What are MY options?

[Zanac]

Hey everyone,

I'm a big MOO2 fan who recently bought MOO3 and I'm now wondering if I was a bit hasty. I've played for about 5 hours and I've found that so far I'm pretty much doing the same few actions every turn. Is it supposed to be this repetitive? Look at it this way:

What the computer does for me:

• Initiates research projects
• Employs new research items in ships / on planets
• Manages all budgetary decisions
• Builds all planetary improvements
• Builds (and designs) my starfleets

What I do:

• Point my hand in the general direction I want research to flow (very, very general)
• Make minor changes to ship designs (occassionally)
• Make small changes (~20AUs at a time) to budgetary decisions
• Make a few diplomatic arrangements (ran out of options by turn 20)
• Wait for a more interesting option to come available

(I miss having the control available in MOO2!)

Now, I know I could play around with spies, or DEAs, but I want to do something a bit more fun, like wage a war, but I can't reach my opponents (every star around me connects to another star I've already visited, so I can't REACH anyone). To be honest, I'm kind of getting bored.

Everyone keeps talking about the overwhelming amount of info available, but few people have mentioned the lack of specific options the player can take. Is the game going to get more interesting after I have more than 4 planets?

-D

[PaulNAdhe]

You have 4 planets?

I have 5 at turn 100. I've just sent out my first scraggly assed starship fleet.

The vast majority of those 100 turns was just hitting the 'Turn' button. I didn't even get to build Hydroponic Farms or Soil Enrichment, they were somehow built and I was informed about it when they were completed. That's a disappointing development.

I always thrilled when the Hydroponic Farm came on line in MOO2; it meant the planet was self sufficient. Now, I don't really know what it means, because each DEA can have one, and I don't know which DEA is building what. It's almost like each planet has 6 mini planets that I can't control.

[vmxa1]

Yes I have mentioned it and I am sure others have, so you are not alone.

[Killazer]

ya.. the game has way TOO much detail. Its like I have to organize a ww2 offensive on the eastern front each time I want to capture a planet lol.

[Zanac]

suggestion

Maybe this would help:

I have no problem with the planetary AIs (I'll need them later in the game, I'm sure) but early on why not allow the player to build everything? Why keep hydroponic farms, for example, a big secret?

I think there may be a bug in that I have never had the option to build any planetary structures (only military) so maybe THATS where those options are supposed to be... hmmm....


-D

[ChaotikVisions]

You manage the empire wide budget for research/military/unrest/planet development. You also manage research settings, though when playing with AI on they will try to change it by a % now and then. You can also change planet budget settings, the AI will however gradually change it do what they feel is best. I'd recommmend turning the AI off once all the regions are developed.

The AI seems to do a good job in that reguard, taking away some of the tedious stuff. But I like to priorotize military alot, or terraforming once I get the techs. As for planetary buildsings, you do have some control over building them. The "Normal Economic Growth" slider is the budget to develop those. Higher funds=developed faster. I don't think controlling it on a tell it to build it level would have been better, considering many improvements can be placed on multiple regions.

Planetary buildings are ones that affect things on a wider scale. Like the Astro University improving several DEAs affects, your System/Imperial Seat of Goverment helping unrest/taxes, Decomposition Center helping pollution, etc...

Also, you say it designs your starfleets automatically? I think I remember being asked that the first game and declining, guess its defaulted to off since. Or did you just mean auto-build? I think its better to personally design ships, but as some have said more feedback in combat would be nice in helping to shape the designs.
So anyway, i'd manage your planets yourself and use the AIs to help develop and ease the management a bit.

Of course, not everyone may like this. I've been enjoying it and i'm even writing a little story amount my current one. But to the point, there seems to be a tendency to just let the AI do what it wants and work with it. I say get it doing what you want so it works with you. If that makes any sense, I tend to ramble on alot.

[PaulNAdhe]

I understand that the Hydroponic Farms and Soil Enrichment apply to each DEA and that I'm not required to start construciton on those.

And I understand that certain improvements are planet wide, Astro University, and I don't need to initiate their construction.

In fact, I'd grown used to not even checking the Planet tab of the Planet screen. But, then for some odd reason I did click that screen and found there was some new tech that I could build, but the AI hadn't started it. When I looked at the other pitiful planets, they had started that new tech.

Now, why didn't that planet start that tech and the others did?

This is not comforting.