Home World Forum
Stars! AutoHost web forums

 Jump to Stars! AutoHost

 
 
Home » Stars! 2.6/7 » Game stories » TWWT - Game discussion
Re: TWWT - Game discussion Fri, 23 December 2005 08:15 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
iztok is currently offline iztok

 
Commander

Messages: 1205
Registered: April 2003
Location: Slovenia, Europe
 Hi!
I recently played in a 1WW only game "Twin World Wonder 2". Game settings forbid:
- using mineral packets for bombing HWs,
- the SD race,
- JoaT may not took NAS, and
- all players should be enemy - no cooperation at all.
Victory conditions: 8 HWs with 100k pop and Space Station in orbit.

After a long struggle (elimination of 3 players) and destroying the main fleet of the last opponent I won that game. Lots of my success goes on account of the race I played. With SD banned the strongest race for 1WW game is IMO JoaT, so I decided to field one, despite the 100 RW "hole" with banning NAS.
What I wanted from my race was decent speed (to max planet before turn 25), good econ and tech (jihad CCs around turn 25, BBs before 30), and as big mineral output as possible. IMO I managed to get almost everything I wanted. Here it is:

BruteForce Wink (JoaT)
NRSE, OBRM, CE, RS
1WW hab (min habs shifted right)
20% PGR
pop: 1/1000
fac's: 15/9/20/4
mines: 13/3/25
weap & con cheap; en & elec normal, prop & bio expensive; no start @ 4
1 point to MC

Advantages from just being JoaT:
- good starting tech (I was able to capture all scouts from other players from the start),
- build-in pen scanners for controling what and how fast others are producing, without annoying them with constant chaff-pinging,
- 20% bigger economy and mineral output.

Other advantages:
- good ramp-up speed for fac's, excellent for pop (20% PGR maxxes planet's pop 1 turn faster than 19%).
- very good output from a planet: 5280 resources and 1287 minerals allowed me almost unlimited building of ships,
- good criticall techs (weap and con cheap, elec normal),
- NRSE(1): with IS-10 engine W-10 capability and combat speed 1.75 (starbase and jihad/jugg BBs in range of a R3 beamer BB in a second round, last row in 3rd) without using man-jet or OT.
- CE: 50% off all engines, 12% cheaper BBs with IS-10 engine,
- NRSE(2): from previous 1WW games I knew that there will be plenty of germ after fac's will be built (in one I've been throwing around germ-only packets), so I also considered dropping NRSE. That would result in more resurces dumped in researching prop for better combat speed and W-10 engine, and mine eff only 11. So I've rather choosen CE and mine eff 13, geting two bonuses in minerals.

Disadvantages:
- still not fast enough to counter faster races. I've seen my left neighbour producing Jihad CCs, when I still was 2 turns away from Jihads, and him losing those 30 CCs to his upper neighbour's unshielded DLL-7 Jihad BBs, when I've been still researching con-12. I tried to compensate that lack of extra speed with building minelayers quite early in the game, and presenting me as an unattractive target with laying minefields all over "my" space. It worked.
- CE demanded more MM and has made me organizing my attacks quite differently, and even discarding some of them, when the estimated risk was too high (in one occassion I've lost 10% of my beamer BBs to one unlucky attack, when I targeted a fleet of my neighbour with many fleets, and my main fleet failed to engage engines).
- in the whole game time (81 turns) my energy went up only to level 10, so I can say it was a waste of RW points to make its price normal,
- no NAS. When fighting in the mid-game the second SS with all his toys, I'd gladly PAY 100 RW points, just to have it. I can imagine the costs for non-JoaT players, that would actually have to PAY for sensors on their ships to spot those 98% cloaked CC skirmishers, bombers and jugg BBs he was sending into my space. Insane MM. Sad In future games I'll probably issue the following ultimatum to every close SS: "Ally, or die!" Wink

Dealing with cheap engines
The effect of CE-failing through the game was not heavy, at least in early game, but required more MM. If the arrival of ships was criticall, I sent two groups of ships, each one capable of doing its task, or (with chaff) split them in many small groups. If the concentration of forces was important, I've sent only the main fleet to the target, but all other fleets targeted that fleet. If it hasn't moved, I just missed an opportunity, but got bigger fleet, and not lost ships. However in late game the CE became nasty, especially when I wanted to split my main attack fleet to give ships different battle orders. Realizing that split ships may not arrive, and because of that I could easily lost the battle (and game), has made me to abandon some attacks on opponent's fleets/planets I'd perform otherwise.
The bonus I got from CE in early game was IMO not big, as those early engines didn't cost much, however in late game my BBs with IS-10 were 120 resources (12%) cheaper. Still I'll think not only twice, but three times, before I'll chose CE again. Precision of attack and outmaneuvering opponents is IMO more important than having ~10% more ships.

If I'd redesign the race I'd get rid of CE and would make energy expensive, otherwise I wouldn't change much.

More about my view on the game will follow.

BR, Iztok

Report message to a moderator

[Message index]
 
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Read Message
Previous Topic: Rings1 game - the result (and animated map)
Next Topic: The Gathering (was: Thank you!)
Goto Forum:
  


Current Time: Fri Apr 26 09:58:53 EDT 2024
.:: Contact :: Home ::.

Powered by: FUDforum 3.0.3.
Copyright ©2001-2011 FUDforum Bulletin Board Software