Re: SPIRAL ARM from AustWiz!

From: havok@st1.vuw.ac.nz

Date: Mon, 09 Sep 1991 04:36:34 +0000

In article <1991Sep6.214932.9426@claven.cambridge.ibm.com>, owens@claven.cambridge.ibm.com (David Owens) writes:
>
> Great game...
This is true! Spiral Arm is definately one of my most favourite PBM games.

> Here are the rules I try to play by...
>
>   1.  Don't build fleet at the start of the game... invest, invest, invest.
>       (see 4,5,6,7)
Invest in UK? But how do you maintain battle losses and how do you take
worlds(industrialized) from other players without dreadnoughts?

>   2.  Scoop up as many planets as you can unopposed at the beginning.
TRUE! TRUE! TRUE!

>   3.  Move up to tech 2 as soon as you can (so you can get more allies)
Why buy tech 2, when it costs 500 UK or 1000 K, 4 turns production for most!
Your allies need to ally with each other in case you want to use combinded
MBFs(Main Battle Fleets).

>   4.  Trade with your allies! (this is why you want more)
EXO-Trading gives you 8% at tech one and 1% less every tech after that. This
is not a good enough reason for allying. It does mean that you as the one with
more than one ally receives more Exos! Your allies receive less especially as
you may have to share your trade between the two of them.

>   5.  Don't burn pop, build up the ea to 50 right away.
WRONG! On the colonies that can build POP eg Bio=1 POP=20 you get a 2 POP
increase! This doesn't mean much, but it adds up after a while. I think
you mean 50 EA on a 1 POP colony, otherwise you are missing out on a lot
of free POP growth.

>   6.  Build all the industry you can EVERY turn.
CORRECT! Only when you are been 'rolled up" do you stop this! Build MAX IND
every turn!

>   7.  Avoid battles until at least turn 10 (take advantage of the 20% $ bonus)
WHY? Don't you want the IND of the other players! Doesn't this presume that
your neighbours are doing nothing on your borders eg attacking you!

>   8.  Make sure you have tech 4 before you start fighting.
WHY? You have spent some 2000 UK or 4000 K on building tech, where are your
ships, dreadnoughts, fleet? What do you have to defend yourself with?
If you do 7. Then you haven't expanded very far and so your empire is
very small and you can be "rolled over" in next to no time!

>   9.  Redesign Drd all defence, Bat all offence... alternating (Mon 2/3 offence)
What happens when all you have in the attack is DRDs, a single enemy SCT will
destroy all your DRDs, if they don't retreat. I killed 13 TRNS (Tech 4) with
one SCT (Tech 1) in 690 rounds! With your idea it might take 400,000,000
rounds to kill your 8 DRDs with my single SCT, but it'll be worth it!

>  10.  Avoid fighting with portions of your fleet.  It's better to lose a planet
>       without a fight and then take it back with your entire fleet.
But how many planets can you afford to lose, especially when they now border
your homeworld! MBFs (Main Battle Fleets) are good, but use caution.

>  11.  Ally with people you can keep in contact easily (cheaply?)  An ally
>       that you can never get in touch with isn't very useful.
CORRECT! This is usually the reason why players ally to those that are
physically "close" to them, cheaper phone calls and sometimes the convience
of being able to met face-to-face and planning things out together! This
is why all the "Londoners" get together etc.

>  12.  Try to ally with someone who has played many times.  (there are always
>       several in a game)
I know several people that fit your description, but I would sooner shot
myself in the foot before allying with them! You should say ally with
competent players...not some wally who's played 8 times and died 8 times.

>  13.  Once you have filled your initial planets choose weakest player on
>       your borders (preferably a non-player or someone with no allies or very
>       low tech) and attack with everything you have.
Define your idea of weakest player? For me it's someone who has no Fleet, no
Dreadnoughts and a weak (low POP) economy. Hmmmm.....sounds like you!

> Are you playing with Graaf Simulations?
NO I AM NOT!

> Dave Owens    IBM Technical Computing Systems, Cambridge, MA
Gee, Dave is this how you play? Sounds like a quick way to die, if things
don't all go to plan. A real risk if you border a homicidal maniac like me!
Cause I won't give you time to get your precious 20%, cause I'm that sort
of guy!
 BLOOD and more BLOOD. VIOLENCE and WAR, great stuff! This is why I play
Spiral Arm...something for all the family.

HAVOK!

References

SPIRAL ARM from AustWiz!
havok@st1.vuw.ac.nz
Thu, 05 Sep 1991 02:58:46 +0000
Re: SPIRAL ARM from AustWiz!
owens@claven.cambridge.ibm.com (David Owens)
Fri, 06 Sep 1991 21:49:32 +0000

Referenced By

SPIRAL ARM from AustWiz!
havok@st1.vuw.ac.nz
Thu, 05 Sep 1991 02:58:46 +0000
Re: SPIRAL ARM from AustWiz!
owens@claven.cambridge.ibm.com (David Owens)
Fri, 06 Sep 1991 21:49:32 +0000