How is military power calculated

from GalCiv2 Forums
In my recent games every single time I get war declared on me because I appear militarily weak. I have tried to change that but I still appear weak. Whats the fastest best way to appear militarily strong? Like if I have 6 fighters is that viewed as the same as 6 battleships? Just need a strategy to appear strong so other races won't attack me.
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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm not sure how the system determines military strength. I'm frequently rated last because I have fewer but more powerful ships.

Two suggestions:

1.) Get the most powerful military in the game to attack the next two most powerful (do this through the trade screen by offering them cash or tech). This will knock all three of them down in strength and keep them busy for while.

2.) Research total majesty (this takes awhile but gives great diplomacy bonuses which help too) and build a spin control center. Put your most powerful ships in orbit around the planet with spin and no one will bother you again.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I always keep up in military strength by building dozens of cheap ships at first, when I can see that Iam rated 1st or 2nd in military strength I stop building more ships and concetrate on other aspects of my Civ. I think the AI rates You after how many ships you posses. I can have many cheap ships and still be rated as one of strongest in military.
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
There is also a structure yo can build, ( I can't remember the name off hand,) that will inflate your military power in the eyes of the other races.

Tony
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
As far as I know atleast attack and defense is calculated and perhaps hit poinst, but not sure about that one.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It is probably attack strength and hit points.
I usually do not build any military until someone declares war on me. Then I build the most powerful ship I can, usually using a small or medium hull for that first round.
When my first ship comes off the assembly line the military graph jumps up a good deal. By the time I have 6 ships usually, it is higher than their graph. And they may have dozens of small 4-8 ship fleets with attack of 6-20, while I have half a dozen single ships with attack rating of 50-70 each.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Build a Spin Control Center and then drop some small or tiny hulls with the cheapest weapons you can get into orbit. That'll keep your military rating up there, as long as they don't leave
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
what techs do I need to get the Spin Control Center?
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Best way I've found has been to build lots of light ships- Missile Boats, Star Furies, Defenders, whatever. Right now I've got my Mayfly design that has two Laser IVs and nothing else. Think it costs me about 55 bc to produce. Since I could produce one every two weeks with my emphasis on research, it didn't take me long at all.

Spin Control is Total Majesty, IIRC.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Yeah its attack, def and hit points in the mix.

I always start by getting enough tech to build a 2/0 small hull (lasers) straight away. Either 2 or 3 speed depending on tech. The idea is to spam them at the start as 4 fleets of 3 and not get sidetracked on other research.

The computer always builds 1/0 ships so you will jump up the mil strength chart. Then focus your research on your civ. Or your next mil ship design if you are that way inclined.

My second ship design always has 1 def though. Whether its 2/1 or 4/1 depends on tech levels at the time of need. This is purely so it can take advantage of all mil starbases def assists. It means I get a big break in the time it takes to need the next ship design since I can fall back to my mil starbases.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I made some cheap ships that I could produce 1 every 2 weeks with several planets pummping them out. It did keep the Ai off me and has given me time to build up other non military tech.

One thing that surprised me was I started the military build up race and was far ahead of the other races. I decided that the 2nd and 3rd most powerful races should fight it out to weaken them both. So I paid the the Altarian's to attack the Thalan's. Well it worked kinda. What happened is alm ost instantly the Altarian's military power went straight up, way up. They are friendly with me so no worries but their military might shot way up so fast. Oddly enough they have lost space and the Thalan's have gained space. How sould they go up so fast in military power?
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
On higher difficulty levels it seems impossible to get ahead or even keep pace on military power until the game is virtully won, except in real terms when your well designed and placed ships beat the crap out of far larger numbers.
Those early ships just dont do the trick anymore.
I did however in one game on the 1.0 leap ahead as soon as I started out building small defenders. Unfortunatly it was a bug, what I designed was 2 attack small ships, what I was getting was 16 attack small ships proberbly from an earlier game.