Beginner Needing Help!

from GalCiv2 Forums
Hi all.

I bought this game a few weeks back and have been trying to get into it now and again but I just keep getting wiped out.
I like to play as the Torians since I like peaceful races. Id like to have a totally war free game if possible but it seems that no matter what I do an AI opponent will come after me within a few turns even the so called "good" races.
I want to focus on research and trade but I inevitably have to start researching the masses of weapons technology to defend myself but I just find that tedious. How am I meant to know whether to focus on lasers, missiles, armour etc etc etc?

So is there any advise anyone can give me about staying out of wars? Or if not, being able to defend myself without ending up as a militaristic nation?
It would be a shame if you always had be be militaristic in every game.

Thanks in advance. By the way Im playing the game on the "Tough" difficulty if that has any relevance.
7,078 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
How am I meant to know whether to focus on lasers, missiles, armour etc etc etc?


Just keep an eye on what everyone else is using. In most games, there will be one, maybe two, weapon types that are primarily used by the other races. The same goes for defences. So if everyone is going for missile weapons and using laser defences, you can focus on point defence to protect your ships against their weapons, and you select anything but lasers in order to attack them with. Occasionally you might end up having to develop your armada on a race by race basis. Just keep an eye on the ones that you think will be more likely to attack and choose your research paths accordingly.


So is there any advise anyone can give me about staying out of wars? Or if not, being able to defend myself without ending up as a militaristic nation?
It would be a shame if you always had be be militaristic in every game.


It's not necessary to always be militaristic, my first couple of wins were through diplomacy and tech, but you still need to devote resources to your military. Keep an eye on your overall military rating compared to the other races. If you're the weakest, there's a very good chance you will get pounced on.

It also depends alot on the particular game you're playing. If there's a number of aggresive races in it, expect the worst. If most of the other races are peaceful, then it would be safe to pursue a more diplomatic game. Either way though, never let yourself get too weak in realtion to everyone else. You're just inviting invasion that way. Even though you don't intend on using them, having lots of ship available is the best deterant to war.

Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!
By the way Im playing the game on the "Tough" difficulty if that has any relevance.

It has a big relevance. Tough means full AI with all its algorythms enabled, but without bonuses. If you're not an experienced strategy games, this settings may be too though for you, especially when you're still learning game mechanics.

As for gaining some military: AFAIK AI doesn't look at your ships when checking your militay might. It looks at your graph, so you can fool it by using fake defenders: a cargo hull with cheapest attack-1 gun, missile and beam on it. In orbit it shows attack 6, thus significantly increasing your military score, despite it's not usefull in any combat.

BR, Iztok
Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
That's a risky strat though, because if someone DOES declare war on you then you're screwed.

As the saying goes... If you seek peace, prepare for war.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have played quite a few games now and Tough is REALLY Tough. THis game has INSANE AI! Especially with CPU intensive logorithms turned on, they can do some very smart truff. Seriously, in my last game, the AI was smarter then me.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thanks for the replies everyone. Im playing on tought with "Advanced CPU algorythms" turned on. So does that kind of up the difficulty in some way because the AI will do things it doesnt normally?
The reason Im playing on Tough is because I don't like the AI having either bonuses or penalties. I like to be on even ground.
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I have played quite a few games now and Tough is REALLY Tough. THis game has INSANE AI! Especially with CPU intensive logorithms turned on, they can do some very smart truff. Seriously, in my last game, the AI was smarter then me.


That takes quite of bit of courage to admit. /cheer

I agree with you. It's an impressive peice of programming. /cheer to frogboy
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Hi!
I bought this game a few weeks back and have been trying to get into it now and again but I just keep getting wiped out.

The reason Im playing on Tough is because I don't like the AI having either bonuses or penalties. I like to be on even ground.

A nail bittener! Good luck! You'll need it, and lots patience. That, or play the game on lower difficulty level. Will save you a lot of frustration until you learn its ropes.

BR, Iztok
Reply #8 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
do not worry about missiles or lasers or mass. eventualy they all have the same power so use one and reasearch it as much as you can while doing other things. even if the opponent has point defense it will do nothing against 30+ attack.