Trigger of the Shakturi [SPOILERS]

[torrenal]

I'm trying to get a respectible story-game of RoTS going, and not having much luck.
How it's worked out twice so far is:
1) I spread a trade empire across the galaxy.
2) I start muscling out smaller empires (hostile takovers)
3) Shakturi appear. Since they are an, ahem 'smaller empire', they get targeted next.

Is there a way to trigger their appearance earlier in the game? I'd like for them to appear while I'm still trying to consolidate my merchant power, because after that, the game is all over but for some shooting.
//Torrenal

[cookie monster]

You should edit your thread title to SPOILERS INSIDE.

So as not to spoil the surprise for the new players.

In my games they Shakturi have appeared when I was tech level 5-6.

I guess a cheaper tech cost would speed up their arrival.

When they did arrive they shared a system with another 20,000 military strength AI empire. They went to war and the Shakturi gained/lost then regained the disputed colony.

They was then at war with a 60,000 MS strong AI empire, who couldn't even remove their two colonies from the game.

The AI is baaaaaaaaddd.

[torrenal]

Dang nabbit... I like slow tech development... saves me from retooling my ships every 30 seconds.
//Torrenal

[Data]

Cookie, do you still have a save game before reaching tech level 5-6? I wonder if replaying it and using the editor to get your tech level below 5 again will prevent the shakturi from appearing; if so, we'd know that this is the condition required that triggers their arrival.
There are many players that reach a very late stage in the game and never see the shakturi but they didn't mention the tech level either, I guess we could presume they are already on the highest level.

[jkrook]

First time poster, long term lurker.

I got a feeling it is based on the overall tech of the entire universe. I played a game as the Quameno, had all of the techs, was miserly in giving them out. Would build mining stations in other empires systems and sell them back for tech to get everything. Shakturi still haven't shown.

Now playing a game with the Ikkuro, friends with everyone, sharing techs, stomping out the insect races and they show up well before I've finished the tech tree. I've been much more egalitarian with my techs on this game.

By the way, I love this game. I've been gaming for years. This is what MOO3 should of been. Even though the AI isn't that smart, there is plenty to do and plenty to keep one busy and entertained. I've been playing it for the last two months and am still learning things about the game. Keep it up Matrix, good job.

I've got some questions I'll post on another thread.

[ehsumrell1]

ORIGINAL: jkrook

By the way, I love this game. I've been gaming for years. This is what MOO3 should of been. Even though the AI isn't that smart, there is plenty to do and plenty to keep one busy and entertained. I've been playing it for the last two months and am still learning things about the game. Keep it up Matrix, good job.

Glad to hear it jkrook. Try Alex's Super AI Mod for DW and tell us what you
think afterward. [:)]

D/L here >> http://www.filefrisk.com/download/super_ai_v0_5.zip

[tjhkkr]

I just recently had the Shakturi -- A.K.A. the Empire come into my game. They were tough... they had only a few systems, but digging them out is proving an interesting task...

[cookie monster]

ORIGINAL: tjhkkr

I just recently had the Shakturi -- A.K.A. the Empire come into my game. They were tough... they had only a few systems, but digging them out is proving an interesting task...

Really?

Don't you have 600 troops you can drop on them?

It was laughable in my last game how they went to war with much more powerful AI empires and were not squashed.

[Data]

Maybe they infiltrate and subvert, increase the war weariness and rebellions and such

[Nuclearmonkee]

I still haven't seen the buggers at all.

First game, I won relatively quickly.
Last game I made the difficulty conditions much higher, eventually grabbed the Ancient Guardian HW and conquered everyone else with their ships. Never saw the Shakturi.

They hiding or something??? [&:][&:]

[Data]

Welcome to the forum, I think they are as frequent as a nuclear monkee [:)]
Seriously now, since you finished the games and never saw them that is indeed strange, maybe it's time we open a thread in the tech support section and upload a couple of saves; maybe Elliot will clarify this on his next bug squashing run.

[tjhkkr]

* No Spoilers here, just technical stuff *

The other thing: for months I had set the Shakturi as the 'Empire' and the Rebellion as the 'mechnoids' and the events would not trigger. Make sure that if you want the events of the game to trigger, that you use the names given by CodeForce. I am not sure if it is driven entirely by the names, or if it is driven by the record number of the race file. Perhaps Erik can let us know... but until then, leave the names the same, and their record positions in the races.txt where CodeForce placed them...
I still use the images of the Empire and Rebellion for those two, so that can be changed, and I changed the parameters of the races, but the names have to be intact for the events to work

[Data]

good info, tj

[James1234]

Heya guys,
 
Jus wanted to add my 2 pennys worth, i recently had my 1st encounter with the Shakturi while playing with the Zenox on a technocracy government, dont ask me the galaxy settings, think it were set to large. But anyway, the point is iv playing a while and not seen these guys once, i had prepared for their discovery but nothing. Then in this new game they show up only a few years into the game, me, totally unprepared and definitely not ready for war on large scale. I was like "OMG im stuffed!" the game progressed for a while until they showed themselves and started to bully my allies. My tech level wasnt very high either and thought that it played apart in their discovery/arrival but apparently not. The game itself jus got very chaotic i lost alot of territory and subsequently alot of military strength.
 
I jus wondered if anyone has encountered them at this stage before?

[tjhkkr]

EGad!
No.
Did you get any assistance from the Mechnoids?

[Spacecadet]

ORIGINAL: Nuclearmonkee

I still haven't seen the buggers at all.

First game, I won relatively quickly.
Last game I made the difficulty conditions much higher, eventually grabbed the Ancient Guardian HW and conquered everyone else with their ships. Never saw the Shakturi.

They hiding or something??? [&:][&:]

If you conquer the Guardians, you probably won't see the Shakturi as they are part of the Shakturi trigger.
Besides, if you taking out the Guardians you're essentially playing on the Shakturi side.

If I recall correctly, there are three primary triggers for the Shakturi:
Game progression in years - they should show up after x years if other conditions don't trigger them.
Portion of the Galaxy explored/colonized (don't remember exactly which it is).
The third trigger I don't remember right off - it could be Tech level, but I don't believe it is . . .

Of course, for the Shakturi to show up, you must have them enabled in the game setup too.

If you trigger any of the Victory Conditions of the game setup, you can win the game before any of the other events to trigger the Shakturi to show up happen.
I usually set my Victory Conditions at approx. 75% for all three options.

As a final note, you can also win the game via Victory Conditions even after the Shakturi have shown up.
Their Victory Condition doesn't (at least it didn't in earlier versions) supercede your's until they they reveal themselves.

I may have posted the third Shakturi trigger in another post somewhere, but it's been quite some time ago.

[Spacecadet]

ORIGINAL: tjhkkr

* No Spoilers here, just technical stuff *

The other thing: for months I had set the Shakturi as the 'Empire' and the Rebellion as the 'mechnoids' and the events would not trigger. Make sure that if you want the events of the game to trigger, that you use the names given by CodeForce. I am not sure if it is driven entirely by the names, or if it is driven by the record number of the race file. Perhaps Erik can let us know... but until then, leave the names the same, and their record positions in the races.txt where CodeForce placed them...
I still use the images of the Empire and Rebellion for those two, so that can be changed, and I changed the parameters of the races, but the names have to be intact for the events to work

Hmmm, I thought this was brought up around release time, but there is another setting (or two) in the files that I think affect the Shakturi, so I would think you should be able to name them as you please.

I'll post it if I run across it again.

[Data]

I do think the third one is the tech level but I'm not sure either as I've not played in a while

[Spacecadet]

ORIGINAL: Data

I do think the third one is the tech level but I'm not sure either as I've not played in a while

Yeah, I went back through some of my older posts and the third one is Tech.

I believe it's the Galaxy Tech level though and not just the player's Tech level.

[Kayoz]

ORIGINAL: Spacecadet


If you conquer the Guardians, you probably won't see the Shakturi as they are part of the Shakturi trigger.
Besides, if you taking out the Guardians you're essentially playing on the Shakturi side.

You sure about this one? I'm pretty sure I've taken out the AG and still had the Shak show up later on.