I am trying to get into the game once more - I love the vision of creating your own unique Scifi story, I can see that there is an enormous amount of depth, the atmosphere is truly inspiring - huge kudos to the music artist! BUT also the game is different enough from other games for a new player to start. Yes, I am reading the manual, it's extensive, but somehow it doesn't help me a lot - and I try searching for key words like "Industrial Points" to no avail.
So if you don't mind I would like to ask few questions:
Is there a working discord? Found one on Slitherine discord, but it's dead
How do I earn IP (Industrial Points)?
I guess there isn't a shortcut to the in-game help?
I am trying to construct, but when I click the end of the arrow, nothing happens. What I am doing wrong?
Also, simultaneously I am trying to construct a transportation hub but I guess I am not allowed because of IP points?
How do I fight? Should I stack my forces into one hex and "bonzai" or it works more like in classic wargames?
Thank you in advance for your time and patience with a n00b!
You gain ip from service tax on your civilian population, public and private industry. Public industry is gatekeep by its enormous amount of metal required to reach level 3 where its efficient. Unto, then, focus on exploiting free folk villages in the waste and raise your culture/city level to have them migrate. Sell enough food, water and oil to your traders to lower the price index so the cities can attract more free folks with luxury goods.
Reports tab the there's a help tab on the far right to see some tips in the game.
You can only build truck stations as transportation hubs are privately built by funding thr city. Bu selling enough rare metals at the start to get 500 credits, you can nationalize the hub into a public truck station and upgrade it.
You should use the same units that belong to an OHQ to encircle the enemy and get concentric bonus to attack score to hit hard than just to throw all 5 units from one hex.
Starfry is mostly spot on. How to fight requires a complex answer as it's broad so I'll add to it.
Firstly, recon is key. You will get more accurate odds and your troops will perform better, aiming for 400 is a good idea for important battles.
It's a good idea to attack repeatedly the same units, particularly good, expensive units. This is because it decrease morale every time. Once morale is low enough they will simply surrender. Attacking, and winning at least 4 times in the same turn against the same units has a good chance to trigger it, which is one reason to have high AP tanks.
You can fight with superior troops rolling over masses of inferior units, or you can swarm the enemy.
In the former case the general example is when attacking infantries in plains with your tanks. Unless there's something harder mixed in, like some good RPG (not early game RPG), anti-tank guns, buggies or some good tanks, as long as you don't have big readiness or supplies penalties it will be a one-sided battle. Note that tanks attacking in forests, jungle etc won't be the same experience.
Swarming can also work well. Here the number will be crucial. We're talking for exemple infantry attacking infantry, but infantry attacking tanks also work (not just infantries though, I mean it more in the bipedal sense, you would want something to pierce tank armours, so again RPG, ATG, or even some tanks shielded by your infantry. Infantry attacking has a big malus but so does a tank defending!). So, let's say infantry versus infantry. The enemy has 50% more "damage" (soft defense) than yours (soft attack), it's probably entrenched and you get a startup attack penalty for the initial 2 rounds IIRC. You've got to smoothen the odds in your favour here so it doesn't turn ugly. Slightlier better units, like one tier better armour or weapon, you can use the recon in force posture (negates the start up attack penalty but also makes you retreat faster, if you have a clear upper hands it's a big plus to reduce your casualties but it can be a big negative if it triggers an early retreat). Then you would also want to have more numbers (you sort of have to as you can attack from at least 3 hex versus 1), add in some concentric bonus and you have a good recipe to start pushing the enemy lines. As you start pushing you can attack from more hex to trigger a bigger concentric bonus. Note that the key is to have high enough odds to reduce your casualties, it's all about making the enemy retreat quickly.
Starfry wrote: Sat Jul 12, 2025 8:06 am
You gain ip from service tax on your civilian population, public and private industry. Public industry is gatekeep by its enormous amount of metal required to reach level 3 where its efficient. Unto, then, focus on exploiting free folk villages in the waste and raise your culture/city level to have them migrate. Sell enough food, water and oil to your traders to lower the price index so the cities can attract more free folks with luxury goods.
Reports tab the there's a help tab on the far right to see some tips in the game.
You can only build truck stations as transportation hubs are privately built by funding thr city. Bu selling enough rare metals at the start to get 500 credits, you can nationalize the hub into a public truck station and upgrade it.
You should use the same units that belong to an OHQ to encircle the enemy and get concentric bonus to attack score to hit hard than just to throw all 5 units from one hex.
Thank you very much for your comprehensive reply! I didn't even imagine that trade is such a big deal here, though it sounds logical in this setting.
BTW, the discord link does not work
P.S. Just curious how many people still play the game? I know that many have bought, all my friends actually, but no one I know progressed further than few hours
Thrake wrote: Sat Jul 12, 2025 9:44 am
Starfry is mostly spot on. How to fight requires a complex answer as it's broad so I'll add to it.
Firstly, recon is key. You will get more accurate odds and your troops will perform better, aiming for 400 is a good idea for important battles.
It's a good idea to attack repeatedly the same units, particularly good, expensive units. This is because it decrease morale every time. Once morale is low enough they will simply surrender. Attacking, and winning at least 4 times in the same turn against the same units has a good chance to trigger it, which is one reason to have high AP tanks.
You can fight with superior troops rolling over masses of inferior units, or you can swarm the enemy.
In the former case the general example is when attacking infantries in plains with your tanks. Unless there's something harder mixed in, like some good RPG (not early game RPG), anti-tank guns, buggies or some good tanks, as long as you don't have big readiness or supplies penalties it will be a one-sided battle. Note that tanks attacking in forests, jungle etc won't be the same experience.
Swarming can also work well. Here the number will be crucial. We're talking for exemple infantry attacking infantry, but infantry attacking tanks also work (not just infantries though, I mean it more in the bipedal sense, you would want something to pierce tank armours, so again RPG, ATG, or even some tanks shielded by your infantry. Infantry attacking has a big malus but so does a tank defending!). So, let's say infantry versus infantry. The enemy has 50% more "damage" (soft defense) than yours (soft attack), it's probably entrenched and you get a startup attack penalty for the initial 2 rounds IIRC. You've got to smoothen the odds in your favour here so it doesn't turn ugly. Slightlier better units, like one tier better armour or weapon, you can use the recon in force posture (negates the start up attack penalty but also makes you retreat faster, if you have a clear upper hands it's a big plus to reduce your casualties but it can be a big negative if it triggers an early retreat). Then you would also want to have more numbers (you sort of have to as you can attack from at least 3 hex versus 1), add in some concentric bonus and you have a good recipe to start pushing the enemy lines. As you start pushing you can attack from more hex to trigger a bigger concentric bonus. Note that the key is to have high enough odds to reduce your casualties, it's all about making the enemy retreat quickly.
Thank you very much for the detailed overview of strategies! It sounds like a wargame proper, I am very glad the game dev did so much work in this are, not only in economy and social/political levels
Does Shadow Empire has DNR of Decisive Campaigns? I mean it looks like the dev is the same, so it could be that the engine and war mechanics are the same too?
Cannon_Jackal wrote: Sat Jul 12, 2025 12:01 pm
Thank you very much for your comprehensive reply! I didn't even imagine that trade is such a big deal here, though it sounds logical in this setting.
BTW, the discord link does not work
P.S. Just curious how many people still play the game? I know that many have bought, all my friends actually, but no one I know progressed further than few hours
