There are a couple of decent write-ups here. Click on the FAQ tab. The one by cyberj914 is the one I can recommend. It's pretty out of date but is still a useful guide for starting out.

As far as CivIV is concerned it's a good foundation but you will be both surprised and shocked at how much more is involved with this game. IMHO there are far more ways to win in this game and almost infinite subtle variations of strategy that make this far more complex than Civ4, at least at the highest levels.

As far as being able to *quickly* link to stuff here, good luck. There's a lot of stuff here but you're pretty much going to have to search for it, no one is going to be able to give it to you on a platter.

As far as population growth, don't build any farms until you're ready, that keeps your pop (except your home planet) limited to 6B. Other than that there's no way to do it. However, you can just simply not worry about your approval and once it gets to 40% the planet will stop growing on it's own.

There is no multiplayer Aloof. The AI has been coded to provide more than a challenge for you. The MV is a high score list, if you will, where one compares their Meta games to others.

IMHO it is the no multiplayer aspect of this game that makes it so good, SD had to make the AI far more powerful and complex compared to other games to provide as good as a challenge as a human opponent would.

I think it has worked.

I couldn't agree more.

Multi-playing option is an oxymoron for more reasons than i can ever list here... but what about a few?

- As stated above, Human playing abilities involve VERY complex "brainy emotions" that no algorithm can truly mimic. Coding an AI takes logic beyond reactive behavior(s) and combines a processing pattern to SIMULATE thought. Humans think differently every fractions of a second, CPUs are somehow limited and won't ever reach that level unless the multi-trillions grid of neurones (including memory/skills/intelligence/soul/etc) can be reproduced exactly. Sure, the AI/workarounds DO provide a challenge... but i doubt anyone can actually code a brain.

- What if Joe-Schmo from Denver or Tokyo has just inflicted me a painful defeat? I'm probably sad or upset, s/he's glad and sticks a tung out. Soooo what!

- Competitive conditions has more to do with gaming principles and features (balanced, effective, interesting) than they could depend on HOW they're tackled by anybody - including AIs and Humans.

- 95% of fun relies on personal definitions & feelings. And not mathematical equations.

- I enjoy keeping track of great scores as it compares in a period of time, from games to games i can improve or decay this "illusion". While every Multi-player games are standalone activities. Once. Never repeated. Final. Where's the growth in that?

Yup, many arguments "against" Multi-playing but lemme mention one last thing; simply, TBS.

- Zyxpsilon.

Hi!

But he's not always there. In some games you are him. Sure the knowledge and skill are needed to compete in MP games, but 4x games aren't chess. Here's also luck involved. Usually an expert player will win 8 out of 10 duels fought with an advanced player. But if it happens he has bad luck with habitable planets (let's say he ends only with a half of expeced planets, what's entirely possible), he simply can not survive that duel with an advanced player with double his planets and economy.

BR, Iztok

Here's a few noob questions for anyone with time to kill.

Is there any way to upgrade a ship other than "buying" the upgrade in space? For example, can I send it to a planet and "build" the upgrade, similar to how it would work in MOO2?

Is there any way to enhance a ship's repair rate, other than new techs or racial modifiers? 1 hp per week is fine and all for the little ships, but it seems like my bruiser ships in mid-game never get back to full strength before the next battle!

And how do I change my nickname?

None that i have ever seen.



Is that whilst in orbit? I always put damaged ships in orbit, i think they repair faster there than in open space, but that could the rate you are talking about to.



Not sure, but it can be done, Kryo will be along shortly to help ya out here. If not pm him.

Hi!

Check wiki: Military production and Research.


Before. Only the most basic prodiction is shown. But if you check the planet with a spy, you'll see the max output values with all bonuses included.


Keep approval of them at 100% and you'll have double pop growth. Use colonizers to ferry pop only if you don't have any other planet to settle. Farms only increase pop cap. While your planet is below 6B it's pointless to build a farm.

BR, Iztok