What research path do you take?

[Cookie Monster]

Fellow GalCiv'ers,

What research path do you take when starting a new game? Are your paths dependant on map size, availability, and/or density?

Regardless of the parameters I like to start off with Diplomacy/Universal Translator/propulsion theory/cold fusion/impulse engine/trade.........

Where I go from there depends on the situation. My thinking is that getting Universal Translator asap is a must for trading tech with other civs. The next step for me is to get impulse engines so that my ships can get around the galaxy faster and more importantly to get my colonies setup faster. Finally setting up trade routes quickly is important to jumpstart the economy.

GalCiv is a great game but surprisingly not much discussion is happening here relative to the other games. Actually discusssion about games in general on this forum and other sites seems to be down and limited to this game rox or that game sux etc.

Where have all the gamers gone? Maybe they're too busy playing?

[vishniac]

Re: What research path do you take?

Originally posted by Haupt. Dietrich
Fellow GalCiv'ers,

Where have all the gamers gone? Maybe they're too busy playing?

Yes!

My tech strategy (not successful I must say!) is to go impulse drive to colonize, then get the Defender, the techs boosting popg rowth, get a few diplomatic tech, then go Battlehammer and Planetary Defense. From then, it depends...
It's a builder strategy but I can win at sub-normal. That's the fourth or fifth game that I'm loosing.
Happy to read Brad made sub-normal easier with the last patch. We'll see!

[Cookie Monster]

Re: Re: What research path do you take?

Originally posted by vishniac


Yes!

My tech strategy (not successful I must say!) is to go impulse drive to colonize, then get the Defender, the techs boosting popg rowth, get a few diplomatic tech, then go Battlehammer and Planetary Defense. From then, it depends...
It's a builder strategy but I can win at sub-normal. That's the fourth or fifth game that I'm loosing.
Happy to read Brad made sub-normal easier with the last patch. We'll see!

Yeah interesting point about the latest patch. I installed version 1.02 and have noticed a difference in the difficulty for sub-normal. Before I lost badly against the AI at sub-normal. Now in my current game with 1.02 although I am not winning I am not getting my butt handed to me like before.

Either version 1.02 at sub-normal has been toned done or I'm getting a little better at playing. Can't wait to go home to play some more. Only 4.5 hours to go before getting out of work.

[LDiCesare]

I usually go for impulse drives first, then universal translator to see what the others have to say. Next, well, it varies. Either defender->frigate and bully everyone into giving me money or trade.
I never ever research or trade for photons and corvettes. They are useless.
I tend to get manuf theory and defense theory early because you might be lucky enough to sell one of these to a minor race, plus I hate to see these on the diplo screen (ai saying "I won't sell my crappy tech for less than 100bc at least").
Controlled gravity (+1 range) may be interesting too depending on your map.
Shields are a must have soon. I usually don't build any defender, but battleaxes, so defelctors are really only a step towards shields. It usually causes some tension as the ai sees I am weak for awhile, but then a few axes and you're ok.
I rarely research the green techs early (boosts research, but you have something else to do at the start).
Stellar Cartography I never research either. It comes in too late to be of any use.

[Harry Seldon]

I tend to run for Trade, usually stoppingalong the way for Habitat improvement and Defenders. I swing all over the place later in the game, usually going for techs I feel I'll need soon. I also tend to shoot for the quicker techs, too. I very rarely research anything over thirty months.

[Ellestar]

On gigantic you need Gravity Accelerators. You can sell them to all minor civs immediately (so Universal Translator). Another critical thing is Galactic Stock Exchange, you also researching Trade/Adv. Trade along the way.
To the time then you want to build social projects you need Fusion Power Plant and Habitat Improvement.

[dr. blackclove]

I tend to pick things based on what will get done fastest. I always start for universal translator and impulse drive to talk and move fast. Then I usually start trying to pump up my diplomacy with everything I can, and upgrade my military and production. I hardly do anything with population growth (the green medical techs).

If your diplomacy is high enough, other civs will give you tech for cheap, at least on sub-normal and beginner. I usually try to get the diplomatic translators built even if it costs me a lot in credit.

[LDiCesare]

I hardly do anything with population growth (the green medical techs).

Neither do I. Apart from Aphrodisiacs, I think the effect of + pop growth is too small to be seen (better to increase morale to get pop growth).

[Fried-Psitalon]

I usually go straight for the population growth techs after the propulsion techs, myself. I take pop growth +10 as a bonus in the start with my PQ +15 %.... add in aphro, and the two environmental controls, and that's a 50 percent increase in my people's growth.

Do I notice it?

::Glances at the "Intelligent" game he finished, where his population was off the top of the chart and everyone else was at the bottom::

Nah....not really.

The trick is to get them VERY early, when they do the most good as you colonize.

[LDiCesare]

I sure don't get the hang of growing my pop. How do you maintain high pop? High morale works (at a cost in bc). Is there any "best" number of people on colony ships?

[Harry Seldon]

I want to restate my technical goals. I just finished a game where I spent more time focusing on weapon and defense tech and didn't focus on the medical/culture aspects until later. Things went much better for me and I could pick up the nonwar techs after I acheived superiority over other races.

[Harry Seldon]

I think it's important to get the dreadnaught as quickly as possible. Even if you're not aggressive, having this will keep other civs off your back. It seems the first civ to get this usually rampages through the galaxy until the others catch up.

[Malleus]

Re: What research path do you take?

Originally posted by Haupt. Dietrich
Where have all the gamers gone? Maybe they're too busy playing?

Too busy being bitter with Stardock.

I've played 14 games but only submitted 2 because my mods haven't met their stringent requirements which apparently requires me to misspell things in my mods and not have them be functional.

M

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by LDiCesare
I sure don't get the hang of growing my pop. How do you maintain high pop? High morale works (at a cost in bc). Is there any "best" number of people on colony ships?

What works for me is Soil Enriching and Habitat Improving my planets asap. Morale usually stays around 50-55 and my income grows fairly fast using this method. I find that pop growth is also fairly fast but not up to par with the AI's pop growth. This system gets me through the early phase of the game with my tax settings at 10-military 20-social and 70-research. Then by the middle game the strongest ai civ declares war on me because I've neglected building my fleets up. I've got to try to solve this problem. All this is on sub-normal.

[Harry Seldon]

You may want to sacrifice some research and social for military. I keep my research around 50% and trade back and forth between military and social for the other fifty. I've come to the conclusion that until late in the game there aren't many social improvements worth building. Moral can be maintained with a good economy or shipping a bunch of citizens off to attack someone else's planet. It pays off in the long run to be aggressive in the beginning.