You apparently have access to email someplace, or you couldn't have made a forum account!

To activate the game on a computer that is not connected to the internet, follow these steps:

1) Start the game; you will get a prompt for your serial and email. Provide them and continue.
2) It will fail to activate and ask if you'd like to activate by email. Click Yes.
3) Copy the subject line and big block of letters into a text file, or into your email program, and save it off to portable media (CDR, USB drive, floppy, etc).
4) Take it to a web-connected PC and send an email to [email protected] with that subject line and content.
5) You should receive a reply with a file and some instructions; take the file back to the non-connected PC and you should be set to go.

Back to the OT... Yes, completely worth it. I'm in a large game with the AI right now, we've both maximized our respective attack and defense trees (beam and PD for him, missle and shield for me). My small ships are better equiped than the AI's huge ships, because I have max miniturization and the Yor have none.

Weird question regarding multiple Hyperion Shrinkers:

Do they have a cumulative effect? I've captured two, but I foolishly didn't know I was about to capture them do I haven't been able to compare. Do they add, or do you only get one HS bonus?

You're kidding, right?
You can't create ships that are competitive in the end game at Maso and above without full miniaturization, and the Hyperion Shrinker. And it helps a lot if you manage to capture another HS from some minor race as you start your march as well.

Think Huge ships with 250 - 300 spaces instead of 150.

drrider

Yes, HS reductions stack.

There have been threads from guys who have mastered the subtle diplomacy and timing of giving away Advanced Min to minors (for a generally OK trade), then waiting JUST long enough to move in on their planet to pick up the now finished HS. One guy described a game that he finished with !6! Hyperion Shrinkers. His final Dreadnoughts were moving about 15 per turn, and still had the weapons to kill an opposing (final-tech) fleet in one salvo.

drrider

Well, you can't ever say that the Yor have NO miniaturization, since they start with a major minaturization bonus,...but maybe that is the reason why they slight on developing it.

drrider

Hi!

AFAIK there was quite a rigid cap on miniaturization too. I remember reading an article (DL game) where a player complained that he couldn't make use of all captured Hyperion Shrinkers, and Stardock replayed it's by design: mini was capped at 150%. IIRC Yor players were quite upset at that time.

I don't know if that cap is still present - haven't played much recently, and especially not with large universes, where most players could build a HS. In my games quite a lot of races is exterminated rather quickly. I wonder why?

BR, Iztok

It does not make your ships more expensive - it allows you to put more on your ships, which will result in a more expensive ship.

Face it, no matter which way you cut it, a more powerful ship means a more expensive ship.

So don't blame Min for the expense. Blame power for the expense - not the tech that can give you that power.

More power means more kills, which means more wins and a higher score.


All in all, I would say that miniaturization is well worth the added expense in research and potential ship costs.

Holding your breath for 1.7, are you, IB?

drrider