Get good leaders and pump them up with strats

[Sieppo]

Ok so i won my third game on hard difficulty. Still think the game is a bit on easy side with the majors getting confused and pummeled especially by minors in the games I have played. But got to actually enjoy a decent end game with one of the majors before the game ended possibly because of enough land conquered. A shame. I also played on epic tech setting so the AI usually even gets a boost on tech. BUUT was trying to specialize on leaders and formations, formed my first corps and put my best military leader in charge. Gave her an autistic friend to give advice and a personal guard to stay alive. Didn't have any artifacts though but look at this bonus! Definitely worth it.

EDIT: in other games the AI cheats. That is how you usually get some extremely powerful foes end game. I don't think the AI cheats that much in this game, thus it never has given me a huge challenge. They usually declare war with inferior forces or totally halt the invasion after some (even militia) troops are put on the front .

[Sieppo]

Also you can quite quickly get a 100-200% bonus from the SHQ on ALL troops by using a good commanded and an advisor(s).

EDIT: Also notice, that military leaders gain experience quite quickly in even skills they do not originally have. If you attach some tanks into a MG regiment with a leader, they can be a decent tank leader in no time.

[Sieppo]

Also on epic and no tech to start with, my game almost ended in disaster quite quickly when I realized there were no geysers around and I had to build a power plant, then realized I needed oil to keep it running and food/electricity to keep making fuel [:D].. I could have destroyed all my supply and killed all my troops. Was a close one.. Solar panels is probably the most important tech at the beginning of the game.

[demiare]

ORIGINAL: Sieppo

n other games the AI cheats. That is how you usually get some extremely powerful foes end game. I don't think the AI cheats that much in this game, thus it never has given me a huge challenge.

AI cheat A LOT here. Not only they are capable to get whatever they want from research directly but also have free roads. Try to start on a planet with 20-30% mountains and you will see the difference.

Happy for us AI unable to use their advantages to full plus lack power of leaders & stratagems.

ORIGINAL: Sieppo

Solar panels is probably the most important tech at the beginning of the game.

No, it's depend a lot on your starting conditions. Able to open farm terran/xeno-plants? Power plants are all the way. Found several hex with oil nearby? Now they are winning by HUUUGE margin as they're much more efficient in manpower and resources cost.

Have a few geysers around and starting on Tech4? You could try to make a perpetum mobile from Power plant + Synthetic Fuel Plant [:D]

Only if you're playing on something with extreme climate and no life solar panels tech became really important. But still I'm think that in long run Hydroponic + Biofuel + Power plant combo will be more efficient. Will calculate all costs in a day or two

[Foxador]

I've had my uber OHQ give a 28,000% combat bonus several times but that's where the ck2 leader aspect comes into play since there are plenty of other games I've had where my commanders suck really bad.

Like right now I no one that is really good at research and since it's random I'm skipping vital techs that I need. My EC guy is giving me Machinery and Advanced Chemistry without EVER having giving me any Basic tech stuff other than sealed roads. So I can't get any power or civ happiness/score because while my guy can tell me how all about deep core mining and synthetic fuel he doesn't know what a power planet or anything else from basic tech is. It's been crippling my game

[Sieppo]

ORIGINAL: demiare

ORIGINAL: Sieppo

n other games the AI cheats. That is how you usually get some extremely powerful foes end game. I don't think the AI cheats that much in this game, thus it never has given me a huge challenge.

AI cheat A LOT here. Not only they are capable to get whatever they want from research directly but also have free roads. Try to start on a planet with 20-30% mountains and you will see the difference.

Happy for us AI unable to use their advantages to full plus lack power of leaders & stratagems.

ORIGINAL: Sieppo

Solar panels is probably the most important tech at the beginning of the game.

No, it's depend a lot on your starting conditions. Able to open farm terran/xeno-plants? Power plants are all the way. Found several hex with oil nearby? Now they are winning by HUUUGE margin as they're much more efficient in manpower and resources cost.

Yeah this was an Borean "ice" planet so no open farming etc. Also no oil found. Actually havent found oil in any of my games.

[Raagun]

Yeah how about like 2 metal mines per planet sounds? And not mine. And no more ruins in mine half of planet? Boy did it sucked to play without metal. Have MG troops everywhere because cant afford metal for anything else. Have single token light armor unit:D. 1 metal cost 15 creds on market

Just recently build costly Metal Soil Filtration asset and conquered few ruins. Feels like Donald Duck swimming in extra 300 metal. So strategy may be way different depending on start condition.

[demiare]

ORIGINAL: Raagun

Yeah how about like 2 metal mines per planet sounds? And not mine.

Let me guess - 6 billions old planet? [:)]

[Sieppo]

ORIGINAL: Raagun

Yeah how about like 2 metal mines per planet sounds? And not mine. And no more ruins in mine half of planet? Boy did it sucked to play without metal. Have MG troops everywhere because cant afford metal for anything else. Have single token light armor unit:D. 1 metal cost 15 creds on market

Just recently build costly Metal Soil Filtration asset and conquered few ruins. Feels like Donald Duck swimming in extra 300 metal. So strategy may be way different depending on start condition.

Yeah I got my first metal discovery after having 5 cities :'D.. Thought there was something wrong. Was all kinds of metal buying going on since the start [:D]. Luckily I got a large private sector to finance it. But damn, could have had something to do with the difficulty level. Seriously the first metal was like 40 hexes away.