Midgame Report II

Drath vs Thalan & Arcean

from GalCiv2 Forums
Alright, this seemed slightly popular before and I figure it'll help me figure out what's up.

Game Setup
Everything's set to Abundant that can be, stars are Scattered, and research is Very Fast. Difficulty is set to Normal. I think the Thalans still have the +10% Planet Quality ability that I picked up while playing them; not sure as to government but I'd bet the Thalans are using Technologists and the Arceans are Populist. I picked up Planet Quality +10% with my extra points. Givernment's Federalist to help with my economy.

Beginning
The game set us up painfully- at least for me as the Drath. The Thalans got the far corner, and a huge section of the map. I got just off a corner, the Arceans were right next door. Distribution of planets- Arceans have five, Thalans have six, I have... two. However- I get a bit of luck. There's an econ resource just off my home planet. Juuust within the range of a freshly-launched Constructor.

Early Game
The homeworld gets an array of Factories, Markets, and Basic Labs, with space left for whatever I need. With the Thalans and the Arceans on the map I'm expecting to end up in an Influence war. Set my flagship to Autoexplore and Autosurvey- it decides to just explore and ignore the surveying for a while. Joy. Grab the PQ 7 planet in the corner, buy another colony ship. I'm in the lower left corner, I need to head up and to the right if I want to survive. First order of business, Xeno Research. Next we'll work on Communications, Basic Logistics, and Impulse Drive.

With Impulse Drive available, I build new colony ships. Speed across the map and grab a couple more planets- nothing above PQ 12 though. I ignore PQ 5 or lower for the moment- I need the most of the best planets. Checking my exploring/surveying flaghship's path, I find a PQ 16 on the border of Arcean/Thalan space. You won't mind if I grab that will you? Didn't think so. Ack- just out of range. General Life Support, upgrade the colony ships, grab it. Meanwhile I've expanded. I've got seven planets now with room to grow. Another one near the PQ 16 one.

Morale's low- that's not good. I'm trying to balance growth, morale, and income and it isn't working so well. I can't sustain 100% productivity. Not yet at least. Make sure every world has entertainment or an embassy, or both. PQ 6 planet gets turned into an Influence mine- Factory, Starport, Embassy, Entertainment, Farm.

Arceans appear to be in shock- they're in the lead with their treasury and their approval- but they haven't moved. They're surrounded, all the viable systems nearby have been grabbed- I think they're out of the picture. Might see what they think of an Influence Starbase next to the corner store. Thalans grabbed a PQ 11 planet I wanted before I could get at it- fortunately I have the other in the system. I'm sitting in a good position I think- assuming I can stay in the game. Second Econ resource is found and mined- and I've got an Influence resource and a Research resource within easy reach.

Trade's set up with the Thalans- they don't seem to like me at the moment due to a 'good' moral choice I made. I'm still mostly Neutral. More trade will help that I think. They're well ahead militarily but that's because I haven't been able to afford buying factories so my starbases are just coming online now. I've committed to the Missile branch, so we'll see how that goes. May replace/reinforce my Deterrent ships with Missile Boats to keep things friendly. I've little doubt this will be an influence war. Maybe I can blindside the computer with an alliance victory.

With most planets colonized I'm shifting production- I'll go with 1 Deterrent per planet first, then start looking at Starbases everywhere. Since I've got Constructors with twin Impulse drives, I should have no trouble getting those set up fast. Just a matter of if it'll be too fast. UP vote gave me two extra trade routes. I'm sure I'll put them to use.

Opinions?
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Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Mid-Game
As I'm preparing to grab onto more resources I realize the Thalans have grabbed them- a Military and a Research. However, I found another Influence already in my..er.. sphere of influence. As I begin churning out a steady stream of Constructors and setting up Starbases, I realize the Thalans have dropped two Influence starbases in my territory- neither within reach of their own worlds. So, they want to play...

A vote in the United Planets shifted things my direction real hard, as the Arceans and I teamed up to demand Stellar Democracies. I don't know the Thalan approval situation at that point, but it was a kick-start to my economy. Suddenly my planets were in overdrive. I started setting up Economy and Influence starbases, including one just on my side of the line from the Arcean homeworld. They didn't seem to care- but then, from what I could tell they gave up early on. They had their two planets, one scout ship, and their flagship. Nothing else on the map flew the flag of the Arceans.

As I dropped Influence starbases and built up a happy population, the Thalans seemed to switch tactics. They gave up developing influence and shifted gears to military. Unfortunately for them I'd been watching this line as well, and while they stayed ahead of me militarily I wasn't far behind. Deterrents (Beam 1 Tiny), Deterrent IIs (Missile 2 Tiny), and then Skiprays (Missile 4 Small) were soon in orbit around all my planets. With my borders more than secure I started building up until I had eclipsed the Thalan military strength.

With both their primary and secondary strategies thwarted quickly, the Thalans seemed resigned to their fate. While they opened more trade routes, their military and influence levels stagnated. The Drakh were in control of the board- it was just a matter of holding it together.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Late Game
With the Thalans in retreat on the cultural and military fronts, and the Arceans dead in the water, it didn't take long to hit 73% influence in the galaxy. With more trade routes opening up and the Thalans using freighters to scout out planets, it looked like it was just a matter of time. Either war would break out, or the Drakh would slowly wrap their fingers around victory.

A second Influence Starbase next to the Arcean homeworld fairly well sealed them into extinction. They had no map presence, it was just a matter of time. Meanwhile the PQ 11 planet the Thalans had grabbed in the beginning was heading for a revolt; they had an influence starbase nearby but it wasn't upgraded. As the Drakh planets filled their available land, Xeno Ethics clicked over- we were a Neutral race. Large tracts of land opened up, and the population boomed- and so did the local entertainment options. Research increased, and soon the 75% threshold was hit.

A glance at the graphs showed that the Thalans weren't done yet- they had retreated into research and funneled it all into their military. The Arceans surrendered to them, but it was of little use- with a pair of major Influence Starbases nearby and being deep in the heart of Drakh-controlled space, it was just a matter of time before they switched sides. Another influnce starbase showed up in Drakh territory, where several Thalan worlds had been enshrouded. A small swarm of constructors soon followed suit, placing another influence starbase within the system. The Thalans protested, but did nothing.

Meanwhile, as the last moments before victory ticked past, the Drakh eyed the Thalan military. Their heavy fighters were seen more often, sliding across space. A new heavy fighter, outfitted with twin Harpoons, was comissioned on all planets. If the Thalans decided to make a desperate grab for a military victory, they would face the unequaled industrial might of the Drakh put toward war.

But war was not to be- the time came, and the Drakh gained control of the galaxy by virtue of their culture.
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