random name

hey mrcrush, you missed one (3rd from right bottom) I like: speed +1 luck +25 military prod +50% and universalists I know - pretty strange choices, but they work for me!

hehee, yes thats just the trick i've been using

This sounds like a very sensible way for it to be done! I didnt realise you got charged for overflowing production; that makes it even worse! it could also penalises people who like to build large fleets of small ships as opposed to fewer large ships later in the game. oldDocc: yes you CAN do this sort of micromanagement, I think the poster is arguing that micromanaging is no fun and the game mechanics should be changed so this is not needed. <img src="http://images.stardo

heres an interesting bit of AI diplomacy: I tried to trade something of mine for harpoon, the computer says 'no way, get lost'. But when i tried to trade the same thing for harpoon, harpoon II, miniballs and a bit of money, it says yes! both offers initiated by me, without having exited the diplo screen or completed any other trade inbetween. I've also noticed a similar thing with plasma and plasma II. (will see if

I've had them appear on my last 2 games and I got them both times

Theres a weapon called sparrow isnt there? the first missile weapon or something? Have you tried naming a ship after any other weapons to see if this somehow causes the crash, or is just coincidence? Mark

skelton42 And then curse yourself for being too good/evil and not qualifying for a neutrality learning center. I knew i shouldn't have put those solar slammers on full power...

@No118 - Wow, a 3 billion credit tip to a supermarket employee I think i need to change jobs. When you think that building a Discovery Sphere would help you with your PhD!

Not sure how it works either, but something is definitely wrong with the manual description - from the info in here, a battle between two ships each with 1 attack and 1 defence would never end! according to manual, attacker would roll a number between 1 and 1, so would the defender, and the difference 1-1=0 would be taken off the hit points until one ship dies!!! very fishy indeed - I'm sure

hehee, i think i'd abandon a village like that pretty quick too!

Frogboy is indeed on vacation (see dev journals) and boy does he (and the team) deserve it - great game, made even better by a great patch! Mark Edit: ha the previous post wasn't there when I started writing!

I think starbases must have some small base influence, because whenever you build one somewhere where at the moment no one has any influence, you get a small circle of your colour arond the base when you build it. I guess the influence modules then magnify this base influence, and the base influence of any of your planets within its radius of effect. if this is the case, best tactics would be build it near the enemy planets you want to flip, and if you also have a planet nearby that

The one thing I learned in my early games which most helped was the power of designing your own ships! In early game when you are trying to grab planets, design and build the fastest colony ship you can given your engines. You can make them significantly faster than the core colony ship you get, so you can expand your empire much quicker . To a lesser extent this is also worth doing with constructors

depends a lot on your style and if you are planning to go for a particular victory condition, or just see where the game goes. One configuration I quite liked before 1.1 I went for +1 speed, and 50% military prod so I could quickly produce colony ships + grab planets (+ resources when found early) quickly. Could usually grab huge chunks of the map this way even on suicidal, and win. the other point would go on luck - It seemed to me (dont know for sure tho) that I got more

Did you buy the downloadable version of the game? If so maybe the 1.1 patch is already applied? just a thought... there are a lot of changes in 1.1 (mainly to improve gameplay ), so its probably worth getting. Mark

yeah, I think the starting spend rate was changed from 50% to 67% in 1.1, so initially the peeps will like you a lot less in 1.1! If you're feeling unloved just put it back down Mark edit: sorry me being an idiot and confusing spend rate wIth tax! please ignore

I agree completely. There is no point adding a rule to a strategy game without telling both sides! and i can certainly appreciate that 'teaching' the AI a rule and all its implications is very difficult indeed. I once tried to make a chess AI, and adding in little rule 'tweaks' like en-passant and castling were such a pain! I really enjoy this game and would not trade the challenge of the AI for a few features if I could th