Not So good Newbie

welcome lordsutty to the metaverse. others are probably more skilled than i to comment (i've only got to crippling), but here's a go:

Download the unofficial strategy guide, and take one of the reccommended starting positions. +1 Speed is very handy.

Start with 100% expenditure (and around 50% tax), but don't lease.

Max your military production initially for colony ships, and start hunting planets.

Try and get Trade asap and send freighters to the biggest likely threats (AI less likely to attack)

Find the minor races asap and start selling them techs for $. This is very important in the early stages.

Adjust your settings as you go, particualarly as it's important to get cetain trade goods - diplomatic translators, gravity accelerators, aphrodisiac etc

The AI, from my understanding, only respects attack points, so build starfighters rather than defenders.

Try to get to Frigate before or at the same time as AI's and be sneaky with your transpots (AI's can often leave planets unguarded)

It has been said that giving the AI's even 1BC over 50 months can fool them into leaving you alone on lower difficulty levels if you're worried.

If you really want to be hated, try Masochistic! (only joking)

i can't think about much else. there's plenty of info around. most of all HAVE FUN!



ps did i mention how warm and fuzzy the ANZAC Empire is?

"Download the unofficial strategy guide"

Where From?

Here http://www.galciv.com/download.asp

Hard to say, but from what you've written:
(a) Colonizing 'each planet in a system' is a bad idea. Did you mean only the good planets? Anything below PQ 13 or so is hopeless.
(b) What difficulty are you playing on?
(c) You say you trade technology when you meet the Neutral AI. It's usually best to trade with everyone. (Did you know you can tell if a trade will be accepted when the text in the window turns green? It took me a while to work that one out.)
(d) Are you making 'evil' decisions? That might inspire the good races to attack you.
(d) Don't build too many structures. Most of the early ones like News Networks aren't actually much use and cost money to maintain.


~SDC~

Thanks for that (a) I worked out the PQ13 bit, and also worked out to only colonizing one per system.

(b) Simple (dont laugh)

(c) Thanks for that will help especailly the green bit)


(d) Tried both

(d2) I always keep production going but select a suitable one for that plant (dont use the govenors)

I believe this was changed a couple patches ago. The AI respects defense points now.

The strategy guide is probably the way to go for now. This board is very good if you have specific questions, though.

From your post, I gather that your bigger problem is "managing" the ais, so they do not gang on you. Here are some things that help :

- Build freighters to create trade routes with them. That improves relations nicely.
- Use the diplomace screen often, and do as much technology trading as you can. This also helps a bit. Remember that they will trade among themselves, so if you trade a tech to one of them you might as well trade it for whatever you can get from the others. You can also give them free gifts, that will help.
- Get a stronger military than they do, they really respect that, but be careful of maintenance costs.
- Try not to upset them (build up your forces next to them, put cultural pressure on them, they do notice, even if not often on simple)
- Bribe the ais to go to war with each other, that gets them off your back Preferably two ais that are about the same strength, you don't want a quick victory :)Tip : you can select a payment over a long period (up to 100 month I think), which is often much easier than paying at once.
- To form alliances, you need the alliance tech (both you and the person you ally to), and you need "close" relations, which will mean lots of trade and gifts.

Finally, although on simple you should be able to avoid it, if they start demanding tribute, and you are not ready to start a war, give it. Refusing really hurts your relations, and even if they don't go to war at once they will soon.

Thanks for the General Tacticus

With your last point when they ask for tribute they usally ask for a planet or too, which im not willing to give.

I think from reading other posts that my main mistake is trading technology for technology and I should be selling it, would you agree?

Welcome matey,

Here are a few tips that will work through at least beginner, but the principals will last you through any level. First let me credit EBZeroMatrix for some of these ideas.

At the first turn:

1. Set your Spending at 100% and your taxes at 50%. Leave it here the whole game if possible. On Simple or Beginner this won't be a problem.

2. Send your colony ship to any 15+ planet. Have it produce 1 scout, then switch to colony production. Have your scout find all the AIs as fast as possible. Set your Survey ship to auto survey.

3. Set your production to colony at your first planet.

4. Rush until there are enough colony ships to take each system(1 per system until they're gone, then back fill in any 2nd and 3rd planets in the system.

After all the systems have been taken:

1. Switch all your money into research(100%). Research Comm Theory, Universal Translator, Diplomacy, Propulsion Theory, Cold Fusion, Medical Theory, Basic Enviro Control, Zero G Research, Industrial Theory, Interstellar Refining, Nano-Metal Composition.

2. By now, you should have met most of the AIs. Comm with each and sell them all the tech they don't have for 100/10+ no less than 100 no less than 10 turns(always). If you get to 50 turns and the text at the bottom is still green, then advance the amount per turn until it turns yellow, then back out one until green. If it is still green at max cash and 50 months, you can type any number in for the months and click the button and if it is still green, keep increasing the amount of months. I've had over 500 months.

At this point you should switch your production over to 99% social, 1% tech(this is important as there is a crash that can happen if no one is producing tech in a turn.

Set your governor to produce the following: Soil Enhancement, Habitat Imp, Manufacturing Center, Fusion Power Plant, Banking Center, Research Lab.

Once your BEST PQ planet is done with the fusion power plant manuallly switch its production to produce the following: Manufacturing Capitol, Diplomatic Translators, Tri-Strontium Steel, Aphrodesiac, Frictionless Clothing.

Next set your Economy back to 100% tech and learn the following: Trade, Advanced Trade, Interstellar Business, and Cultural Trade.

Add economic Exchange to governor.

Switch Economy to 99% Social, 1% tech.

Add the following to Best PQ planet production: Econ Capital, Galactic Stock Exchange, Ultra Spices, Galactic Exhibition.

If any AIs are out of debt, sell them more tech. And now add the minors and sell them everything. for as much as you can get from them. The key is to keep them all bankrupt so they can't build anything to attack you.

Set Economy back to 100% research.

Research the following: Interstellar Marketing, Interstellar Capitalism, Xeno Propaganda, Artificial Gravity, Controlled Gravity.

Economy to 99% Social, 1% tech.

Add Stock Market to Governor.

Build Resturant of Eternity, Propaganda Machine, Gravity Accelerators to Build queue of best PQ planet.

Set your research to months left and 100% research on Economy.

Every 5-10 techs check the AI for debt, and bankrupt them if necessary; Switch back to social and build all Wonders and Trade Goods, then switch back to 100% research. Repeat this until all AIs have switched(defected) to your side.

Here is a link to the strategy guide I have outlined.

http://ebzeromatrix.tripod.com/GCCG/GCCG.html

After that, Join G.R.O.S.S. empire and Sail the Seven Seas to rid the universe of slimy aliens. In fact, G.R.O.S.S. stands for Get Rid Of Slimy alienS.

B

> Great hint. If only I weren't color blind. Sigh.

I thought it wasn't a good idea to sell tech to the majors?

Kelly

Where did you get that impression, Kelly?

Selling techs for cash to both majors and minors is one of the key strats to winning up to Crippling.
An overpowered strat IMO.

Having the majors at near tech parity is not a problem. The money you get from them means that you are always likely to be several steps ahead all the way until you win.

~SDC~

Okay my bad, I just thought I had read somewhere in here that it was okay to tech-hore to the minors but not to the majors. Well this might explain why I've been losing (:( so often.

Thanks
Kelly

It's actually an issue of preference, Kelly. Some players just don't like the thought of sharing nice techs with the majors. I don't have such hang-ups. Minors run out of cash rather quickly unlike majors who have lots more planets.

~SDC~

Well I tried it your way. Doing alot better money wise though I'm lagging in the diplomacy area but working on that. I haven't done much invading but I'm thinking about knocking off a minor cuz the little bastards snuck in afew trade-goods when I almost had em finished building.
Well back to the battle and thanks for the tips.
Sincerely
Kelly

Go for diplomacy picks in your next game/s, Kelly. They do wonders for trading.

~SDC~

I blanket trade the lot of them. One tech at a time, and at the most tedious methods (color blind....why oh why do they use that green/yellow combo). But, There are some techs I won't trade to them. I won't sell them anything that boosts diplomacy, or allows them to build state of the art ships. If they want techs that increase weapon or defense points, they are on their own. All the 'give nothing" pre-req techs, and the techs that give social build queue improvements are up for sale. I will hold back on the techs that give trade goods and wonders until I have those built, then I sell them afterwards.