MOO1 - A newcomer approaches

[Gamecube64]

I got MoO1 2 weeks ago. After figuring that easy was far to easy, I started up a normal game with the Klackons, medium, 5 others. I ended up dumped next to uber expansionist humans. I only managed to grab 5 systems, though I was still outproducing and out teching everyone, including the Psilons. How is that you say? They never move off their homeworld, which was supernoved and reduced to a radiated wasteland. They are still alive though, as I can't land on radiated planets. Anyway, onto the turning point that made things go against me. The elections came up, me or the Humans. Of course, everyone voted for the Humans. (Yes, even me, total war was inevitable) Luckily I got merculite missiles two turns after the declaration of war and was able to ugrade my bases and design new missile boats. (Read an old thread describing them) A little bit later I got mass driver and V computers so I designed my main battleship. All I need to do now is build a fleet and take systems from my nearest neighbor and sworn enemy, the Humans. Attacks come only from the Mrrshan and only to one colony. At first I had no problems, then they started using a 600 hp design loaded with 20 merculite missile 5 packs. (My battleship is 200 hp for comparison, though it has superior equipment) I started losing bases, but never lost any ships. I fortified the colony with 20 bases instead of the standard 5. I think I might be able to win this if I can knock out the humans.

[vmxa1]

Did you have a real bad location? Five planets is about par for a small universe, in a medium, that is way too small.

If you cannot grow they will. It will be ok with missile bases for a time, but soon they will move too fast for them.

Or did you mean medium difficulty and not map size? I suspect that is what you mean as mercs would have been discovered way before a vote in a medium map.

Anyway sounds like you are having fun. FYI the Humans will tend to get others to vote for them.

[Gamecube64]

I meant medium size and average difficulty, accidently called it normal difficulty. I thought I had a good position, I had a jungle and a 105 terran close. There was an ocean nearby, 4 parsecs, but I saw the Humans had taken it when I sent the scout back to hold it. I have 3 good sized planets and two others which were bigger than 50. As I see it, if the humans have lots of bases I'll probably lose, if they don't have many I might win.

[vmxa1]

Well a medium map should have about 42 planets and maybe 4 that cannot be colonized (even with radiated tech).

So I would like to get at least 6 mabe even 8 before we have to tussle much.

Klac should be able to crank up very fast. I like to have scouts sit on planets to ward off any races from learning of them. You can run of scouts and unarmed colony ships.

Eventually they will show up with some guns. If I do not like the chances of my getting enough good planets, I will make a ship with guns to hold them of longer.

If the Humans get to run for office with you, you can expect the voting to go poorly very soon as they have the effecive trait of Charismatic.

An early total war is going to be rough as all races share tech, so you will not find any soft touches.

[Gamecube64]

I lost...

Then I started a new game and won. My biggest opponent in the voting (who had a harmony rating with me surpisingly) had only 4 votes, I had 17 out of 28 votes. I had over 20 planets in the end, no one else had more than 4 all game.

[vmxa1]

Move to Hard.

[Gamecube64]

How are technologies you can't research chosen? Is it just a percent of them all or are some from each group of five chosen?

[vmxa1]

A list is rolled at the start of the game and it will have all the tech you will be able to research.

The missing techs may show up in other races list and then you can trade or steal or aquire as you may.

You can get techs from the Orion or artifact planets or from a few leaders.

Basically you will not be getting all the techs in the game.

[Zoetrope]

In MOO1, I find Easy much too hard and Alan Emrich's strategy guide seems to be a rare commodity so i've never become learned at this game.

However, I gather that the Psilon monkeys get a larger crop of technical fruit on their tree.

[vmxa1]

Yes they get a bigger list for being scientific. Moo1 is much harder than Moo2. I still have problems on some games at impossible level.

In a med map, you can run into stacks of 32K huge ships and a few stacks of 64 large ships. You cannot fend that off with missile bases.

Alans book is the greatest guide I have ever seen, too bad he could not get MooIII to work.

[Zoetrope]

The MOO1 and MOO2 manuals are available in PDF. Wouldn't it be great if Alan Emrich's MOO1 strategy guide were? Because it's impossible to buy a copy from the publisher, isn't it?

[vmxa1]

Keep your eyes out on ebay, I got one there awhile back, but they are hard to find.

That would be some pdf.

[Gamecube64]

The Sakkra have an interesting trait combo in the game I'm playing right now, pacifistic militarist.

Building lots of ships for the purpose of staring at them all day as they orbit your planets

Psilons=wow... 120% in everything AND a RP bonus AND larger tech list! They seem scarey good...

[vmxa1]

Psilons have to stopped early or they will be tough, especiallyif they get some planets.

Are you playing hard now? What size map and number of races?

[Gamecube64]

Hard-Medium-6 races

I be the Psilons with 12 planets, outstripping all other races. In second place are those Sakkra, my first target is probably to Silicoids as they have 2 valuable planets close to me but far from them. Bulrathi have only one planet.