Buying Star Bases

[The Aerain]

I noticed that the AI doesn't seem to know the real value of star base because they sell it for cheap inspite the overall bonuses, like in economy they dont seem to understand when the deal will be unfair to them.

[Harry Seldon]

What difficulty are you playing? I was playing Normal and couldn't buy or trade for one unless I wanted to give up a planet.

[The Aerain]

u ask them for 5250 $ or if that doesnt work u put a constructor near them until someone decide to blow it.
i was playing at intelligent before 1.05 but now i play bright, i guess the new AI are much better in terms of stats.

[tetleytea]

I've found vs. Maso AI buying starbases costs a way lot, but it can be done. Something on the order of 4 Trade Goods + 4 good techs. It's a worthwhile move if it's a really weak, backward AI with no money--or he's about to go bye-bye.

[tetleytea]

I've found vs. Maso AI buying starbases costs a way lot, but it can be done. Something on the order of 4 Trade Goods + 4 good techs. It's a worthwhile move if it's a really weak, backward AI with no money--or he's about to go bye-bye.

[The Aerain]

I really like what u just said in fact if the civ is really weak and is in war with ur worst ennemy it's a worthwhile trade.

[Harry Seldon]

I always get nervous when distributing trade goods to other civs because it never seems to take long for that civs allies to get them, too. You're a brave man.

[BKWM]

How do you get them to agree?

[anofalye]

Well, the ressources are importants, but a LOT more important then the ressources would be:

Find a sector with as many planets as possibles in that sector (3 is a very minimum, if possible up to 7(lucky bastards), the quality of the planet don`t matter much, as long as you colonize it (and either improve it to 15 after or not).

Set this sector as your main sector, in doubt, favorise this sector, this is your land, you don`t care for the rest of the galaxy if this sector is not doing fine.

Build 3+ starbase there and put all the mining upgrade, this will increase a LOT the production on EACH planet of your sector.

So you have 3 planets 30+ alone in 3 sectors of 4 planets 15 in 1 sector, screw the 30+, focus on the 4 15ish...

They will all get a +120 production bonus from each starbase, each of them. So easy math say, you have 4 starbase maxed, you have 4 planets get 480 production bonus each...

I never see computer focus that way.

You should use this advantage to your best benefit! There is no way single planets sector can match such a sector, even if a lot more of them in quality and number, such a sector is the main course, the main power, it rake all!

Fielding 10 ships instead of 3 overmatch any other effect like bonus and all, and you can then recover them easily...

[fsk+]

> They will all get a +120 production bonus from each starbase, each of them. So easy math say, you have 4 starbase maxed, you have 4 planets get 480 production bonus each..

Stacking +production starbases is not as effective in version 1.05. In version 1.02 you could stack starbases for huge free production. In version 1.05, the "free" production is capped at 3 times planet quality. It is still a useful tactic, but it doesn't really pay to build more than 2 maxed out +production starbases in a sector.

[Egbert]

Originally posted by Harry Seldon
What difficulty are you playing? I was playing Normal and couldn't buy or trade for one unless I wanted to give up a planet.

I gladly traded a planet for a starbase once at Normal difficulty. I thought it was so cheap as to be exploiting the AI.

[Harry Seldon]

Must have been a poor planet. Was it in danger of being flipped? I'll sometimes trade those so I can get something for what I'd lose anyways but it seems like the AI takes this into account and drives a harder bargain.

[Egbert]

It was an ordinary size 15 or 16. It was in no danger of flipping. It just seemed dirt cheap to swap it for an economy resource to boost my 20 other planets. It seemed like "hand over 4% of my economy to get a resource, build some constructors and boost the economy by 20% or whatever it was, yippee".

Sometimes swapping a planet for a resource may not be worth it but sometimes it is, I think.

BTW. Harry, I got the idea of swapping a planet from your post above. Thanks.

[tetley]

Oh higher difficulty what you can try is trading out planets that just flipped to you (not due to starbase, though). Incredible AI gets this huge PQ bonus, and when it flips to a mere regular like you, you end up with this high-population, Morale 1 planet VERY regularly. The AI really values population, so you sometimes can get a really good deal on a planet worthless to you. Sometimes you can't though--I guess because the AI sees it'll flip again.

Transporting pop off is sometimes a better solution to that problem, though. And obviously don't try it if the planet has any achievements (i.e. Capitals) at all.