Playing Feudal

[Widget4]

Well I've pretty much got the hang of unification governments on 8player, Impossible, Pre-warp, everything on, Elerian picture games (I still lose, though). Now I've turned to Feudal governments and I'm getting ripped up again. I've tried the Warlord, Tele, artifacts homeworld, and various combinations, but the tech disadvantage is killing me. I'm beginning to think that the best pick for Feudal governments is creative, but I'm still struggling with it. Anybody, have some thoughts on tech development, rush strategies, and other Feudal musings.

My blitzkrieg games start out marvelously, but the other races gang up on me quickly. It sort of goes like this. Present turn news: "The Klackon flag waves no longer." On the next turn the Silicoids say hello, the Psilons say hello, the Sakra say hello, the Trilarians say hello . . . Eight turns later: You lost your colony on Bue to Sakra bombardment, you lost your colony on Sol, your treasury is 12 with a -111 income, you lost your colony on . . . There is a very short time window in my early tech development where I can knock out a race. However, if I do knock them out, the other races come at my modest empire pretty fast. The only way I can see to stay competitive is to take the AI race's colonies quickly and use that expansion to stay competitive in the tech race. Any thoughts on playing Feudal?

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[siron]

I recommend:

feudal low g
art, rich hw, tele, transdim, omni

1 scout with ext fuel (runs to map edge in battles.)
then
cruisers with 3 interceptors and ext fuel.

tech for rlabs (not sure if necessary), the other pre-stuff, fighter bays and ATTACK.

then go for fusion beam. transd fighters kill everything. I even won lots of MP-games with this race. (fastest 4way in average just 55 turns.)

u should kill 3-4 Ais by ~ turn 100. then u can outproduce or even outtech the other races......

[vmxa1]

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

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

Do no research at all.
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, 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(?) 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 capture whatever planet the neighbor colonized.

Make nothing but ships and OP. Game over around turn 80.

[Widget4]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by vmxa1
8, impossible, large galaxy, normal tech, normal galaxy age, random events on.

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

I've used that race and I like it, but it only works with certain game parameters and maps. I'm not convinced it consistently works in pre-warp, impossible, 8 player games. It kind of depends on the map. I've started games with that race and planned my tactical movements, but even with outposts I often end up dead-in-the-water and needing to research fuels to get to the AI. By the time I get the fuel research, my empire is dead- no decent tech, no substantial empire. I'll try it again, though. It's possible I forgot to take trans-dimensional, but I don't think so.


Widget4

[vmxa1]

A prewarp start would be near fatal as you do not have flight. Advance tech would be as bad as you would face battle stations and all sorts of defense and shields/armor.

[Widget4]

I think I might be able to make Lithovore/Creative/LHW (or whatever) work, but I can't seem to effectively stop the AI spying. I'm also considering Rep/Feud/+2 Prod/Art HW/ and maybe +food or Aqua or +spying.

My military strategy for this kind of race would be an all out missile boat/armor/spying kind of thingy.

Oops, I accidentally edited out my reply to your post. In that post I agreed with you that in pre-warp games the random hyperspace flux event or hyperspace beast pretty much nullifies the advantages of feudal militarist rush races. My idea now is that creative is the way to go- you won't have lots of tech, but you'll have quality. You're also more limited in your tech development and are probably better off focusing mostly on one tech tree (Chemistry) and hoping that you get decent stolen tech.


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[siron]

Yes. Normal nukes are surely enuff in average against an dumb ai. (Against humans in MP this wont work.)

In Pre you should have art hw for the pre stuff. And teching for the very nice fighters seems efficient then.

"In that post I agreed with you that in pre-warp games the random hyperspace flux event or hyperspace beast pretty much nullifies the advantages of feudal militarist rush races."

Not at all with the above mentioned race. (transd and not repulsive.) With rlabs early on u also have fusion drive early in the game. With navi 6 parsecs per turn. So you can jump from system to system. (Never lost a ship to the beast then.)

[Whoha]

I recommend feudal/lith/tol or feudal/lith/creative.

Feudal is a major penalty and you need some heavy hitters to back it up.

Still it is pretty sweet being able to build a fully decked out titan in 1 turn.

[StepNRazor]

Try a lithy with an arti.
Feud/Lith/Arti/SubT/Lrg.

Also building produce raw tech, so all r-labs, supers, auto labs ect crank the full tech value.
This race isn't as slow on tech as most other fued races.

[ALEXlD]

DIC LRAHW TELE OMNI TRANSD (... no Feudal race but also a Blitz ...)

with that race u can better TECH but u need more Time to build OPs and Fleet.

Maybe better for "PRE 4way" Map cos of better teching.

But Fighters can be countert by empty Frigates ... !