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Delphinian

Join Date 02/2006

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First-Timer needs help!

Basic Walkthrus?

Having never played a game anywhere near like Calactic civilizations II I am quite intriqued by the depth that seems available as well as the possibilities it offers, however getting one's head wrapped around this game-playing style and the logical steps necessary to starting a new game is not documented very well. I've checked thru this site and looked at some of the scenarios offerred as examples of play, but all of them assume a starting position well beyond the first turn or move! So I'm looking for something more like a complete walkthru...move by move from start to finish...of a basic game that I can use to warm up to the methods and means of the game. Is anything like that available? As a newbie I feel as if I'm a clone suddenly awaken and dropped into a universe and state of being of which I have no comprehension or understanding, thus am confused by the alternatives present at the beginning, or the necessary strategies to building up and developing any of the races! Please help!

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Here's the Beginners Guide - Link

Play on the easiest level (Cakewalk) and get a feel for the game. Then get ass-whipped on harder levels ... until you know the game mechanics better. There're lots of hints'n'tips on these forums, but I find working out my own strategies to be more appealling.

Above all else - enjoy!

(Do I get my FanBoy badge yet, or wot?)

Edit to escape the grammar police. I probably failed.

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My simple advice is to play against only ONE opponent (on one of the difficulties below normal, and on one of the two smallest maps). This will allow you to easily apply focus without feeling you're being bombarded on multiple fronts. And a small map means that you will have fewer planets under your control to micromanage.

Once you have done some colonization (the link above can help you through that), make a decision as to how you'd like to win the game:

Conquest? Then focus your attention on planetary improvements and technology that will aid your military. Spend some money to spy on him, make a note of what weapons and defense he's using on his ships, and build yours accordingly.

Influence? Then build a lot of starbases in the unclaimed areas (plus research and build improvements on planets accordingly).

Alliance? Then make sure your alignments are similar, work on the diplomacy trunk of the technology tree, and bribe your opponent with techs he doesn't have and money. Get your relations to "close", make sure you both have the "alliances" tech, and propose it.

One opponent and a small area to play in will allow you to apply focus. Once you get better at the game, then you can add some more races in, and tailor your strategy depending on who is doing what at any given time.

-HM

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Also, don't be afraid to try something in the game. If you want to try something, but don't know what will happen, save, then try it. If you don't like what happened, reload, and try something else. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all. I second the idea of playing on a small map, but you also might want to consider putting habitable planets and such as rare, to limit things further, then work your way up.

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The best way to learn the game would definitely to be to set it to the lowest difficulty, the smallest galaxy size, and have 2 opponents. I think you need at least 2 to get a general feeling for what the game will play out like. Also, as someone mentioned, turn down the number of habitable planets. Hopefully you should not have to manage more than 6-7 planets on your initial playthrough as you get the feeling for managing a much larger empire. On the most massive mapsizes, you can occasionally reach empires with nearly 100 planets as the game draws to conclusion, and that can be overwhelming even for a very experienced player.

The most important thing to learn early on is what all the different tabs give you access to. For example you need to learn about the production, taxation, and allocation sliders in the Domestic tab right away to begin playing the game. The beginners guide really is pretty handy to give you a feel for the beginning of the game. After your glorious victory, I'd suggest moving up to at least "small" galaxy size, with a few more habitable planets, 4-5 opponents, and slowly ramp up the difficulty level to provide yourself with a challenge. The leap from "Tough" to "Challenging" is pretty significant, as it finally fully enables the AI.

Best of luck to you.

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It's also good to remember that the game is totally different if you play 1-on-1 game in a tiny galaxy with easiest difficulty compared to a 8-race huge galaxy and obscene difficulty. That's the strength of this game too.

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