Either way it'll probably be a few days before I finish my current game. This time I can beat extreme, I just know it! I think...

Huh. I thought maybe it might be a bug, either that or something related to the version played.

Digging a little deeper you are indeed correct, it's volunteerism at fist 40. But it isn't listed in the profile as far as I can see, you have to look in the encyclopedia.

Speaking of city improvement cards, what governs the militia headquarters one? I've never even seen it before my current game, and it doesn't look like it's connected with any particular profile. Maybe I missed it though.

Interesting, I am not at all averse to good leaders and bonuses. Generally not too accustomed to having a high commerce profile so that should make for a pleasant change of pace too.

I just play with cults because I haven't seen much of a benefit from the syndicate or corporation yet. Maybe after I'm a little more confident in my abilities and looking to mix things up.

Isn't there a point of diminishing returns with field testing? Obviously more is better, but after 70 percent or so it starts getting pretty difficult to increase. Depends on how much fighting you're doing I suppose...

Postures can be fun, although I suspect I'm only scratching the surface with them. Generally it's blitz for tanks and infiltration for infantry, but not much other than that. If you have a really experienced leader the operational headquarters bonuses become truly nuts, if somewhat random.

<t> Not sure I'm in a position to give advice, having only beaten hard once, but a hyper aggressive strategy worked with me. That one game I won I was surrounded by hostiles but that translated into gaining several cities in my early turns. And playing with lower tech levels definitely makes it a ...

I had the same problem a lot. In my case I was able to make the tool bar reappear by clicking on reports. Give that a try if you haven't already.

The turn time is probably my biggest issue at the moment. Air power comes second but I can just play without it.

<t> Isn't it called methyl hydrate? I might be wrong on that... It popped up as the cause of a planetary disaster in one of my favourite anime series, Ergo Proxy, which hypothesized an explosive chain reaction occuring during mining for fuel. I've also read speculation that a natural leak on the ...

At least in the past the odds have been unduly negative as well as positive. Units that have been surrounded in particular (sometimes) turn out to be a piece of cake when the odds suggest otherwise. All part of the fun!

I'm not playing the beta but am on my first game on maximum difficulty, and ouch. Time to start investing in artillery I think (although can I afford the resource cost...).

Interesting. I do mix up what I sell where I can, the price does plummet if it's the same thing turn after turn. Machines, high tech and radioactives also tend to have surplus.

Yeah I don't think I've ever run short of rare metals. Everything else though, heh. I notice after a while they'll stop buying, which can be a pain, but by then hopefully there's efficiency gains to help out.

Now you've got me wondering about Europa. Moon or planetoid I guess, but all the water under the surface makes it a bit more interesting. The vents aren't quite volcanoes exactly but they're kinda close. And maybe even a little life swimming around.

<t> Have you tried selling stuff? I generally find that's a great way to deal with cash shortages, and once they're in hand the profile bonuses are absolutely worth it. Truth be told I didn't quite figure out until I'd been playing for a bit myself. I will say that blackmail seems quite rare, I've ...

Huh that's the one! I thought maybe it was an Alan Dean Foster story for some reason... Anyway I'm sure as the kinks get ironed out air will become a lot more fun. Still tons for me to figure out in the time being.

<t> 100 percent agree. I remember an old science fiction story which posited that faster than light travel actually required only an incredibly basic technology level, and humans had simply been unlucky. What this translated to in real terms were an alien invasion fleet noticing earth didn't have ...