(April 18th, 2024, 05:35)rgp151 Wrote: The space monsters are a bit much, I do disable them sometimes.
Sort of intentional, which is why there is an option to turn them off. They are the only intentional significant variation from MOO1, imo. MOO1 has no concept of a mid-game threat, like MOO2 with the Antarans, so the space monsters were retooled to provide that.
There is sort of an arc for players that goes from "I hate the monsters" to "I like the challenge" that corresponds with understanding what kind of ships are best suited to kill them. They were specifically given special combat abilities to make them feel like "monsters" and not just another ship with a unique graphic. But they are easily killed once you understand how they can be countered. Obviously each monster requires a different strategy.
The AI will not be able to kill them, so they provide a great mid-game balance for players who have fallen behind. Just as the Psilons are about to wipe the galaxy, monsters come and eat a third of their planets, creating chaos and opportunity. And if they are targeting you, then like all random events in the game, it is a way of offset the 4X snowball effect.
The ability to abandon a system was added to give players an additional tool to mitigate against the unexpected appearance of monsters. One strategy is "evacuate and let the monster eat my planet, then I'll rush in an re-colonize it". Another of course is to kill them and reap the significant diplomatic benefits of doing so.