Solam

Join Date 03/2007

+16

A few newbie questions

I bought this game and been trying to play it for the last week. I have a few questions...

Is it me or does it take about 3 days to get a decent ship with weapons and armor or shields? Is it the point to be only able to build small ships with only 1 weapon?

2- Why is it soe hard to keep everybody happy? I mean if I have to spends 100 turns just to research to get them happy... is there a a better way or tips I can get?

3- Strategy, is it better to colonize and stay very close to home or to expand?

4- I researched Alliance but I still can't make any alliances why is that?

5- Starbases... I use an economy ressource but all I can do is mine. Why can't I put a trade modual on it?

Is there a site out there with tips on how to proceed? That would give me some experience?

And last but not least, That tech tree is really overwhelming.. How can I keep track of what I need to research to build certain ships? I mean You need like lazer 10 before you can get 1 in weapons... Is there a printable tech tree with info on what does what somewhere? Or a site that says what does what?

Thanks a lot

Steve

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Is it me or does it take about 3 days to get a decent ship with weapons and armor or shields? Is it the point to be only able to build small ships with only 1 weapon?

Not sure what you mean. If you mean it takes three days of playing, then you may be right. My games last at least 3 days, I'm on my second day in this game and have only built defenders to keep the AI off my back.

2- Why is it soe hard to keep everybody happy? I mean if I have to spends 100 turns just to research to get them happy... is there a a better way or tips I can get?

Yeah, it sucks. I always spend 3 points on Morale to get it to +20%, otherwise it's hell. You have options, like mining morale resources, but those resources aren't always available. Going neutral will make people happier, but choosing an alignment early is usually a bad idea. I usually have to build 2 morale buildings on each planet. Research Xeno Communications and then Xeno Entertainment for that +15% Morale bonus. It helps.

3- Strategy, is it better to colonize and stay very close to home or to expand?

I haven't been able to get a straight answer for this either. If you colonize too close to an AI's borders, they will get miffed, or their influence may steal your planet. Not all AI are good at this, but if you have to, you have to. The AI certainly has no problem coming into your ring of influence and claiming planets, so why not?

4- I researched Alliance but I still can't make any alliances why is that?

I think your relations with them have to be friendly or better but I've never tried. It's not something you can do early on, I don't think.

5- Starbases... I use an economy ressource but all I can do is mine. Why can't I put a trade modual on it?

Research Trade. Look on it for Starbase Modules.

Is there a site out there with tips on how to proceed? That would give me some experience?

Not many. There's GalCiv Wiki here: https://www.galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Civilizations_Wiki
And a site here that helped a little but not a lot:
http://www.jeffpinard.com/dark_avatar_general_tip_and_help.htm

And last but not least, That tech tree is really overwhelming.. How can I keep track of what I need to research to build certain ships? I mean You need like lazer 10 before you can get 1 in weapons... Is there a printable tech tree with info on what does what somewhere? Or a site that says what does what?

The way it works with weapons, engines, etc. is that things don't get much powerful but smaller, so you can put more on a ship. Each hull has a size (60 for Cargo hulls) and each module has a size (like 5 for life support). You are going to have to build your own ships in this game to get anywhere. It's more micromanagement, some people like it, I find it irritating that I should have to because the ships you get suck... but you have to.
The engines you start with (HyperDrive) are huge and have 1 speed. Ion Drive also has 1 speed, but is much smaller, so you can put 2 on a ship instead of 1. Then the speed moves up to 2 in whatever the next one is, and then Mark I, Mark 2, Mark 3 are the same speed, but smaller... it's the same with weapons. So you get the smallest version and put a bunch on your ships. It all adds up.

Thanks a lot

Steve

There are people here who could offer a lot more help, they should be coming along any time now... *taps foot*

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Oops, that economy resource you're mining can't have trading modules. It's a resource that you mine, hence it can only have mining modules. I think you can still put weapons and armour on it, though... with Starbase Defense.

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Why is it better to wait until later in the game to choose an alignment?

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For teh Alliance question, you have to be "Close", and I believe both people need to have the Alliance tech researched.

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its better to wait to choose alignment so you can continue to get the little planet popups. You know the ones...Save the reign forest and be good, cut down 1/4 for warming peoples homes and be neutral, pave a parking lot over it all as an evil fellow is likely to do and get 100% production bonus. Ypu also cant put waepons on a mining sattelite in Dread Lords, don't know about DA though.

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Mistralok1

Join Date 05/2006

+22

I bought this game and been trying to play it for the last week.

This game has the steepest learning curve of any game out there.

Is it me or does it take about 3 days to get a decent ship with weapons and armor or shields?

It's you. Increase your research.

Why is it soe hard to keep everybody happy?

Is this a question about your life, or about the game? In the game, have a stronger military than them, trade, and have a diplomatic advantage.

is it better to colonize and stay very close to home or to expand?

Expand. Other Civ's will colonize planets in your local star systems; you can 'flip' them later.
s

I researched Alliance but I still can't make any alliances why is that?

Not everybody wants to be your 'bestest friend'. Refer back to: Why is it soe hard to keep everybody happy?

I use an economy ressource but all I can do is mine. Why can't I put a trade modual on it?

That's not what it is there for. You can build your own economy starbases, and configure them as you please, but resourses only go one way.

Is there a site out there with tips on how to proceed?

You found it, bro. We were all 'noobs' at one point.

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Does anybody know if there is a way to make constructors that add multiple modules to the Star Base? I've tried designing ships with 2 constructor modules but they still only add 1 module in DL...

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Mistralok1

Join Date 05/2006

+22

Does anybody know if there is a way to make constructors that add multiple modules to the Star Base? I'

Nope. One constructor=one module. Something to query about in future, though.

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It sounds to me like you're using the core ships. Design your own, they're much better.

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I have serious problems winning above cakewalk. I've been playing for about 2 months now, reading posts in this forum and learning as much as possible. I've already mastered combat and ship design - in my own opion yikes!!! - and have never been defeated militarily even on suicidal. My largest fleet is around 3 ships and I usually have 1 or 2 defenders on each world. The largest battle I've had was against a fleet of 66 pirates having several thousand defense and offense points, which I destroyed easily. What happens is I get reamed by other victories, or get all my worlds flipped by influence. Its at the point now where I disable all victory conditions except military conquest so I have a chance to play. I'm learning in leaps and bounds by reading the posts in this forum, and I have been learning by playing with 1 AI set at team with military conquest only. By espionaging in DL I have been slowly learning how to grow via colonization and flipping worlds, however, even with a star federation I find myself unable to tax above 35% with 82% approval because the new worlds destroy my economy. I am just starting the campaign in DL and I just met them - wiped them out in 5 months. The AI was playing Altairian and Arcean empires as my allies in the senario and even though I was doing 67% of the research the arceans started on a technological victory. They now only have 2 worlds since I flipped the rest, but I haven't yet grasped the "rush" phase of the AI and how to achieve balanced growth. Managing growth seems to be my great downfall in this game. Reading posts I have learned alot about morale but I could really use some advice on how to grow. The only game I won was really a gimme, where I had the AI set to random players and random intelligence and advanced algorithms. I was actually winning in midgame when some minor civilization suddenly appeared way across the galaxy (on a huge map) and wiped out all the AI civilizations in about a year leaving me to win by default.

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I could really use some advice on how to grow

You want to get your population up quickly as you colonize. Plan on deficit spending throughout most of the colonization phase. Keep taxes down and approval at 100% to get double population growth. Doing things like getting extra survey ships out quickly for anomoly money and specializing a lot of the planets you colonize for economy can help in that first year. With population up and about three markets centers or so on a lot of planets, when you do have to yank taxes up you should be in the green again. Of course all this depends on how your handling the morale also. There is a lot of different schools of thought on that though. I only play at crippling, but I usually start any planets that aren't going to be production/research worlds with three economy buildings, a morale building and a farm. later they will have 20B pop. and be making good cake. Remember your colonies will still grow, albiet slowly all the way down to 41% approval. So don't be afraid to squeeze all the taxes you can out of your people, just keep an eye on any elections coming up and drop taxes the week before to make sure to win. Some of this may change when I start playing more DA( still playing DL right now) I also make resources a priority when I find them, morale resources probably being the highest.

Absorbing other civ's planets can also be a big drain on economy. Going into the details screen to the governor and shuting off the auto upgrade on these worlds can help you pick and choose how much your spending on your way to getting the worlds profitable. Usually I rebuild captured worlds for econ. with only the occasional manu. capitol or large production bonus planets staying as prod. planets. In the end I'll have the majority of my planets financing the intensely specialized production/research worlds.

I'm sure you read some or all of this before, but I hope it helps some.

oops, Didn't mean to write a book.

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