Funds through Trading/ Arms dealer

from GalCiv2 Forums
If you have a research advantage over the AI, there's an easy way to secure funding to buy ships/upgrade them. Sell the other civs your obsolete weapons techs, logistics, propulsion and anything else you want to spare. If you have nine enemies on a huge map, you can make an enourmous amount without giving your opponents a measurable advantage.

I've made 100,000cr in a turn using this strategy. I turned around, doubled my military rating and conquered three other civs within about twenty turns. The stategy is also useful in the beginning if you're running a huge deficit.

Another strategy. Some games I become an arms dealer. If your at peace and don't need the military, build advanced ships (somewhat less then your best) and sell them to the AI. If you're far enough ahead they'll pay through the nose for them. You can suck them dry of both credits and influence points. And when you feel like it, you can turn around and bribe them to go to war with each other- so you can later pick up the pieces.

Note that I always put an enourmous priority on research over production. What usually happens is by mid-game I have two/three production worlds building the bulk of my fleet with the rest devoted to research. Small worlds (say class seven or less) or devoted to economy.
strategies
8,866 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I usually can't get enough for my old ships to make up for the cost of the production points needed to build said ship. (Meaning I can get more money by just not building the ship and saving on my economic costs)

However, that doesn't mean that it's not worth it to make such trades. I've found that the best way to be an arms dealer is to trade low-grade (comparitivly) combat vessels with weapons and armor leaning in a certain way (i.e. the way I'm not leaning on my most advanced weapons tech). I then bribe civilizations to go to war with each other, using the ships as bribes. I can also get technologies and pad out the deal with money.

This has two main effects:

1) Enemies start researching weapons that I already have good defenses against, and armors for weapons I don't use.

2) All of the other civs get progressivly weaker, due to the cost of war.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
kumari,

what difficulty level are you playing on? From my experience that would never work on anything maso or above. For one you simply cannot outresearch the AI, and another making your small worlds econ levels is just insanity. I mean if youre going to play on the low levels and use your strat, try making a few big worlds your econ and youll see a huge difference. Then make those small worlds pure production. Now If Im completely off and youre playing suicidal then school me because Id love find another way to play. Your way sounds fun.

Steve
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Steve, you have to be right. That couldn't work on higher levels, smaller maps. Like medium, for which the AI is optimally designed.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top


Small worlds (say class seven or less) or devoted to economy.


Are you crazy? Putting small worlds as money is not that smart. Put the smallest, say 7 and down to research because research is on an empire total, not individual planets.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Are you crazy?


Well not quite. Depends on the legnth of the game played. If playing a longer game economy builds will do fine on smaller planets along with 1 or 2 research. I also don't see that this would work at Maso and up.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I've been playing on painful or crippling lately.

After you get past tough the strategy is harder to pull off. Two caveats: there's usually two or three civs you can still trade with, and it is useful. And around mid-game-- when I need the cash-- I still find that I have a huge tech advantage. Say 33% over the closet rival.

As far as the smaller planets/econ its just because I've never found them useful for anything else. You can't build too much research on them, cause' they just take too long to build without a lot of industry. And production is worthless (unless there are bonus tiles)because its hard to have enough MP for the larger ships.

Last thing, there was only one game I played that the arms dealer thing actually paid off in a big way. Usually my limited production went toward defense so I just hadn't tried it that much when I wrote the "strategy". And um... now that I've tried it a bit more doesn't work so well.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Umm, how does anyone know when "mid-game" is?
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
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Umm, how does anyone know when "mid-game" is?


Well you're supposed to be psychic.

When I say mid-game I'm basing it off the tech-tree. So when the AI has mid-level weapons and you're starting to see some large class ships.

I guess that could be a definition.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Oh and playing large/huge map, standard tech advancement. Uncommon stars, abundant everything else.

I hope that helps clarify.
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
It's the bit after all the planets are taken but before you roll out your military for the final clean up.
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have never had significant cash from trying to sell weapons tech and / or ships to the AI even when I have an 'incredible advantage' in diplomacy. Even if they are at war they offer pittance for a ship. Even if they are begging for help I cant sell them a ship at a decent price.

And I am only at challenging level...
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
In my last game playing on level maso, 9 AI Incredible opponents, gigantic map, everything abundant, and very fast research, tech trading was the only way I could keep up in the first 18 months. Buying weapons tech from the Drengin and selling it to the other 8 AI players was very profitable, up to an including HD Spike Drivers Level 1.