Settings for semi-newbie game

[Ixolite]

I was wondering what would be a good game setup to get back to AI War after a long break. I couldn't really find time to play a full game so I didn't even try and a lot has changed since I last did finish a game. I mostly played the core game, with only one complete match with Zenith Remnant. I'm a bit overwhelmed with new stuff now, I did try to follow the patch notes, but reading about stuff and actually trying it out ain't exactly the same

So, my question is: what settings could I use for a new game to be able to try out the new things (with both expansions) without getting overly humiliated at the same time?

[zebramatt]

My current game is a nice healthy challenge without being too overwhelming:

• AIs
• AI - Random Easier / 7.6 Mode (Entrenched Homeworlder)
• AI - Random Easier / 7.6 Mode (Neinzul Viral Enthusiast)
• Map
• Planets: 50
• Map Style: Tree
• (Seed: 1630859375)
• Ships
• Available: Complex
• Mines: OFF
• AI Options
• Minor Factions
• Human Colony Rebellions: ON
• Human Marauders: ON
• Human Resistance Fighters: ON
• Zenith Dyson Sphere: ON
• Zenith Traders: ON
• Neinzul Roaming Enclaves: ON
• Neinzul Rocketry Corps: ON
• AI Modifiers
• Reveal Random AI Types: ON
• Auto AI Progress
• 1 every 30 min
• AI Plots
• Second AI
• Hybrid Hives: ON

[Fleet]

I would say the most important options are the AI difficulty and type. Difficulty could probably be 7.6/8. I would avoid Neinzul stuff for now (if you have that expansion). I think it still needs some balancing. I highly suggest running with TZR though.

For AI types, if I want an easy game I like to face off against a Sledge Hammer / The Tank.

For easy to read maps, try out concentric circles or X. That should help you see whats going on in galaxy view, and you can more easily manage connections between planets.

Go easy on the minor factions. The rocketry corps fires missiles at you. And Hybrid Hives (AI Plots) are meant to be challenging I think.

[Diazo]

Yes, all the minor factions add more total units to the map when they are enabled, thereby increasing difficulty that way.

Even the Astro Trains make warp point defense harder and I'd consider them the minor faction that adds the least difficulty to the game.

As of my latest game, which is from before the latest balances to the CoN stuff, I'd rate hybrids and rebel colonies as the two hardest minor factions.

D.

[snrub_guy]

My main advice is, if dipping into the new stuff and you want an easier game, leave the hybrid hives A.I plot out. They are definitely the thing that will spike the difficulty the most for you in the latest pre-releases.

If you want to see the new units, roaming enclaves are fairly easy to deal with, and are entertaining. The Neizul youngster A.I type is fun for seeing what all the new ships will do, but it is a little tricky until you have figured out a way to effectively deal with a LOT of ships per wave. The waves start at around 1000 ships and go up form there. They have exceptionally low health though, so a healthy AOE attack based defence makes things easier.

I haven't tried out the rocketry corps or the preservation wardens yet, so I can't comment on those.

[zebramatt]

Am I the only one who thinks Hybrid Hives (not the Advanced versions) aren't actually all that bad?

[CogDissident]

Hybrid hives aren't "terribly" nasty, until very late game, when they start getting mk3 modules online, they can be a serious threat to even a large fleet.

[zebramatt]

I find a few hundred youngling commandos just eat them up!

[Ixolite]

Thanks for the suggestions

Will see how it goes in... erm... couple days I guess if game goes fine

[Diazo]

Am I the only one who thinks Hybrid Hives (not the Advanced versions) aren't actually all that bad?

Are you playing 3.188? Keep in mind the number of hives was way lower then intended due to a bug where the AI would scrap hives due to the system starship limit.

In my current game, at the 5 hour point I looked back and said "I should have been here at the 4 hour mark, the hives delayed me by an hour."

As always, your mileage will vary, due to how the hybrids spawn several systems away, map layout plays a large part in how difficult they turn out to be for any given game.

D.

[snrub_guy]

Am I the only one who thinks Hybrid Hives (not the Advanced versions) aren't actually all that bad?

I really like them. And I think they are nearing perfect in the balance sense. But they do significantly increase the difficulty- that is their purpose. And as this was a thread for recommendations for a newb-friendly game, I think it's safe to say avoid until you are wanting more of a challenge.

[Ixolite]

Sooo... I had an encounter with neinzul spawner guard post, two of them... Boy, I was so not ready for this 
I played through the tutorial campaing first to refresh how things work and got those guard posts on AI home world. Little did I know, lol. When I disturbed it the first time I had a "wtf?!" moment when whole screen suddenly filled up with hundreds of red dots. I watched my fleet getting mauled, paused and examined what the hell happened. I learned what those guard posts are, reloaded, finished off 10 other posts before attacking the neinzul spawner and had "wtf!?" moment number two. Watching as the surviving half of my fleet got scattered all over the system and slowly converted to enemy cause, having disturbed the other post in the process, which produced even more roaches... Well, my final and successful try was to retreat with remains of my fleet after destroying other posts, repair and rebuild it and hope for the best sending everything I had in one big clump

And that was just the tutorial game

Are all Neinzul units as devious as those guard posts?

[Diazo]

Ouch, that's a hard setup for the tutorial.

Glad to see you made it through. 

But yes, the tutorial is one of those things that have not been updated yet for all the new features, it will probably be done shortly before the official release once all the new features are actually locked down. (X or keith will have to confirm that.)

But those surprises are one of the best parts of the game for me.

I went ahead and enabled the Avenger AI Plot in my last game and actually saw the Avenger for the first time. Yeouch! 

D.

[Ixolite]

Ouch, that's a hard setup for the tutorial.

Glad to see you made it through.  

But yes, the tutorial is one of those things that have not been updated yet for all the new features, it will probably be done shortly before the official release once all the new features are actually locked down. (X or keith will have to confirm that.)

But those surprises are one of the best parts of the game for me.

Yeah, that was some unexpected fun

Anyway, having seen what Neinzul look like, I decided to include Roaming Enclave in my game... Don't think it was such a bright idea after all It showed up on my second planet (first that I conquered), trashing my defences and some of base setup before I even had a chance to react and even happily visited my homeworld couple times. Fortunately it dropped most of its offspring on my second planet where I was eventually able to counter it with my Tier I fleet. I even managed to damage it down to 60% or so but then it retreated to the AI world, healed up and just sits there now.

Now I'm wondering how to proceed since the world it sits in happens to be a choke point that I want and need to capture in order to secure a route to planet with a Tier IV factory.

Luckily I have Youngling Tigers at my disposal, which, after trying out transport raids, proved to be nicely effective, if short lived.

In all, its a fun start, will see if I can cope with it

EDIT: Turns out I was too optimistic That Roaming Enclave was just building up BPs and hopped back in to spawn some 700 units. Needless to say I wasn't thrilled as it trashed absolutely everything in its way, evaporated my whole Tier I fleet and enthusiastically munched any reinforcements that showed up . I think I'll start again without Roaming Enclave since I can't see this game playing out with my homeworld and only captured planet being constantly harrased by it.