Hey!

Not an easy poll to answer. The starbase maintenance in 1.03 is annoying as heck, and I'm not even spamming starbases. Battlehammers got changed so many times that I'm still getting a handle on their new role, and the maintenance fee on scouts is a minor nusiance. Other than that, I definitely think 1.03 is an improvement, but until I get used to it, I had to say that 1.02 was more fun. That's changing, though.

I voted for 1.02. I do find that there is more money in 1.03 but it does tend to get sucked up once you get a few SBs going. Have to agree with the scout maintenance. Every BC counts in the eary game when you're out looking around.

The thing I like most about 1.03 is the nerfing of the PQ bonus. I saw the potential to get seriously hooked on that to the point of always picking it.

I would like to see the SB maintenance dropped in the next version. I think that the 3X PQ penalty should take care of production pumping and perhaps the AI could be made more aggressive in response to culture bombing.

Has anyone noticed that when you colonize a less than 15 world? The penalty cost associated with it remains even after terreforming it over 15? Also, the influence doesn't get better like the other planets even after it gets over 15 and the ai's usually ignore it even after it gets over 15.

I like the SB maintenence. Maybe cut it to 4 or 3 from 5. But it definitely encourages building up a smaller number of starbases rather than planting 6 in one sector.
But when you get cultural maximizing, you shouldn't get all that stuff to build. Some of it should come later.

I may shut the cultural victory off just to experience another kind. HEHE.

The original setting of moral brought it more into play. It doesn't seem as hard to keep it up at all.

But I still think the game is great.