Super Dominator Means Massive Maintenance?

or, How To Achieve Victory By Donating To The Enemy's War Effort

from GalCiv2 Forums

I've been itching to get some real burning and pillaging going on, so I've decided to try playing as Drengin. I started a few really promising games, but I'm having some real difficulties so far, probably due to my very un-Drengin-like tendency to get distracted by lots of shiny non-military techs. This has often led to not having much of a military when the AI suddenly decides it doesn't like giving me money listening to my witty banter anymore, such as when I was attacked by the Krynn and the Altarians joined in right away and blew up all my ships and I got the UN to call them off and they attacked again the next turn and got the Thalans to help out too, and then in the next game the Altarians attacked and the Thalans came tagged along with them, and then there was that time when the Krynn showed up and I was actually able to fight back, but then the Altarians showed up with some sort of laser-encrusted death frigate...

Anyway, I think I may have that particular problem solved. I started a new game, researched military techs much earlier, and was much better prepared when I was attacked by the Torians and, to my great astonishment, the krantz-plorking Altarian slime-dogs. I think the Arceans might have joined in as well, but nobody cares about them.

Things didn't exactly go easily, especially when massive fleets of Torian fighters began to swarm about my empire like so many Cordillian Doom Flies, but the Altarians eventually backed off when they were attacked by the Krynn. (who had obviously intended to attack me, but they must have clicked on the wrong name by mistake) Eventually I managed to get enough medium cruisers in the same general location to swat down the Torians, and though repeated invasion attempts had threatened to cripple my economy, I fielded enough of them to push back the Torians and soften them up for the inevitable invasion.

Then the Drath declared war on me. From the other side of the galaxy. And the game gave me approximately eleventy-bajillion Super Dominator Corvettes. This, of course, is super awesome, but the maintenance on all those ships is killing my economy. I have to set spending below 20% just to break even, which means no transports for the invasion and no more Fly Swatters for the Torian Front.

So my question is this: When you play Drengin, how do you manage the sudden and sometimes unpredictable spikes in maintenance costs? Temporarily halt all spending? Keep a bigger economic cushion? Suicide rush on whoever dared declare war without your permission? Fervent prayers to the anomaly gods?

I really like the basic mechanic of this super ability, but it seems a little odd that the AI could bankrupt you instantly and unexpectedly just with simultaneous war declarations.

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7,914 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Super Dominator Corvettes are great for "suicide rushing" enemy ships without defense. That's the best way to spend those ships and bring back your economy, while destroying enemy fleets in the process.

If, for some reason, all enemy ships have defenses, then scrapping them would be best way to get some money back.

In the meantime, if you need transports or something, just decrease science and social spending, so that whatever that gets spent goes to military (focus buttons helps too).

Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

You could also do the opposite, decreasing military spending as much as possible on all but a few planets, where you build transports. You don't need any other military construction besides that.

You can even decommission factories on a few planets and build econ buildings instead.

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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

It would be best if you simply used the Super Dominator Covettes ASAP before they send your economy into bankcrupcy against the enemy. Or better yet, dimantle the extra Super dominator corvettes you dont need after you attack the enemy and instead build stronger ships.

Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Or sell them?  Make some cash and solve your problem?

Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Early on in the game, when the number of ships is small, it provides a good boost for that early rush.  You all of the sudden get 5-6 ships out of no-where that are just about as good as you would make normally.  Later on, they make good "Decoy" ships in that the enemy will try and destroy them while you do other stuff.  Spread them out so that they spend a good long time tracking them down.  After they are done "kicking the corpses" you have had weeks and weeks building up for the "Round Two".

Also, they make really good planet blockers as you put one in orbit of each of your planet and the enemy can't send un-escorted transports to visit. 

Other than that, definitely cash them in directly after they spawn.  You can select them all and "En Mass" decomission them for some nice "Going to War" cash. 

If you want a real "Smash And Burn" feeling, play the Korath.  There is nothing quite so satisfying as dropping 10 spore ships on 10 planets all in one turn, totally hosing the enemy.  Follow them up with your troop transporters and assuming you have the tech to excell in radiated environments, you can rock and roll over an entire empire in no time.