Exoplanet expedition/Science Victory questions

[Damirith]

If a civ has multiple spaceports, does sabotaging any one of them help when it comes to delaying the space projects or do you have to sabotage the one that is actually working on the project? If you do have to pick the right spaceport then how do you know which one has the project?

If a civ were to launch the exoplanet expedition, it seems that in general that player is going to win the game in 50 turns (or sooner with laser projects). From what I am seeing the only way to beat the player is to just win the game before them? In terms of domination, would you pretty much have to take over all of their cities to remove them from the game to prevent them from winning? What would happen if you take them out and then another civ gets into war with you and liberates one of their cities to bring them back into the game?

 

[The Highwayman]

You would need diplomatic access to see what they are currently working on in each city. Try using a spy for access if you're not allied with them. Then use another spy to sabotage production. Or declare war and pillage them with military. If they launch the exo, I'm not 100% but I think you either need to win the game yourself or eliminate them, but I cannot confirm. The AI is pretty bad at late game, so you should have plenty of time to adjust accordingly.

 

[Planktonic]

If a civ has multiple spaceports, does sabotaging any one of them help when it comes to delaying the space projects or do you have to sabotage the one that is actually working on the project? If you do have to pick the right spaceport then how do you know which one has the project?

You have to sabotage the one that is actually building the rocket.

You have to have some visibility on the spaceport to know if it is building a rocket. A spy is a good way to do this, but any means of obtaining visibility (eg. with another unit) will do. In fact, I think that if you've ever had any visibility on the spaceport tile, when you go back to look at it later, even if it's shadowed out, you can still see the status of the spaceport, as I think it updates to your view. A spaceport that is making the rocket will actually have a partially assembled rocket visible on the launch pad. The more complete the rocket appears, the closer the spaceport is to finishing the project.

 

[Linklite]

If a civ has multiple spaceports, does sabotaging any one of them help when it comes to delaying the space projects or do you have to sabotage the one that is actually working on the project?

It has to be the one doing the project.

how do you know which one has the project?

The only way I know is if you increase diplomatic visibility enough (spies, traders, etc) you can see what their cities are building, the same way you can see icons for your cities.

If a civ were to launch the exoplanet expedition, it seems that in general that player is going to win the game in 50 turns (or sooner with laser projects). From what I am seeing the only way to beat the player is to just win the game before them? In terms of domination, would you pretty much have to take over all of their cities to remove them from the game to prevent them from winning?

Basically, yes. The only way to stop them winning at that point is to either win yourself or to completely wipe them out. You can just capture their capital if it's the last capital left and Domination Victory is active. In fact, I'm nit sure wiping them out would work, technically their expedition would still arrive - depends on how they coded it, I guess. Best bet is to go for a quick Domination before the expedition arrives.

What would happen if you take them out and then another civ gets into war with you and liberates one of their cities to bring them back into the game?

This getting into really niche territory. It depends on how it's coded really. The only way to know is to try it. Do a hottest game with three of you, have Player 1 launch the exoplanet expedition, then have Player 2 wipe them out. After that, have Player 3 liberate one of their cities, let us know.