Questions about what I'm doing wrong (I suck, LOL.)

Hey my fellow Galactic Citizens,

I have a few questions about the game that I thought I'd throw up in a thread to see if I can get some advice in order to be more successful playing this game.

Mainly, how come at some mid-point in the game, several of my planets begin to show totals of ZERO for Social, Military, AND Research production at the top of the screen and everything that's being built says it will be completed 'NEVER'?? I tried adjusting different sliders, lowering taxes, etc...I have developed the planets..but I'm just not getting it.

While I enjoy what this game seems to offer (especially enjoy the shipyard) I feel that the way the production and spending works is confusion as all get-out. I recall playing Master of Magic a lot and it was WAY easier to understand how it all worked compared to GC2.

Kind of frustrated right now with the game.

My other question is: Is it possible to get about halfway into a larger game and just be screwed due to a crappy start? Can you ever come back after a really bad start in the game?? Also, how am I supposed to hold off the enemy races when they seem to have WAY better ships than I do at the same point in the game as I'm just developing the research...and believe me, I'm heavy on research so as not to get left behind!??

I've read the manual several times (though parts of it still don't entirely make sense to me), I make sure to match enhancements on tiles on planets with the proper developments and I try to expand quickly. Also I work hard to keep my fellow AI players happy for the most part with occasional donations and such but nothing ever seems to keep them on my side for long.

Kind of a frustrating, though potentially fun game...Sigh...

Any help will be appreciated. Thank you very much for your suggestions folks.

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Mainly, how come at some mid-point in the game, several of my planets begin to show totals of ZERO for Social, Military, AND Research production at the top of the screen and everything that's being built says it will be completed 'NEVER'?? I tried adjusting different sliders, lowering taxes, etc...I have developed the planets..but I'm just not getting it.

This is because you have red lined I believe. The game will completely shut down your social, military and research when you got to -2000BC in debt. It will stay that way until you have possitive money again. The only thing I can say is try to keep a positive income, and some extra left over in case of emergencies.

My other question is: Is it possible to get about halfway into a larger game and just be screwed due to a crappy start? Can you ever come back after a really bad start in the game?? Also, how am I supposed to hold off the enemy races when they seem to have WAY better ships than I do at the same point in the game as I'm just developing the research...and believe me, I'm heavy on research so as not to get left behind!??

It is definitely possible to get a bad start, although if you are halfway into the game, I don't think you can be screwed by it any more. It's pretty obvious when you have a bad start, because everyone will be all around you, and you can't find a single planet to colonize, while they have a dozen. For a beginner, I would recomment ctrl-n so you can reset the galaxy and try again, but some players (like me) found it rather fun to play with a disavantage. It is definitely possible to come back from a bad start, all you really need is a focus strategy on how to go about doing it. But like I said, try that when you know the game better.

As for research, the reason the AI is much more advance than you is because they are:
A) managing their money much better than you are,

trading their technologies among one another, and don't have to research every thing, or
C) just plain better than you at research.

A, and B is most definitely true. It is very hard to just research and keep ahead of the AI during the start of the game, because they will trade those quick research technologies among one another. However, if you survive well into the later parts of the game, the AI's research slows down significantly, and they don't have as much to trade, so you begin to clearly out tech them. As to how to keep up with technologies:
1) Trade with the AI for technologies, just like they do. Just make sure if you give one something, trade it to all the others as well, because it will get to them soon anyways.
2) Focus your research into fields that the AI rarely research, you will have to look around the galaxy to see what they have/don't have and what they are researching. This way, you will have technologies to trade with them.
3) Invade their planets. Everytime you win a planet, you steal one of their technologies.

I've read the manual several times (though parts of it still don't entirely make sense to me), I make sure to match enhancements on tiles on planets with the proper developments and I try to expand quickly. Also I work hard to keep my fellow AI players happy for the most part with occasional donations and such but nothing ever seems to keep them on my side for long.

The manual is, unfortunately, terribly outdated, you would probably be better off going to the GalCiv2 Wiki. As for enhancements on planets, sometimes it is better to plan your planet out before hand. Make a few manufacturing dedicated worlds just for ships, by shoving a ton of factories there and filling the skies around it with economy starbases. These guys will produce most of your interstellar navy. Dedicate your large worlds to producing money so that you can fund them when you need to, as well as research. This is done by adding a few farms, enough morale buildings to keep them happy, and the rest with economic buildings. The rest of your planets should probably be research base.

As to how to keep the AI happy, the key is to out military them. If they think you are stronger, they will be too scared to attack and thus acts nicely. But if you are too weak, no amounts of tribute will save you. Build a spin control center somewhere, and shove as many of your best ships into it as you can, that should double their strength and help you 'look' stronger. Making trade routes with the AI is also a good way to keep them happy, but you will still always need a military. If nothing else works, build a few military bases near your planets. Let them come for you and crush their fleets silly within the military base's range. After their fleet is thoroughly crushed, they will be very willing to talk.

Hope that helps,

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A few extra tips for keeping the heat off of you.

1) Try to set the AIs against each other. In my experience, paying them to attack each other is MUCH better in the long run that just giving them free stuff. Make sure to pick too guys of about the same strength so it will end up i na stalemate though, rather than a strong guy wiping out a weaking and becoming even stronger. The more they fight each other, the weaker they both become, and they'll be too busy to bother with you.

2) Build attack only ships (no defence/armour/etc) and have them in orbit around your planets. Also get the techs (can't remember them offhand) for a spin control centre and put that on a planet with a lot of strong ships.

3) Trade trade trade (routes). In theory trade is more about making money, but those other civs just LOVE getting free money from trade routes with you. Send as many as you can to the more threatening civs to keep them happy with you. Sure you're making them stronger (trade revenue with you), but you're getting money too, and at least they're not attacking you!

4) Trade trade trade (techs). Once v1.1 is released you can opt to disable tech trade, or at the moment, just trade every non-diplomacy tech you have with everyone else. Research the diplomacy techs and keep them to yourself so you get better deals from this.

Beyond that, just practice, and lower the difficulty level a notch. You're asking questions on how to play better rather than being a bad loser ("this game sucks omg the AI cheats!!!!oneone"). Like anything, practice makes perfect.

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All good tips. Also, try to use starbases to your advantage -- particularly military starbases. They are very powerful, and can turn your piddly fleet of Tiny hull ships from 0/0/6 offense and 0/0/6 defense into raging 18/18/24 offense and 26/26/32 monsters for very little effort on your part (that's just too good imo).

I would ignore building trade ships unless you're playing on larger than medium sized map.

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Kalin, you said that I had redlined but even after I'd gotten money flowing again (was not negative at all) and had my sliders set appropriately (to get my social and military production rolling), it STILL seemed like there were many planets that were full of NEVERS (i.e this will NEVER be built)...just not sure what that's all about.

TO everyone so far, thanks for the tips, they're awesome to read.

One new question: "When building ships, how do I get a ship with multiples of any attack value (like 5 beam or 6 missile)?"

Is the solution for better ships to have larger hulls and better miniturization? Just seems like I can never have a really good ship with decent amounts of everything but I suppose that's game balance! LOL

Also, can someone explain in easy-to-understand noob fashion, how the combat works? What's better a group of tiny ships, one large ship bristling with stuff, a couple medium ships together? Enquiring minds want to know!

Thanks again, everyone, for the assistance.

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About the "Never" production. If you are not red-lining the economy and you have your 3 sliders set to allow the production you are interested in (i.e you said Social & Military so I'll assume at least 30% to each of those) but there is still a "never" for a ship or building then check the specialised buttons on the planetary screen.

There is a little button in the top right of each of the 3 boxes Military, Social and Research that you can use to force production in that area at the expense of the other 2. When you click 1 the whole box lights up. That should get your production into swing regardless.

i.e To get a building going when the progress says "never" click the button in the Social box and it should improve.

Unless you have no production to focus, in which case you should build or buy a factory!

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Roger that, thanks for the info. I know about the focus buttons so that wasn't it...I guess I either didn't have enough factories or $$...one of the two I guess.

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