Gigantic Galaxy ....not taken advantage of?

from Stardock Forums
I have played quite a number of games using the Gigantic Galaxy map. In every occassion, all 5 of the AI races were relatively close to me...it seems that the AI races are not spread out the entire map, but are crowded in the same quadrant that I occupy...have I just run into a string of coincidences?...my expansions are cramped and limited as I'm boxed in by the other races...is this a game design or simply my bad luck?
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]
567 views 15 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
Same here.

I want a chance to explore and learn before I have to deal with AIs.

~SDC~
Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Me either . . . :notsure: . . . I kinda like meeting the other AIs ASAP . . . more tech to trade that way :)
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
My experience with that is that the home worlds are really not that close to me, but the other civs expand very quickly (since they know where all the best stars are to begin with). If I am not on my toes, I end up boxed into a very frustrating game where I am economically and technologically behind due to a low population to draw labor, taxes and research from.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
I've taken to playing only Gigantic galaxies lately, and to be honest I've had contact in the 1st turn (that was with a minor) and no contact until about 8 full game-years have passed. It really is all random.
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I once played with settings that totally prevented the ai from expanding (this doesn't give 0 scores by the way, which is sad). I saw the starting planets were wide apart. However, when the ai's do expand, they fill the map really fast.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
The game I'm currently playing has all players randomly placed in about 3/4 of the galaxy, while 1/4 of the galaxy is open to expansion. I find this really helps extend the colonization phase of the game, because it takes many years for even scouts to travel that far, assuming you can extend your range with outer-rim colonies and starbases.

I like that even now as Battleships are being built, we are still racing to colonize unclaimed worlds that were so far out they are truly 'outer rim'. Pretty cool. I like this 28x28 galaxy.

~SDC~
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
From my experience with Gigantic maps, which is all I play, I'd have to agree with the original poster. It seems like a conscious design decision to me. I suspect that if the human player is given too much room to expand the game will be too easy.

It might be realted to the type of galaxy chosen too. Playing tight clusters usually results in one or more AI's in the same cluster with me. Perhaps on scattered or loose clusters there would be more room.
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
I've played several games on Gigantic maps and, with one exception, I've run into the neighbors within 6 months. That one exception had me starting at the bottom of the map and everyone else was towards the top (took forever to get a freighter up there).
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
When I play Gigantic universes (or any size for that matter) there almost always seems to be at least 1 race really close to me. It may be bad luck, but it seems to be MOST of the time.
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
Well, I keep firing up this game and resetting when I feel crowded in a Gigantic Universe...for example: Sol was in the lower left quadrant of a Gigantic galaxy at sector 4-19...I found the Arceans at sectors 2-20 and 2-18.....I found the Yor at 5-18 and I found the Drengin at 9-18...the entire northern, north western and eastern quadrants were cut off from me...all I had was the remaining Southern section, where to my not unexpected surprise, some independent planets were already there....this is an example of what I experience every game...I had hoped that these AI foes would be scattered about so that I could "boldy go where no man has gone before"...maybe someday I'll have some luck, but for now it is frustrating...I might as well play on the smaller maps if I want these quick encounters.....
[Message Edited]
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
Hmm, dont know why your getting that JP. Ive had no trouble getting a map with some space. Just ctrl-n a bit. Save the game, turn on cheats, hit ctrl-u, check positions of other races, and ctl-n if you dont like it. If its good, then just reload the game.
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
Save the game, turn on cheats, hit ctrl-u, check positions of other races, and ctl-n if you dont like it
End of quote


you smart.. never thought of doing that :D
this is exactly the reason i like coming to this forum.
thanks WileyCoyote
Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top
Yes..thank you for the cheat tip...though I would rather be surprised by what I discover, I will resort to this method if I feel there is no alternative....It would be interesting though if 4 civs were at each corner of the Gigantic map and the other 2 somewhere in the upper and lower center of map...the time it would take to discover each other would make for a fun game!