[MoO] MOO1 - how do you beat the game fast?

[cantoras]

I am trying to see how fast I can beat MOO1, but feel kind of stuck with my strategies and are in need of some new ideas.
I play the game on small-hard-five opponents.
I consider it a win is when I have 2/3 of the votes myself (otherwise I abstain) or when all opponents are gone.
I do use the scout planet block and missile ship turnaround exploits.
Klackon is my normal race, could anyone else be faster?
I fill my home planet with factories and population before I build another colony ship or start research - is there a better way?
I keep my research fairly balanced, with some more weight on weapons and ecology - is there a more efficient setting?
The only ships I build are medium missile ships, with stingers or pulsars - can beam or bombs be efficient?
Spying for technology early on, destroying missile bases later on.
A standard win occurs at 2524 - for me, a really fast would be 2474. I have managed 2449 once, but that was a really simple map, with four opponents locked together in one corner and I managed to get 2/3 without any fighting at all.

 

[Omega124]

Humans are the fastest way to win if you are willing to win the cheesy way. You see, everyone likes the humans. Thus, everyone is more likely to vote for them.

 

[cantoras]

Humans are the fastest way to win if you are willing to win the cheesy way. You see, everyone likes the humans. Thus, everyone is more likely to vote for them.

True, but I don't consider a cheesy win a win. I only consider it a win is when I have 2/3 of the votes myself. Too much luck involved otherwise.

 

[da dick]

i know it's pretty much impossible to beat the AI in early game since they cheat like hell with ship production.

but it's possible to at least colonise most of the planets on the map if you use sakkra or meklar. with sakkra it's a no-brainer. with meklar, i think there was a thread on that. you pretty make use of meklar's ability to build lots of factories with a small population and start building colony ships faster than other races.

after that you try to max out your population while avoiding any wars at all by bribing the more agressive races, and vote yourself in at the universal great leader since you have the highest population of them all. another way is to keep restarting your game if you ever meet any agressive races or expansionist personalities.

 

[cantoras]

i know it's pretty much impossible to beat the AI in early game since they cheat like hell with ship production.

but it's possible to at least colonise most of the planets on the map if you use sakkra or meklar. with sakkra it's a no-brainer. with meklar, i think there was a thread on that. you pretty make use of meklar's ability to build lots of factories with a small population and start building colony ships faster than other races.

after that you try to max out your population while avoiding any wars at all by bribing the more agressive races, and vote yourself in at the universal great leader since you have the highest population of them all. another way is to keep restarting your game if you ever meet any agressive races or expansionist personalities.

I have never managed to be very successful with Meklar. True, they have the ability to build a lot of factories, but building factories takes time. I usually turtle with Meklar, but that will not be fast win. Klackon still seems to be the best choice, since they can expand fast and also build bases for defence.
Maybe Bulrathi could be a choice on a good map? Small galaxy means that you will meet the other races early on and the Bulrathi bonus is substantial in the beginning.

 

[da dick]

I have never managed to be very successful with Meklar. True, they have the ability to build a lot of factories, but building factories takes time. I usually turtle with Meklar, but that will not be fast win. Klackon still seems to be the best choice, since they can expand fast and also build bases for defence.
Maybe Bulrathi could be a choice on a good map? Small galaxy means that you will meet the other races early on and the Bulrathi bonus is substantial in the beginning.

you misunderstood. read the "meklar expansion bonus" thread. here, i found it for you.
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=178674

and turtling in this game with ANY race will probably make you lose the game, unless you're really lucky with races that have bad diplomacy in a huge map. or psilon, which has more to lose from enemy contact 'cause that would just allow them to steal tech from you earlier.

 

[cantoras]

you misunderstood. read the "meklar expansion bonus" thread. here, i found it for you.
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=178674

and turtling in this game with ANY race will probably make you lose the game, unless you're really lucky with races that have bad diplomacy in a huge map. or psilon, which has more to lose from enemy contact 'cause that would just allow them to steal tech from you earlier.

Interesting, need to try meklar that way - it seems difficult though.

Meklar, Psilon and Darlok can turtle fairly successfully. Meklar and Psilon can stay out of the vote until the can out-produce or out-tech the others. Darlok need to stay out of the vote until they quickly can grab >1/3 of the votes.

 

[cantoras]

i know it's pretty much impossible to beat the AI in early game since they cheat like hell with ship production.

but it's possible to at least colonise most of the planets on the map if you use sakkra or meklar. with sakkra it's a no-brainer. with meklar, i think there was a thread on that. you pretty make use of meklar's ability to build lots of factories with a small population and start building colony ships faster than other races.

I have done quite a bit of testing, but have only limited success with Meklar. The main problem is that a small galaxy quickly gets choked and Meklar not very good at invading or defending planets in the early game. In the same galaxy (with Raceed) Klackons generally get the win 25 years before Psilon and an additional 25 years before Meklar. Bulrathi can be fast, but only under very special circumstances: 2nd planet fertile, closest opponents homeplanet within easy reach = no colony ships needed.
Silicoid can grab a lot of planets quickly, but since most of their planets are small the population will not be sufficient to win early.
The Sakkra bonus is not useful in a small galaxy.
And the other races are slower.

What I am lacking is a efficient strategy to invade in the early mid-game, ~Sub-Light Drive.

 

[da dick]

hmm... looks like you should maybe lower your expectations of a "fast" game? 3 AI is already crowded for a small map. 5 on a small map is impossible for me to beat. i would think 5 AI opponents is more manageable on a large map.

 

[cantoras]

hmm... looks like you should maybe lower your expectations of a "fast" game? 3 AI is already crowded for a small map. 5 on a small map is impossible for me to beat. i would think 5 AI opponents is more manageable on a large map.

MoO1 with 5 opponents on a small map is truly a fantastic game:
1. It is fast, a full game takes <1 hour
2. It is action-packed, fighting normally starts very early
3. It is not repetitive, you have to adjust your strategy to your tech tree, planets and opponents.
4. The micromanagement is limited.

Playing on "hard" (never tried impossible), it is not that difficult to win, at least not with Klackon or Psilon. Since the game is fast, it is possible to play it quite often and that is why I came up with this personal challenge to see how fast (in years) I could win. Of course, speed is basically about luck with the galaxy and starting position - grabbing a few planets with population >80 in the early game makes a big difference. Finding Iridium Fuel Cells or Scatter Pack V on an artifact planet also really turns the game in your favour.
With Klackon a standard game for me would end in 2524 or 2549, 2499 is a fast game, 2479 happens but is rare, managed 2449 once.

 

[Alex2018]

Playing on "hard" (never tried impossible), it is not that difficult to win, at least not with Klackon or Psilon.

Recently after beating impossible AI in moo2 (even as feudal with -1 research) I've decided to play moo1. I have no idea how everyone beats computer on the impossible. It seems that in moo1 the computer cheats even more making it almost unplayable unless one is really lucky. For example today on huge galaxy 5 opponents, only AVERAGE difficulty level as Psilons (the strongest race apparently!) I've badly lost.

I go heavy on expansion and building up the colonies that I do have. I focus on factory techs and terraforming. My population is 2nd even when I am outnumbered in amount of colonies. Obviously I can't build too many colonies anytime soon. Other than scouts to flag colonies initially, I start building defenses when I encounter first race and can't make non-agression pact with them. Sometimes they don't want even to trade, and me offering them gifts doesn't help. By 67th turn I have 6 colonies. Silicoids have 13 (they’ve grown in strength)! There is no other habitable planets in range. Furthermore, I am placed next to mrrshans who are ruthless expansionists. By turn 108, silicoids have 27 colonies… Soon, as a psilon, I am in 4th place when it comes to technologies. By turn 136 after darlocks declared war on me, the silicoids (the strongest race!) did the same. Then soon the humans who liked me said that they “need to expand” and cancelled non-aggression pact.

I am playing very peacefully, trying to trade with everyone and trying to put NAP with everyone… Few turns later, my missile base was destroyed, I was framed and the final race I am in contact almost declared war on me. Even though I have now 10 planets, with good terraforming and all. I am forced to build missile bases to defend myself, thus falling back in technology even more. During council votes, I barely keep up with silicoids. By turn 154 I am in the last place!!! This is insane!!!
By year 2550 (250th turn) they chose silicoids as the emperor. I’ve basically lost. I rejected the rule and now everyone is against me.

By 2620 (320th turn), mrrshans destroyed my colony. Now my shields are not good enough and I’ve definitely lost…

Addition: I've replayed that game (I made a save at 1st turn). Still lost.
Attempt #2: By turn 64, silicoids have 14 colonies… I have 7. By turn 123 they have 27 and I have 12. By 200th turn the Silicoids won the council vote. Few turns before, Mrrshans declared war on me…

This is on average difficulty. What is going on?