In which Empires are formed...
So the game is finished and now it is time to spin the tale of this Epic Space Contest in SPAAAACE! For people wondering who I was from the last post I was the mighty Xxchariantok!
[As an aside the game was called Fluffy Anschluss II (the first one fell through due to not enough spaces for the players). I didn't name it but the term Anschluss will be relevant in later posts.]
A New power rises!
So this was my first game and I was eager to build my strength, smite my enemies and hear the lamentation of their women.
I started simply enough by grabbing as many nearby stars as possible until I could see other players. I quickly encountered Neptune's Revenge to my West and then The Limiting Factor to my North. I make quick peace with my blue brethren* and start tech trading with them. We have good relations and it is profitable for us both to have a safe border.
*We have the same in-game icon.
My first battles are with The Limiting Factor who has left a highly resourced planet with limited forces. Capturing that it easy but he sends some fleets back at me and my progress is stymied. I decide to open peace negotiations with him which he accepted gladly as he was under attack on multiple fronts. I get another tech trade out of this and then everything changes!
Beset on all sides The Limiting Factor gave up and quit the game. This lead to several problems for me due to misunderstanding some mechanics:
- They immediately got better at defending their borders.
- They attacked (which I thought wasn't possible but was added to the game in April).
- They, likely, traded with other players while I couldn't afford to get further tech off of them.
It was also annoying as my new found alliance could've been profitable for a while before sending some fleets to help finish them off. Oh well, all is fair in love and space war!
At this point I bolster my lines near my borders and it starts to become apparent that I have no foes to my South or East. A plan begins to form on the edge of my alien mind and I start to build up forces on my industrial stars. To what end? That'll be revealed next time!
Below is a little more analysis of the data I collected during the game. For those who are interested.
Territory
Territory is how you win the game but it doesn't necessarily give you the whole picture. Someone can hold onto many low resource planets to boost their number. Early game though the major battle lines for future conflict tend to be drawn as each player establishes a fledgling empire. The only person to lose ground at this early stage was The Limiting Factor who had sadly quit the game when he was attacked on all sides.
Production
Production can tell a useful tale. As someone starts to run away with production they can get more and more ships to the front lines. At this early stage it is fairly equal despite The Limiting Factor's losses. The AI character invested heavily in industry as soon as it took over an evened the balance of power. This leads to a thorn in the side of many for sometime.
Next time ... Treachery!
Tom Out!