research choices

[vmxa1]

That is what I am saying. No reason to skip it at that stage. If you have -2 pollution it pays for itself, until you get Core, if you get it. Whating for the renewer cost you and you can use both.

[ravagon]

Originally posted by vmxa1

Remember this point in the game you may only have two colonies and one of them will be just getting started. No threats are likely at this time. Cash on hand improves your change of getting a leader and that can be a big boost. The farther the game goes the more you get from a space port and the less you need garrisons.

This would also be tailored to my builderesque playing style I guess. If you have a telepathic race to start you might want to go on the offensive early for a couple of easy colonies, ie: The few ships you build early on are tied up somewhere else and defensive fighters are pretty hard to stop.
I'd forgotten about the leader aspect - good point. I tend to look for those with the Megawealth flag over all others early on. I do still think spaceports are a waste for most races at this stage though. The +50% boost is partially offset by the maintainance cost. 1 extra monetary unit for maintainance on a planet producing <10 or so (and hence boosted by <5) added to the initial production cost is significant => not worth it AFAIC.
Even if you don't want to switch to trade goods for a few turns early on you can always just queue up one item at a time and let the overflow at the end of each go into your treasury.
(Plenty of time to, er, "aquire" spaceports later from somebody else ).

[EarthMan]

how many of you players go on impossible difficulty? I am a mark for going on the hardest difficulty on any game and everyone thinks i am insane.

[vmxa1]

Consider that once your taxes gets to 4 you get 50% or 2 bc. Maint is 1 bc. You put 1 bc in the bank every turn. It is not going to be the earliest item built, so you will likely be doing better than that and can only grow. Cash is a huge problem for most of the game up till you get a large empire going. I know that a garrison can be a big help under some conditions, but I find that I have ground batteries by the time I am under serious attack. I will not have missile bases or fighter garrison. If I ever manage to steal them, I probably no longer need them. If I am a tele, I could use them more as they are easier to throw up on a newly aquired planet that I do not want to stay behind to defend. By the time I have 8-10 planets they are of no use and I am very glad I have the cash, which by then will be a lot. 12-20 on built up planets per turn. Mind you I am not tryijng to change your position, so much as convince myself that this is a valid choice. If I was playing a creative, I do not have think about what to pick, only how to stay alive until I am ready to drop the hammer. In fact if I am a tele, it is likely to be a creative tele with production boost
That brings up the reason why I have no titans, I need the ground batteries to feel safe on planets with no ships and none close by. It keeps all but the serious AI away with a SB.

[vmxa1]

Nearly all here play impossible, most of the time as best as I can tell.

[moomin]

Moo2 is good, because there are still so many interesting ways to win at impossible, unlike Civ3, where despotic pop rush is it at deity. I'm sure most people here only play impossible.

[Urban Ranger]

Not me. I play only Simple

[vmxa1]

That's cool, I play all of them from time to time. I can not remember what the lowest non tutorial setting is, but that is what I use to test some features out on as it is less of a hassle and you can concentrate on what you are trying to observe.

[Urban Ranger]

Don't the rules change across the levels? At least a bit in terms of percentages?

[vmxa1]

Note these are from the strat guide and may or may not apply to the final patched version.
Diplomactic: simple and easy the AI will not break treaties, except with a declaration of war.
War declaration on first contact reqirements are lowered as the level goes up. That is 7:1 edge is needed at simle, 3:1 at impossible. The willingness to retreat changes for level as well.
Production: -20% at simple scales to +50% at impossible. How they decide to expand changes.
Research: the modifier to determine the value to discover scales for each level from 20 at simple to 40 at impossible. That means is can be twice as expensive for you to learn a given tech at impossible as to simple. The AI does not change.
Monsters and Orion scale as well.

*** the above is for Moo1 *** Moo2 give next to nothing for the impact of levels settings. The one thing I have seen is that the races can get many extra picks as you get to impossible. They do not have to live with the +10 picks and can have up to around +25.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Two things.

You'd think that someone would have leaked or figured out the AI advantages by level by now.

I see your point on PP, I rarely use the MM anyhow just make MIRV nukes. I'll take the other path. Also I never have a problem with building on my planets, there is always something that is needed.

[vmxa1]

Originally posted by RPMisCOOL
Two things.

You'd think that someone would have leaked or figured out the AI advantages by level by now.

I see your point on PP, I rarely use the MM anyhow just make MIRV nukes. I'll take the other path. Also I never have a problem with building on my planets, there is always something that is needed.

If any one has come up with the low down on level advantages, they have not posted any place I have come across so far, I wish they would.

The mods that come when you learn mercs, come when you learn pollution processor as well, so no need to forgo the PP for mercs. The core waste dump will not be learned until somewhere near turn 230's. PP around 70, so 160 or more turns you are losing at least 5 ind per planet. Actually a lot more by turn 230. The accumulate lost of production would have made a big difference in a tough game. You just can not afford to pass it up IMO, unless you are a lower diff game.
We are talking about very early turn say under 200. That neans not much to build at time, that you want to tackle. True, once you have got into t300 or so and make a new planet you have no end of things to build. At turn 70 or so when you get the PP you will have AF, Freighter, CB, scout, maybe Bio, maybe a space academy. Those will be done about the time you get the PP. So you could be making colony/spy/warship. I would not as they take a very long time. If I put on PP, I shorten the time needed and gain the extra industry forever after. I do not like to make ships, if it takes more than 15 turns. I would rather move workers to sci and house to get more production.

[moomin]

Yes, at imp they get at least +6 race picks each, and sometimes - I have not managed to decide when, really - they can get a whoppin +12 race picks each. Needless to say, this makes the game easier, as you play as a slaver.

[Alphard]

OK- research choices:

1. Spaceport. I have almost never seen the Fighter garrison make a difference in a battle.. unless there is also a missile base.. and i almost never have it in the beginning..

2. Depends on galaxy zise and gameplan. if u are in big galaxy you probably wanna go for PP cos you dont wanna lose the production. but if u are in a tiny quick game mercs are the way to go.. They are the earliest missiles that u can use to take out Orion as long as u dump autolab and go after emission guidance.. i have done it and it is amazing.. i think it took just 7 destroyers to knock down orion.. or was it less?

3. oh and the last one (or first) is of course telepatchic.. no contest.. its spying after all