All Custom Races?

[OzzyKP]

I finally got MOO2 and I'm loving it. I browsed through here and it looks like everyone plays customized races. Doesn't anyone use the pre-made settings for the different races?

[Harry Seldon]

I almost never use custom races. I'm a Psilon man, and on occassion I''ve been know to play Klackons.

[Whoha]

I play the silicoids with the elerian picture, but no, I never play just the stock races, none of them are all that good, and if you are looking for a challenge, going with all negative points is far better a challenge.

[Iasius]

I think I played one or two games with standard races, but for a challenge I prefer custom races, too.
Recently I tried a new custom race: +1 BC and democracy. That got me tons of money, you start with an income of 25 BC per turn. No need to build anything, you just buy it.

[vmxa1]

The problem with using stock races, is the game is the same. If you use custom races, you can change things around and get a different game (in effect). Then you can bounce out and use a stock raced once in awhile for a change of pace.
Some of the stock races are a bit weak for impossible games IMO.

[Harry Seldon]

I've never one an impossible game before, hence the apprehension at playing the DG on impossible. Maybe I should experiment more with customs.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Originally posted by Harry Seldon
I'm a Psilon man,

Not me, I find the Elerians more attractive.

Too each their own I guess........

[vmxa1]

Originally posted by Harry Seldon
I've never one an impossible game before, hence the apprehension at playing the DG on impossible. Maybe I should experiment more with customs.

Easy win at impossibel is:

8, impossible, large galaxy, normal tech, normal galaxy age, random events on.

Telepathic, Warlord, Trans Dimensional, Omniscient, RHW, Feudal, Repulsive

Less than 80, probably less than 75. Even sooner with a break on the wormhole locations.

[Harry Seldon]

Not me, I find the Elerians more attractive.

Too each their own I guess........

It's the big heads. I can't get enough of 'em. And even if that doesn't do it for you, Psilon Ninja Man will definitely turn your head.

[OzzyKP]

I tried that one vmxa1 on a normal galaxy in hard. I cleaned up, but it still took me like 150 turns or so. How did you do it so fast? I stalled out a long time in the beginning because I couldn't reach half the places I wanted to, and my production sucked so much I was unable to both research and make the warships necessary for taking the planets I wanted.

I did it easily, but it wasn't nearly as fast as yours. Seems almost too easy using that race. This is what I worry about with custom races, makes things too easy. But I suppose you could just handicap yourself with custom settings.

[Iasius]

You have to make extensive use of outposts. Oh and you shouldn't research besides the essentials for shipbuilding.

[vmxa1]

Here is one run with that race. You do no research at all, until you have some captured planets and they may do some, especially if they have RL already on them or EMO.
Remember this is a normal start, so you already know the tech for space travel and have a colony ship. If you were to play PreWarp, you would have to learn to fly and it would take longer, unless you got some breaks with locations and worm holes.


T0 - move all sci workers to industry. Design Cruiser as NO comp, 9 two shot nukes and extended fuel cells. This should take 19 turns to build. Note I make the missile array as 1, 2, 2, 2, 2.
Design Destroyer as the same, except two 2 shot nukes (4 missiles). Design Scout with 1 nuke.
Start CA on HW, send out colony ship to Abbith(?), not sure of name now, send out scouts.
T2(?) colonize planet and set to build DD (destroyer).

Now once scouts have done all they can send back to refit.

T15(?) not sure when I did this, but around this time you can buy the CA (cruiser).
One thing that is variable is when to refit the scouts. I found that sooner is better as it is usually needed to allow other ships to retreat. You also can not take down SB (star base) with just a 9 shot cruiser.
Sent CA to Pund and capture it.
Txx (did not note exactly when but before T18)
Kill Silicoids frigates and retreated to Pund to await the DD and DE.
DE (scout or frigate) and DD and CA all to Cryslon. I started a frigate on pund as a place holder. You will need an OP (outpost soon). Capture CRY and srt OP. (Silicoids eliminated)
T18 buy DD and send to Pund to Cryslon. Now refit scout that was not already refit.
T22 OP done, start DD, send all to Trillar.
T24 OP on Caelueb (SP), send ships on to Trillar.
T25 DD done on Cry, sent to Trillar.
T30 Capture Trillar, switch Cry to OP, send fleet to Vagn.
T31 Capture Vagn (Trils eliminated).
T33 Finished Biosphere on Draco, start CA. Note in a tough game, you would not want to build anything other than ships and outpost.
T34 OP on Vij, send fleet to Gnol, buy OP on Abbith.
T35 Send 2nd fleet to Hastun (can read my notes on this name)to OP.
T40 Took Nazin and last planet on Gnol.
T41 Elim Gnol
T42 Elim Darlok, capture Poseidons.
T43 Buy OP on Abbith, send to Lar, fleet to Lar, OP on Cry is done.
Better planning could probably reduce delays here, but I was lazy.
T44 OP sent to Zibbat, fleet to Zib. I am not sure now which planet this is, but one place I send an OP, I did not look to see what was there and boom, no planets, not even gas.
This wasted more time as I had to send them some place else to reach Klackons or who ever I was after.
T50 Capture Aden.
T53 Capture Orf (?), I hope that is the correct name, it is all I have in my notes.
T56 Capture Katab.
T57 capture Liuce, defeat Sssla fleet, block (not sure what I meant here).
I know one race had a few ships and a BB (battleship) and I was trying to ensure that they did not do any damage.
T58 Elim Klac, learned Research Labs via my research. I have had a few tech from captured planets, not important. I got Battle Pods from Kolden and designed a new CA that I built on Cry.
Sent OP to Draco.
T62 Elim Saks, fleet to Draco.
T71 Capture Fieras.
T72 Capture Hycreles (name not clear), capture Que.
Game over.
This is probabaly not a totally complete log, but at least gets the concept across.
I was making ships on most planets and even cranked out a few SB so I could make cruisers.
I was too lazy to stay on top and buy some things when I could have. IOW, this likely could have been done faster.
With this map, two finds where close at hand, but no splinter colonies and no leaders.
Now that I think about it I did get an offer for a fighter, but could not afford him at the time. I got colony leaders late in the game. I am not sure assigned them all, it is not uncommon for me to see the end coming an ignore that aspect.