Does anyone know the formula SEIV uses to calculate score?

[Tomgs]

Actually the score goes down when you blockade because resource, intell, and research production isn't generated on blockaded worlds. So all the point it gets from that go away if you blockade.

Also on how many points technology that has been researched gives you just start a full tech game and blockade an AI. They have between 300 and 400 points after the blocade so thats mostly technology points there. Not very much for all that technology and research time. If you are playing for score ships and bases win hands down. Bases even more so because you can support more of them with the same resource production base.

[This message has been edited by Tomgs (edited 23 January 2001).]

[Nyx]

Yes, and there's a flaw in the score calculation where it doesn't matter what's on the ship, just the hullsize. So all destroyers are worth the same score, and all the baseships are worth the same, etc. Which is why we had to impliment a rule in our high-score contest about not building the biggest starbases (I forget the name) with nothing but a single computer onboard and mothballing it. Someone found out that in 150 turns he could build over 20,000 such stations and pull a score of 50 million points based off of totally worthless stations. So now our rule is you have to use the hull size chosen, meaning you can't put only 100kt of gear onto a dreadnaught, that's an escort design.

If you're not entering our contest and want a really high score, build big spacestations with master computers and mothball them. It's stupid but it works.

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Compete in the Space Empires IV World Championship at www.twingalaxies.com.

[geoschmo]

Thanks for all the feedback.

I spent a couple of hours Last night trying out different games settings and I have figured out the fomula exactly.

I also have done some work on what combination of ship size to component arangement gives you the most bang for the buck in score to maint ratio.

I want to win the twingalaxies tourney though so I won't be sharing my work here until after it's over. MUUUUUHAHAHA-HA-HA-HA!

[Drake]

Heh, good luck. I've done a few calcs of my own, and the biggest problem for me right now is how long it takes to process my turns because of all the ships in the game. I'm not sure I'll have enough time to finish a full 150.

Seriously though, it doesn't look like the game restricts you to the setting for max # of ships in startup. Even if you restrict yourself to 2000 ships & bases combined, you should be able to hit 50M+ by turn 150 using the biggest space station with the first Version of the master computer and lots and lots and lots of organic armor (again Version 1) to bring the total to 1510kt.

At a cost of 6500m, 4430f, and 1000r, a huge world should be able to pop one of these out a turn. Large and medium worlds every other turn at least. If you set things up right, hitting 2000 ships is a feasible target. Now worrying about the infrastructure to support all those ships... Well, I think I'll wait until next month before mentioning that, heh.

-Drake

[Drake]

On second thought, I've changed my mind. In the interest of fairness, I'd like to point out, in case you weren't aware, that you can reduce your maintenance costs to ZERO by upping maintenance to 120% and selecting merchants.

I also take organce, adv. storage, and the +25% planetary shipyard rate. Factor in +20% research, +10% growth, decent mineral and farming and +28% const rate, and you basically can take out the AI in about 20-25 turns usually without firing on their planets.

I'd pick either the Sergetti or the Amon'Krie symbols to play with, because they only surrender if you have 50x their score as opposed to 10x their score. By using their art, you ensure you won't be seeing them.

Other tips for the contest would be to make sure you have a good balance of races for the different atmosphere types (check race symbols at beginning of game), have over 35 systems in your quadrant, have 15 or 16 total players in your game (forcing them to surrender ALWAYS), and use a spiral galaxy type.

The spiral galaxies are typically better connected, so your missile escorts can take the shortest route to your enemy's HW. Keep close eye on your score, when it hits 10x theirs, demand surrender. Once you hit 200k+, you'll typically be able to demand their surrender as soon as you meet them, without bothering to blockade their HW.

Basically once you wipe out the AI, you're only concerned with the amount of construction you can get done per turn, and the resources needed to support that turn's construction. With zero maintenance, it simplifies things so that you don't find yourself overextended on turn 120 or something. I'd basically suggest not bothering to research anything that didn't benefit either expansion, population growth on your existing planets(for higher construction), and resource production. Once those goals have been met, build the biggest size hull you can per turn, filled with organic armor.

I'll be interested in seeing what kind of scores you guys can generate with the tactic. I've been able to beat the AI in 16 turns with propulsion expertise, but not do that and keep the 0% maintenance, and the latter is more useful for purposes of the contest..

Keep me posted if you decide to give it a try & good luck!

-Drake

[This message has been edited by Drake (edited 24 January 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Drake (edited 26 January 2001).]

[geoschmo]

Good point about the spiral galaxies and using one of the Xenophobes as your own race Drake. That's two points I had not considered.

Zero Maint? I was using reduced maint but had not thought it all the way through to that extreme. That seems almost to be a bug if it is true.

[Drake]

I don't think it's really a bug, but probably more of an oversight that occured when they changed the effect of maintenance in race creation. I'm guessing they didn't intend for maintenance to fall below 5%, but forgot the merchant maintenance reduction.

I think the maintenance issue, coupled with the AI surrendering so easily, totally unbalances things with regard to the contest. I'd much rather see it be the player vs all other AIs, who have a huge bonus, and the player isn't allowed to communicate with the AIs at all. Either that, or base victory on something other than the score. Oh well, it's probably a bit late to change things that drastically.

Also, another tip - if you set your construction to 128% and pick hardy industrialists, on your standard HW with 2000M pop, you can build the shell of a colony ship each turn without having to go into emergency mode. Then just retrofit to include engines and a cargo module. It'll actually cost you less than building the full ship from scratch, due to the way retrofitting works. You'll only be delayed one turn, but after that you won't have a slowdown period. I wouldn't recommend doing that with your starting HW, because you'll probably need the quicker start to get your points up faster, but it works great with the homeworlds you'll acquire from getting the AI to surrender.

-Drake

[This message has been edited by Drake (edited 24 January 2001).]