How much money does the computer players have?

from Stardock Forums
I have started a game, giant galaxcy, common stars, I have gone a few turns enough to explore the 10 or so sectors around me. Low and behold I have found 3 of the major races and 2 minor ones. I have 6 planets while one race has 7, another 9 and the third 10! They have several colony ships flying everywhere! while I struggle to launch one as I can afford it. The are even building corvettes with the two races that have 9 and 10 planets.

My population was rising steady, but with meeting the other races, they pop lines they have almost shoot straight up! Everyone seems to be spending the same for tech research so I am wondering how they can be so far ahead? Course since the computer players are not affected by the fog of war, all the good systems close to me are being grabed by other races. They are sending ships directly to them and the scout (hero) they have in no where near some of those worlds.

I am almost "invaded" before I can even start. So how much money do they start with? since they have to be buying colony ships and military vessels each turn, as I watched two planets launch colony ships two turns in a row!

Wish there was a tech that could make something like the "frontier" from the movie "The Last Starfighter" so people could expand and maybe make something before being over run.

:notsure: :sniff!:
265 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Unless you've got them set to the highest intelligence rating, they start with the same stuff you do. There's quite a few things you can/should do to keep up with the AI.

In a gigantic galaxy, you should set your spending rate to 100%, keep your taxes as high as you can keeping your morale at 100%, and buy a scout the first turn. On a gigantic map, I find that keeping your funding at 100% pays off better than buying/leasing colony ships.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Only if I put spending at 100%, cash drops or is that a good thing? If I don't buy colony ships the other races quickly colonize the good planets close to me. Like they are using MY sensor data to see the worlds/systems, which might be how the computer is not affected by the fog of war. I also set my spending for the 3 sliders at 30, 30, 40 so I can do research. Those numbers good? Or should I do more 25, 25, 50 ??

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Cash dropping may be mandatory during the early game... in fact a lot of new players seem to think that the initial 1000 bc you start with should be built upon when in fact you might want to consider it an "extra bonus" to help you keep up with early expansion.

You could try any or all of these (the computer does!):

* setting spending to 100% and use your treasury to help finance early ship building.

* set your military spending VERY high (90%-100%) for the beginnig few years of the game to pump out colonizers, scouts and whatever other ships you think you need. This costs you a few turns of planetary development and a slow start on research, but grabbing colony worthy planets secures your start is worth more to your empire later on then trying to play with a level 33/33/33 type spending solution.

* buying colonizers from government contractors for low down payments and L-O-N-G contracts. This gives you instant colonies to deploy without hurting your pocket (think long and hard though about paying those loan costs every turn)

PS - The computer player DOES know where all of the stars are, it does NOT use your sensor data, and it IS affected by the fog of war (as far as your starships are concerned). The reason the other races know where all of the stars are is explained in the backstory to the game. The computer player DOES have a starting advantage. The computer player DOES NOT cheat (for the record ;))
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Some folks set spending to 100% and go 100,0,0 until they have enough colony ships, figuring to cherrypick weapons research targets later, thereby avoiding leasing.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
I've found leasing OK but research to the first speed tech right out of the chute in a Gigantic Galaxy. (I think it's 3 actual techs to get there. That leaves me enough to start with a 6 or 7 planet starting base and by the time I'm cranking more ships, Even though my ships start out behind, my citizens give a friendly wave as they pass the slower other races ships on the way to the planets.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I haven't tried the 100% 100,0,0 start yet, alway end up leasing my ships from mitresoft.

But the I am only a newbie at the moment.