Thalan Tech Tree

Game balance Bug?

Just an odd note on the fact that I started a new game after getting my PC back up, running a new civilization with the Thalan Tech Tree, and found what I have to say is *the* most goofed up thing.

Since you only get the basic review of a tech during the pregame set-up, it is possible to pick what seem to be (to someone that has not played it) perfectly sane beginning Thalan tech - start the game, and realize you have nothing to build. When I finished researching my first Tech, it let me build the buildings resulting from it (So I presume it not to be a bug as such), but the amount of time it was going to take to research anything but that first level tech pretty definitively made the game unwinnable from the start I'm afraid.

        <Tech>HyperDrive</Tech>
        <Tech>Xeno Communications</Tech>
        <Tech>Xeno Biology</Tech>
        <Tech>FusionReactors</Tech>
        <Tech>ArtificialGravity</Tech>
        <Tech>HyperionPackages</Tech>

I would think that on that list, there would be a factory or lab somewhere! Perhaps at a minimum, in future tech trees, a basic lab and factory should be guaranteed near the base of the tree to ensure that you have 'something' to build up to the galactic standard with perchance?

Thanks - Jonnan

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Nope, that's just how they are. They get the Galactic Achievements right from the start, but then it takes a while until they can build ANYTHING on a planet beyond a star port. Typically, you'll see what I've coined as the Pink Blob of Doom due to the first building the AI seems to come across is the Embassy...which it then fills the planets up with...making a mighty big pink influence blob on the map.

The only lab or factory they get is a line of 3, later on in their tech tree.

I've found that hoping for Creavtity to go off is faster to get techs than actually sitting and waiting.

This problem is cured w/ tech trading...but I really prefer to play any game w/o it on due to my feeling it fills in a race's faults fairly easily.

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WIllythemailboy

Join Date 03/2006

+70

Yeah, they start with no spammable buildings. Embassies take the least research, then the first level econ buildings. They eventually get the best factory in the game, but the first and second level ones are not worth building unless you have no other option. Their research buildings also suffer from the same massive maintenance issues their first two factories suffer, but don't have the output at the third level to make up. Their high end research structure is the equivalent of research academies.

Maximize your colony rush, because for much of the game your colony tiles are going to be doing the majority of your building and research. Asteroid mines are a must.

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I confess - so many of my games, the Thalan are my early game protaganist, and I'm begining to be confused on exactly how they've managed this?

Jonnan

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The AI doesn't ignore asteroids. Granted, they don't make very efficient use of them, either, but all the Thalans really need is one or two worlds with them (homeworld and secondary planet with the hyperion matrix on it).

Income from tourism due to the pink blob of doom strategy may have something to do with it as well. I know tourism was increased for TA (actually increased, then decreased, then increased again, but it's definitely higher than it is in DA, or DL for that matter).

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