Battlestations

[Spaced Cowboy]

That will always happen if you or the other race is repulsive. Also can happen if the other race's opinion of you is poor upon meeting you.

I've even had some races declare war, get thier butt kicked, then decide they want to be my friend.

[Garth Vader]

All the races are repulsive? Man that sucks.

[vmxa1]

I have had this happen when I was not repulsive as well. It really stinks, since you can not even demand they stop spying. Sometimes they will come along and offer some interaction. Sometimes they say something about they no longer think I am scum, but I still can not get any diplomatic action?

[Spaced Cowboy]

Hmmm....In those instances were you strong from a fleet point of view?

[vmxa1]

Often I was weak at that time. When contact is first made, I will have only a scout or maybe one missile ship. Unless of course it is an adv tech game (seldom any more). I tend to wait until contact to gear up, unless I can make a ship 15 or less turns. IOW, I do not start building if it is a 28 or more turn venture, I figure I am better off doing something else. That may be a short coming.

[Spaced Cowboy]

I think that very much like Civ3, the ai reacts to your strength. What is perceives as strength in Moo2 is still a mystery to me, but number and size of ships has something to do with it, if not all of it. Therefore CP_used=strength?

I've noticed this as well. If I've got no fleet, or a real small one, I'm easy pickin's for the AI. However, if I am strong, the are really nice to me.

[vmxa1]

True, but I am not able to be strong at first contact. Maybe in a Huge universe, but in large or less, no way.

[Spaced Cowboy]

It is relative strength, all ships count, even transports. Yet you and Garth prolly play impossible, I'm still stuck on hard (and for a break ave, but I always win on Ave).

[vmxa1]

Again what you say is true, but I will not make transports unless I am attacking for capture and not even then if I am telepathic. By that time I am making capitol ships.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Maybe cuz I make some cheap missle boats early to skirmish??

[moomin]

Press hulls. A BB hull - empty outfit, no stuff or weapons whatsoever - can be produced in a few turns and the AI suddenly thinks you're HUGE.

[Spaced Cowboy]

wow, sounds like my early worker rush strategy in Civ3

[vmxa1]

That could be a tactic. I do not make ship or hulls or anything until forced to for the simple reason that it is a zero sum game. If I take resources and use them for ship, they are not used to increase my tech or production and that will ****** my growth. So the longer I get away with build the faster I can get down the road. The trick is to not wait to long and I have misstepped at impossible more than once. This of course puts me in a big hole vs the AI. At hard, it is not a concern, but at impossible I may not be able to climb out. What I want to figure out is if I may be better served by going another way. Right now I am experimenting with minor variables such as lessor racial trait and when to take what tech, to see if that matters or not. By lessor traits, I mean other than on the right or the type of gov.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Hey, let us know what you're doing, cuz hey! I'm interested.

[vmxa1]

I built a BB using the save gam that GV provided at around t100. Empty it was about 87 turns to make with 3 workers. This race of course has no prod bonus and none from the HW, coupled with the adv tech the empty BB is a lot more expensive than normal. Having said that I wonder how easily I could make them before t150 anyway. After that I will soon be making real ones.