What starting abilities do people use and why ?

I always take at least +1spd as that doubles transport speed off the bat. On bigger maps, +2spd is the way to go as the value of grabbing all those systems would far outweigh any advantage that other picks give you. You can replicate most picks with corresponding tech and social goods.

After speed, I go either for econ, pop growth or soldering. Econ and pop growth is always useful. Soldering helps me to rush and save precious early pop.

I've had most luck with populists/+50 diplo along with assorted other bonuses. I'm still experimenting with those but +60 diplo, speed, econ, pop growth, and +PQ are some of my favorites.

Having the +70 diplomacy bonus allows you to pull off incredible trades with the AI, even on maso. When I play maso games the diplo bonus lets me keep up with the AI on tech--I research cheap tech and parlay it into seven or eight others, so I can get away with spending very little money on actual research. Also it lets me keep everyone else at war, and helps my tributes keep everyone happy.

Does anyone pick "courage"? I might take it if I had a better idea of what *exactly* it did.
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Forget about courage, vincible. It apparantly gives you a soldering like bonus when defending against invasion. You wouldn't want to be in this situation in the first place.

I like Diplo on Maso too. On lower difficulties where it isn't so cutthroat, it is less critical.

I got tired of +1speed (usually don't paly big maps so +2 is overkill) and played with 5 points in diplo and research. Makes for more peaceful games. I also like +trade a lot, as you can't get it easily otherwise. + trade routes is also interesting on tiny maps.

It's definately worth it to try different starting abilities. It adds a lot of variety when the game starts to get routine. I've recently been playing with sensors set to the max. I had been play with no points there and the difference is amazing.

It's also fun to try at least one game with diplomacy set to the max.

I tried setting all the aliens to saintly in one game with the goal of getting an alliance victory before anyone was eliminated. I almost made it, but I couldn't get one alien race to get to close.

I've also tried setting all the aliens to pure evil and was surprised at how well everyone got along. I also got to see some new dialog from the aliens.

I'm ready to start another game. I really should try something totally different.

I've been experimenting with +50 military lately. Yes, the bonus production isn't free, but on tiny I usually have extra cash anyway. For only 4 points, it seems like it may be as valuable as +1 speed on gigantic. Your colony ships move slower, but you can crank them out faster.

+50 military seems to be the only ability where you get more benefit per racial point, the more you spend.
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Hmmm. Interesting, In order to win at maso (all map sizes), I have moved to:
Moral +20 (from party)
Diplo +40 (half from party)
Weapons +30
Speed +1

If others list, please mention difficulty and map size, as these affect the relative value a lot!

Ralegh,

I'm interested to know why you like Weapons+30 so much (which you also mentioned in Unofficial Strat Guide). It would seem that +30 would only help ships with attack 4 and above and that pretty much discounts all the early era ships. Unless you are combining it with the +weapons techs?

Weapons+30 is great for boosting your perceived military strength while having poor ships in reality, which is quite useful on maso.

I understand that, LDICesare, but the stage where deterrance is needed most is also the stage where early ships can't really benefit by +30 isn't it?

Well, from a relative newbie perspective (I'm only on my 5th game, currently played at painful level), I LOVE sensors +4, it makes early scouting go much quicker, and once you get EotU completed, the sensor range is just sick

My current game is the first one I've played without any Diplomacy bonuses, and that combined with this being my first painful-level game, have made for a very tough start of the game. Although now that I have diplomatic translators, it's going much better.

Lately I've been experimenting with Pacifists + max bonus to influence. This really only works if you're playing as a good civ and can stay out of too many conflicts. Even on a gigantic map you can flip systems like dominos.

The real fun in GalCiv - and one of the major failures of MoO3 - is that taking different racial picks radically changes the game. It's fun to try completely different things because they really make you approach the game differently.

Um, RayChua, I haven't done any math to justify this, but - from memory of direct observation - starfighters get +1 immediately, and another +1 from shipyards. That alone is enough for me!
(I started with the maximum, +50%, and toned it down to afford speed again.)

I enjoy a more balanced approach to my games. I use the Industrialists party (+20 to Military and Social Production), +20 Economics, +20 Research, and +50 Diplomacy.

I usually take Federalists, speed +1, and then some military production and/or population growth bonuses.

The Federalist party offers the most generally useful bonus - who doesn't want more money? Meanwhile, my racial picks jumpstart the inital land grab, by giving me the speed to get to new systems first, the productive capacity to make the ships and get them on their way, and the people to put in said ships.

BTW, does anyone else think that the range pick is way overvalued? I mean, there are a few games where it's absolutely critical, but in most games it doesn't seem to have been much of an issue at all to me.

-EtherMage

Vanillia all the way. I hate myself for it, but it's a too basically good combo. Federalist+ maxed out econ and pop groth leading to +50 econ and +70 pop.

~SDC~

A note: there are some new political parties in the Library. Some of them look kind of overpowered but still it's fun to experiment. Ecologists combined with +5 PQ looks powerful...

My favourite tactic so far (I basicaly play on Med size with varying difficulty and scattered clusters and rare good planets, is to use the War Party plus various military bonuses. The 50+ hitpoints is great. WIth all these military bonuses I go usualy for a pacifist approach. I build just enough ships to have some good numbers for defense. Which together with the military bonuses work quite good from protectic my almost always small empire.

When I feel like expanding much and being a bit of warmonger I try to get either Federalists, War Party or Industrialists. And industrial and cultural bonuses.
Whenever I can afford to I get the luck bonus. I just like it.

Damn I love this game!

~SDC~

I find if I take the LUCK bonus I get 1/10th the random events. Even when colonizing... I've done tests.

It on game I got 2 the entire game! And they were the same!

Also my overlord ship graphics are missing... But that seems to be all games. Even after a complete reinstal...

TFM

~SDC~

Are you saying that if you choose to have extra luck you don't get as many random events?


~SDC~

I use war party, 5pq, 15 weapons, 20 econ, and 20 hps.

that gives me a 70 to hps. I like combat and i am at war a lot when i play. you can harvest resources for morale weapons defense econ and influence, but not hps.

Hps help your ships win, and make your starbases harder to destroy. I have seen posts that combine hps/repair but repair takes too long in any event.

Better to just have 3-4 ships at a planet and rotate them and try for microbots.

Try saving, quitting GalCiv, and reloading that savegame.

~SDC~

What's the advantage of maxed out sensors? Can you see what types of stars and their PQ at a greater distance? That would save time on deciding where to send your colonists.

Exactly right, Truzenzuzex.

Also it lets you see your enemies coming from further away.

All very good strategies but I tend to go for the long term approach, I take the industrialist party with some diplo., pop., and economy bonuses. The rush to get planets is not as important as I tend to grab a few of the closest planets and build them up fast with trade whoreing and increased population. If I can avoid getting attacked (because I don't spend anything on war ships until I have Battleships) I usually have battleship technology before anyone else and my super planets can pump out battleships and combat transports fast and I just walk in and take pre-populated worlds!