Suggestions for winning w/Believers on Transcend

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Darsnan
I am playtesting my next SP Challenge "Echoes of Jihad" right now in which the human plays as Believers. "Tech Stag" and "Steal tech when conqering base" are on. Quite interesting results to date....


D

Well Darsnan-- you know I always like a good challenge!!!

[Kataphraktoi]

Oh and Kata-- The game is one I took over from you -- "LOve and war"-- When we realized that the difficulty levels were screwed up, we had to restart. Chaunk ( replacing sentry) stated he didn't like the consciousness and ASKED to switch to the Believers. Maybe he just wants a challenge or just to play a different style game.

hmm chaunk advocates a early popboom with believers. your right a sav wouldnt show anything yet. although id be interested in later savs,myself i cant do anything with them, although boosted CP starts favour research-penalty factions. i have tested a vets map start with them,and ICSed+crawler spammed with them,but my results never came close to matching my drones game on that map(i gave the AI 4x pods so they can sort of compete)

Sounds like a fun challenge darsnan.

[Chaunk]

Maybe he just wants a challenge or just to play a different style game.

Just that, I wanted a challenge, and also the chance to play somewhat differently As Flubber said, it will be interesting to see how it works out, whether good or bad.

Having said that, I do believe (Pun not intended) that the orange army can hold their own in a building duel, uni excepted.

Kata, if you want a sav (+pass natch) from my perspective, PM me your email, and I'll fire one off.

[Kirov]

Originally posted by Darsnan
I am playtesting my next SP Challenge "Echoes of Jihad" right now in which the human plays as Believers. "Tech Stag" and "Steal tech when conqering base" are on. Quite interesting results to date....


D

Any chances of its coming up on Christmas? If you need playtesters, don't hesitate to e-mail me this stuff.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Chaunk

Maybe he just wants a challenge or just to play a different style game.

Just that, I wanted a challenge, and also the chance to play somewhat differently As Flubber said, it will be interesting to see how it works out, whether good or bad.

Having said that, I do believe (Pun not intended) that the orange army can hold their own in a building duel, uni excepted.

.

Even though I am playing the uni in that one, I have always thought that people overstate the Uni advantages. While they are a "strong " faction I feel that factions like Morgan, Drones, Hive and Pks also have their points.

AS for the believers, while I can easily beat the AI with them, I have never felt that I got the knack of playing them really well. I will be very interested to see how Chaunk does with this early demo strategy--

Its also fun since both chaunk and I have done a little roleplaying. I always find that adds to the game

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Kirov


Any chances of its coming up on Christmas? If you need playtesters, don't hesitate to e-mail me this stuff.

hey hey I though I was Darsnan's playetester

[CEO Aaron]

Suggestions for winning with Believers in Transcend:

step one: Spread like a rash.

If you want to win with Believers, you MUST have lots of bases. Getting lots of bases maximizes support advantage while reducing your tech problems once the research ban stops. Forget the bureaucracy limit, there's a reason you get social psych as your starting tech. Scout aggressively, plant bases, pop pods, kill worms.

step two: Bust out the formers.

IMO, the single biggest weakness of the Belivers isn't their research penalty itself, it's the early period in which they can acquire NO labs. That's why it's critical to scout early, to get as much cash, techs, units or whatever else from your nearby colony pods, not to mention contact with a neighboring faction with whom you can trade tech. The one tech you MUST get asap is centauri ecology, so the INSTANT you get out of the tech block, set your research priority to explore, and don't stop until you gain the ability to make formers. Once that's done, have every base pop out two of them RIGHT AWAY. You need to make up for lost time, connect your bases with a road network, start planting trees, and just generally get your infrastructure working. Your terraforming skills must be primed to prosper with Miriam.

step three: Achieve tech parity.

Because you're scouting aggressively, you'll be able to spot weak opponents and bully them for tech, trade those techs to get yet more tech, and finally get probes to infiltrate your enemies and steal any last secrets they may be holding onto. You get all that probe for a reason, this is it.

step four: Crush the infidels.

Miriam is, in my opinion, the most flexible of all the momentum factions. Once you're sitting on a population advantage, and have achieved tech parity, you can get by with a respectable builder strategy, only giving up modest amounts of labs to your innate weakness. However, that's not the best way to win with Mimi. Build lots of units backed up with a handful of probe teams, and drown them in a sea of fanatics.

Don't get lazy, however. Just because you can field twice the army of any enemy doesn't mean you can just waltz up and contemptuously crush them. Make sure you move tactically to make the most of your 25% attack bonus, avoid enemy choke points, and always present overwhelming force to the enemy. You've infiltrated your target, so there's little excuse for not knowing what you're going to be going up against. Your support advantage only lets you show up with more units at once, it doesn't make you replace your losses any faster than your foes.

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by CEO Aaron
Suggestions for winning with Believers in Transcend:

step one: Spread like a rash.

step two: Bust out the formers.

step three: Achieve tech parity.

step four: Crush the infidels.

QFT.

Originally posted by Flubber
hey hey I though I was Darsnan's playetester

Since you volunteered.... Anyways, let me know if CEO Aaron's approach works in this situation.....


D

[spartanpez]

Still getting mirams butt kicked
Over the last week
Yang victory (2x)
Old method: build bases (3x3), formers, (2 farms + forest rest)
Nice expansion, no research (lowered %)
Got probes after yang had ………

Switched to non blind research and small planet

Yang kicking my butt, almost holding my own
Base, 2 formers, pod, 3rd former, recycling facility
Built 8 bases
Got probes
Built weather paragrim
Building bore holes
Yang wipes out gaians
Yang turns army on me

4th game
3 formers per base
8 plus bases
Did not get WP
Spartans leading
Built lots of infantry
Spartans wiped out yang, university, and gaians
Formed every space
Expanded out to island
Mogan does not like planned
Currently holding my own based on volume of troops not quantity

Self critique: i still am not attaching early+ often, not achieving tech parity, looking weak in the face of the enemy

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Darsnan


QFT.



Since you volunteered.... Anyways, let me know if CEO Aaron's approach works in this situation.....


D

I am always willing to try playtesting your stuff and over Christmas I should actually have time to give things a run. I like to think my feedback has been of some help in the past.

And in your send you didn't indicate any suprises other than I should check F1 to see what facilities are linked to certain techs. Are there cloaked natives that look like IODs, native missiles ? massive native cities, hyped up super AI starting with 40 satelites?

I have learned to never assume anything when starting a Darsnan special

[Flubber]

Originally posted by spartanpez
4th game
3 formers per base
8 plus bases
Did not get WP
Spartans leading
Built lots of infantry
Spartans wiped out yang, university, and gaians
Formed every space
Expanded out to island
Mogan does not like planned
Currently holding my own based on volume of troops not quantity

Self critique: i still am not attaching early+ often, not achieving tech parity, looking weak in the face of the enemy

I don't understand the difference between volume of troops and quantity. Did you mean "quality"?

If your enemy has better weapons or armour, the best step is to probe one of his units away. You can then build that unit and engineer others with its attributes while never getting the required tech. Its great to turn an enemy's weapons back on him

NOte also that probes are your friend and if things get too dangerous on land, consider probeships. A couple of probeships with a couple of foils can be a potent force. If an enemy ship takes out one of yours, you use a probeship to steal the enemy ship.

Second note -- your attack bonus is huge-- Combine it with having good morale and nothing can stand up to your atacks

[spartanpez]

I don't understand the difference between volume of troops and quantity. Did you mean "quality"?

Spell checks do not proof read
the correct word is quality

i do have a probe ship working now

?can you probe a unit, not just a city?

[Kirov]

Originally posted by Flubber


I am always willing to try playtesting your stuff and over Christmas I should actually have time to give things a run. I like to think my feedback has been of some help in the past.

And in your send you didn't indicate any suprises other than I should check F1 to see what facilities are linked to certain techs. Are there cloaked natives that look like IODs, native missiles ? massive native cities, hyped up super AI starting with 40 satelites?

I have learned to never assume anything when starting a Darsnan special

I'm also gonna play it, don't spoil the fun!

[Darsnan]

Originally posted by Flubber
I like to think my feedback has been of some help in the past.

I think your feedback has been of significant value in the past!

Originally posted by Flubber
And in your send you didn't indicate any suprises other than I should check F1 to see what facilities are linked to certain techs.

This is necessary for the game to work "properly" (yes, "properly" - thats a good way to describe it! )

Originally posted by Flubber
Are there cloaked natives that look like IODs, native missiles ? massive native cities, hyped up super AI starting with 40 satelites?

No, none of that. Just something different, as usual....

Originally posted by Flubber
I have learned to never assume anything when starting a Darsnan special

Hmmm, and I thought you couldn't teach an old dog new tricks!


D

[Flubber]

Originally posted by spartanpez



?can you probe a unit, not just a city?

yes-- as long as the probe value of the opponent is low enough and they do not have the Hunter-seeker. Oh and you can't probe a unit unless it is alone in its tile.

Prices vary greatly according to probe ratings and distance from the opponents HQ IIRC

Stealing units is one of my most favorite things to do

Imagine your oppnent has sent two stacks of units at you-- Imagine one is huge (8 units) but the other is only two units-- You send a rover to kill one of the units in the two unit stack and then probe the other. That unit then turns and attacks the adjacent stack. Lets say it wins , killing one unit and causing collateral damage through the stack. Now your unit ( lets say its a 4-1-1) might be severely damaged so as a last act of defiance you self destruct it to cause 2 more hitpoints of damage.

Very fun