Favourite racial traits:
Sasha
I've never been a fan of Inner Strength (I don't like being on the
defensive), Claim Adjuster (boring) or Packet Physics (also boring... I
assume you can do a warp 16 packet with a mass driver 13, but I've never got
that far, and they don't have anything else interesting).
I'd like Interstellar Traveller if they weren't so expensive... Normally I
go with Warmonger (mmm, Dreadnaught!) or Super Stealth.
I'm quite curious to see a fully equipped Death Star armed with the latest
technology too, but I find Alternate Reality races are just way too
vulnerable early on in the game...
On another note, is there anywhere I can find a complete description of all
the bonuses you can get from Mystery Traders (preferably with screenshots of
the items)? I think I've seen most of them, but I'm curious to know what
else is out there...
Collin
>Just curious what ones people find paricularly useful/useless...
>
>I've never been a fan of Inner Strength (I don't like being on the
>defensive), Claim Adjuster (boring)
Hardly boring. ;-)
If you design it well, a race with that PRT is almost unstopable.
>or Packet Physics (also boring... I
>assume you can do a warp 16 packet with a mass driver 13, but I've never got
>that far, and they don't have anything else interesting).
>
>I'd like Interstellar Traveller if they weren't so expensive... Normally I
>go with Warmonger (mmm, Dreadnaught!) or Super Stealth.
My all-time favorite is IT (Interstellar Traveler).
I really enjoy those stargates, and starting with the ability to build
privateers is neat. ;-)
>
>I'm quite curious to see a fully equipped Death Star armed with the latest
>technology too, but I find Alternate Reality races are just way too
>vulnerable early on in the game...
Hmm... That they can.
>
>On another note, is there anywhere I can find a complete description of all
>the bonuses you can get from Mystery Traders (preferably with screenshots of
>the items)? I think I've seen most of them, but I'm curious to know what
>else is out there...
I saw an article on this once, but I'm not sure where it was.
Collin
"Economy is but one of the many facets of war."
Leon
all
> >the bonuses you can get from Mystery Traders (preferably with screenshots
of
> >the items)? I think I've seen most of them, but I'm curious to know what
> >else is out there...
Here is a link to a page that shows the MT toys...
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/5171/mt.html
Leon
Christian Ræbild
> Just curious what ones people find paricularly useful/useless...
>
> <snip>
>
> On another note, is there anywhere I can find a complete description of all
> the bonuses you can get from Mystery Traders (preferably with screenshots of
> the items)? I think I've seen most of them, but I'm curious to know what
> else is out there...
>
In the Battlesim testbed, which can be found at
http://www.starsfaq.com/download.htm, all races should possess all
MT parts. With the Battlesim testbed, you can create your own
screenshots if you wish (assuming you have a program, which can do
screen captures).
--
Med venlig hilsen / Best regards / Mit freundlichen grüßen
Christian Ræbild / Christian Raebild
Dan Neely
> With the Battlesim testbed, you can create your own
> screenshots if you wish (assuming you have a program, which can do
> screen captures).
windows + print screen key + paint works (just paste)
Micha
> >
> >I've never been a fan of Inner Strength (I don't like being on the
> >defensive), Claim Adjuster (boring)
>
> Hardly boring. ;-)
> If you design it well, a race with that PRT is almost unstopable.
And like he said: boring ;-)
> >or Packet Physics (also boring... I
> >assume you can do a warp 16 packet with a mass driver 13, but I've never
got
> >that far, and they don't have anything else interesting).
> >
> >I'd like Interstellar Traveller if they weren't so expensive... Normally
I
> >go with Warmonger (mmm, Dreadnaught!) or Super Stealth.
>
> My all-time favorite is IT (Interstellar Traveler).
> I really enjoy those stargates, and starting with the ability to build
> privateers is neat. ;-)
I just love SD :-)
> >I'm quite curious to see a fully equipped Death Star armed with the
latest
> >technology too, but I find Alternate Reality races are just way too
> >vulnerable early on in the game...
>
> Hmm... That they can.
Which makes them very interesting to play!
kind regards,
mch
James McGuigan
news:9ujaar$mg4$2...@athena.ukc.ac.uk...
> Just curious what ones people find particularly useful/useless...
>
> I've never been a fan of Inner Strength (I don't like being on the
> defensive), Claim Adjuster (boring) or Packet Physics (also boring... I
> assume you can do a warp 16 packet with a mass driver 13, but I've never
got
> that far, and they don't have anything else interesting).
>
> I'd like Interstellar Traveller if they weren't so expensive... Normally I
>
> I'm quite curious to see a fully equipped Death Star armed with the latest
> technology too, but I find Alternate Reality races are just way too
> vulnerable early on in the game...
>
> On another note, is there anywhere I can find a complete description of
all
> the bonuses you can get from Mystery Traders (preferably with screenshots
of
> the items)? I think I've seen most of them, but I'm curious to know what
> else is out there...
There's the battlesim testbed which can be downloaded from
www.starsfaq.com/download.htm which is a 16 player max tech game and all the
races have all the MT items (not everyone has the genesis device though)
As for a text description, I need to do an MT FAQ for my site so here goes:
The Mystery Trader or MT for short occasionally passes through the galaxy at
warps between 7 and 13 and is a random event so only occurs when these have
not been disabled. He may occasionally change course and/or speed and this
is also random.
There are 4 types of MT dependant on what they give out:
1. Technology Levels
2. MT Component Designs
3. MT Ships
4. Random (will randomly give one of the above)
To catch the MT you will need to intercept him with a fleet containing at
least 5000kt of minerals (colonists don't count), the whole fleet will be
absorbed so ensure that you don't have more ships than you need in the fleet
when intercepting him. All MTs (apart from random ones) will give out the
same item to all players who trade with him.
For traders giving out technology, the amount of levels you get will be
based on the total number of tech level count though by bringing extra
minerals (upto 9800kt total) you can get bonus tech level for each 1200kt
extra above the 5000kt mark for a maximum bonus of +4 levels. Below is a
table of the amount of levels you can get including the bonus techs for
extra minerals.
0-60 = 6-10 levels
61-70 = 5-9 levels
71-80 = 4-8 levels
81-90 = 3-7 levels
91-100 = 2-6 levels
101+ = 1-5 levels
For traders giving out components, you will get the design specs of one of
the MT parts, you won't get more than one part for bring extra minerals and
all players will get the same part from the MT. If you already have the same
part as the MT is offering, then you will either get a different part or
some tech levels, if you already have max tech and all the MT parts you will
get nothing but your fleet will still be absorbed. These parts have certain
tech requirements and it may be the case that you cannot actually build
these parts until you have gained increased tech levels. Here is a list in
the rough order I personally value them, though some more useful at
different stages of the game.
Enigma Pulsar
Requires Tech: Energy 7, Prop 13, Con 5, Elect 9
Slot Type: Engine
Mass: 20kt
Base Cost: 12kt Iron, 15kt, Bora, 11kt Germ, 40 Res
Cost at max tech: 6kt Iron, 7kt, Bora, 5kt Germ, 19 Res
Abilities: Warp 10 engine (plus ramscoop @ warp 5), +1/8 jet, 10% cloak
Notes:
This is a powerful battle engine, it gives warp 10 speed and for battle
speed gives an extra 1/8 movement (+1/4 for 1-2 engined ships, +1/2 for 3-4
engined ships, +3/4 for 5 engined ships). Against the IS-10 it is 33%
cheaper and has comparable fuel usage and is 5kt lighter (20kt vs 25kt) but
requires two extra levels of prop and also provides a warp 5 ramscoop which
can help should you run out of fuel, though being a ramscoop it will take
extra damage in minefields.
Hush-a-Boom
Requires Tech: Weap 12, Elect 12, Bio 12
Slot Type: Bomb
Mass: 5kt
Base Cost: 1kt Iron, 5kt, Bora, 0kt Germ, 5 Res
Cost at max tech: 1kt Iron, 2kt, Bora, 0kt Germ, 2 Res
Abilities: Standard bomb (3% cols, 2 instals)
Notes:
This component doesn't have the multi-functionality of other parts, but its
cheapness and low installation kill rate while still
remaining an non-smart bomb means it can be used to remove all the
population on a planet without destroying too many factories. Also its low
weight of
8kt means even 16 of them loaded onto a B-52 is still fully gateable through
a 300/500 gate.
Jump Gate
Requires Tech: Energy 16, Prop 20, Con 20, Elect 16
Slot Type: Mechanical
Mass: 10kt
Base Cost: 0kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 50kt Germ, 40 Res
Cost at max tech: 0kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 38kt Germ, 30 Res
Abilities: Mobile stargate for ship
Notes:
This allows a ship to jump to planetary stargates. Range and weight limits
are determined by destination stargate, though has fairly high tech
requirements. You have to build a jump gate in each ship as non jump gate
ships cannot use another ships jump gate. One of the quirks of this part is
it allows for non-IT races to gate cargo and population, though it only
works if you are not already at a stargate location, so you may need to do
the gate in two years, on year to get into deep space, the second to the
destination location. The part is also useful in several other designs. On
scanner/skirmisher/sweeper/minelayer/raider ships it allows for the ship to
make a quick get away should it get badly damaged or under threat of being
intercepted in enemy territory. Also a mobile reserve fleet could make use
of
jump gates to allow it to move outside the gate network and still be on call
to defend a planet.
Mega-Poly Shell
Requires Tech: Energy 14, Con 14, Elect 14, Bio 6
Slot Type: Armour
Mass: 20kt
Base Cost: 18kt Iron, 6kt, Bora, 6kt Germ, 65 Res
Cost at max tech: 9kt Iron, 3kt, Bora, 3kt Germ, 34 Res
Abilities: 400dp Armour, 100dp Shield, 20% Cloak, 20% Jammer, 80/40ly
Scanner
Notes:
This part allows shields to be placed on a design in an armour only slot.
This part also has a built in pen scanner which is can be useful for races
with NAS. The added jammer and low weight mean it is useful in designing BBs
with limited electrical slots. The low weight of 20kt, only 5kt more than
organic armour, allows it to be used to give extra protection to beamer BBs
without reducing the speed of the ship.
Alien Miner
Requires Tech: Energy 5, Con 10, Elect 5, Bio 5
Slot Type: Mining Robot
Mass: 20kt
Base Cost: 8kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 2kt Germ, 20 Res
Cost at max tech: 3kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 1kt Germ, 7 Res
Abilities: 10kt mining robot, 30% cloak, 30% jammer
Notes:
This part is a cheap mining bot and makes remote mining with OBRM races
somewhat feasible and cost effective. Also its low weight of 20kt allows for
these mining ships to be gateable.
Genesis Device
Requires Tech: Energy 20, Weap 10, Prop 10, Con 20, Elect 10, Bio 20
Slot Type: Planetary
Base Cost: 0kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 0kt Germ, 5000 Res (no miniaturization)
Abilities: Reset planet stats
Notes:
For 5000 resources you are able to randomly reset all of a planets
attributes including hab setting and most importantly mineral
concentrations, though it will also destroy all a planets factories, mines
and defences. Its not available until the end game, but thats when it is
most
useful in providing fresh sources of minerals. Especially useful for AR
races
which have no planetary installations to lose through the use of this
device.
Langston Shell
Requires Tech: Energy 12, Prop 9, Elect 9
Slot Type: Shield
Mass: 10kt
Base Cost: 10kt Iron, 2kt, Bora, 6kt Germ, 20 Res
Cost at max tech: 4kt Iron, 1kt, Bora, 3kt Germ, 9 Res
Abilities: 125dp shield, 65dp armour, 5% jammer, 10% cloak, 50/25ly scanner
Notes:
This along with the IS croby sharmor are the only parts that can add armour
to a shield slot. It is heavier than a normal shield at 10kt and the same
weight as the croby sharmour and for RS races its armour component is not
halved. It gives more overall protection that the gorilla shield two energy
tech levels above it. The 50/25ly pen scanner may be of some use to an NAS
race and jamming and cloak though not much on their own, might be of some
use added up on a BB, though if used on a beamer BB with the Mega Poly Shell
and the IS-10 engine you will need to drop the shield slot count to 6 to
preserve the speed of the ship.
Anti Matter Torpedo
Requires Tech: Weap 11, Prop 12, Bio 21
Slot Type: Weapon (Torpedo)
Mass: 8kt
Base Cost: 3kt Iron, 8kt, Bora, 1kt Germ, 50 Res
Cost at max tech: 2kt Iron, 6kt, Bora, 1kt Germ, 40 Res
Abilities: Torpedo(60dp, range 6, init 0, accuracy 85%)
Notes:
This missile requires a very high level of bio which most players will not
get until well into the end game. Its main advantage is its cost, it uses up
very little in the way of minerals though is very costly in resources, but
in the end game when minerals are the only limiting factor this is not a
problem. High accuracy also means you will only need a few computers to
counter the enemies jamming also helping to keep your mineral costs down.
The low damage per shot and low cost combined makes chaff rather
ineffective as there is not much overkill. However you won't start getting
whole ship kills until the enemy stack is almost dead. Range 6 against AMP
nubs means you should be able to get 2-3 rounds of fire before they manage
to close which helps overcome the lack of whole ship kills. The low weight
of 8kt allows anti matter torp designs to be easily gateable. The other use
for this item is the tech trading in bio tech that lacks buildable items in
the higher levels.
Multi Cargo Pod
Requires Tech: Energy 5, Con 11, Elect 5
Slot Type: Mechanical
Mass: 9kt
Base Cost: 12kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 3kt Germ, 25 Res
Cost at max tech: 5kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 1kt Germ, 10 Res
Abilities: 250kt cargo pod, 10% cloak, +50dp armour
Notes:
This is basically an extra large cargo pod and this is its main use. This is
the only part that allows extra armour to be added to designs without an
armour slot, this is of particular use on B-17s and mini-miner hulls as it
allows them to take a single minefield hit in a fleet when there are no
ramscoops used in the fleet though a bit of extra armour on freighters is
always useful.
Multi Function Pod
Requires Tech: Energy 11, Prop 11, Elect 11
Slot Type: Electrical
Mass: 2kt
Base Cost: 5kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 5kt Germ, 15 Res
Cost at max tech: 2kt Iron, 0kt, Bora, 2kt Germ, 6 Res
Abilities: +1/4 jet, 30% cloak, 10% jammer
Notes:
This is an electrical part as opposed to a mechanical part for the normal
jet and OT. Other than this the part simply functions as a replacement for
the manuvering jet, and its cloak is half the effectiveness of a normal
super
stealth cloak, so the 2 slots of this part could be used to replace both an
OT and a cloak slot in order to get the bonus jamming.
Multi Contained Munition
Requires Tech: Energy 21, Weap 21, Elect 16, Bio 12
Slot Type: Weapon (Beam)
Mass: 8kt
Base Cost: 6kt Iron, 40kt, Bora, 6kt Germ, 40 Res
Cost at max tech: 5kt Iron, 32kt, Bora, 5kt Germ, 32 Res
Abilities: Beam Weapon (140dp, range 3, init 6), 10% cloak, 10% computer,
150/75ly scanner, standard bomb (2% cols, 5 instals) and lay 40 mines per
year
Notes: This has the largest scanner of all MT components and the pen scanner
can be useful for NAS races. As a beam weapon it is less powerful and more
expensive than the Mega-D which is available at weapons 22, however its
mixed abilities are best suited to cloaked
sweeper/skirmisher/minelayer/raider type designs, as it allows alot of
functionality in a limited number of slots.
Mini Morph
Requires Tech: Con 8
Slot Type: Ship Hull
Mass: 70kt
Base Cost: 30kt Iron, 8kt, Bora, 8kt Germ, 100 Res
Cost at max tech: 8kt Iron, 2kt, Bora, 2kt Germ, 28 Res
Abilities: 250dp base armour, 400mg fuel, init 2, 150kt cargo, 2 engine
slots, 10 General Purpose slots (1x3 + 2x2 + 3x1)
Notes:
This ship is a mini nubian, though it lacks the size and base armour to be
an effective warship even in the CC era. Its main use would be for a cheaper
version of the galleon for sweeping/skirmishing/raiding and cloaked
scanning/minelaying.
The third type of MT will give you ships, you will get several ships of one
of the two designs he has to offer. The number of ships you get is totally
random and bringing extra minerals will not improve your chances of getting
more ships. Though not generally all that useful unless gained early in the
game, it is usually best to scrap these designs to free up the design slot
as you cannot build more of these yourself and hope to either gain tech
levels or MT parts in the process.
The first design is the MT Scout which can be used to gate small quantities
of minerals/pop through its jump gate with its 400kt mineral hold:
Mini Morph - 2 Enigma Pulsars - 4 Anti-Matter Torps - 1 Multi Cargo Pod - 1
Multi Function Pod - 1 Jump Gate
The second design is the MT Lifeboat which could be used as a cloaked
skirmisher
Nubian - 1 slot Enigma Pulsars - 2 slot Anti-Matter Torps - 1 slot Multi
Cargo Pod - 1 slot Multi Function Pod - 2 slot Mega Poly Shell - 2 slot
Langston Shell - 3 slot Multi Contained Munition.
Tips on catching the MT:
The MT moves before your ships, so when you plan to intercept him look at
where he will in the year of your intercept and target that point. The MT
often moves faster than warp 10 so often there will be only one point along
his trajectory that will be suitable for you to intercept so its often a
good idea to plan ahead. Clicking on the MT will show a line with 5 arrows
which show where he will land each year.
The MT will absorb the entire fleet that goes to meet the MT even
non-freighter designs, so its a good idea to split off any escort before
interception, though any fleets without 5000kt minerals will not get
absorbed.
Battles happen after movement before the trading actually takes place, so if
you attack another person trying to intercept the MT you can stop him on the
year of intercept. If he has multiple ships in the fleet with cargo capacity
then the cargo is equally carried between all the ships so if a fleet with
10,000kt cargo space but only 5000kt minerals loses half of its cargo ships
then the remaining fleet will have only 2500kt minerals left to trade with
the MT which would not be enough and so fail, the rest would be added to the
salvage in the area.
You do not have to specifically target the MT to trade with him, just be in
the same ly square as him at the end of the turn, so it might be possible to
accidentally trade with him and on very rare occasions the MT may even pass
over one of your planets.
Only one ship per race may trade with each MT so sending multiple fleets to
trade will not benefit you.
MT components can be traded with or lost to other players, there is a 0.5%
chance (50% chance per event then a 1% chance per item) of the other player
learning the design for each individual item scrapped or destroyed in battle
upto 12.5% chance per scrapping/battle event. The other player will only be
able to build the item once he has the required tech levels for it.
So any suggestions on this new FAQ
--
Rules are written for those who lack the ability to truly reason,
But for those who can, rules become nothing more than guidelines,
And live their lives governed not by rules but by reason.
- James McGuigan
The Stars! FAQ (www.starsfaq.com)
James Rapkins
>
> I'm quite curious to see a fully equipped Death Star armed with the latest
> technology too, but I find Alternate Reality races are just way too
> vulnerable early on in the game...
>
races are kings of the early game, as they get more res for spreading out,
they have better tech than anyone else, and they don't need to build mines
or scanners. A One immune AR will beat most races off the mark - it'll just
get annihilated as soon as it reaches the BB era <G>
Kevin Mackie
>
> I've never been a fan of Inner Strength (I don't like being on the
> defensive)
IS is as defensive - or as offensive - as you want them to be.
Personally, their #2 on my list of favourites. The Croby Sharmour
alone is worth it for all the fun you can have in the late 20s and
early 30s. Pop growth in transit, speed bump mines and Jammer 50s on
nubians (if you haven't killed everybody off by then - all fun stuff.
Don't forget the Tachyon detectors...
, Claim Adjuster (boring)
I'm not a big CA fan, but I'm having a blast with a -f CA in an
advanced game right now. Constant war, a bit of MM, but it's the most
fun I've had in ages.
> or Packet Physics (also boring... I
> assume you can do a warp 16 packet with a mass driver 13, but I've never got
> that far, and they don't have anything else interesting).
Deep terraforming? Scanning packets? Only played them once, but they
are different enough to be fun.
> I'd like Interstellar Traveller if they weren't so expensive...
My favourite PRT. Pop and mineral movement through gates is bigger
than you might think. The tactical advantage of gating heavy ships or
colonisation fleets into enemy territory is huge. Can't catch
packets? That's what defences are for. Give it a shot - it's a lot
of fun!
> Normally I
> go with Warmonger (mmm, Dreadnaught!)
SBCs are fun, but DNs are easily outmatched by nubians, which often
show up soon after. No minefields - ouch. Still, extra movement and
the all seeing eye are cool.
> or Super Stealth.
Now there's a fun race!
> I'm quite curious to see a fully equipped Death Star armed with the latest
> technology too, but I find Alternate Reality races are just way too
> vulnerable early on in the game...
They take good diplomacy, but even an Arm Deathstar won't hold up to
much more than a token fleet.
Don't forget JOAT. ;-)
Kevin
Patrick Gregory
No big advantage but i love to live everywhere it just really gets up
your neibours ass.
Visit The Stars! Supernova Station...
http://members.aol.com/snip124562/supernova/main.html
OWK
[snips, lots of snips]
> As for a text description, I need to do an MT FAQ for my site so here goes:
>
> The Mystery Trader or MT for short occasionally passes through the galaxy at
> warps between 7 and 13 and is a random event so only occurs when these have
> not been disabled. He may occasionally change course and/or speed and this
> is also random.
>
> There are 4 types of MT dependant on what they give out:
> 1. Technology Levels
> 2. MT Component Designs
> 3. MT Ships
> 4. Random (will randomly give one of the above)
>
I'm not sure there is a "random" class. But can't offer any evidence
to prove there isn't either.
>
> For traders giving out technology, the amount of levels you get will be
> based on the total number of tech level count though by bringing extra
> minerals (upto 9800kt total) you can get bonus tech level for each 1200kt
> extra above the 5000kt mark for a maximum bonus of +4 levels. Below is a
> table of the amount of levels you can get including the bonus techs for
> extra minerals.
>
> 0-60 = 6-10 levels
> 61-70 = 5-9 levels
> 71-80 = 4-8 levels
> 81-90 = 3-7 levels
> 91-100 = 2-6 levels
> 101+ = 1-5 levels
>
The bonus is probably affected by your tech levels as well. I've met
an MT with 9800kt of minerals fairly late in a game and gotten 1 tech
level. It may well be that the MT tried to give me a Weap level when
I already had Weapons 26 (and thus I got nothing); i.e. the MT
randomly picks the technology class and if you have less than Level 26
you get a level.
>
> For traders giving out components, you will get the design specs of one of
> the MT parts, you won't get more than one part for bring extra minerals and
> all players will get the same part from the MT. If you already have the same
> part as the MT is offering, then you will either get a different part or
> some tech levels, if you already have max tech and all the MT parts you will
> get nothing but your fleet will still be absorbed. These parts have certain
> tech requirements and it may be the case that you cannot actually build
> these parts until you have gained increased tech levels. Here is a list in
> the rough order I personally value them, though some more useful at
> different stages of the game.
>
>
[list snipped]
>
> The third type of MT will give you ships, you will get several ships of one
> of the two designs he has to offer. The number of ships you get is totally
> random and bringing extra minerals will not improve your chances of getting
> more ships. Though not generally all that useful unless gained early in the
> game, it is usually best to scrap these designs to free up the design slot
> as you cannot build more of these yourself and hope to either gain tech
> levels or MT parts in the process.
There are *three* designs given out. MT Scout, MT Probe, and the
Lifeboat. The Probe and Scout are both mini-morph hulls, but differ
slightly in the load-out of other parts they carry. I seem to recall
the Probe carrying either Langston shields or Mega-Poly Shells.
>
> The first design is the MT Scout which can be used to gate small quantities
> of minerals/pop through its jump gate with its 400kt mineral hold:
>
> Mini Morph - 2 Enigma Pulsars - 4 Anti-Matter Torps - 1 Multi Cargo Pod - 1
> Multi Function Pod - 1 Jump Gate
>
>
> The second design is the MT Lifeboat which could be used as a cloaked
> skirmisher
>
> Nubian - 1 slot Enigma Pulsars - 2 slot Anti-Matter Torps - 1 slot Multi
> Cargo Pod - 1 slot Multi Function Pod - 2 slot Mega Poly Shell - 2 slot
> Langston Shell - 3 slot Multi Contained Munition.
>
>
>
> Tips on catching the MT:
>
> Battles happen after movement before the trading actually takes place, so if
> you attack another person trying to intercept the MT you can stop him on the
> year of intercept. If he has multiple ships in the fleet with cargo capacity
> then the cargo is equally carried between all the ships so if a fleet with
> 10,000kt cargo space but only 5000kt minerals loses half of its cargo ships
> then the remaining fleet will have only 2500kt minerals left to trade with
> the MT which would not be enough and so fail, the rest would be added to the
> salvage in the area.
>
Dirty Tricks department for SS: Get a Pick-pocket or Robber-baron
equipped ship to meet an interception fleet and then steal 1kt of
minerals; or enough to drop their load to 4999kt. Might not be
noticed until the MT refuses to trade with them.
- Kurt
OWK
Another bane of early AR are aggressive WM neighbors. Especially if
they have friends!
<G>
Hi Pryde!
- Kurt
P.S. - And fully equipped Death Stars are still extremely vulnerable.
In a testbed for a game with special rules (no CCs or bigger) I took
one down using fifty DDs with 2 Omega each and some chaff.
Sean
>
>I've never been a fan of Inner Strength (I don't like being on the
>defensive),
I find IS to be useful for the offense too, but it's a late-game power. Flying
orgy over an enemy world ---> no need for bombers, just drop 5M colonists
through the defenses (as in, have a flying orgy that grows by 5M each turn,
hehehe, with 20% PGR, you need 100M in the fleet ...).
Also, early on, you can be a bit more aggressive with colony missions ....
underfill them, and you can get the same population to the target world as
another race, for a net lower cost in population drawn from the HW.
-- Sean
[This post, and its content, are intended solely for this newsgroup and are
Copyright 2001. Forwarding or access by any other means is unauthorized without
the express prior written permission of the author.]
Dan Neely
> "James McGuigan" <ja...@starsfaq.com> wrote
> > 4. Random (will randomly give one of the above)
>
> I'm not sure there is a "random" class. But can't offer any evidence
> to prove there isn't either.
this was documented on stars'r'us by someone making a bsim. so unless Jeff
removed it, it should still be there.
James Rapkins
>
> Another bane of early AR are aggressive WM neighbors. Especially if
> they have friends!
>
> <G>
>
> Hi Pryde!
>
> - Kurt
yeah, yeah - It'll be a while before I live that drubbing down <G>
James McGuigan
news:20011205115257...@mb-da.aol.com...
> >Just curious what ones people find paricularly useful/useless...
> >
> >I've never been a fan of Inner Strength (I don't like being on the
> >defensive),
>
> I find IS to be useful for the offense too, but it's a late-game power.
Flying
> orgy over an enemy world ---> no need for bombers, just drop 5M colonists
> through the defenses (as in, have a flying orgy that grows by 5M each
turn,
> hehehe, with 20% PGR, you need 100M in the fleet ...).
>
> Also, early on, you can be a bit more aggressive with colony missions ....
> underfill them, and you can get the same population to the target world as
> another race, for a net lower cost in population drawn from the HW.
>
>
> -- Sean
Defences are only 25% effective plus you don't get 100% coverage to start
with, combined with the 1.1x bonus for the attacker and the fact that not
all worlds are filled to the brim at 100%, 3-4 million should be enough for
a conquest. Its cheaper on pop if you get a narrow victory and full the
planet up after you capture it.
And a 19% growth rate IS gets just under 10% growth in freighters, so its a
40 million orgy you need to be self sustaining for a drop every year.
Sasha
> In a testbed for a game with special rules (no CCs or bigger) I took
> one down using fifty DDs with 2 Omega each and some chaff.
What if you give them some sort of range 3 beam, or gatling gun style weapon
in one of their slots? Not like they don't have enough...
Dan Neely
Sasha
I mean to kill the chaff
Dan Neely
> > omegas have range 5
>
> I mean to kill the chaff
unless the base has SL it won't matter. the DDs will get 3 shots before the
chaff is threatened by a range 3 beam. with 71% jamming (2 slot j30, a 3rd
would only give 4% more) on the DS and one sbc on the dd's you have 44%
acuracy, and 13,983 damage per shot. that's just under 21k damage to
armor, fatal to an rs base, and nearly so for a nonrs one, before the bases
beams could reply (103 would kill it outright even w/o rs).
Sean
>
>I mean to kill the chaff
>
Well, if you have anything that warrants chaff ... all the chaff has to do is,
stay out of range of the Starbase's BEAM weapons completely.
Or the attacker simply brings some extra chaff.
James Rapkins
> >> omegas have range 5
> >
> >I mean to kill the chaff
> >
>
> Well, if you have anything that warrants chaff ... all the chaff has to do
is,
> stay out of range of the Starbase's BEAM weapons completely.
>
> Or the attacker simply brings some extra chaff.
welp, unless you're playing a complete ignoramous, armng DSs is a dumb idea
anyway - just as easy to build empty shells and do a runner with the
majority of the population if things get too hot <G>
chaff will overwhelm anything - fuuly loading a DS will just lose you
minerals, though a AR can afford to lose them more easily late in the game
than a standard race.
Sasha
the
> chaff is threatened by a range 3 beam. with 71% jamming (2 slot j30, a 3rd
> would only give 4% more) on the DS and one sbc on the dd's you have 44%
> acuracy, and 13,983 damage per shot. that's just under 21k damage to
> armor, fatal to an rs base, and nearly so for a nonrs one, before the
bases
> beams could reply (103 would kill it outright even w/o rs).
Ok, what about counter-chaff to suck his torpedoes, and the death star can
be used to wipe out his real ships?
Dan Neely
> Ok, what about counter-chaff to suck his torpedoes, and the death star can
> be used to wipe out his real ships?
kill starbase orders
Sean
>minerals, though a AR can afford to lose them more easily late in the game
>than a standard race.
>
However, I'd say, max armor and shields (or max shields for RS races) would at
least help your DS last while yoru fleet clobbers the attacker, if they sent in
suiciding attack-starbase fleets. But weapons? One stack of gattlings of
BMC's for minesweeping should be all you need.
Dan Neely
> However, I'd say, max armor and shields (or max shields for RS races)
would at
> least help your DS last while yoru fleet clobbers the attacker, if they
sent in
> suiciding attack-starbase fleets. But weapons? One stack of gattlings of
> BMC's for minesweeping should be all you need.
I disagree. If you think it's going be attacked, I'd load it fullly. if
nothing else it'll force your enemy to use larger base busting stacks,
slowing him down, and making each one you catch hurt him worse. also
weapons on a starbase are discounted, so it's a cheap way to get more
missles into the fight.
Christian Ræbild
I agree, except for one detail. Before the Nubian era, the well
designed DS will have a higher init than any ship, so it will fire
first. While the first barrage will only hit chaff if the enemy
brought chaff, shooting first in every round is still an advantage.
This should only be used at systems near the border, though, and
only if the mineral fountain is running nicely.
MCV Fenderson
: "Sasha" <sp...@ukc.ac.uk> wrote
:> Ok, what about counter-chaff to suck his torpedoes, and the death star can
:> be used to wipe out his real ships?
: kill starbase orders
Would be nice if you could give 'kill capital ships' orders, wouldn't
it?
mcv.
James McGuigan
news:9uqdon$n...@cs.vu.nl...
Well I prefer kill unarmed ships personally, that way your missile start
firing on those poor defenceless but very dangerous things like bombers and
freighters (well to your planets) and those nasty SFXs that survive battles
and steal your tech rather than have a few dead chaff which can be killed
later.
Tman
>
> Tips on catching the MT:
>
> The MT moves before your ships, so when you plan to intercept him look at
> where he will in the year of your intercept and target that point. The MT
> often moves faster than warp 10 so often there will be only one point
along
> his trajectory that will be suitable for you to intercept so its often a
> good idea to plan ahead. Clicking on the MT will show a line with 5 arrows
> which show where he will land each year.
>
> The MT will absorb the entire fleet that goes to meet the MT even
> non-freighter designs, so its a good idea to split off any escort before
> interception, though any fleets without 5000kt minerals will not get
> absorbed.
>
If you don't have enough minerals from one planet & you have to reach the MT
in one year, is it possible to have 5 ships, all from different planets meet
the MT and him accept?
What if one ship targets the MT, the other ships target THAT ship with
waypoint task set to Merge Fleet? Will that work?
Tman
Sean
>in one year, is it possible to have 5 ships, all from different planets meet
>the MT and him accept?
The ships have to be in a single fleet. Minerals present are measured per
FLEET not per player, sorry.
>What if one ship targets the MT, the other ships target THAT ship with
>waypoint task set to Merge Fleet? Will that work?
Merge them one year AHEAD of meeting the MT, and thatw ill work. Otherwise ...
I doubt it.
James McGuigan
news:u155f9s...@corp.supernews.com...
Merging happens after the MT trades with you. So from the MT's point of view
its 5 fleets all with 1000kt rather than 1 fleet with 5000kt. He will say NO
five times rather than YES once. You need to merge the five fleets into a
single fleet before the final trade with the MT.
Joseph Oberlander
>
> Just curious what ones people find paricularly useful/useless...
>
> I've never been a fan of Inner Strength (I don't like being on the
> assume you can do a warp 16 packet with a mass driver 13, but I've never got
> that far, and they don't have anything else interesting).
>
> go with Warmonger (mmm, Dreadnaught!) or Super Stealth.
>
> I'm quite curious to see a fully equipped Death Star armed with the latest
> technology too, but I find Alternate Reality races are just way too
> vulnerable early on in the game...
It depends. If you manage your techs right, you can out-move and
out-research the other people by a large margin with AR.
I found that medium growth dual-immune ARs are extremely flexible.
You can get an 80% overall efficiency with a 8-12% growth rate.
James Rapkins
> I found that medium growth dual-immune ARs are extremely flexible.
> You can get an 80% overall efficiency with a 8-12% growth rate.
in what size galaxy with how many players?
One ARs main advantages is the fact that you can use reds a lot better than
others. I'd rather spend the points needed for 2I on TT and a better growth.
12% just isn't viable, considering you have to spread out as an AR to get
the full res advantage. Your core worlds won't have enough ppl on them in
the first place, let alone trying to top up the outer and mining worlds.
I could see it viable is a huge packed uni with 5-6 players, but in a normal
game 2I AR is just suicide <G>
Joseph Oberlander
Well, when you can get 40K in a testbed with a dual-immune, I say it is
plenty viable. TT does help a lot. The idea was to have a tri-immune
but that was effective. TT and dual immune gets you 90% overall green,
but 80% is without. That's a lot of green planets and all of the tiny
ones add up. Ar also has good movement and doesn't need super-high
pop growth and efficiency. Try putting docks everywhere and putting
a few people on them. And I mean EVERYWHERE. Play a dual-immune AR in
colonize everything.
Say you have 10 good planets and 30 icky planets to start. AR has a
base minimum resource efficiency and those 30 tiny spots of people add
up to several good planets early on. If you juggle it right, you can
have 20K by 2035-2040 and that makes you get Battleships pertty quickly.
In fact, your BB production is only 5-8 years behind most other
players, and that's surviveable as most people don't expect AR to
be at 20K that soon.
James Rapkins
> Well, when you can get 40K in a testbed with a dual-immune, I say it is
> plenty viable. TT does help a lot. The idea was to have a tri-immune
> but that was effective. TT and dual immune gets you 90% overall green,
> but 80% is without. That's a lot of green planets and all of the tiny
> ones add up. Ar also has good movement and doesn't need super-high
> pop growth and efficiency. Try putting docks everywhere and putting
> a few people on them. And I mean EVERYWHERE. Play a dual-immune AR in
> colonize everything.
as I say, I don't expect a AR in a normal sized game to be that slow and
survive. I play a AR and colonise everything anyway. And what's this good
movement thing? AR lose people to warp travel, so it penalises them more
than anyone else.
> Say you have 10 good planets and 30 icky planets to start.
I guess you must play in huge packed/dense universes as HEs in a
small/medium normal galaxy don't have that many worlds.
AR has a
> base minimum resource efficiency and those 30 tiny spots of people add
> up to several good planets early on.
yep - they also equal a huge target.
If you juggle it right, you can
> have 20K by 2035-2040 and that makes you get Battleships pertty quickly.
maybe in a testbed, hell in a test bed I've had colloidal BBs by 2419. In
reality, you're replacing too many Space docks and recolonising, due to the
fact ppl love blowing up ARs early. All your res goes into covering losses
and trying to get a tech advantage. And most ppl I play with/against realise
that ARs can be violent early game players, so if they find one, they'll
beat up on it. I don't doubt that ARs can have BBs by 2435, but any race
can. the Dual Immune is quite a viable race, but *only* in huge/large
universes, where they have a chance to establish themselves without threat
of reprisal.
That being said, 1 or No immunes ARs are better in close spaces as they're
faster tech wise than most races, and not building any planetary
installations allows you to build early hordes, or even CA fleets. But they
have to have a growth rate to be able to sustain that aggressiveness.
> In fact, your BB production is only 5-8 years behind most other
> players, and that's surviveable as most people don't expect AR to
> be at 20K that soon.
unfortunately most expect ARs to have BBs before them, it goes hand in hand
with the cheap con for DSs and all res into research. Whether or not they
can build any is a different matter, but you start approaching the BB era,
it gets a damn sight harder to protect your little starbases.
Sean
>> others. I'd rather spend the points needed for 2I on TT and a better
>growth.
IS does that far far better. 8)
> That's a lot of green planets and all of the tiny
>ones add up.
Populationwise maybe, but a 50% green is putting out only 50% the resources
it's population is capable of.
>Say you have 10 good planets and 30 icky planets to start. AR has a
>base minimum resource efficiency and those 30 tiny spots of people add
>up to several good planets early on. If you juggle it right, you can
>have 20K by 2035-2040 and that makes you get Battleships pertty quickly.
I'd rather go 1-immune/1-narrow/1-wide, and get 10 good planets and 5 so-so
planets ... and 5 "icky" planets -- then top thatoff with a 15%-18% PGR. All
with roughly the same luck-of-the-draw for habitable worlds, and producing
about the same resources, with greater population density (IOW, more pop per
world ... which translates into faster terraforming speeds, faster shipbuilding
speeds, etc).