Easiest 80 Planet Map Type?

[corfe83]

If you're able to keep rerolling to find a map you like, what do you folks think is the easiest 80 planet map type (7/7 difficulty)?

I think the X Map looks easier than usual to win the game - if you can start deep inside a quadrant of the X that has only ~15 planets or so, then you can conquer the entire quadrant, including the center star. You have a perfect set of whipping boys en route to your homeworld, a pretty good knowledge base and economy that won't often get destroyed, and it's only ~4-5 hops to each AI home world from your main whipping boy planet.

Is there one easier than that?

[PokerChen]

Well, a well-made Spokes maps would probably be better - although I haven't tried it.  One can start on any end-planet and traverse the entire galaxy in 9 steps or less. Check this seed that I found within three clicks: 681022171 

An interesting starting position would be Nanoswarms in the top-left hand corner. A low-AIP strategy would be to take the necessary spokes centers and K-raid the rest... In sequence, Bombard, shield-bearer, Mirror, blade-spawner and raider for ~110 AIP.  You'll be able to stack ~10 FFs on the spoke-worlds to prevent any-ship bleeding. The raider-world is the key: It's worth 36,000 knowledge (itself + 11 adjoining AI worlds) and is exactly 4 jumps away from the AI-homeworlds.

You'll have room for only 1 or 2 spire-cities (mainly at the blade-spawner), but that's really all you ever need if you wanted to sink some AIP into taking/neutering the 9 worlds this side.

= = = =
Hmmm... I might be persuaded into playing a 10/10 on that one...

[corfe83]

I've always ignored Spokes maps because they hurt my eyes (so many crossed wormhole paths, so confusing!).

You're right it does look excellent for knowledge raiding on a low AIP game, though :-P

[PokerChen]

You'll have to spend a few minutes untangling the map at the start of a game, but they actually fold out fairly well - unlike realistic & realistic-hubs which can't be mapped back to 2D.

[Shrugging Khan]

Easiest

Sir, "easy" in AI War? I'm afraid I'll have to take your Man-Card.

[chemical_art]

Hmmm... I might be persuaded into playing a 10/10 on that one...

The only people who think you can K-raid on 10/10 are those who have never tried it.

Of course, in a 0 aip over time game, anything is possible...

[Wanderer]

Hmmm... I might be persuaded into playing a 10/10 on that one...

The only people who think you can K-raid on 10/10 are those who have never tried it.

Of course, in a 0 aip over time game, anything is possible...

*raises hand* It's quite doable.  It's a 3 million resource investment per world, but it's doable.  I also recommend avoid doing it on 4's, it's an iteration fight there.  You get about 750/1000 before you have to pop the station, clean up the locals, and start again.

[Shrugging Khan]

*raises hand* It's quite doable.  It's a 3 million resource investment per world, but it's doable.  I also recommend avoid doing it on 4's, it's an iteration fight there.  You get about 750/1000 before you have to pop the station, clean up the locals, and start again.

Botnet Golem to the rescue? 

[Wanderer]

*raises hand* It's quite doable.  It's a 3 million resource investment per world, but it's doable.  I also recommend avoid doing it on 4's, it's an iteration fight there.  You get about 750/1000 before you have to pop the station, clean up the locals, and start again.

Botnet Golem to the rescue? 

Heh, dunno if K-Raid zombies are reclaimable.  The sheer damage output would be useful though.  Biggest problems are teleporters.  Little fegs never let you get repairs in.

[PokerChen]

Hmmm... I might be persuaded into playing a 10/10 on that one...

The only people who think you can K-raid on 10/10 are those who have never tried it.

Of course, in a 0 aip over time game, anything is possible...

I reckon the real advantage in a 10/10 game is the maximum distance of the galaxy, instead of K-raid potential. With just six connected worlds in your possession, *every* planet can now be attacked without deep-raiding, minimising the number of intermediate worlds.

The AIP, barring time-increases and spire civilian leaders, should never be allows to rise above the minimum mark (II for 10/10), which will help defenses a lot.

*raises hand* It's quite doable.  It's a 3 million resource investment per world, but it's doable.  I also recommend avoid doing it on 4's, it's an iteration fight there.  You get about 750/1000 before you have to pop the station, clean up the locals, and start again.

Botnet Golem to the rescue? 

Heh, dunno if K-Raid zombies are reclaimable.  The sheer damage output would be useful though.  Biggest problems are teleporters.  Little fegs never let you get repairs in.

They're not. Otherwise it's very abusable.

[Shrugging Khan]

Oooh, of course they aren't...silly me. I've been killing so much and reclaiming so little lately, I've completely forgotten about what zombies *are*.

[zoutzakje]

enemy zombies are not reclaimable, but I do believe the botnet can still should at them because they would "normally" be reclaimable. At least it was like this a while back when I used a botnet to stop a stream of zombie ships from an AI eye. That was before the 5.000 days tough, so it may have been changed now.