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Race Design Choices for Dueling

Wed, 26 January 2005 22:02

jrbuller

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Messages: 48
Registered: February 2004
Location: Clearwater, FL

Greetings and Salutations!

I've played in a few multi-player Stars games before, never came close to winning one, but I really think I'd like to try my luck again. I was considering trying my hand at a duel or two, but wanted to ask some advice from the community at large.

When you're desiging a race for a duel, what do you do differently from a race you'd use in a larger, multi-player game? And why?

Also, anyone want to share a "Ten Commandments of Dueling", if they are different from a larger game?

Thanks for your input!

jrbuller

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Re: Race Design Choices for Dueling

Thu, 27 January 2005 06:29

mazda

Lieutenant

Messages: 655
Registered: April 2003
Location: Reading, UK

General race design depends on the actual winning conditions.
You want different things to have the best score at 2450 rather than having to kill the opponent.

The obvious difference in a duel is that you aren't going to find any friends.
So don't choose a race design that will need any assistance or is a very slow starter.
I'd keep to races with pop coefficient of 1/1000 or better.
I'd also take IFE except for IT or HE.

Assuming we've decided we don't want a 1WW design, then having got a particular design here's a few modifications I try to make in order to make sure I can have cheap tech and ISB.

If there is a decent number of planets I tend to narrow the hab.
(However there is an argument to keep the hab wide and select only the best planets to reduce the terra).

Reduce the numbers of mines by 2 or 3 and certainly don't increase the mine eff. - you aren't going to need long term minerals.

Depending on how far you narrow the hab then if you are using factories you can build fewer factories but make them cheaper / more efficient. Less factories ties in well with the worse mines and maybe no need to tick the G box.

Hope this helps.
M

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Re: Race Design Choices for Dueling

Thu, 27 January 2005 09:07

Kotk

Commander

Messages: 1227
Registered: May 2003

Name ...
any name goes since you got no diplomacy.

PRT ...
forget the PRTs you are weak early with (AR)

LRTs ...
I would suggest all the things that give you no disadvantages at tech like 6, but give you rw points (NRSE, NAS and OBRM).
The main battles will be probably fought at construction 10 or under so the RS is ok even for IT.
I agree with mazda about IFE and ISB, its hard without these.

Hab settings and growth...
You want to start quick so you want good growth and probably immunity.

Econ settings...
Forget HP style econ, even HG style econ may be too slow, general favorites are QS and NF style econ.
If your PRT is HE then make them to be quick as well.

Mine settings...
I agree with mazda, its often over during first 50 years so if you mine more than you use during first 50 years you are been wasteful there.

Tech settings. I think that two schools there ...

Barbarian style: takes JOAT with only weapons cheap and rest start at 4, research weapons up to 12 and rest of the fields up to maybe 6-7 and puts most of resources into shipbuild.

Relative finesse style: (mazda suggested it) takes 3.5 technologies cheap. Aims taking key fields to 10 or better by the final battles. Tries to compensate the 250 race wizard points it lacks elsewhere (compared to barbarian) with better technologies.

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Re: Race Design Choices for Dueling

Thu, 27 January 2005 11:01

Kotk

Commander

Messages: 1227
Registered: May 2003

As for ten recommendments...

1) Have fun.
2) Scout early, have good intel. You cannot scout too early or have too good intel.
3) Learn to effectively (and cheaply) fight at low tech.
4) Do not forget to colonize and secure your territory, fort or dock is lot cheaper to build than equal power warship.
5) Be ready to attack anytime and anywhere. You cannot be too painful opponent.
6) The lenght of front is same for both opponents, what is different is the size of territory. Try to be the one with bigger territory.
7) Be ready to be attacked anytime and anywhere.
8 ) Be ready coming to second place when all is over.
9) Do not drop out before congratulating the winner.
10) Avoid making public cheat accusations, better find a third party to judge it. Otherwise you will probably lose your face.

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Re: Race Design Choices for Dueling

Thu, 27 January 2005 19:27

jrbuller

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Messages: 48
Registered: February 2004
Location: Clearwater, FL

Thanks for the input! Now I'm off to playtest a few races....

jrbuller

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Re: Race Design Choices for Dueling

Fri, 28 January 2005 02:12

iztok

Commander

Messages: 1206
Registered: April 2003
Location: Slovenia, Europe

Hi!

jrbuller wrote on Fri, 28 January 2005 01:27

Thanks for the input! Now I'm off to playtest a few races....

If you plan to play a duel with AH Dueling Club settings, then you can design somewhat different race.
There are 80 or 120 planets available on average to settle, both players are about 300 LY apart, duel ends at turn 50, and winer is the one with the highest score. Since score consist mainly from economy I'd take a +f (HG) race in such a duel and go for high econ, mainly defending myself. There's a lot of space my opponent would need to travel to get to me, and when he'd come, his fleet would be more or less outdated. Also, it wouldn't matter if I'd lose some border worlds, as my backyard planets would produce so many resources I'd win the game at 2450, despite losing the war.

Yeah, I'd win, but where's the fun? Confused

For me it is in tiny packed uni and in fight until one side is crushed. Twisted Evil

BR, Iztok

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