you can chenge these values in the "CustomPlanets file in the Dat/English folder

If you want to generate a new map with the same game settings you can just hit controll-n, use to do it all the time to get the tile bonus's on homeworld. However anymore I just take what I get and run with it.

When I first started I thought the tile bonus's on the homeworld were very important and probally as important as or a little more important than difficulty level. However after playing with them and without them, I now realize that they matter very little to me now that I hsve improved/refined my opening strategy. There is an awful lotta depth to this game and I was really surprised how long I have been able to keep refining the opening strategy I am using.

For the first 3-5 games a player plays, those tile bonus's on the homeworld can be nice and Ctrl-n is nice. If your still using it a lot after 10 games or so, you might want to try improving your strategy.

Also, the type of tile bonus's I get on my homeworld, my colonized planets, and exactly when I get them on my colonized planets are some of the gameplay elements that have me constantly adjusting my strategy.

But heh, whatever makes the game fun for you!

if you have only like 1-2 planets for each race in the game, YOUR going to NEED those bonuses

If you have that few planets then you're probably right, but in a larger galaxy there are many forms of good luck. Also Kblore's point on using ctrl-n is a good one.

In a larger galaxy when you pass up a setup because of no home planet bonuses you may very well be passing up a purple star PQ32 just on the other side of the fog. Or you could be missing out on a string of 2500 bc anomalies. There's many kinds of good luck.

Actually the most enjoyable games I've had were because of some adversity that I had to overcome. It's very satisfying to win a game that you thought you had no chance to win. That's why I play at suicidal, I pretty much think I'm going to lose every game.

I started with normal, rule challenged, BUT have not won at Tough ... YET !!!!

I hate having about 50 planets... The level of micromanagement (I don't know how to use the governers) is INSANE. One turn takes almost half an hour.

By the way, if you want more luck then select the luck racial ability. I always use the universilists and luck addon so I have an increase of 50% luck. In the game luck is a major factor.

~ Michael

I use at least the 25% luck bonus myself. Really does seem to make a difference.

I've used the 25% luck sometimes and other times not and the only difference that I could tell was with the 25% luck I seemed to get more colonization event decisions. Other than that nothing. What differences have you noticed?

Well actually on the game before my current one I was using The Terrans with the 50% luck, and right out the gate I hit two 2500bc anomolies. By the time the rush was over I had hit two or three more along with a few smaller monetary anomolies. My economy never had any problems on that game . Like I said though it "seems" to help. I have no proof, but also the bonus tiles on planets as I colonize them appear more numerous. That could probably be tested though. You could just setup a race with no luck . Start the game and Ctrl-n a few times to see the frequency of bonus tiles. Then go and do the same with as big a luck bonus as you can get. I May try that to see if there is a discernable difference. As far as colonization events, they just act kinda streaky. At times I'll get quite a few and my alignment will be decided, but other times I get fewer. When that happens I guess the game decides you haven't gotten enough choices yet, so I get the after colonization events."Scientist on a moon around Altos I have discovered...etc." That kind of event. In closing (heh. this is maybe my longest post ever) I believe the luck helps with the Bonus tiles and anomolies early on. Once I'm at war I'm usually to busy to see if luck helps on that part of the game.