I originally though "damn those bugs are dumb" when I saw that going on. Now I'm thinking it's a brilliant move. The Thalans take a while to get up on their feet and moving. So why not pass the time by converting the galaxy to our Anti-Terran ideals?

I think I'd prefer factories to embassies. Their factories would at least tank their economy LOL.

Quite, Thalans used to be the aggressive starting race, now they build up slow. Not that I mind it, but their super ability has definitely gone from one of the best, to one of the less best.

That said, balance is a function more of abilty+tech tree now.

I've stopped using the Thalens as AI enemies on my games, it's not fun when you can predict the entire galaxy culture-flipping to the Thalens -every single time-.

The ability reduces cost of industrial buildings thus allowing you to build them quicker, or outright buy them for less. I'm not sure by how much the cost is dropped, but its definately not *any* factory being built in one week (unless you have *insane* social production).

I think its reduced to 1/4 of the original price. I remember that when I try to buy a "Technology Matrix L2" with its cost of 200, it costs about 2000 bc to buy. The "Manufacturing Matrix L3" however, even though it costs more (its 400), I was able to buy it for less than a 1000 bc.



It also much more profitable to do so in TA. They're going to need the money for their first generation of manufactoring and research structures (upkeep starting at 20 bc per turn, per structure). Not only that, but its a source of income that can be denied to other civs, thus slowing them down.

The ability used to let you build factories in one week in the very early DA betas. Of course, it also gave infinite Range then too.

I was playing a Gigantic Map last week or so as the Krynn. Tough, 8 Races, Habitable planets = Abundant, Planet = Common and Stars = Common, Clustered. I wanted to create a lot of empty space.

Anyways. The Yor started of in one corner other side of the galaxy to where I was, and the Thalans were next to them. Yor systematically gobbled up the Thalans. It was a strange game anyways, the AIs took way too long to really start colonizing. I controlled 4 major galaxy clusters, and with the Krynn Influence buildings, the game became just a control of influences. Though the Yor, had amassed a significant chunk of the galaxy themselves.


Unless the AI, somehow gets into gear, and is able to build factories, the Thalans are easily taken over by a evil warmonger next door.

I played a Thalian campaign recently too. I took a different tack though. The third planet I colonized had a Precursor Library. I built that one kick-butt building on it and suddenly I had 16x8=128 research on one square. I quickly researched the techs for the technology capital and built that too. I then stopped my colonization rush entirely (ended up with 7 planets in the initial rush a large - common game), and researched a ton of techs. Then I colonized a total of 6 more planets, mostly ones requiring environment techs, and then built a small military of medium hulled ship with 6 psionic beams each, and then finished off a tech victory.

Total it took me four years, but I could have done it in about three if I had stayed focused on the techs I needed.

I have to say that holding on to that building until you hit a 700% bonus has got to be just about the best way to play it. Although, in smaller games it is more useful if it is just planted and used to provide you with one or two uber-planets.

Seriously, I have yet to see this happen-even playing painful level and above. The Thalans have yet to cutlture flip a single planet in any game I've played. They do, however, regularly build one of the most formidable war machines in the game. Perhaps this is because I'm playing large or huge galaxies with rare planets and rare habitable planets, which I feel is necessary because the tech speed is still too fast for my taste.

Played a game with the pink blob strat and worked out fine. I flipped any planets I didn't get to colonize and even gained ground into Terran and Korx territory. Now thanks to Creativity I have lvl 3 factories, stock exchanges and I'm working on lvl 2 research. Once I have lvl 3 research it's time to overhaul my planets and go to war mode. For the most part I've focused on those buildings, with the exception of getting the Harpoon line finished to make a fluff military to keep other's from thinking about attacking me.

I tried to start some games with other races over the weekend, but compared to the Thalan's they all seem so....Dark Avatarish