OCC in MOO1?

[barron of ideas]

Well, likely you are right, it is kind of wimpy to want to have a good start when I didn't earn it. However if you are basing "good start versus bad start" results on CIV3, remember in MOO there is very little time wasted by the AIs jumping on a weak meat compter player. You don't get time to make up the diference piss poor preparation on your part gives them. You can't buy your way out of the dogpile. Peace is hard to come by if they are taking over your planets with success.

If there is some idea that a critical mass of players is needed, or every experience is valuable, you will get more experiences worth analyzing if you hand everyone a strong start than if you let the Bullrathi kill the newbies about turn 50 or so. "They should have had a stronger start, serves them right "is a good way to trim the participants down to the few, the proud, the diety/impossible players.

It was a thought, sorry if it is not a good idea. It wouldn't have to be on every imperia, maybe as a varient on just one of the earlier ones, before the average players take their marbles/lumps and go home to solo play where their errors aren't quite so public. Lots of people just lurk, I know that's all I have done. But the Realms beyond Diety games required raw skill I didn't/don't have. I lose at Monarch more than I win. Sure you will accept a report where the player loses very, very early. Why would I want to post report after report like that? Why would you want to read one? Mostly, I think I know what to do, I just don't seem to do it at the right time.

The difference between playing 50 turns and "a complete game" even if it is a loss, might be a good start.

[Sirian]

The start is unforgiving on small maps. Small decisions and details can can cost you the ability to claim a system. In a game where you may only have three or four systems, or half a dozen if you're doing very well for yourself, losing one is a big deal. This is why small maps are HARDER and we won't be starting with them!

The key decisions have to do with the very first turn. There are small gains to be had by reading the map and correctly identifying the best place to send your colony ship, then sending it there blind, right at the start. There can be more to lose than to gain by choosing unwisely, although one of our tourney rules ensures you won't suffer irrecoverably if you happen to send the colony ship to Orion.

There are only small gains to be lost by "playing it safe". Scout first, leaving the colony ship at your homeworld and then sending it to the best looking site when the scouts report back. You lose one factory's worth of new production to paying maintenance on the colony ship for each extra turn that passes before you settle your second colony. This is not a decisive factor even on Impossible.

Here are a few steps. You can't really "mess them up".

1) Send your starting two scouts right away.
2) When you believe you know the best place to send your colony ship, send it. (Won't be many choices).
3) Keep both planets on factories at least until you have more factories than population.
4) Send some colonists from the homeworld to the second colony.
5) At some point fairly early, build a few more scouts and send them out, then go back to factories.

If you do these five steps, you'll be in the game. This is a nodal game. There will only be a few possible neighbor stars to which to send your starting colony ship. If you scout all the stars before you decide, a good choice will be obvious. In some cases, there will only be one possible choice.

The only way you could mess up is to switch off factory construction too soon, especially to pursue alternatives that offer no short term payoffs. Factories enable you to spend on everything else, so if you don't build enough before you switch priorities, you can undercut your empire's growth.


- Sirian

[barron of ideas]

I have read your tutorial and I do what you prescribe, perhaps I am losing after the start. I do build factories, perhaps too long, before I start the next colony ships if there are usable planet within range. If not, technology must be studied, either longer range or planetology to deveop the kinds of planets that are in range, if desireable (rich/artifact/large). I also get a few missle bases started, one or two can be cnough early. The new colonies need a fleet to defend them.

Thats one of my weakneses, eveyone invades before I have enough ships with reasonable weapons. Should I build lots of small one lazer ships like many of the AI? I know, it depends. I try to claim all the planets I can, and emphasize longer range and colony ships with baren, etc landing priveleges instead of weapons and lots of defensive ships. Beam armed ships tend to be more effective defenders than small ships with one low quality missle. BUt my expansion gets out of whack with the size of my fleet, fleet too small, too slow to defend what I want to keep.

And this is average, medium galaxy, 4 opponents and I am the Psilon. You know when you are 3rd or 4th in Tech and 1st in popluation with the Psilon you are getting something wrong.