Re: VGA Planets opening strategy suggestions needed

From: wws@sunray.att.com (Bill Stoll)

Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1993 21:07:12 +0000

In article <1993Feb13.212156.11885@serval.net.wsu.edu> rcrane@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu (useradd) writes:
>I would like suggestions as to strategies
>people employ in their opening moves
>in VGA planets for the different races.  Thanks.

I've played about 5-6 of the races, and in every case I start with
the same basic strategy.

[1] Use the planet's starting money to build as many factories as
    possible.  In four turns your investment will begin to really
    pay off.  The only exception MIGHT be a game where I had a very
    close neighbor and needed to get a decent ship out of the blocks
    in a hurry, but this hasn't happened.

[2] Fill the small freighter with colonists, and send it with mission
    "colonize" to the nearest planet.  Another thing I have considered
    but haven't tried is to send it with mission "exploration" and beam
    down 1 clan to scout for minerals and natives.  If the planet is a
    bust (no natives, very rare Molybdenum), move on to the next closest
    planet.  The catch here is that you have stardrive 3 engines, and
    it will often be many months before you have *anything* if you
    don't colonize the first planet regardless of how barren it is.

[3] Fill the capital ship with colonists and do the same thing, unless
    you have enemies nearby and need it for defense.  If colonizing,
    unload all torps (if you've got any) so you can fit more colonists
    on board.  Remember, you don't have to take supplies, because
    colonizing will cause your ship to be dismantled for supplies.

Let the two hulls that came with the base rust away, or fit them
    with the stardrive 3 hulls in storage and send them off to colonize.

[4] Get to tech 6 on hulls and tech 7 on engines, and build some large
    deep space freighters with tech 7 engines.  Note that you have to
    go to tech 9 on engines before you have any more engine alterna-
    tives, and those higher alternatives are expensive.  Raising tech
    to level 10 from level 7 is 2400 megacredits, and tech 10 engines
    are 300 apiece plus 50+ Molybdenum.

WATCH your Molybdenum; it and Neutronium can run out very easily.
    If you started on a planet with abundant Molybdenum and/or abundant
    Neutronium, you should have an overwhelming advantage.  In version
    2.2 and above, everyone starts with the same mineral resources on
    their homeworld, eliminating this element of luck.

I think it's better to build 2-3 big freighters with tech 7 engines
    and Get Out There than to wait an extra 5-10 turns until you can
    afford tech 10 engines.  After you have 2-3 big freighters you can
    wait for the big mineral shipments to roll in; by then you should
    have enough cash and supplies-to-sell to buy some big freighters
    with tech 10 engines to get the minerals in faster, and shortly
    after that you should be able to afford the tech 10 battlewagons.

I have been known to build one or two medium deep space freighters
    if I felt that I couldn't wait for tech 6 on hulls, but no more than
    that.

[5] Use the starcharts and look for directions in which to expand that
    have lots of planets fairly close together.  300-400 light years
    seems to be the max distance that is really useful for supporting the
    home world.  Send your big freighters with 900 colonists and 300
    supplies, planning to colonize 3-6 planets in one excursion from the
    homeworld, then transport up neutronium and minerals that you need
    for the homeworld as you come back for more colonists.

You should find that colonists are usually the only export from the
    homeworld.  The exception is later in the game when you have more
    than 1 starbase and your planet is abundant in some mineral, or VERY
    late in the game when the home base is maxed out on tech levels and
    your home planet becomes a good source of supplies.

[6] If your home planet is not abundant in Neutronium, you MUST conserve
    fuel.  Otherwise it won't be long before you build a big ship and
    can't move it for lack of fuel.  The general rule is, when leaving the
    homeworld, take just enough fuel to reach the destination.  The less
    fuel you carry, the lower the mass of your ship, and the less fuel
    you need for the trip.  Use the ship screens to determine how much
    fuel you need.  I usually take an extra 10-20 kt of fuel in case of
    emergency.  When on the way back to the homeworld, take as much
    fuel as you can carry.  That way, you will often be dropping off
    fuel at the homeworld where it is most needed.

[7] 5-40 turns into the game - should you build freighters or capital
    ships?  This is a very tough call, and I am not experienced enough
    to make it.  But I'll give my advice anyway :)  If you're close
    to your enemy, get your beam weapons tech level up to at least 5
    at the expense of your hull tech level, and try to build a small
    capital ship with hi-tech beams and tech 7 engines - preferably a
    hull with at least 4 beams.  Then send it into enemy territory and
    intercept his ships (you can intercept ships with lower id#s than
    the intercepting ship) and KILL his planets (but not the homeworld
    or you might get singed).  This can throw opponent into a defensive
    mode, forcing him to spend resources on planetary defense instead
    of ship building, while you continue to expand.

If far away, work up to large deep space freighters with tech 10
    engines and expand as far as possible with at least 100 colonists
    on each *decent* planet.  If you have time, map your universe on
    paper so you can easily plan efficient supply runs 5-10 turns in
    advance.  You've GOT to find a good source of Molybdenum as early
    as possible; once you've done that, strip mine the planet, get the
    stuff home, and proceed to build your battlewagons.

[8] Don't build starbases in your backyard.  The minerals are more
    useful on the front, so use them to build ships or to build starbases
    on the front.  The exception is when you have a tidy little self-
    sufficient cluster in your backyard that can supply the new base
    with enough minerals and supplies to make it a useful ship producer.

[9] In a game with 10 other races, if you are hemmed in on many sides,
    TALK to your neighbors asap and attempt to form an alliance.  You
    need their resources to survive.  There is a lot of talking in this
    game.  Don't make enemies until you are very strong.

I'd like to hear what other people do.
--
Bill Stoll
wws@cblpd.att.com

References

VGA Planets opening strategy suggestions needed
rcrane@wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu (useradd)
Sat, 13 Feb 1993 21:21:56 +0000