (-4) 6 Stars, 180 Ships in 5 Carriers. Invasion on 3 fronts, halted on 2, one by garrisoning of forces, another by a quit player who stood the most to gain by a wide open border. On the third, a large invasion fleet that wonāt be repelled. Likely to militarize soon.
Pink Trade Federation (no change) 5 Stars, 190 Ships in 4 Carriers. Neighbors quiet.
Cyan Trade Federation (-1) 4 Stars, 188 Ships in 4 Carriers. One system poached by a neighbor, now militarizing.
Overall the game taking some interesting turns. The Central Powers turning their strength outward soon, perhaps in a cycle or two.
You seem not to have taken your own advice in this 64 position game, as youāve become the frontrunner. This however is just stating the obvious, anyone can see that looking at the leader board. For illustrative purposes, I could comment regarding your game position currently at some length, but to do so might negatively impact your play and/or chances to win. It is for that reason that Iāve begun to stifle commentary on other peoples positions and play. However, if you would like to be my guinea pig, then I would be willing to give you a very frank assessment of your game winning potential. You should consult with any allies you have before saying yes, as that assessment will likely affect them as well.
feel free.
No cycle 5 update?
The Cycle 5 update isnāt labeled but it is found 3-4 postings above this one, Iāll edit it to include the āCycle 5ā title.
CYCLE 6-7 Results
Bermuda (+8) 34 Stars, 797 Ships in 7 Carriers
Bermudaās position has improved markedly, which I think is largely due to the one sided nature of the trades and conflicts he has conducted with TF members, and he borders two. He has gamed us both rather badly, constantly testing the boundaries of what we will allow him to snatch away from us, without us gearing up for a fight. Heās taken systems with fleet counts as small as 1 or 5, will take 3 systems, sue for peace and return one. Rinse, and repeat. Trade agreements fare no better, either broken or bent so severely as to be worthless to TF members. Another attacking playerās attack, was countered by Yellow TF with the surprise taking of his home world, which caused him to sue for peace. An effort to return it to him failed, and he has subsequently made the decision to hand his empire over to Bermuda, who now demands the captured home world. Give the prolonged and one sided nature of our interaction, he is now under a blockade of trade with TF members. We expect fighting sooner or later. Watching his interactions has been to watch a master painter paint, heās someone to be feared in this game.
Rosslessness (+2) 31 Stars, 620 Ships in 8 Carriers
Gomer (+5) 28 Stars, 661 Ships in 8 Carriers
Some trade with the TF, his gains come from non-TF members.
Wenatchee (no data on cycle 5) 27 Stars, 510 Ships in 8 Carriers
Iāve not interacted with Wenatchee in this game, nor have TF members as far as I know.
Coffee Reavers (+3) 27 Stars, 547 Ships in 8 Carriers
Having ground down Orange TF between himself and a partner, CR has made moderate gains, maybe 4 or 5 systems, and stands to capture 1 or 2 more. Orange TF likely to be destroyed by the start of Cycle 8 by his partner.
Tech Bro (+3) 26 Stars, 780 Ships in 12 Carriers
Tech Bro attack against Green TF accelerating, with an exchange of systems. Green will not long survive.
Slug Trade Federation (no change) 14 Stars, 225 Ships in cycle 6, 260 in cycle 7. Trade with neighbors increasing, peace has lasted through cycle 7.
Yellow Trade Federation 13 Stars, 241 Ships in cycle 6, 298 in cycle 7. Defensive posturing vs Bermuda.
Cyan Trade Federation 4 Stars, 263 Ships in 4 Carriers. Stuck between LDG and Bermuda, not much activity on borders.
Green Trade Federation 4 Stars, 208 Ships in 2 Carriers, again almost destroyed.
Orange Trade Federation 4 Stars, 164 Ships in 6 Carriers, sinking fast.
Red Trade Federation 14 Stars, 492 Ships in 7 Carriers. Now facing a two front war, but enemy only building up forces.
Pink Trade Federation 2 Stars, 0 Ships in 0 Carriers
A victim of Cyan Squareās practically perfect attack, saw the destruction of Pinkās entire navy in a brilliant diversion and ambush in about 18h time. At the writing of this post, Pink is down to 1 system and has no defense.
Shhh, donāt tell 
In my defense, the only option I really had was to attack the Orange TF, as I had allied with everyone else around me.
Nothing personal.
Anyway, I hope you continue with this assesment. Itās been most interesting. And precise. Though I must point out that you wrongly guessed that I had allied with purple cross BEFORE I actually did.
Iād love to see what you think the current alliances are uber.
Such an activity would be highly speculative on my part, but because youāve asked Iāll tell you what I think. Most of what I will say is gleaned from tech alliance trees, and nothing more.
First, there exists the Central Powers. [[18]] Coffee Reavers [[63]] Riddlesinthedark [[15]] LDG [[39]] Qdd0gg, Green Hex and the 3 Central Purples all share a tech footprint, +/- 1 level of tech by in large. I would say they are the 2nd strongest alliance on the map, both militarily and technologically. They have many fronts to defend (N,S,E,+W) with each member taking a different front. Their alliance is not integrated, but that will not be a problem until one of their members is put under military distress by an attack by two other empires of near equal strength.
The SW Alliance consists of Slug Trade Federation [[35]] DevSefid [[21]] Dizzy [[8]] Wenatchee and [[60]] DrSeptapus, all 5 have near identical tech foot prints. Now my inclusion into this group merely reflects the identical tech footprint as the others, but militarily Iām not a member. Iāve never been included in a Alliance thread with any of them, this is merely an outside observation. I myself have only had dealings with DevSefid, but the fact that all empires have near identical tech levels betrays their cooperative nature. Between them there have been 3 QUITS, future growth might be complex for them, as they have convoluted borders. They must either make war with me, Red Cross, or move east in the south to grow. Multiple of these options are likely. I would rate them as the 1st Alliance in strength and potential.
Third or forth is the soon to be conceived Southern Alliance, consisting of [[31]] Bermuda [[56]] Gomer [[57]] elixirbj and maybe Yellow Trade Federation, but the YTF will soon find its membership expunged. As we speak, military forces from 2 of 3 of the above empires converge against the YTF which give it a shelf life of 2 cycles, maybe 3 on the outside. This is a good time for the blow to fall, before the YTF is sufficiently strong, and an ideal time to trim out a member that is holding back the totalās research capacity. The SA remains surrounded by buffer states ATM, who will receive some TLC 3-4 cycles from now as they turn their full strength outward. That means [[28]] Andronicus [[49]] Cyan Trade Federation [[2]] Mawhrin Skel [[36]] Dewdmann will reach their own expiration dates some time then.
Third or forth again would be the Rosslessness/[[40]] Emperor Xenoph. Emperor Xenoph probably the most communicative player ingame early, lately not so much. This has to do with the expected attack against Red Trade Federation. While this alliance only has ā2ā members in it that I name, it is likely that there are a host of secondary players that you are if not allied to, have some sort of arrangement. Edgar (Green Diamond) and the NE squares (3 Cyan, Red, and Yellow) all have been untouched by your empire, and the NE squares have a noticeable tech deficiency compared to your own. Yet they have remained unattacked, though your alliance members describe them as belligerent with Rosslessness. Well if belligerence means never having apparently attacked them but claiming to have, then you guys are belligerent. I expect that this alliance is wider then the base two of you, and includes Edgar, and perhaps Red Trade Federation depending on who attacks RTF first. The CP Purple Cross built up for an attack, but then it deverted south to Cyan Diamond. Whether they will face off against you two or the 5th Alliance described above is hard to say.
Alliances of 3 players or less like the [[12]] Tech Bro [[16]] CyberKing [[59]] Brand, an obvious Alliance, tech foot print 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 donāt stand a chance individually against the alliances described above as the #1-4, their tech lead is to great. 3 player alliances I think as a general rule will always give way to the 4-5 player alliances described in the lead.
Alliances in the North of the map Iām less certain of. The CP or SW alliances actually may be larger then Iāve described by a member or two. Iām fairly certain of all that Iāve stated here, to state more would begin to really require guessing.
@Omnimal , you said in post # 11 above that you are Coffee Reavers, and you seem to be playing stronger than a lot of other players in this current game. Please tell me what seems to be the difficulty ?
Is it somehow easier from the outer loops ?
Well, this tracks back to what I was discussing earlier about my position and the alliance discussion above.
I started the game with 3 neighbours. Those in the centre had more. I also had a deep space border. This didnāt need defending. If I allied myself with one neighbour, itās then very easy to double team a third.
The CP is most likely not 4 players strong but 5, including Death Nut in their number.
Two or three northern Alliances exist, no doubt about that, but they lack one thing other alliances have had access to a strong TF trading partner. Pink TF did exist, but it was stunted and lacked the scanning range to trade with anyone other then 2 other players, both of whom were silent the entire game. Slug TF, Red TF, and Yellow TF, by contrast, have had some trading across alliances, that is they have traded with two separate alliances in the past. The CP hasnāt tapped that fully I think, but their research strength alone is something to be fearful of and they have not needed to.
The Slug TF has Padre Nick to the north, and Warbug to the east. These two empires have insulated the STF from attack and outside contact with any northern alliance and the CP. Warbug is almost a complete mystery, having only communicated by sending $60 once, and receiving 2 levels of level 2 tech in response. Since then theyāve not spoken or communicated with me, and the border is mysteriously empty. Their homeworld is within scanner range, but I never see it emptied of units, and his 8 carriers Iāve almost never seen. I imagine they are facing off against the CPās Purple Pill.
Itās going fine in this game atm, sure, but when push comes to shove, it might be that you have nowhere to turn your back on.
A better way of saying it is that it CAN be incredibly hard at the middle.
This is because you may have to end up worrying about every side or multiple sides at once.
In the outer loops, later on in the game, youāre bound to have at least on safe side, where thereās nothing (2 if youāre lucky). Another side will be your ally probably. And the 4th side is where youāll be expanding.
So you are saying that there is a variation in terrain, which requires some different strategic thinking ?
hmm . . .