Artifacts

I don't think any multiplayer players even bother with searching their planets for artifacts. They are far too busy trying to win the game instead.

That's fine and all, but even in multiplayer I still search for artifacts. I think it's a good idea that's going a little to waste. If that's true that would explain how I beat my friends so often, even when they've the greater numbers. Artifacts can have a powerful impact on the game.

i would have to agree with you on this issue i think that some times i get useless tec

Maps determine the number of artifacts and planet bonuses. So if you make your own map you could have say 20 planets and 60 bonuses. Exploration would be pretty worthwhile then.

You also specify the artifact but putting that to say 20 could get really silly really fast lol

Trade boosts can be substantial. All things considered, research really doesn't cost that much, it's just at the wrong time. You need to be doing it before you improve on a planet. Exploring an ice world costs you a few cobalts and a couple hundred crystal, exploring it after that isn't a painful decision costs you dismantling the research centers and moving your trade to the place to take advantage of the 60% increase in trade income.

I can't say it's cost effective to do so in mp, but it is beneficial in the long run. You should be exploring everything in a 100 planet week long game, it's just not reasonable to explore before you improve, and half the gains are improvement dependant. It's definitely not cost effective to get 3 trade stations on an asteroid planet and move them to another asteroid planet after researching them both and getting a reduced gravity well size where they were initially, and a trade resource on the new one.

ROFLCOPTER! I usually explore later on, once I get "spare" resources -- frequently just one or two at a time, sometimes as a large "rush". Its part of my mid-game strategy, when you get down to it -- after the "staking out" of territory.

BTW, the jump drive artifact was confirmed as likely to get yanked a while back -- something about it being a "relic of former versions". I don't know why it never got yanked, I'm guessing they've been too busy.

You know what might be a better way to explore... at least for me?

Make it a tech, and have maybe 5 different levels, each time rolls the dice and has a good chance of finding the artifacts and bonuses you may or may not have.

The last level of it would let you see all bonuses and artifacts on all planets regardless of ownership.

This would be way more convenient than exploring on a perplanet basis.

But then it requires the use of civic labs above and beyond what you might currently build... and the cost won't scale with the size of your empire, either...

well, so far only ron said he uses it regularly and then only when he has spare resources, so in short: exploring very low on the priority list, because fleet and research are so much more important. I think this is a pity since its an interesting feature on paper, but with all the insecurity of whether you get a bonus and when you get one, if its even worth the trouble (i.e. if you can make use of it) its not very attractive.

there are surely many ways to tweak this, but first we should consider what the devs wanted to achieve by this feature. was it that planets were more varied or was it a random element that needed to go into the game. was it supposed to be exploited early on or later on.

I personally would like to have at least an indication where bonuses and artifacts are, so either "here is something" or % chances of whether or not an exploration seems feasible. at least you can priorise more clearly which planets you want to explore, because chances for success are greatest. you could of course also do a very cheap option to explore, which gives you info on all bonuses present and then more expensive options which to exploit i.e. make detection and benefit seperate.

Eh, part of the problem is that on some maps, you get lots of artifacts and bonuses (and I make resources available on those...) and others you don't. If bonuses were "standard" on more maps, more people would explore I think

Also, when I said "spare" resources I don't mean that I wasn't skimping on fleet or research to do it, but rather than my fleet and research needs aren't critical after the early game expansion phase.

yes, thats rooted in how the map is organised. there isnt a set chance to discover artifacts over all maps, but rather there is a set amount of them and the chance of getting one it equal to artifact # / planet #. its not a bad thing though, as you can use them to create more custom maps with a certain touch to it.

btw what happens when you have researched an artifact on a planet and it gets taken over by an enemy. it stays there, or does the enemy have to do the research too?



ok, then its different from what I do. I really only do it when I don't immediately need the funds for something better.

You don't research artifacts anymore You explore to find them... and the enemy takes 'em if they take the planet.

explore ... research. ah, just words the stuff you do in the planet upgrade window.