Revisiting the Korx and the Thalan

the minor races' ships are so weak. I play on the beta on cripping, they keep getting wiped out. It is like they are there to satisfy the other major races' egos. If the races are not warring with each other, they beat up on the minor races, or me. but then since i am not a minor race, i can provide resistance.

The other thing that i don't get is..random event would pop up and state: our spies working with minor race X to get all of the techs from nother major races, they want to trade it for star systems. For one thing, this is not realistic, regardless of how valuable a tech is, it is not worth a single planet or an entire star system. It would be more appropiate if they ask something like cash in return for trade or ships. Another thing is, even if i don't trade with them, 50 turns later, the same minor race gets wiped out. One would expect that they should be able to develop respectable military strength to put up an interesting fight to a point, they might be a major thorn to other races' continual development.

I agree. That's what I addressed tonight.

Is this in the latest patch... or coming soon?

~ Wyndstar

This is looking like the best expansion I've seen for a game. Thank you for everything you've put into it, and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Are there any balance changes being made to the races' (Thalan specifically) tech trees? It's be a pity if they were left as clearly the weakest race in the majority of galaxy settings, since they are also one of the most interesting races. There has been a lot posted on the relative weakness of the Thalans in the Beta Reports forum, btw, if you haven't seen it and it is something that interests you.

frogboy, you are awesome.

Now when the tech editor comes out, maybe someone can creat a ship that can lauch fighters, and modify the terror star tech so that there will be orbital bombardment.

This all sounds really great, and the fix to AI planet improving should have a monumental impact on the quality of AI play. I wouldn't be surprised to find myself getting kicked all over the map on "tough" after this.

Frogboy, can you also add the following minor detail. If ever we make contact with a minor race, before it gets wiped out, do what the major races do, get it to send you a moving goodbye message. like "we have decide to surrender to race X whose compassion will treat our conquered well.. blah, blah". Every major race does it. But of course, with the drengin, it always give you a slicker smile regardless if it is getting beaten up or making real/empty threat.

Vinraith, how do you succeed beyond tough difficulty. i play on crippling as Korath, but the Kyrnn hates me, i am their number one enemy everytime. they don't manage to conquer me, but i can't beat them either. So me and the computer are even. I learned that before they come conquer my planet, if i can't defend it, i destroy the colony totally.

Vinraith no doubt has many good pointers, but I would actually recommend reading through the message board archive here. Between the AARs and Strategy threads there are three hint books worth of information on how to succeed at the top levels already written. Often with detailed screen shots and even save games for you to download and study.

~ Wyndstar

I'm the last person you want advice from, Wyndstar's already pointed you in the right direction. In answer to your question, I don't succeed beyond "tough." I play DA at tough and it provides an excellent challenge, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. I haven't played much of the TA beta, but based on what Brad's talked about with the AI I suspect I'm going to have to drop several levels of difficulty to stand a chance, which is all I was saying.

Destroying a colony that might be useful to you might be go a bit overboard, especially as it can't even be recolonized. Currently I play on obscene, and its not very hard as long as you isolate yourself a little and play on somewhat large maps, and tech-trade is what allows you to compete with AI several times stronger than you, because you only have to research 1 technology for every 5 you get. The little research you do have to do is then financed by the minor races.

Problem with my games is that, i always go for mini techs right off the bat, because i know that the AI will be way ahead of me militarily, so the only thing i hope i can counter them with is being able to put lots and lots of stuff into a ship. However, because the AI end up researching faster than me in terms of weapon tech, i end up losing big time from a military point of view. I know how to keep my peopel happy, but then the AI will just keep sending troop transports for a few terms to grind down my economy. later on in games, AI would develop patrol fleets to ensure i will not be able to have one single ship in existence to put any kind of meager defenses against their transports. I remember when i try to have a ship with like 10 movement points and a lot of missile defense tech to counter their missile offenses. The AI chased me with 2 of their fleet from one end of the map to the other end.

by the way, where are the strategy guide for playing at higher levels.

I always wanted to have some sort of a middle-tier Minor race(s) edge (somehow)... looks like i will actually get it with the new revamped algorithm(s).
This may even mean that the X-Worlds' Ducks would start rushing out to space like crazy wrecking Eagles.
Yeah. And, re-Yeah for the newly enhanced Minors.

Brad's changes aren't in the final beta.  You'll have to wait until the game is released to the general public.

 

Figure it's waaay too late for this, but figured I'd throw it out there. I know the minor races have their own tech trees now, but has any thought been given to giving them a couple unique, desirable, high-tier, tradeable techs? I suspect the minors, even buffed, will be eyed as quick potential takeovers, and while that should definitely be an option, it could be interesting to have some motivation to keep them around as allies so that later on, they could provide you with techs that otherwise might not be available.

Just a thought

That's a really great idea, actually.

I found some serious logic issues with the AI planetary improvements that would lead AI players to not build up planets at all. Serious issue.

Tonight I'm working on having more distinct strategies. More variety in game play styles.

it would be nice if one of the major races would use the minor races as pawns to declare war on a player, and then the major race would come do the mop up work, or the minor race would manipulate the major races to do the same. I would love to be defeated by a minor race.

Some suggestions for improving the AI:

(1) Don't Waste the Start of Game Money/Capital
The biggest mistake the AI makes is it spends its start of game money/capital as fast as it can rather than saving most of it for funding its early empire that will be running with a deficit. I set spending at 100% but set my taxes low to keep morale at 100% on all or most of my planets to grow my population at twice the rate. I won't buy colony ships but will buy a factory or lab on a 300% or greater bonus square but the rest is saved for funding my early empires spending. As my morale bonus increases from morale techs and starbases mining morale resources, I raise taxes. When I run out of money then I raise taxes and with my large population (by this point I'm passing even the Super Breeder on level Suicide), my economy shoots past the AIs.
Detailed Suicide Medium Map DA AAR!
Population Graph

(2) Design Cheap Colony, Constructors, and Space Miners
In the original DL and in DA, I use small hulls for my colony, constructors, and space miners, until I reach miniaturization 25%, at which point I use tiny hulls. In ToA I'm forced to use cargo hulls until I unlock small hulls.

(3) No Armed 1HP Cargo Hull Planetary Defenders
In ToA I see the AI building armed 1HP cargo hull constructors and space miners. 1HP cargo hull based planetary defenders are more expensive and more fragile than small or tiny hull based combat ships.

(4) No Planetary Defenders with Defenses but No Weapons
I've also seen planetary defenders loaded with lots of defenses but no weapons. Without weapons the planetary defender can't defeat an armed ship. Adding the defenses just increases the cost of the ship but it still will only block non-armed ships. A cheaper non-armed blocked would be an empty tiny hull ship.


Colony List Not Updated After a Change on a Planet
From the colony list, select a planet, switched to the planet, make a change, and return to the colony list. The change won't be reflected on the colony list. You must exit the colony list and re-enter to see the change.


I was invited by Scott "Boogiebac" Tykoski in an e-mail on the 16th to participate in the gamma testing which I of course responsed, YES! I'm still waiting for word from Scott or Cari, on how to access the gamma release!

Paul D. (aka Mascrinthus)

In my current game, the Snathi actually are deadly. I am far ahead on tech (compared to the other major civs) but still, the Snathi are the only ones that can build battleships, and their weapons and defenses would be enough to kill all the other civs. What's worse...I am sweeping the floor with the Drengins, but now the Snathi have decided to trade their battleships to the Drengins. Lucky for me, they are on the other side of an immense galaxy, so I wont have to deal with them for a while. Better kill off those Drengins before they get here

it would be an interesting event if one of the minor races makes a huge break through in science and moves up to compete with all the bigger races in the galaxy.