Beating the AI

[joliverlay]

I think I've figured out how to beat the AI.

1. Arm Mining Stations.
2. Refit construction ships with weapons/defenses.
3. Speed research on high tech nearest completion to free up slots for advanced colonization.
4. Colonize everything in sight.
5. Build ONLY small space ports and 8 warships.
6. Don't spend money on anything except pushing research to get ability to colonize everything.

I get into an exponential growth phase were I can go from middle of the pack to 50% of the economy of the entire galaxy pretty easily.

I've done this 2X in a row and in a couple of evenings I get to where I have 500,000 surplus cash and an income of 200,000. It gets kind of boring now.

[Wade1000]

AI should be designed to adjust to player adjustments. AI should be designed to use adjusted designs similiar to what a player might use.

[aVoided]

I find this this a little strange. The highest empire I have ever managed is 120 planets and even thriving and not at war I always always always get revolution splits. Have no idea what I'm doing wrong but it happens every game... I pretty much plan for it to happen every time. I don't have planets rebelling. I don't have any unhappy planets due to high luxury stock / transport. I just don't get it.. If you can manage to colonize everything in sight and keep it under control I'm pretty amazed because even when I'm thriving and everyone is supposedly happy I get empire splits every time.

[Fishman]

The revolution splits are due to the AI "Incite Revolution" action, which works WAY too often, and has no defense or counter. It is EXTREMELY ANNOYING, given the horrible load times and the fact that when this happens, it is an instant game-over as the entire mess becomes impossible to clean up.

[Cindar]

I've never had it become a game ender (though it does take 1/4-1/3rd of my economy away for a few months). Make sure your population is inherently pretty happy, from race advantages/luxuries/recreational facilities. I generally just switch right back to what I had before and continue on my way. I also have 3-4 agents with 400 skill permanently set on counter intelligence, which foils a lot of things.

It is a PITA, though. A 200 colony empire should not have its entire system of governement vulnerable to 1 jackass agent from a 2 colony empire who wants to start a revolution. And you can never be 100% defended, which is a problem when 15 different Empires all hate you and are sending 5 agents a month at you. One always gets through eventually.

[Fishman]

The economy thing is merely a nuisance. What becomes a game-ender is when they dogpile and 3 or 4 get through at once, which blows up the entire empire, game over. Not to mention the aggravation involved in having the computer randomly change your settings. Of course, the COMPUTER is mostly immune to this because his government is ALREADY random.

[Kamonrius]

This is why you set at least 4-6 of your agents to enact counter intelligence missions indefinently. keeps other races from screwing with your empire as much as they would normally.
 
Ships protect your space and planets.
 
Agents protect your Empire.

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: Fishman
The revolution splits are due to the AI "Incite Revolution" action, which works WAY too often, and has no defense or counter. It is EXTREMELY ANNOYING, given the horrible load times and the fact that when this happens, it is an instant game-over as the entire mess becomes impossible to clean up.

This is not actually the case - the espionage mission cannot cause a civil war. Either there was another cause or there is a bug.

[Fishman]

ORIGINAL: Kamonrius

This is why you set at least 4-6 of your agents to enact counter intelligence missions indefinently. keeps other races from screwing with your empire as much as they would normally.

Yeah, that doesn't work. You can always build more ships, but 10 agents is like attempting to bail out the Titanic with a teaspoon.

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

This is not actually the case - the espionage mission cannot cause a civil war. Either there was another cause or there is a bug.

Whether it causes it directly or indirectly, colonies can instantly secede when an empire that was configured correctly is suddenly trashed like this. This mission should really become difficult to impossible against large empires and require WAY more than one month to a year to pull off. Even overthrowing the government of a small third-world nation in a year would be a real feat. Trying this on even a midsize country is impossible.

Additionally, this is supremely annoying because there is absolutely no way for the player to FIX it without guaranteeing that the empire definitely explodes if it hasn't already.

[OberonDark]

ORIGINAL: Cindar

It is a PITA, though. A 200 colony empire should not have its entire system of governement vulnerable to 1 jackass agent from a 2 colony empire who wants to start a revolution.

But...That's what they do in the movies...

[Fishman]

ORIGINAL: OberonDark
But...That's what they do in the movies...

No, they don't. Star Wars was the story of a rebellion that was already in progress, instigated by (the player's) change of government from Republic to Despotism, not a rebellion instigated in an empire that was largely satisfied with positive morale, by a jackass paid by some two-bit backwater empire-wannabe. There is no movie where an agent of a third-world nation overthrows the government of a superpower. Even the Manchurean Candidate had to work within the existing governmental system.

If anything, a more USEFUL version of that mission that is less aggravating would be one that changes the dominant race of an empire, particularly if the dominant race of the empire is actually a minority and the empire is a democratic government. More useful the player, and less annoying. I have an empire where the population is in the 800B range, but my dominant race constitutes only 30M of that.

[BigWolfChris]

I think incite rebellion should only have an effect on a already rebelling planet
Basically where they are in the phase "should we or shouldn't we?"
Then give it a % chance based on how unhappy they are, the more unhappy the more likely of a revolt... also, if it will then spread to other planets, limit it too within X distance of that system

[Antario]

i use the rebellions as a way to expand my empire, and yes....it works FAR to much to really be balanced

i once destroyed an entire empire with it :S