Oh and now the patch is out we need a new challenge

FluffyBunny wrote:
Oh and now the patch is out we need a new challenge

Thanks for the poke! It will be at least 8 hours before I have a chance. Based on the existing challenges, what would you like to see, either to learn or to teach? I do want to keep a 30 turn limit. Beyond that, then I cannot look at a save game alone and figure out what happened.

Randeng wrote:
Can't you create a "challenger groups" and posting your challenges there? Because you've created 3 or 4 challenges in a few days...

http://forums.amplitude-studios.com/group.php?groupid=80



AFAIK, nobody sees group posts; so if I *only* announced them there, nobody would ever play them.

why keep dust positive?

Ugh new challenge or diablo 3, what to do what to do :P

About me:



I play on impossible difficulty and win around 80% of the time. I have some room for improvement but sometimes pirates and bad starts just get to you I think.



Here we go:



With production queues building improvements:



Total Population:19(+1 colony ship), Total Food Production: 209, Total Industry Production: 172, Total Science Production: 79, Total Dust Production: 8, Total FIDS: 468



Total Dust: 361, Dust Per Turn (DPT): +4



Knowledge: 32 (2nd)



MP: 3 (4th)
arrow-daveachall3.zip

Ah, I like Horatio ~ requires a particular strategy. In this game I knew I was ending @ 30, so used a tax maximum + rushed a colony [Aldebaran] and farms [Serte], which is why dust is where it is.



I made very sure there was no pop duping in this game, here's 100% legit build ~



Pop: 28

Food: 281

Industry: 176

Science: 178



The trick is: Horatio's ship costs are extreme at the start, so you make sure that you always build in a dif. gal (no matter what), and you refit your scout into a colony ship. You also (planets depending) want to rush improved thermodynamics.



Note: for this challenge I researched hyp / titanium ~ you could lose doing so to attempt to focus on the higher farm levels, but it turns out they've nice locations in your systems, and so the benefits are worth the research, imo.





I also realised that in every other challenge I'd been saving on turn 29, not 30 ~ the button in the corner's number is next turn, not the turn you're on! So, saves from the proper turn in future (which also means that my prior games were at a handicap, but there we go )

Baron_Fel wrote:
why keep dust positive?

Because it's a bug ~ negative dust is an exploit, soon to be fixed.









Edit ~ attached the T60 save. All three neighbours went to war with me... sadly for them, rushing lasers + kinetic def. coupled with that hyperium meant I slaughtered them. Game is basically won.
H Challenge T30.zip
H Challenge T60.zip

FluffyBunny wrote:
Ugh new challenge or diablo 3, what to do what to do :P

endless space >>>> diablo 3



there's ur answer!

VitunSuoPaska wrote:
endless space >>>> diablo 3



there's ur answer!

But they are both so good :P ES for when I want to think and D3 for when I want to see things explode in fountains of shiny loot.

FluffyBunny wrote:
But they are both so good :P ES for when I want to think and D3 for when I want to see things explode in fountains of shiny loot.

this is going so off-topic i feel bad



ES > D3, nuff said.

Pats your head, feel better I command it. :P

VitunSuoPaska wrote:
this is going so off-topic i feel bad



ES > D3, nuff said.

Can't you create a "challenger groups" and posting your challenges there? Because you've created 3 or 4 challenges in a few days...

4x_Fan wrote:
Edit ~ attached the T60 save. All three neighbours went to war with me... sadly for them, rushing lasers + kinetic def. coupled with that hyperium meant I slaughtered them. Game is basically won.

***cries***

I didn't intend to make this challenge so hard. But, if anybody can do well on this start, I will cry.



On forums for other games I have been involved in, sometimes players share a game in order to learn. I consider myself an "OK" player but I usually play on normal difficulty and win 50/50 of the time. So obviously I can learn more.



The attached zip file has a save game at turn 0 of a small disk map, 4 empires, Horatio, hard difficulty, no pirates. I have also attached my result after 30 turns. I would like to compare results. If you got better than me, I'd like to understand your strategy. If I got better than you, I'll explain what I was trying to do.



My results at the end of turn 30: total population=18, food=127, industry=172, science=74.



This is a learning experience, not a competition. Please keep your dust positive, avoid the pop duplication bug(s), and submit your first playthrough.



The attached zip has a save game "hc3-t0" which is at turn 0, and a save game "davea-chall3-t30" which is at turn 30.

So I tried also and after 30 turn here are my stats.



Score : 246

7 planets in 4 systems with 29 pop.

Food : 255

Industry : 292

Science : 131

Dust : 52+15



I have 4 warships waiting for an opponent to come.

The Dust right now is boosted with an ind=> dust conversion. It allows me to have everybody happy as my tax are at 0%. I also want to clone a second time my hero to improve faster many system at the same time.

I rushed the colonization of the tiny jungle in my home system instead of building improvements because I could grow faster on it.

I also searched for the lava colonization to not loose the last system I finally colonize and which I don't remember the name



Here is the savegame : hc3-t30 Photon version.zip



Davea, I looked a little your save and I have one main question : Why don't you build the first food improvment : Sustaible Farms ?

Photon_Ventdesdunes wrote:


I have 4 warships waiting for an opponent to come.

The Dust right now is boosted with an ind=> dust conversion. It allows me to have everybody happy as my tax are at 0%. I also want to clone a second time my hero to improve faster many system at the same time.

I rushed the colonization of the tiny jungle in my home system instead of building improvements because I could grow faster on it.

I also searched for the lava colonization to not loose the last system I finally colonize and which I don't remember the name

Looking at your save & comparing it to mine: You have 3 less farms [you'veusedfinance], and Aldebaran is -1 pop & a colony down, and you're getting ~25 less food / turn. The two main systems have +1 pop though. Ah, I see what you did ~ you cloned the hero early on. Your hero has 11 prod plus the flat rate +25 prod, mine has prod 15, and yet you're +1 pop in the main system: I presume this is due to rush building it @ the start.



Hmm. Def. a good idea to clone there, I forgot to. However, I see a lot of people choosing the flat rate +25 bonuses on heroes, which works in these challenges, but I refuse to take them ~ you gimp yourself for the long term, imo.



I'd be interested to see your T60 save, interested to know if the dust/econ route works when you're attacked by three factions.

4x_Fan wrote:


Hmm. Def. a good idea to clone there, I forgot to. However, I see a lot of people choosing the flat rate +25 bonuses on heroes, which works in these challenges, but I refuse to take them ~ you gimp yourself for the long term, imo.

That's interesting because those are my most prized bonuses I always go for first. I often use one of my leaders to quickly get new promising systems off to a quick start. They can become productive members of my empire in about a third of the time with a good +25 bonus to food and production. I especially like using strong food leaders for low food/high production systems, since it would take them forever on their own to gain enough population to reach their potential.



What does everyone else think of the flat 25 bonuses?

Here are my results :

4 systems with Pop : 17, Food : 148, Ind : 99, Sci : 66



Quite low yes, but :

- 8 ships fleet is ready to attack, I do not have decided yet who, but the UE spot looks sweet

- 3 cloned hero (3xlvl4), which is a good bet, with a retunr on investment before T60 I think



Given Hyperium and the good starting position, I think it will be fine @T60



HORATIO - Turn 29 Kruos.zip

Photon_Ventdesdunes wrote:
Davea, I looked a little your save and I have one main question : Why don't you build the first food improvment : Sustaible Farms ?

See, I am learning. I will try that in my next play on this map, to see if I can apply all the lessons.

4x_Fan wrote:
However, I see a lot of people choosing the flat rate +25 bonuses on heroes, which works in these challenges, but I refuse to take them ~ you gimp yourself for the long term, imo.

I have just tried for the first time to take the +25 ind leader and move him to each new colony. It seems to make a huge difference. One such leader, moving to each new system, seems like a good idea.

4x_Fan wrote:
Looking at your save & comparing it to mine: You have 3 less farms [you'veusedfinance], and Aldebaran is -1 pop & a colony down, and you're getting ~25 less food / turn. The two main systems have +1 pop though. Ah, I see what you did ~ you cloned the hero early on. Your hero has 11 prod plus the flat rate +25 prod, mine has prod 15, and yet you're +1 pop in the main system: I presume this is due to rush building it @ the start.



Hmm. Def. a good idea to clone there, I forgot to. However, I see a lot of people choosing the flat rate +25 bonuses on heroes, which works in these challenges, but I refuse to take them ~ you gimp yourself for the long term, imo.



I'd be interested to see your T60 save, interested to know if the dust/econ route works when you're attacked by three factions.

I just finished the turn 60. I only discovered the sophons turn 58 but being already Hostile, I suppose they will declare me a war soon like the two other factions.

By the way the United Empire and the Hissho are on the way of their destruction. Cruiser+beam also and slowly but surely I win. I took each of them already a planet and started the home land.

I watched your save and it looks the start I took was the good one, mainly with three administrator +25ind/+20food clones. It's my first game as Horation and I'm impress by the clonage...

I succeded to become 1st in knowledge also and it looks I'm far in front of the others.

I have the expansion (I think it's one when you need 75% of all the colonized systems) victory around 80%. I think it's won also.



Here is the save : hc3-t60 Photon version.zip



Nevertheless, I know despite all this I could be even better. Always learning, thanks Davea