Dreadlords campaign played inside of Gold Edition (Dark Avatar) = bugged?

from GalCiv2 Forums

First of all, I know I am not an expert Gal Civer... I am however a seasoned MOO, MOO2, Homeworld and RTS player. I have been playing Galactiv Civ II DL for about 2 weeks on and off and I do pretty good in Sandbox mode. So I know I am not completely retarded in GCII....

I am talking about the Dreadlords Campaign as run from inside of the Dark Avatar (Gold Edition Retail box). I have been playing on NORMAL. And so I should. I understand the game. Normal is about where I fit IMO.

Ok. So. Yes. The mission where I run into Dreadlords I lost. No biggie. I am not upset. In fact it probably should go like that. I get pushed back and need better tech. Fine.

Get to the Apocolyps level? No chance. From the get go... a few dozen or so turns in I am runnign fairly balanced with about 4 planets trying to hit 5 and a Military Starbase next to the homeworld with about 5 defensive and offensive upgrades done. Then BAM. I have DL ships comming in a steady stream and by the 4th one (4 turns) my Military Starbase is gone. I have to errect at least 1 Starfury a week to keep the DL's orbiting my planets knocking off Star Fury's that I had to put up to keep the Troop tranports (10 versus 6000 insta win) off my planets or basically 1 sneaks through and I lose the planet.

Does not matter if I have established full Eco and Tech treaties with everyone or not and have been buying and selling tech with all of them. I still don't have the tech or muscle to hold them back...

And by about 25 or 30 turns they have stacked fleets on top of everything I own.

I think there is a balance problem in this mission and I dont think the friendly AI is doing sweet dick all either. I watch lots of times as friendly fleets literrally fly past DL ships and they both ignore eachother while meanwhile I am buying a single Starfury every week for every planet just to keep from losing a planet.

And this is on NORMAL. And I have ships with dual PDII or III and with dual torp packs and I can buy those and fleet them in some corner if they let me and I bundle 5 of them in a fleet and 1 DL ship rolls up with 1 hit and all 5 are dead.

Is this screwed or what?

C.

5,047 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Or is there a secret strategy like DONT build ANY ships and only trade tech and research my ass off and then launch some crazy GIANT star destroyer doom ray laden motha?!

I doubt they will let me though. I am guessing it would be more like I would be colonized almost imediately.

C.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, for one thing, the combat mechanics are actually different in DA than in DL.

The most important advice probably is to not rely on the pre-designed ships. They simply aren't competitive. Design your own ships, that way you can tailor them to your needs and resources available.

I haven't played the campaign myself, so I can't comment on the specifics. I remember some of the tricks from other threads, though. Either rush to transports and invade before they get their production up or try to intercept their transports. Use cargo hulls full of engines and sensors to detect and engage them early enough to not get invaded.

As for Dread Lord combat ships: I seem to remember that back in DL the best way to deal with them were lots and lots of small fighters. Since the combat mechanic changes in DA, this is probably a lot more difficult. Perhaps someone else can fill in the details here.
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This mission is discussed in detail
here

Bottom line, it's not bugged, it's just a huge pain in the ass. :-) Sounds like you're doing great with tech, at least. Don't ever use starbases in scenarios involving the Dread Lords. It's a complete waste of resources, the DL will run straight for it and blow it away.

The link discusses key strategies like having fast fighters to take out the troopships. Losing worlds and taking them back is perfectly fine in this scenario, each time you have a chance to steal a tech (hopefully with better luck than I've had - Space Mining I, Space Mining II, and Extreme Colonization). Best to do that exchange on undeveloped worlds, of course. I'd think you could get seven planets before the DL jump you - two in your home system, Cassius, K-something, Weber, and the two in your back corner. In my game the main fighting has been in that central system (Cordelia?) and the system which starts under Drath control.

Ships - big, all weapons, at least speed 5. I also find it helpful to spam lots of sensor drones (cargo hull, Impulse 3 engine, fill the rest with sensors). Fast enough to lead the DL ships on a wild goose chase, and gives you an 8-9 square radius field of view so you can see the troopships a couple of turns out.

Oh yes, spies are your best friends in Dread Lord scenarios. Blanket the Gladstone planets as heavily as you can to limit DL production. If you've got lots of trade routes to your allies you should be able to afford near max espionage spending.

Good luck!
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Holy crap!

Thanks though for all your input and the link. :)

I might just go to sandbox mode. I was hoping for a more involving and evolving story + mission structure. But the overall quality of the campaign is quite lacking really. Too bad. It started to be fun a coupla times.

Ah well. It was worth every penny.

I will have to just play custom missions which is what I guess we all do eventually anyway.

C.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
1 more question!

I liked this game for the most part and easily spent several hours a night glued to it for a coupla weeks so far. I was also a fan of Homeworld I and II when it/they were new titles and played them a few months as well...

Would I dig Sins of a Solar Empire?

C.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
1 more question!I liked this game for the most part and easily spent several hours a night glued to it for a coupla weeks so far. I was also a fan of Homeworld I and II when it/they were new titles and played them a few months as well...Would I dig Sins of a Solar Empire?C.
End of quote

I'd say almost definately.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
1 more question!I liked this game for the most part and easily spent several hours a night glued to it for a coupla weeks so far. I was also a fan of Homeworld I and II when it/they were new titles and played them a few months as well...Would I dig Sins of a Solar Empire?C.
End of quote
The early screenshots of Sins game me a Homeworld vibe too, but the finished product isn't similar at all. I still like it a lot, though.

(try the demo)