Beating the early-game deficit spending

p.s. Maybe the website could use an update.

errr....

"in a word, mining" you say and then go on to list things which have bugger all to do with mining.

Hi!

Choose racial pick Lucky, to increase chance of cash anomaly

Doesn't work. Anomaliesa give "fixed" bonus, not randomly determinated. Luck doesn't play any role here.

Also, it seems that with game version 1.11 I got from anomalies only a portion of cash I used to get in previous versions of the game. In a recent huge game I took with 4 explorers about 30 anomalies, but IIRC only 1502 BC (yes, 1000 BC, 500 BC and twice a "lucky day" 1 BC )

BR, Iztok

That's sounds fun and dandy, but I never get a deficit now.

First.
Set research to 60%
I discover one diplomatic, then one life support. (you can scout all you want, if you can't get there, it's worthless.)
Second.
then I repeat the first step. diplomatic, then life support.
Third.
If my citizens are unhappy but still reproducing.... I tax their asses until they stop making babies, then I ease up when I population ceases. I finish out my diplomatic tree.
Fourth.
I research Beams till I get a star fury. Then I finish my spin control center and keep building star furies.
Fifth, I max out all my social builds.
After this, the game is kinda lame as long as you keep upgrading you spin control fleet.
No one screws with you after awhile and you are free to research as much as you want.
I had my taxes set at 55% the other night with 100% approval rating. I was going for a tech victory but built too many influence starbases and they all gave up and I won diplomatically.
I think the tech victory is a myth. I'm going to try it again on this save I have going now. I have 3 rangers sitting in my spin control and I'm maxing research to 100%.

Just a thought to avoid the deficit. By the way, I quick build 4 Colony Ships also when I start so it's not like I'm hanging onto my bc.

Psio

Quick building that many colony ships is a bad move unless you're playing in a tiny galaxy loaded to bursting with AI opponents. You're much better off quick building a few factories and getting your colony ships that way. It only puts you a couple of turns behind, but your cash reserves let you quick build the first factory on each of your new planets, which saves you a whole lot of time that you would otherwise just waste while your first factory is getting built.

I never have an economic crunch such that I have to reduce spending or raise taxes. I've learned when to switch over to generating cash so that my initial reserves last me just long enough to get my empire on its feet. When that happens, I've almost always got a lead in planets, technology, population and income. The AI often shoots itself in the foot by quick buying things that it doesn't need to, putting it behind economically (and everywhere else as a result). I play on Tough with a +30% economy racial bonus, as Technologists. It's even easier as the Federalists, but since I find the game more challenging without tech trading...

Doesn't work. Anomaliesa give "fixed" bonus, not randomly determinated. Luck doesn't play any role here.

Only four cash in all those anomolies? Maybe it was just bad luck...

Psio, the tech victory is not a myth. However, it does take a VERY long time to research and actually win with.

#5 by Empyrean
Wednesday, May 24, 2006 3:37 AM




Quick building that many colony ships is a bad move unless you're playing in a tiny galaxy loaded to bursting with AI opponents.


I don't know what level you play on, but my last game I had a total of four planets and the Arceans had about 15. You needs planets for population and production. Population = taxes. Your Math isn't working for me.

Excalidan, I was being ficitious.

1416 To quick build a factory or 960 for a Colony Ship.......

or maybe that constructor costs. I don't know it's too early to be thinking. First cup of coffee and I have to get to work on my website.

On the highest levels, a player can not afford to delay building colony ships. So while this is an interesting and viable tactic on tough and below, I would not suggest it for players at crippling or higher.

Only on gigantic maps do I find survey vessels to be worth the time and effort. Otherwise a 4-move flagship (Impulse tech) finds its fair share of anomalies. The survey vessels need speed 4 to make a real dent.

It would be very interesting in a multiplayer version to start without flagships. That way sensor tech and building survey ships would truly be a strategic decision. As if the flagship does fine on most maps.

Psio, the tech victory is not a myth. However, it does take a VERY long time to research and actually win with.

A myth? Hardly. I think they are pretty easy to achieve, with Netural learning centers..

1) Find a good colony with research bonuses due to ethnic choices + bonus tiles

2)Fill it with Netural learning centeres, add technological capital, Omni research center, and optionally hypercomputer elsewhere.

3) Use economy starbases to boost production/research on those planets.

4) Win!

Yeah, Tech Victory is actually pretty easy, I had one in a game that only took 5 or 6 years and I wasn't even trying for it until the end...

A brief study of three games: Two with the racial pick Lucky, and one without. Each column has about 100 anomalies, and it looks like there isn't much of a difference.

Type	Lucky#1	Lucky#2	Not Lucky
$1	2	1	3
$500	5	6	2
$750	5	5	2
$1000	3	4	5
$2500	6	12	5
XP	8	8	4
+2 morale	7	3	5
+1 influence	10	5	3
+1 pop.growth	6	5	2
+5 espianage	3	5	4
+1 loyalty	2	2	7
+1% ship defense	2	5	6
+1 economy	6	4	5
+1 repair rate	3	3	5
+1% soldiering	3	3	4
+1% trade	1	2	4
+1 diplomacy	3	9	5
+1% weaponry	7	6	4
+1% research	1	2	4
+25% research	4	4	5
+4 hp	0	4	6
Wormhole	6	2	7
Waste of time	6	1	3

So...between these three games, that's an average of about 28,335bc per hundred anomalies, or 283bc/anomaly.

Nice post AngleWyrm. I like posts providing proof with data.