King of the Losers

Start the game out with tax to 50%, spending to 100%, and military spending to 100% (tech and social will be at 0%).

Build a scout or two (depending on the size of the map). Scout out for habitable planets (PQ 15+).

After building the scout(s), build colony ships, and colonize on as many habitable worlds as possible. When there are none left (within range), then after you have some sufficient planets taken, its up to you as far as to research tech, or get resources, or build some social projects.

This is how I always start out, and its always different from person to person. Yet it works for me. I would gather more info. and play the game that best suits your skills rather than copying a tactic (cause then the game isint fin, IMO :notsure: )

Hope these 'pointers' help .

What is this 'masochistic' and 'cakewalk' stuff that I keep hearing about? Maybe its just me, -and it probably is ;P- but I don't see anything other than the AI difficulty settings...

Good way to start.

Population growth by the way is from having high moral
>54%

Keep moral at 100% until you have the map colonized.

Also don't colonize planets with PQ (planet quality) less than 15 and always colonized the planets with highest PQ

The Encyclopedia (button up top) has a few excellent tips.

The GalCiv Guide (downloads page) has a few more.

For specific help look around on this forum or on the GC strategies forum.

Masochistic is the hardest difficulty setting, whereas cakewalk is the easiest.

I realized that after I posted- I checked the bottom of the screen when starting a new game.- I hate it when that happens, d'oh.
[Message Edited]

Whats sucks is the AI will always expand faster than you cuase it doesn't need to scout Anyone know whats the best way to expand? If I run into a system with multiple inhabitable planets do I send multiple colony ships or just one and build out of that one? Also what's a good number of colonists? Do you colonize low planets hoping for a PQ special and destroy the colony if you dont get it upon landing?

If you're ever feeling down about your GalCiv skills, just check out Bimbo15 on the metaverse; that'll lift ya spirits!

Re: the AI not needing to scout...

If you REALLY want to compensate for this, a rather cheap way to do it is to save the game at the very start and rush-reasearch to stellar cartography. Pull up the tactical map and hit "print screen" to copy a screenshot to the clipboard. Paste this into Paint or something, and load your original game back up in GalCiv. Now start the game and play as you like, but refer to your screeshot for the locations of all the habitable planets. Now you have an even starting ground with the AI's.

Re: multiple-habitable-planet systems...

Until you're done expanding, just take the best planet in the system. Use your other ships to colonize new systems so the AI can't get them first. Since you've already "locked in" that system, there's no time pressure on getting the rest of its planets filled.

-EtherMage


~SDC~

I have similar strategies. But on my first turn, I buy a colony ship, raise taxes to 50-60%, spending to 100% and 100% research. Depending on the size of the map, I'll do different things. Medium or smaller, I keep research maxed until I get grav accel, then max social until I build dip trans and grav accel which I can then sell.

On larger maps, I'll split the research and military spending so I can colonize as many worlds as possible.

You lost on Cakewalk? How??? I started a game to test it and set my spend rating to 0%... Then I hit Enter until there were only 2 races left who were close to me and would ally if I had the tech... That was in 2240... Well, starting as Universalists who have a 25% luck bonus I got 4 Rangers in that time preventing the enemies of thinking I am weak.

However... That's >600 turns of doing nothing and I did not loose then I had a CTD but no more desire to reload an autosave and contiue. So I can't imagine that one can loose Cakewalk when doing something.

L:MAO HJIOh ROFL . . . LOL

I'm sorry the post directly above me (AIL.ST) is hilarious . . . erhm.

Well nowa what you gotta do is a get in there and um you know buy stuff and sell stuff and um . . . well it's a start anyway.

- Good luck!

[Message Edited]

What is with my post? Are you drunken? I don't get what you'r trying to say...

Well, I have to admit that english is not my native language and that I had to look up what "hilarious" means but still did not know how that is to be understood...
[Message Edited]

Don’t worry about it AIL. English speakers suffer from an abnormal amount of hubris. To save you some time, what I’m saying is that we’re jerks. We laugh at how poorly non-English speakers use our language without considering how we sound when we speak languages that are unfamiliar to us. There are also some who believe English is somehow better and therefore English speakers are better. I have no idea if Cotal feels this way, but he did seem to be drunk.

Pardon me, SHE did seem to be drunk.

Ach! Was ist los? Vielleicht bin ich krank.

Don't worry AIL.ST. The English in your post wasn't that bad. Well okay it was, but "forum English" is generally terrible and the English in your post exceeds that low standard.

He was laughing about how it was possible to make it to 2240 without doing anything and still be in a decent position.

Uhm, what on earth are you people talking about, I don't see any grammatical errors in AIL.ST's post, nor do I see any indication that Cotal was laughing AT him rather than with him...

My question is, what does the name AIL.ST mean? Or Cotal for that matter?

Hey Malaphar - had any luck?

I'm not great at this game but did win one the other night. Drop me a line here if you're still stuck

I'm an American and after reading the post by AIL.ST, I had no idea that English was not his/her first language.

I don't think that Cotal was laughing at the grammer, but at the idea of doing so well by just clicking the turn button.

I think I've discovered a new strategy...

Good English and laughing with you, Bro!

Wow.... you guys rock. You argue wether someone is speaking correct english. HELL I"M American and I have awful grammer. If you haven't realized that all ready.
So why do you guys care? But anyway I was beaten yet again on normal.... the Atlartain Republic was power thirsty...... and well as usual they destroyed me and researched battle ships and frigates and it was a birage of fried human flesh.....
once again.....
lol.....
So.... if you could help me.....
it'd be great.
and um save your bullshit arguments for other posts please.....

You're freind
Malaphar

The general issues have already been addressed in various strategy guides, one of which is discussed here.

http://www.galciv.com/forum.asp?BID=GF&id=74810#74839

You could also find a great deal of help by simply searching the forum.

If you want specific help, you would get better responses if you describe how you played the game, so we could tell you why things went wrong. As it is, it is impossible to help you beyond extremely general advice, since I know nothing about how you play.

Strange this is, Yoda to be pointing out something in English, but here he goes:

the prefix IN is equated to not able to, or unable to. Thus the word INHABITABLE formally would mean not habitable or not able to be lived upon. Just my little lesson for the day .

PS
Those lessons must be working Drop Bear...

ACK!!! Why did THIS thread have to come back? Well in case Cotal reads this, I APOLOGIZE! Me is a dummy. LOL

So UNinhabitabitable would be a great place to live?

Hmmm . . .

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE INSANITY.... HEY I'll rename the POST English Grammer Disscussions!!
AND THATS BAD GRAMMER!!!!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Your Deranged Psycho
Malaphar ( Which is actually a `16th century deamon)