Welp, finally won my first game

[Nikolai01]

Well, it finally happened...I finally beat my first game of AI War!  It was only my second game...I play real slow, and almost never get a chance to play.  The setup was 80 planets, spokes, two level 7 AI both random easier/moderate.  All expansions activated, but only minor levels of a few minor factions (they had no effect on the game.)

The AI types ended up being on the easier side: coward and gravity driller.  The grav drills were a little annoying, but not much more than that, and the econ boost was a great help.  The Spokes map definitely seems like an easier one (though I also like the layout)--many easily defensible areas, and no two points on the map are all that far from each other.

A few thoughts on the win:

Neinzul power generators are amazing.  I didn't have them activated in the first game.  They are so good, they almost seem unbalanced...so much free power, you just have to defend it!

Experimental engineers are crazy.  I'm lazy with my engineers, and didn't bother spending any K on them.  Boy, what a difference the experimental ones make.

Core Zenith Devastators are also crazy.  I captured a fab for them on my 5th planet, and those two little bad boys were definitely my MVPs.  They could just float around in a cloaked assault transport, taking out almost any facility on a non-core world with ease.


I'm debating what to do for my next game.  Given how long it takes me to play each one, it's worth putting a little thought into it.  This game really didn't give me any trouble at any point, other than at the very end with the second AI homeworld (and that was only because I was rushing to get the game finished).  Other than one massive reprisal wave triggered after my fleet was wiped after the first assault on the 2nd AI's homeworld, defense was essentially hands off for the entire game.  Granted, this did seem like a much easier map type, and the two AIs the RNG gave me were on the easy side.  I had been considering bumping the two AI's up to 8, with random moderate AI types.  I've seen a lot of people suggesting lately that the AI types matter more than the raw difficulty, so another option would be something like 7.6 with two hard AI's.  Suggestions?  Maybe I'll mess around with some plots, or trains, or something else as well...

[Draco18s]

Ex-Engies are, in fact, amazing.  You'll want them again and be sad every time you don't find them.  As for the Z-Destroyers, yeah.  They're good.  Getting Mk5 versions is amazing (as are most of the Mk5 fabs).

[Pumpkin]

Gratz! First win of a long series, I hope!

Neinzul power generators are amazing.  I didn't have them activated in the first game.  They are so good, they almost seem unbalanced...so much free power, you just have to defend it!

Neinzul power gen?!? I definitely want one!
I think you meant Zenith power gen. Yeah, an old golem's core can provide a good power supply to a "little" fleet as a human one! Unbalanced? I think not because they're rare and you can lack power with one on late game. There is very few of them in one galaxy and it could become an important goal like ASC of AdvFacto, of a powerful core constructor (like Zevastator ). So maybe not unba, unless RNG gives you one "for free" in a close, easily defensible position.

You said you didn't activated them at first. How? I remember no option to disable them.

[Nikolai01]

Gratz! First win of a long series, I hope!

Neinzul power gen?!? I definitely want one!
I think you meant Zenith power gen. Yeah, an old golem's core can provide a good power supply to a "little" fleet as a human one! Unbalanced? I think not because they're rare and you can lack power with one on late game. There is very few of them in one galaxy and it could become an important goal like ASC of AdvFacto, of a powerful core constructor (like Zevastator ). So maybe not unba, unless RNG gives you one "for free" in a close, easily defensible position.

You said you didn't activated them at first. How? I remember no option to disable them.

Yes, Zenith...     My first playthrough did not have any of the expansions activated, so a lot of the new goodies like the ZPG weren't included.  I guess it's not so much unbalanced as rebalanced...my one concern about the ZPGs is that their capacity so overwhelms the generation from most planets they cause the energy economy to be almost entirely about them, which was very different from my first game.  The expansions added a ton of neat goodies, but the helpful ones (ZPG, spire archives, distribution nodes for bankrolling my pushes against the AI worlds, etc) definitely seemed to help me more than the harmful ones helped the AI.  That may get turned about at harder difficulty levels, though.   

[Mal]

Huge congrats on being blooded by this glorious game!

Zenith Devastators are are deliciously good!

I agree with the bump on harder AI types before increasing the actual difficulty. Some comparison:

8 AI Diff can start to include some different tactics in aggression - like how the AI releases threat and uses special forces to attack your colonies, which does not happen in diff 7

9 and 10 are pretty close but the AI gets huge bonuses to threat fleet, special forces, and any other forces it spawns or sends at you

The actual AI behavior that you choose for its personalities and plots widely influences how the AI "plays the game". Which I find to be more fun to play on lower diffs like 7 before you start swimming in the numerically deep end of higher diff.

The one plot that I would recommend against is Astro Trains because there is just not that much you can do against them, especially if you play against a train master. You will find the game more frustrating and less fun because of these.

But all other plots are great and you can do something about them

Happy AI hunting!

[Red.Queen]

(Conga)gratz to you Nikolai!  First win's intoxicating, isn't it?  Zevestators are pure win, there's nothing not to like about a unit that looks at enemy FFs and says "Vetoed!"

Also, welcome to the boards!

8 AI Diff can start to include some different tactics in aggression - like how the AI releases threat and uses special forces to attack your colonies, which does not happen in diff 7

There are circumstances where the AI can sic special forces at you offensively on Diff 8??  Oh man, I turned Hunter 4 on in my current 8/8 game... Time to make armored warheads on every frontline planet a standard part of security...

[RabidDonkey]

Give the fallen spire campaign a try. As in try to complete it all the way. It's a lot of fun especially if you enjoy the Tower Defense style of play involved. You'll want to go easy on some of the other settings and play against easier/moderate AIs. The exogalactic strikes get intense toward the end.

Not sure how you guys play without ZPGs though. No way can I power all my fortresses without them. 

[Pumpkin]

Not sure how you guys play without ZPGs though. No way can I power all my fortresses without them. 

Without ZPG? Well, it mostly happen in low AIP games, because in high you matter less taking remote world where a ZPG spawned. Also the Zenith trader gives you one, but as the traders offer goodies to AI too, this minor faction is mostly activated in mid/high AIP games. So absolutely without ZPG, you can use few turrets/defenses by having a fortified front and a less consuming backwater empire; you can unlock MkII/III eco.com.stat. that produce a decent amount of energy (MkI also, but minor quantity); you can use metal converters daily if you have a good metal eco; you can gateraid to let some frontier worlds less fortified...

ZPG is just a way to go for a high economy game. You can either find another way for high economy or play low eco/AIP.

Hope it helped.