Spaceship frustration

[skytrader]

Playing at the Warlord level. Build good civ, good science, 16 structural, full power, etc. I blast off first, but one of the other 7 civs always beats me with a faster ship. What am I doing wrong? The last one beat me by two years. I tried to smuggle in a nuke to blow up other ships but each of five times they caught my spy first! How can you get a good fast launch and destroy other civ's spaceships? Any help appreciated. Skytrader

[SandMonkey]

The fastest ship you can build is a:

33 structural (or 34, I have sonflicting sources on that, and I can't remember which is right!)

16 Components (8 of each)

3 Modules (1 of each).

That will take 5.7 years (with Fusion Power), so if you launch first, you can't be beat. If you have to launch a slower ship, and need to take an AI's capitol, there's a couple things to do. You can try what you did with the spies, but instead of 5, try staretting with 20 or so. I have only had to use that strat once, and it took a few spies, but I eventually nuked the capitol. Make sure you have a paratroopr or a unit near by to take the city. You could also always take a bunch of howitzers and a spy, and use the spy to move through the AI's area, and each square the spy moves into, you have each howitzer move into that square as well. This way ZOC won't stop you. No AI city can stop a blitz of howies

You might run into the problem of the AI relocating it's capitol. You're just going to keep having to take each capitol, there's nothing you can do about that.

Good Luck!

[Smash]

I think you need to get to the space race when it is not a race at all.
Meaning,you are the only civ with the technology to build a spaceship(SS).If the ai at warlord is winning a spacerace then you need to re-examine your science strategy.No offense.

You need to build and deliver more caravans/freights.You get a one time science beaker bonus equilivent to the gold bonus.
Next time:
Before delivering a caravan,check your science advisor.Note how many science beakers you have and need for the next advance.
Deliver caravan.
Now,check the science advisor again.You will see the beakers have inceased.This is a good thing.Bonus' will be small at first but don't let that stop you.
Now,look at the city that sent the caravan.You will see a city name,a commodity,and a number like +2.Thats a trade "route" with 2 more trade arrows being generated in that city.It may allready be enough to increase the beakers being generated in that city.You may also see 1 or 2 more gold also.
These get better as the city grows and improves.
With 3 routes in numerous cities you can begin to understand the amount of "extra" trade arrows a civ can generate.

The Super Science City(SSC)
Build a city in 4 "special" site.Or try to anyway.Preferably with rivers and good food potential.Specials like whale,wine,gold,silk are highly desired.Nice if it is your capitol also.At least ok against the AI.

Build in that city Collosus,Cope's Observatory,Sir Isaac's College and sometimes Shake's Theatre.Load that city up in true perfectionist style.Lots of improvements.Inside the city and out.Grow that city as big as possible ASAP.
This city will produce the bulk of your research all game.You may find it easier and possibly more profitable to send all your caravans here.

Caravans and The SSC = science will never be a problem again at any level.Guaranteed.

[skytrader]

[quote]Originally posted by SandMonkey on 08-04-2000 10:55 PM
The fastest ship you can build is a:

33 structural (or 34, I have sonflicting sources on that, and I can't remember which is right!)

16 Components (8 of each)

3 Modules (1 of each).

Thanks, SandMonkey. Back to the drawing board for me.

[skytrader]

[quote]Originally posted by Smash on 08-04-2000 11:25 PM
I think you need to get to the space race when it is not a race at all.
Thanks, Smash. Got to fix up my game.
Skytrader

[Mao]

There's an easier way to do this you know...but it might be cheating...hehe

Before you put your spy into the enemy capital, save your game. Then move it in, commit the nuke action, and, if it is successful, just go on. If it's not, just load the game again and do it. But that is considered cheating by some.

[Carolus Rex]

By SOME???

Carolus

[Paul]

By all.

[jpk]

I wish to echo all the comments on trade and the science city.

Even if you have a technical advantage over the AI civilizations they may steal space flight and the other technologies necessary for a space ship. Any AI civilization that has 20 or so cities is a threat to beat you to Alpha Centuri. The AI civilizations have an uncanny ability to rapidly produce parts for a space ship. If you are worried that this might happen to you, the best thing to do is to continue to build caravans by the boat load and also knock the powerful AI civilizations down to size before the space race has begun.

Assuming you have diplomatic relations with the AI civilizations you can count how many cities each of them has.

When you get industrialization load a transport with a couple defensive units, a couple diplomats, and the rest offensive units. The units should all be of the best available quality, veterans are preferred. Sail to the civilization with the most cities and do as much damage as you can. Use one diplomat to bribe a city and the other to try to protect you new city from losing a technology. Once you get a city that city's entire output should be directed at harrassing that civilization. Capture or bribe cities as the situation dictates. Once you get radio build an airport so you can fly new units into the city. Repeat this with any powerful civilization.

If you do this to two or three of the most powerful AI civilizations you will not have to worry about them beating you in the space race.

[SandMonkey]

I don't htink i saw this anywhere on here yet...

You can also change all of your cities (except the one building Apollo) to building some wonder. Do this for quite a few turns. When Apollo is built, you can switch all your cities over to the spaceship parts, with now fear of losing production. This will give you a big head start over the AI, depending on how many cities you have.

[kcbob]

Two points.

The original question had to do with a "faster" ship. SandMonkey referred to Fusion Power. THAT is the key to a faster ship.

The other point is one which I believe I understand correctly but I wouldn't mind some confirmation. A 33-8-8-1-1-1 ship is NOT the fastest way to get to AC in OCC. The extra turns in building the ship take longer than using a 15-3-3-1-1-1 configuration and getting there in 15.7 years with Fusion Power, n'est-ce pas?

------------------
Frodo lives!

Better dead than "Red"... or green... or blue... or yellow... or orange... or purple... or white.

[Mao]

But it might not take longer for the building if you have enough production in enough cities right? There would be more parts produced at once, and therefore the same amount of turns.

[Paul]

That why kcbob said that it would be faster in OCC.

[Tom DeMille]

A couple of recent OCC games have seen me launch a slow 15-1-1-1-1-1 spaceship, which takes 36 years to arrive at AC (but can be launched much earlier than a 15-3-3-1-1-1 spaceship when the turns are still 10 years/turn). AIs have a lot of time to build a faster ship in those 36 years, so I have tended to go to war with them after my ship is away. If you start destroying a bunch of AI units he will slow down his spaceship component building and concentrate on rebuilding his army.

[smilo]

Tom,

Don't target the units, make diplo's and poison the AI cities. That will slow his SS production in a very efficient way.