[MoO] Whats the most unbalanced custom race you've ever made (MOO2)?

[scratchthepitch]

Yes, later in the game with more tech the difference is not so great, but early on can make all the difference. Usually my strategy is to colonize as many systems as possible, putting the colony ship on the most productive one. Then that colony can at its' leisure put out colony bases on the other planets in the system where they can spam housing or autolabs or whatever.

That's how I usually play also. Sometimes, when I'm distracted with some other part of the game, the AI will sneak a colony ship into those systems and nab one of those planets I had meant to colony base later.

 

[creamcheese]

That's how I usually play also. Sometimes, when I'm distracted with some other part of the game, the AI will sneak a colony ship into those systems and nab one of those planets I had meant to colony base later.

One of the best ways to prevent this is to station a ship in the system, even a tiny one. They don't seem to like to plop down new colonies in systems with ships. This also works in the initial colonization phase; stick one of your scouts in a system you like and they will often go for other things first.

Of course, you could just take the colony they plant for yourself .

 

[Murky]

One of the best ways to prevent this is to station a ship in the system, even a tiny one. They don't seem to like to plop down new colonies in systems with ships. This also works in the initial colonization phase; stick one of your scouts in a system you like and they will often go for other things first.

Of course, you could just take the colony they plant for yourself .

This is also known as picketing. It's common in 4x games where the AIs non-combat units try to avoid your combat units. Doesn't work too well in multiplayer games though.

 

[scratchthepitch]

One of the best ways to prevent this is to station a ship in the system, even a tiny one. They don't seem to like to plop down new colonies in systems with ships. This also works in the initial colonization phase; stick one of your scouts in a system you like and they will often go for other things first.

It depends on the planets in the system. If there is one there the AI want, they will come for it with bigger ships When I've beaten them to a planet they wanted, sometimes they demand it and declare war if I refuse. Even early game, I have noticed pickets don't seem to have much effect and I suspect the times I think I scared them off with a picket, they probably just had not got around to colonizing that system yet. Oddly enough, I've seen the AI go to all the work of removing a monster, and then not colonize the planet protected, even if they have brought along a colony ship. This even happens with Orion, after they have knocked out the guardian.

 

[creamcheese]

It's not a surefire trick, but it does have an effect. I know for sure because I once caught the AI in a loop moving his colony ship between two of my systems. My ship moved way faster so I could move my destroyer back and forth and he would never colonize.

 

[scratchthepitch]

It's not a surefire trick, but it does have an effect. I know for sure because I once caught the AI in a loop moving his colony ship between two of my systems. My ship moved way faster so I could move my destroyer back and forth and he would never colonize.

That's vicious and cruel. The poor little AI colony ship must have been all tired out from all the chain yanking.

 

[neilkaz]

I had just a sick game last night with what I consider to be the quickest and easiest race to win with on my usual Pre-Warp, Impossible 8 player cluster map games.

UniAquaTel LRHW with the usual negs of Repulsive and -GC-def allows for a very quick missile blitz with cruisers. Telepathic really is awesome when you attack and instantly assimilate and entire planet not needing transports. So nice to take over and instantly use a fully functional HW from another race.

Needing only 2 farmers at the start, you can generate 45 production which is reduced to 26 by pollution. Later on, since MIRV nukes will be all I need this game, I went for pollution processor instead of Merc missile and my HW which was producing 55 pollution/turn now only suffered losses to 26 pollution which was a big gain in 29 more production for cranking out ships.

LOL my home system was also stunning with a terran rich planet with pop 15, and a smaller rich planet and a 4th world to colonize. This was soon like having 2 rich HW's.

The Hyperspace Beast showed up just as I was starting my first attack on the Cats so I had to wait 12 turns which slowed everything up, but once I got rolling I'd conquered all enemy planets by turn 151. I can't win these settings this early with any other civ and certainly it could be done earlier if no Hyperspace Beast and given ideal access to attack. Even with Deut Fuel Cells, I needed to make a couple outposts.

My ships were a bit weak without Trit armor but I still lost very few cruisers. As the game wound down, I'd stolen Merc missiles from conquest, and had researched up to Zort armor so new ships were considerably better. I basically didn't pause to refit anything as two separate fleets were rolling thru AI systems, both converging on the Psilons at the end.

EDIT: Come to think of it, I think I should've taken -20 ship attack rather than defense since I am only using mssiles for this blitz.

.. neilkaz ..

 

[vmxa]

What is a cluster map?

 

[neilkaz]

What is a cluster map?

Cluster map comes with the 1.40 23b patch..ie standard download from GoG. It's got the same number of stars as the largest map (72) but closer together which means that there's often less time before combat starts.

It also means that sometimes I can go with Trit Armor for early combat rather than Deut Cells whereas on the more spread out map, you really need Deut Cells.

 

[scratchthepitch]

Cluster map comes with the 1.40 23b patch..ie standard download from GoG. It's got the same number of stars as the largest map (72) but closer together which means that there's often less time before combat starts.

It also means that sometimes I can go with Trit Armor for early combat rather than Deut Cells whereas on the more spread out map, you really need Deut Cells.

I had been wondering where the cluster map came from and thought you were using a mod. That 140 patch is for the dos version, correct?

 

[vmxa]

Yes it is for dos. That is the version used by GoG as they use DosBox. It is mod and it was intended for MP play mainly.

 

[neilkaz]

Yes for DOS...here's some more info.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/ton_hur/files/moo2/MOO2v140_readme.txt

It's an improvement to me. I like Cluster Galaxy the best. The trade goods overflow bug is fixed. Some players might like trying the post-warp tech age start. ..etc.

.. neilkaz ..

 

[vmxa]

Well hopefully all mods are improvements, else they would make no sense. It is not a question of better or not, but apples to apples.

 

[neilkaz]

More fun with the UniTelAqua super AI killer race. PreWarp Cluster win in 139 turns and then, yesterday a win in 124 turns and I'd could have been a few turns faster but it took me a while to realize that the Cats were near me in the corner on the other side of the black hole and monster planet. Once I realized that they had to be there, an outpost let me reach them.

I am learning to research just what I need to speed this up. I'd love Trit armor, but Deut fuel cells are a must to reach anyone and still an outpost is often needed. Fusion drive, even though it is superceded by Ion Drive is very useful and some games won't last long enough for Ion Drive. In a normal game I get and sometimes use Augmented Engines, but no need for that here where I want load cruisers with 2 shot nukes.

Pollution Processor instead of Merc Missile helps me crank out ships faster and these speed runs don't last long enough to MIRV Mercs and even if I get bogged down blitzing the last race or two and get to Zort Armor, I can just pack more MIRV Nukes onboard.

Blitzing was never my style, but it is a fun learning experience to quickly say "bye-bye" to AI races.

Edit..I just got 121 turns from a poor spot on the map's edge with no one close and no good worm hole close no and the early races to conquer weren't great races like a tolerant Sakkra or Subt Coid or Coid with +50 pop.

I believe that a perfect spot very well played could get close to 100 turns.

 

[scratchthepitch]

121 turns, that is fast.

 

[neilkaz]

121 turns, that is fast.

TY..one of these days I'll break 110..I'd have been easily in the 110's this game I just played, in spite of a poor starting setup, but Hyperspace Flux kept me from moving for about 12 turns so I only managed to end it in 124 turns.

The Space Dragon also showed up and wanted 500 BC to not ravage my HW...so I tried to pay it but couldn't then figure out how to send him to attack another system..clicking on other stars didn't seem to work. What's the secret to that?

thx .. neilkaz ..

 

[scratchthepitch]

I used to turn off the random events because of the spaceflux. But I don't any more, since the other random events can be fun. I didn't know you could sic the monsters on other players if you paid the monster off. I just assumed they would kill the system and so killed the monster.

 

[neilkaz]

Just took all enemy planets in 113 turns !!

No other race can come close to doing this, IMHO. I was closer to AI's this time and there were some useful worm holes in decent places, although my starting system wasn't so good..only 1 smallish planet to colonize.

Settings are default Impossible, Cluster (comes with 1.40 23b patch),8 players,PreWarp,Average Age. Random events are on, of course...ie defaults.

There are a few roving Space Monsters, but I believe the Dragon is the only one wanting to be paid off to not attack (at least that's all I recall, but there are rare and sometimes attack someone else anyhow). If paid, he can be ordered to attack another system, but I couldn't figure out how to order him to do so and ended up with the Dragon destroying my HW's starbase and killing 2 million people, slowing me down a bit. Clicking on star systems to send him too, either right or left click, just didn't work when I tried to then hit the "accept" button..nothing seemed to work here. Perhaps a bug? Anyhow..I almost never see this sort of monster coming to attack.

So this, I believe is the Master Race vs AI's but vs Humans you might be better off with even more production, but if you can jump on someone and take a couple of his colonies, you then may be able to overcome his slight production advantage.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I play as Elerian picture so I don't come up against other telepathic races. If somehow, a system has a telepathic leader this early on, just bombard it and kill every one.

.. neilkaz ..

 

[Sleestak]

As I stated earlier in this thread, I like to go for high pop/high tech races that can hunker down in a fe good systems and then wipe the board in a relentless breakout. My Sleestak with their uni/sub +1 research or termites, uni/sub +1pop are unbeatable in regular large galaxies if I make it through the first stage.

I always go for Heightened Intelligence as the pop bonus from sub allows me to catch up and streak ahead. Usually go for Evolutionary Mutation and pick Warlord so I don't have to build or buy starbases everywhere as I expand to victory.

BTW, my old Windows 98 computer I've been playing on won't boot up because it balks at a USB mouse. I am trying to find a serial mouse so I can play again.

Anyone here have experience running Dosbox on Linux? My two main computers are running Ubuntu 10 LTS. I'm kinda scared to run Dosbox on them. but I'd like to play MOO on them.

 

[scratchthepitch]

neilkaz

Thanks for the info on the wandering dragons, I don't remember seeing one in a game, though I must have years ago when I first got it since I played the game to death back then. Congrats on 113 turns!

Sleestak

I used to play MOO2 on an old win98 computer I had rebuilt from old components that still worked from my old computers. Had 2 different serial mouse type connections for these, along with 2 different keyboard types. You might be able to find these old components from a computer repair shop, they sometimes keep old hardware around, but bring the old pieces to show them to match up the right connectors. Cant help with Linux and dos box. My Linux experience is very, very minimal and I never tried dos box with it.