Hi All,
Im just wondering if anyone has any links to good, up to date strategy guides? I have had a bit of a search but most things I can find are 12 months or so old.
I tend to get a good start in games, but quickly find myself behind in all aspects - science, industry and economy.
Any tips are appreciated.
Thanks for the help.
In my experience plunge almost everything into economy early on, buy as many carriers as there are close star opportunities and expands as quickly as you can. Open the game friendly with all your neighbours until a suitable opportunity arises to engage someone. Trade with as many people as you can, and in this respect you’ll want to have some science, that is, enough to be hold your own and have something to trade with the other players but having the most science at the start is not important. It’s much more important to max out on economy; try and stay in front if possible. This way you’ve got the edge as the game progresses… exponential growth (if I’ve got my terms correct?!)
The time to start spending on industry comes either when you’re preparing to attack, or if you have a none friendly neighbour who is building up forces.
The time to spend on science is (imo) when you’re getting ahead in the game and want to start focusing on weapons or manufacturing. I like to have 2 strong allies at this stage in the game so between the 3 of you, you work on Weapons Manu and Terra.
When picking who to attack, think about player positioning on the map and try to predict who is likely to attack who etc. Think ahead as much as possible.
Build looping carriers to collect ships from all your stars to get them to your front lines efficiently. There’s no point having the most ships if they’re not where you need them.
I’ll add one thing to the early game. You want Experimentation or Banking with first research. You can argue that spending money on cheap Sci and getting Exp 2 before the second turn is just as important. Under standard tech settings Exp 2 is a free level of another L2 tech every cycle. Or you do banking and get a free extra $75 to spend.
Other than that I agree with Myk. Every game is different. I have found in 64 player games going for Econ early is tough because you NEED a fast start in regards to expansion. Otherwise you won’t have a chance.
I disagree. I think there are several situations where you might want Weapons 2 or Range 2 first. In a game where you suspect a hostile neighbor will be a game leader, I might lead with weapons instead of experimentation or banking. Weapons 2 plus a defensive +1 weapons step will halt expansion plans against you for a week in a 64 player game. That gives you a lot of time to conduct diplomacy, find allies, or threaten someone with a war that will ruin their chances to win. In games with FAR spacing between systems, hyperspace range is more important in the short term then experimentation or banking. Range 2 may double or triple the systems you occupy, while that other player may have a nice tech lead in the short term, you having x2 or x3 times as many systems as them more then makes up for that. In a 64 player game where a cluster of systems is just out of reach of you, and you alone, a level of range early opens that cluster up for development, particularly if one or more of those systems are 40+ in value.
When to join a game? This is not an insignificant question. 64 player games take about 11-14 days to fill, where you choose to leap in is important, depending on your play style. Much can be gleaned from watching the positions in a game fill. Lets take the Theta Phad game currently filling, it has 13 positions unfilled of 64 seats, which mean this game will start by Friday April 24th, this means a weekend start for a game. A game starting on a Friday, develops over the weekend, meaning people have more time to devote to the game. They will visit it more often, are not encumbered with work, and positions will generally be better played and developed as a result. Games that start over the work week, will have more AFK and QUIT in the first two cycles then weekend starting games. I joined at the 32 player mark, and the first thing I looked at was the player alliances that currently existed, there are two that have at least 5 players each. Did you know you can conduct diplomacy while a game fills? You can, and diplomacy started here can give you informants that can be used later in the game. If someone you know and are friends with joins, say hello, and let him know you are you. I generally am a good ally, and players who have played with me will want to play with me again. That won’t be the case if they don’t know I’m me. Another start strategy is to join late, if not last. If you are the last player to join the game, you are effectively launching it at a time of your choosing. This give’s you the GOLDEN HOUR, that vital first hour of play in which a average position of 8-10 systems after the 1st cycle, is turned into a excellent position of 16+ systems because you have optimized your start. This advantage cannot be under stated.
Here is where the the ruler comes in, with that first hour, you now see the entire map. An can measure the distances between you and neutral systems, as well as other plays such distances. You can answer the question, who will get there first with the most. If you can take that 49 value system by arriving there an hour before another player can, then you send a stack of 10, and maybe reinforce it. If you can’t, well then you decide how much you want to gamble. A carrier with 1-5 fighters might be worth the risk of trying to take a 49 value system, if that other player hasn’t shows signs of activity. If a player still has 5 econ, 5 ind, and 1 research, he may not be active in the game. If he only has 1 carrier, he definitely isn’t active. Against such players, play aggressively.
How to start? Lets use the current 64 game format, because all starts there start with the same resources.
$500 + 4 systems with resource values of 50, 35, 25, 15.
Oh yeah. There are definitely times where Range 2 helps. Or if you’re stuck between everyone in the middle, then you might want Weapons.
It’s absolutely on a game by game basis.
Another start strategy is to join late, if not last. If you are the last player to join the game, you are effectively launching it at a time of your choosing. This give’s you the GOLDEN HOUR, that vital first hour of play in which a average position of 8-10 systems after the 1st cycle, is turned into a excellent position of 16+ systems because you have optimized your start. This advantage cannot be under stated.
I get what you’re saying, but it’s more complex than that.
Yes, I know I try to join late or even last. I’ve been eyeing the current 64 game available and am waiting for it to get close to filling. If it appears it may start at 3am, I won’t join. It is indeed important.
But on the other hand, most players set their moves in advance. Players are close enough together to where you can often see another player’s starting star with your starting scanning. Now, getting that initial look at potential paths where other players might not is a huge advantage. But I don’t think it’s as much as you think. You might need Range 2 to get to another star for example. It’s at LEAST two days to get that. By that time, you’re out of luck.
I can remember a game were I was surrounded by 3 players all who wanted to destroy me, all allied together, me with just 7 or 8 systems, them each twice as large. I went with weapons first, and then my experimentation landed on weapons 6/7 times in a row. I had Weapons 4 by the 7th cycle, vs their Weapons 3. Coupled with a threat to go “all out in defense” verses only one of them, it paralyzed all three into complete inactivity, when if they were willing to each take 150 losses, I would have been destroyed easily.
I love to hear this. It means I did my job properly.
Posting about the game is speeding up its start time, people are noticing it and joining. It may start tomorrow.
Players who make their moves in advance, are doing so with only their scanning range worth of information, thus limited information. Someone may send half their fleet strength racing for the map edge, when 1 ship with one carrier would do. They may build 3 carriers to do the work of one. They are bereft of knowledge of their neighbors. Overlapping starting positions within scanner range of one another is uncommon, if not rare. It is only in 1/8 or 1/9 games were a starting position will see another, if not longer odds 1/10 or 1/11. I don’t think it is more then 1/12.
Someone who uses this GOLDEN HOUR effectively has a much better chance of being in the top 6 at the end of the first cycle. People who do not are much more likely to be in the bottom half.
Jay just likes to create environments of conflict. HA HA !! 
This is more of a tactic, but try to buy your economy as close to the end of the cycle as possible. That way you can distribute it more efficiently. Of course you should buy science and military at the beginning of the cycle.
I think a balanced approach to production in 64 player games is best. You can have…
6 Econ, 5 Industry, 4 Research = the Research Specialist
or
16-17 Econ, 5 Industry, 1 Research = the Econ Specialist
or
6 Econ, 11-12 Industry, 1 Research = the Industry Specialist
However each of these has problem areas, lack of any one can be fatal. You also begin running into diminishing returns, that last $145 to buy that 3rd (for a total of 4) Research is expensive, when it could buy 6-7 Econ, or 3-4 Industry.
I suggest in almost all cases in a 64 player game a moderate build somewhere in the middle. With 3-4 Econ, 2-3 Industry for every 1 Research point spent.
8-11 Econ, 7-8 Industry, and 2-3 Research are good ranges. I almost always purchase in favor of Research. I went…
6 Econ, 6 Ind, 4 Research in my most recent 64 player game, but I wanted Hyperspace Range 2 on a very quick time table.
Thanks for all the tips guys, I will try a few different ideas people have put forward and find out what works for my play style.
I have been developing a valuation system to get an overall score for all the details you can glean about other players from their empire display page. The quickest way to boost that score was to trade technologies early. Diminishing returns on tech trades were noticed as the tech levels increased. This applies in the standard 15 credits / trade level, all the way up to about level 33 for Exp and Weapons, level 24 for banking, and about level 18 for the remaining tech levels. The porportional gains in value at lower tech levels is much more dramatic. Players not trading tech will become lunch meat to those who trade a lots of tech.
I recommend trading with alliance partners until your empire has more science than the next 2 empires combined in an 8 player galaxy, next 3 empires combined in a 16 player galaxy, or next 4 players combined in a 32 player galaxy.
one update about strategy.
dont buy warp like chips.
At least not until you become big enough. (like, 20-30 planets, or hyperspace level 4 or higher) its much more cheaper to have carriers, and your attack move become more flexible. With high level of hyperspace, you can buy warp only on cheap plaents, that is also benefit…