Matrix Games Forums

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.

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.

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 ...

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

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

Upgrade also to Medium Space Port.

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.

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.

Subbed

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

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

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

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!

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.

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...

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 ...

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.

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

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.

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.

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.