Ok my 1st 4 Player Game at Easy.... BRUTAL

Howdy, I've noticed that if your command points ever show negative, that your buildings stop producing new ships.

Also if the computer is ganging up on you too much, you can try "locked teams" or give yourself a computer buddy. It helps with the end game cleanup too.

The first game I played I got my head handed to me a lot worse than you have it now.

Fixed defenses in this game weren't intended nor are capable of stopping a hostile fleet cold. However, the fact that you have a two fleets really helps.

I'd keep one on firefighting duty. Use the other purely for offense. Take and hold territory if you can. But if you can't hold territory, just go into a system, decimate the infrastructure, and move on to another. You should make it a special point to destroy research facilities. For example, if I have a weapons tech upgrade that requires three military labs to research and my enemy destroys one of my labs, I lose the benefit of that research. Now, to get the upgrades back I don't have to pay to research them again, but I do have to replace the military lab. Knocking out labs are a fast effective way of degrading your enemy's combat power.

Also keep in mind that most ships have a modifier to its damage based on what kind of ship it's attacking. Here is a chart that, among other things, explains what these damage modifiers are. For example, light frigates (like Cobalts if you're TEC) are highly effective against flak frigates and light carriers but not so effective against Javelis LRM frigates. It's important to maintain a good balance of ships in your fleet and order certain ship types to attack ship types that they are good at fighting against.

Also make sure to upgrade the civilian infrastructure on newly colonized planets as soon as possible. Until you upgrade your civilian infrastructure on newly colonized worlds, it will actually cost you credits instead of give credits.

As far as the bug you mentioned...make sure you have the latest patch (1.03).

It's amazing how so many complain how easy this game is... frankly I'm with the OP... this is a pretty challenging game, unless I suppose you use gamey tactics.

Javaslinger

Ok Guys

Good advice

I have to quit this game that I just said

I restarted several times, and when I move 1 fleet out of 1 area, the other comp jumps my system instantly

I can't win the game i was playing, I'm getting hit by multiple 3-4 capital fleets , 1 or more from each computer player.

this is plainly not fun now, I can't do anything without 1 or more systems somewhere getting hit while I am jumping somewhere else to defend

nothing works, choke points, defenses, having 2 fleets and building a 3rd, I am overwhelmed everywhere , not by 1 player but all 3 at same time hitting me in different areas

any more advice ?

Frankly this is not a challenge, it's just "work"

Help Pt2

Jean

I played a medium 4 person game against 3 normal AIs and found out:

1. Hanger defenses help. Build at least 2 around important planets.

2. If you forget to bribe the pirates, you'll regret it.

3. You can probably focus on making nice with at least one AI. Complete the "give me creds and mats" missions and then try to do the destroy missions. If you can get a cease-fire signed, that AI will actually help you. Sign a peace treaty and you can win the game as an alliance. (you don't need to turn on him and smash him after the other AIs are dead)

4. Focus fire on enemy cap ships. The enemy tends to freak our and flee if you make a cap ship go boom.

I haven't lost a single game yet :/ played a 52 planet map w/ 9 hard ais and still won... it isn't that hard. Playing atm w/ 9 unfair AIs... not much of a difference really, they're just losing ships faster.


Try playing with a different race or summat. I've been playing on rand but advent is my fave. Sadly I'm stuck in a location where my only internet connection is dialup at the moment so I cant play MP yet... can't wait to get somewhere where I can tho

Expand so that you have as few fronts as possible. I know, obvious, right? But are you doing that?

When you take a new planet, decide right away if its:

1. Going to be a chokepoint.
2. Going to be an interior planet.
3. A risky proposition.

And invest accordingly.

Attack 1 AI empire at a time, unless you just have to do missions for someone to get them on your side.

With enough defenses set up, the AI generally conservatively will NOT attack. Defenses include a resident fleet. The fleet rallies there and holds off the attack preemptively until enough fleet has accumulated for the offensive fleet to swing around and smash the guys on the doorstep in cahootz with the "defenders".

If you've made a catastrophic mistake in a game vs. the AI. Re-load and see if you can avoid it. There might be something you've assumed that you'll need to relearn.

My 2 creds.

I just got done with a medium map and 3 normal AIs. I found it to be pretty easy. My general strat is to secure 2-3 planets and get their economies going. It also helps to send around scouts to gauge the rate at which cpu's are expanding (which is a rough indicator of how fast you should be expanding).

Though for a starter game, I did a 2v2 (me and a hard AI vs two normal AI). I figured this would give me enough of a leverage to get familiar with all the options and potential build orders. Also, I got to see how the 'better' AIs built stuff. You should try the same if you want to figure out the mechanics without getting thwamped in your first game ^^.

I once won on a 6-slot medium Map against 5 hard AI's. It looks to me that you are too defensive...especially in the early-game you have to be agressive in order to get in an advantageous position. That means the more planets you get at the beginning the less you have to conquer from your enemys later and the bigger is your income advantage.
Here are some Tips that worked for me:

- Take the capital ship that can colonize first. It might not be the strongest but it will spread your territory much faster as your enemys.
- Take at least one enemy down within the first half hour...AI is slow, 1 cap ship and 4-5 long range frigs is all you need
- Expand fast, when you stand still the enemy will outnumber you
- Don't let your fleet rust in your planets orbits...attack someone
- Even when you have to retreat, every structure you destroyed will help you win
- Use the black market and the pirates to get resources and to hold your enemys down
- Perhaps you have to build some torrents and hangars, but don't spend too much on defense...attack is the best defense
- Avoid a 2 frontline war, keep the front as small as possible untill you are ready
- Upgrade your planets as soon as possible, time is money
- Avoid being attacked by pirates, they only slow you down
- Be cautious of big fleets of siege frigates, kill them they are really dangerous for unguarded planets

(Some of this I already posted in a thread below)

Playing against more than 2 AI does become somewhat of an adventure. Just beat a medium map Maelstrom with 5 Hard Random AI and pirates, and I gotta tell ya it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in gamedom. Here are a few tips.

First try and start by getting an Asteroid, Ice, Volcanic planet. That desert planet looks nice but now that they have a measly 2 resources I think getting it too early hurts your growth. This gives you a nice economic base, you really have to watch where you expand and only do so when you know you can both defend the position and take the economic hit getting it set up. Once you have the 4 planet "core" you need to get trade ports up on all of them, you need to have the creds to replace ships as they fall and upgrade the fleet if you see you need more ships.

As for tech i get 2-3 civ and 2-3 military (depending on race) then just try and hold on for dear life until i can find the space/credits/time to further upgrade.

Defending. I've tried everything, but the best way I have found to fight off wave after wave of enemy fleet is by use of repair platforms, lots of them. I put 3-4 near the planet where the battle is likley to take place, where i can take out any siege and just park the fleet there and make them come to me. I keep an eye on the battle and replace ships as they go down, perhaps switching from one kind to the appropriate counter. If they take out the repair platforms I rebuild them on the other side of the planet and send the fleet over there. I use hangars as a deterant so they don't send in their little gank squads, but im sure in the long run they help in a long defense. I've had the comp raiding a single planet for over an hour, every bit counts.

So after fending off a huge attack, that is a good time to hit em back. And you really have to attack someone because the other key is you need an ally. The problem seems to be you can't get a cease fire unless you do a couple of building destroy missions. So you can't just turtle or they will all keep invading. If you take out one, it will probably please another, and once one is on your side it's all downhill from there.

KP