Just got the demo...a few questions

[primitive]

There is no single "best" strategy. Scout around a bit and see what the races around you have to offer and what (if any) threats are imminent. You can steal or trade a lot of techs from the AI, so consentrate on whats really neccessary

Mines gives the best and cheapest early defence against the AI - Point defence are a must - Ship capture can help you steal tech worth a zillion - Combat sensors and training are neccessary when things get serious, but not before - Shields, Armor and a big gun for all non missile combat ships - Ship constructions; you want LC's pretty fast for the large mount (steal it or research it ?) - Troops for capturing planets and keeping your people happy when times are rough - Solar sails for speed - And so on .....

[joeljermon]

Another question - on an early scout, is it worth it to have 4 engines instead of 6 if it means I can build it in one turn? And how much do early-game scouts need supply bays? Finally, should I divide research evenly or not?

[ May 09, 2004, 23:14: Message edited by: joeljermon ]

[primitive]

Make the scout design thats best for your particular purpose. If its just for peeking into the next system, 4 engines and no supply might be OK, but for long range scouting you need both. Or you can build whatever you can in one turn and retrofit it to a better design later. Or you can just use colonizers for scouting, no need to give those fuel for the return trip

Never ever divide research evenly. You will loose whatever extra points there is when a project is done. When doing sequential research the extra points carries over to the next project.

[Arkcon]

Suggestion: pick whatever tech is quickest to research. You'll learn how technology progresses in SE4, you'll learn what works (and especially what doesn't), and you'll come up with tricks for using your new toys. If you research something of dubious use (planetary weapons comes to mind), you won't be too far behind the AI anyway.

[kerensky]

1. What are the best technologies to get early on? I usually get ship construction I first, but I'm not sure what to get after that. Weapons? Propulsion? What do you reccomend? And when should I research ice/gas giant colonies?

MY favorite weapon of choice in the demo was the phased polaron beam. Since you don't get phased shields in the demo, these are pretty powerful weapons.

[joeljermon]

A few more things:
1. Is it just me or are fighter rocket pods basically worthless? They do a lot of damage, but have terrible range and take ages to reload (30 turns, that means you can only fire it once per combat!) I'd much rather have a meson, anti-proton beam, or even a level 3 uranium cannon on my fighters. Maybe they could be useful for fighters that are made to just launch their missiles and then die, but why not just build suicide drones or kamikaze fighters in that case?
2. What exactly does the ionic disperser do?
3. Weapon platforms are for planetary defense, right?
4. Do computers ever keep alliances for more than a few turns? They offer a trade alliance, I accept, and a few turns later they break it.
5. Are robominers worth it? I mean, they do permanently deplete the planet, but I suppose they could be useful if you really need resources.
6. Not a question, but a general comment. Tactical combat seems lacking compared to MOO2. The ships take way too long to move, they're too small, and it needs to be a bit easier to determine weapon range (especially when dropping combat satellites - ugh, if you're one space off, they don't do a thing!) Besides the obvious graphics and sound issues, the tactical combat is the only real flaw I've found.

[Suicide Junkie]

1) Rocket pods are for the instant-kill. If you crush the enemy on the first turn, it dosen't matter how long the reload time is
Plus, your fighters don't have to stay close and face the PDCs... They do all their damage up front, instead of being gunned down after a shot or two of the regular guns.
2) IDs will destroy engines. Armor and other components are ignored, although they only do normal damage to shields.
3) Yes. Toss on guns and shields, and the planet can shoot back at the enemy. Platforms will be destroyed first, before any population loss occurs.
4) It depends on the AI, but if you stay out of their way, and if they're already at war with someone else, they will tend to be friendlier towards you.
5) I personally loathe to use robominers, and prefer to StellarManip my way to 100% breathable, optimal conditions and 255%+ maxvalue planets, even when its not practical.
Robominers are effective, but I just don't like them
When you do use them, DON'T mix and match miner types. If you have all mineral robos, then the organics and rads value won't decrease, but if you have even one miner working the resource, its value goes down by 1% per turn.
6) There are settings and options to toggle, animations, fast combat, etc.
Its definitely not practical for large combats, and you can't use it in multiplayer unless you're doing it HotSeat.
You should definitely get some practice with developing good strategies for your ships, or you'll be at a disadvantage when you play against other humans.