Extreme Difficulty Shadows After Action Report

[Icemania]

Hi All:

For new players I'd like to present an After Action Report based on my currently preferred settings for a "fun" game. I'd encourage sharing of ideas from experienced players also.

• Normal Empire Age of Shadows
• Irregular, 1400 Stars, 10 x 10 Sectors
• PreWarp Expansion, Extreme Difficulty, Difficulty Scales Near Victory
• Restless Aggression
• Very Many Pirates, Nearby Distance, No Respawn
• Many Space Creatures
• Expensive Research
• Occasional Colonies, Scattered Independent Life
• Ikkuro, Democracy
• Excellent Homeworld, Starting, Pre-Warp, Normal Corruption, Centre
• 19 Empires, Excellent Homeworld, Pre-Warp
• Victory Threshold reduced to 75%, conditions reduced to 25% for Territory, Population and Economy

Also:
• Biases file changed for Ikkuro only e.g. Bugs really hate me (set to -40), Neutral races dislike me (i.e. 0's become -20's) and races that were slightly
friendly now slightly dislike me(i.e. 5's become -10's).
• All AI Policy files changed to build a lot more large ships ... hopefully!

Feel free to discuss in the thread anytime.

[Icemania]

To start the game I load up my first suite of custom designs and build an Energy Research Station to focus on Energy Research early.

I'm not sure if it helps with Scientist Spawn, but I also build two very small Weapon and High Tech Research Centres, and only then a Small Spaceport. Essential to get the right research going.

Energy Research order is Energy Collectors, Space Construction, Enhanced Construction.

I increase taxes so happiness sits at only +5.

[Icemania]

Started building 3 Explorers and 3 Construction Ships as soon as the Spaceport was complete.

No Scientists spawned at all sadly! So much for that theory ...

[Icemania]

Construction ships build mines for nearby sources of Steel and Caslon etc. Lucky enough to orbit a gas giant which is handy pre-warp.

[Icemania]

Energy Collectors and Space Construction is complete so upgrades to the 2nd set of Standard designs.

Upgrade also to Medium Space Port.

[Icemania]

With some cash in the bank, and system build-up continuing, set the tax rate to 0% to focus on population growth. Will continue to do this whenever sufficient cash is available until Maximum population is reached. Short term pain for long-term gain. The other option would be wait to do this until Gerax Hyperdrive is crash researched.

The Pirates are unusually quiet it seems.

[Icemania]

Wow ... when I moved to the local derelict ship, got a colony ship random event with Hyperdrive also! I'll resist the temptation to use it to start Exploring, or colonise a good Volcanic, and just retire it.

[CrispMPS]

Subbed

[Icemania]

Too slow Mr Giant Kaltor! Found Warp Field Artifact just in time as Enhanced Construction Research is almost done.

[Icemania]

LOL, retiring that Colony Ship led to Warp Field Early!

[Icemania]

Implemented the 3rd round of standard design upgrades with Size 300 and Warp Field available.

[Icemania]

A couple of destroyers to clear the home system of creatures, since it's a really weird game where Pirates still haven't shown up yet!

[Icemania]

Exploration begins with Size 300 Explorers (just a little extra fuel ...). Trying to balance expansion with growth from 0% tax so 6 Explorers and 6 Constructors at this point. I'll build another 6 Explorers shortly though anyway.

[Icemania]

That answers the question ... in the system right next door... move on quickly Explorer and smile! They must have been having a Pirate Party for the last 2 years...

[Icemania]

The best choice ... for a little while anyway ... is to pay them off ... not a huge drain so might not cancel this one immediately after they leave my home system, and given the proximity. They will become an target soon though ...

[Icemania]

Continuing to build bases around the home system and also time for a little more Weapons research in a good location +29%, then retired the original base, and similarly upgraded High Tech research center. Energy research still very dominant however but will need weapons soon enough.

[Icemania]

A lucky break to finally get a Scientist and crash Hyperdrive research. I didn't reload the game once, ever ... promise!

[Icemania]

With a couple of bases in nearby systems, now I have a source for all Strategic resources, lots of Steel in particular, and more Caslon and more on the way.

[Icemania]

Encountered my first Empire. I could Technology Sell Medical Systems and keep 0% tax going but will refuse to use the Technology Selling part of the game.

[Icemania]

So up the taxes go, again targeted +5 happiness, in this case 54% tax rate, and the planet now has 11M citizens, close to double the starting population ... resulting in +$158k cash flow.