Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

« Back to Chat

2643 days, 0 hours, 44 minutes ago

Alright all you Pro players, or at least those who have been around on VGA planets for awhile. I'm looking to assemble a team of players who are knowledgeable about the race in which they are most experienced in. So If you happen to be awesome in Cyborg and Privateers, please pick one.

Our purpose is to build a comprehensive guide for each particular race. I want to be clear that we are not putting together a list of all the best and secret tricks one can do to destroy any and everything. People should learn their advanced tactics and strategies on their own. However, this is going to be a comprehensive guide on how to make it to the mid-game. And also general things to be aware of. Not only are we building a specific list as to what to do for each race. But what to do against your race. This way when it's all finished we can have a listing of information that illuminates each races abilities and attributes. So one who reads these documents won't be angry when they get robbed by a privateer. Or wonder why a federation Virgo can beat a EE Gorbie.

I'm going to open a series of Google Documents. Its a free service provided by google, in which people can access a certain document and update it. The reason I picked this site, is also because it allows me to invite a select group of people to view and make changes to it. Rather then allowing the general whole of the community to barge in and cause confusion. After we finish each individual race, I want to gather all the participants to one final guide. One that comprises all of the basic functions of the game. Such as Nebulae, Ion Storms, Natives, Trans-Uranium Mutation Rate, Host Order, etc etc. This way we have a complete revision of everything. I would like to spend a week or so getting a team selected and drafted. So if you do become selected, and do not have a Google account, please create one. After we have a team together for each race we will go ahead and get started. I will monitor all of the documents and keep a saved version every so often myself so that nothing does get lost. I would like to have all of this compiled in less then a month so we can move and get everything smoothed out for production.

Anyone can apply to be apart of the discussion teams, just post in here mentioning what faction you wish to volunteer and represent. I will be selecting a team of 4-6 players to be the final team. If you don't get picked, please don't be angry. When we take and put out the final draft, we will do so publicly so that everyone can take and make comments and requests for more or less information.

2642 days, 20 hours, 29 minutes ago

greyghost

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

How to make it to mid game with any race:

1. Get your turns done on time.
2. Don't suck.

2642 days, 17 hours, 9 minutes ago

dazdya

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

I would like to help. I play mostly fascists nowadays.

2641 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes ago

blackbirdcd

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

I'd like to contribute on behalf of the evil and annoying Empire of the Birds.

Cheers!

2638 days, 23 hours, 48 minutes ago

mycroft

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

Looks like people are wanting us three to write out all the guides ourselves!

That probably isn't going to give most races the credit and attention they deserve! Common there has to be some volunteers out there somewhere :P

2638 days, 13 hours, 48 minutes ago

mentar

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

I wouldn't consider myself a "pro" player, but I guess I could contribute something for the Colonies.

2638 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes ago

julius

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

I could help with Bots / Rebels if there are no other takers

2638 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes ago

sjharley

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

I could write some stuff for the colonies as well if you want.

2638 days, 4 hours, 55 minutes ago

turssi

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

If you manage to finish some guides, then maybe you could upload the final revisions to the planets wiki site?

Could be great for storing information that is newer than Donovans.

2637 days, 23 hours, 12 minutes ago

mycroft

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

Turssi, I have no issue with sharing information with you. This information should be made as public as possible to make for an easier transition into this game. As well as introduction to other possibilities by beginner and intermediate players.

Everyone else, until there are enough people to be more choosey in who is selected, its everyone who will. So thanks for stepping up and volunteering for the future of the community.

2627 days, 11 hours, 24 minutes ago

mycroft

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

All,
I'm opening a document sharing portal via Google Documents (Drive). If you do not have a google account, please create one. After you have created a user name, send me the whole thing. Mine is Ben.Wach@yahoo.com (Ben.Wach@google.com). I'll send you a message personally to let you know what you need to do to get into the shared folder for collaborative writing.

Thanks again to everyone who is supporting,

2627 days, 10 hours, 10 minutes ago

zver

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

I can help with Feds. Sent you an email.

2627 days, 0 hours, 26 minutes ago

veldan

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

Hey, rbos opened up a wiki last year. vgaplanets.org. might want to contribute there, unless you have something else in mind.

2625 days, 10 hours, 0 minutes ago

mycroft

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B_sZboCpwdZsWFpRTXpOUkVfS00/edit

The above is the link the the shared drive. I've invited Zver already since he has provided me with an email to invite him by.

Please let me know what your information is so I can get you access into the board so we can begin sharing our notes rather then hoarding them :)

2592 days, 0 hours, 12 minutes ago

mycroft

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

(After much waiting, I have completed my first draft on the Birdmen basic quick glance guide)

The Birdmen

Everything about the Birdmen (Romulan) race is built around spying and secret maneuvering. With eight different cloaking ship designs, the Birdmen have a advantage on moving unseen and remaining unnoticed to other players. They also own the most powerful Cloaking warship (Dark Wing Class Battleship) and the most versatile Cloaking ship (Resolute Class Battlecruiser).

Cloaking plays to the Birdman strength. A cloaked ship is only visible to a player that is allied to you. So doing so makes it nearly impossible for a neighbor to determine where you are, and where you are going. Cloaking also makes it impossible for an opponent to initiate combat with you. Giving the Birdman the choice of when to fight. When a Birdman cloaks his ships, they are also 50% less likely to strike a mine per Lightyear traveled. Birdman ships cannot be decloaked by Loki Class Destroyers either. Making the Birdmen privy to enemy ship movements and dispositions without detection. Ion Storms will decloak any ship without a Advanced Cloaking device onboard (Resolute Class Battlecruiser and Dark Wing Class Battleship). The Advanced Cloaking device is so advanced that it is efficient enough not to burn any fuel while cloaking. So a Resolute can cloak and not move, and be able to wait the whole game untouched and unnoticed. Ships with even 1% of damage cannot recloak until the damage is repaired due to the complexity of the systems.

Superspy is the Birdmans special talent. When a ship uses this ability, it will cloak if it has the ability to do so. The ship will also learn how many colonists and natives are living on the planet. You will be able to see the total amount of resources On and In the planet (Resources that have and have not yet been mined up). Also it will reveal how many Mines, Factories, and Defense Installations have been erected planetside. You will also be able to view the planets Friendly Code. For each ship the Birdmen have in orbit, they will add a 20% chance to change the Friendly Code of the planet (Only one ship must set Superspy). Birdmen ships with a Friendly Code of “x” or “X” will not attempt to change the friendly code, and instead will only reveal information about the planet. If a ship attempts to change the Friendly Code of the planet, it will have a 10% chance of setting of an “Ion Pulse” on planets with 35 or greater Defense Installations. After the Ion Pulse 10 Defense Installations will be removed, and all cloaked ships in orbit will be decloaked (Including Birdmen ships). Which can result in combat against any ships and the planet being orbited. Superspy will not cause ships without a cloaking device to cloak. And ships with Superspy activated, cannot be captured via “Force Surrender” by any starbase as long as the ship has fuel.

The Birds are best suited fighting against planets and medium support ships. By fighting against hostile economies, they can grind a larger enemies war machine to a halt. With their ability to spy on planets, they can determine a planet's strength, and use the right ship to capture the planet. After obtaining the correct Friendly Code (FC) Birdmen can match the code to pass through a minefield centered over the planet spied. Also by matching the FC, the Birdman can beam up fuel and other resources to steal resources. However, if the Birdman matches FC with a Starbase which has “Force Surrender” set, the ship will be given to the respective owner of the Starbase.

Fighting against Birdmen must be a coordinated effort. Minefields can grant some cover, but the cloaking ships can sweep and re-cloak until the mines are gone. Or just pass through unharmed if they already have the FC. Change your FC to all planets every turn to prevent any resources being beamed up. Or build lots of Starbases and set them to “Force Surrender”. Another trick is to simply consolidate all your resources into planets with Starbases. Group all your smaller ships with heavier ones, and avoid lingering over a planet where your ships can be towed away and killed one by one. Lay small minefields as you move, and move throughout open space.

2591 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes ago

regicide

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

Just a few things to start as is a starters guide.

1. Remember the bird man ships can only be de-cloaked (and damaged) by fascist glory device ships though the glory device ship is lost in doing so.

2. A bird man player that does not use large deep space freighters for economic growth will be weak because of it. As cloakers do not have the cargo room to support a star base. It takes 5 Resolutes to replace 1 LDSF and they will burn 2.14 times the fuel. (they can be used to support a single star base outside your territory)

Feel you need to have the above about Ldsf as I have seen to many players lose because of trying to stay hidden in there own space and early expansion as the birds and did so myself once.

How are the rest of the guides going.

2591 days, 14 hours, 17 minutes ago

mycroft

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

Please keep in mind that these are the basic guides. As far as economic strategy and specific combat I'm trying to leave those out for the more advanced guides. Burning no fuel is irrelevant on the basic side, that is more considered an intermediate economy factoid then anything. And though it's a huge advantage it only shows its cost effectiveness when that ship is deployed for a long time. And the only race that can do anything about it is the fascists and the crystals. For the GD's, I'm going to type out a basic guide for each race. In hopes that if a newbie encounters a hostile race, they can get a general gist of their capabilities before they commit. Not a full "spectral sweep" of the entire race. I do hope to include intermediate, advanced, and master guides eventually. Each getting more specific and detailed. But I want to start small for the new players who don't want to spend a few nights studying the dread lord on a college thesis level.

And Regicide, I personally cannot think of devoting 5 resolutes in place of a single LDDF. I agree in the beginning you need to conceal yourself and you can't fly it through deep space. But you can't even come out with 5 resolutes by ship limit unless you under equip them anyways. If I need to in hostile space to gain a foothold, that's one thing. To keep 5 ships that are better off serving other purposes stuck on cargo duty is almost sac religious.

2591 days, 13 hours, 45 minutes ago

mycroft

RE: Calling all veterans! (And writers!)

Write Reply

The Cyborg

With giant Cube Warships and the ability to assimilate natives, the Cyborg (Borg Collective) strike general fear into their opponents. The Cyborgs have arguably the best technological advantages of all the other races in the game. The military style of the Cyborg is to steamroll their opponents. With their powerful Cube Warships and their Firecloud Cruisers for Chunneling (Jumpgating) they can wheel about quickly on the battlefield and cause ruin on a large area with few established ships. And when they are not moving, they can repair in deep space.

Whenever a Cyborg settlement is established on a planet with a native population, they will “assimilate” or absorb natives equal to the current population of Cyborg clans on that planet (10 Cyborg clans + 10 Assimilated and now Cyborg clans = 20 Clans). They will always assimilate and will continue to do so until there is no one left to assimilate. With their B200 hyperdrive capable probe, a single Cyborg Clan can turn into a vast empire over time if left undiscovered.

The Firecloud Cruiser has the ability to Chunnel or Jumpgate between its location and that of another Firecloud for 50KT (units) of fuel. It will also bring every ship that is at the same location at the start of the turn with it to the destination. Allowing the Cyborg to move whole fleets 100’s of Lightyears instantly. The Biocide Carrier Cube has 10 Beam Banks and 10 Fighter Bays, making it arguably the second strongest carrier in the the game. And the Annihilation Battleship Cube with 10 Beam Banks and 10 Torpedo Tubes, is the largest battleship in the game. However, the Cyborg lack powerful medium and light ships to complement its ship list. So the strength of the Cyborg can only be placed in a small location. Giving a higher need for their Firecloud Cruisers for their ability to vastly expand their mobility.

The Cyborg are best used offensively by “Surprising” their unwary prey with unexpected attack directions. With a single hidden base inside of hostile space, once a Firecloud is produced the Cyborg have a backdoor into enemy space in which to suddenly emerge with their immense Cube Warships and ruin a players position before they are able to effectively respond. They can also use a small amount of ships to chunnel between multiple fronts spreading enemy warships thin. And with their ability to assimilate natives, the Cyborg can populate captured worlds quickly and be ready to carry the fight to the next unsuspecting victim.

When fighting the Cyborg, it’s important to have detailed knowledge of all planets inside your boundaries. Any uncolonized planet can eventually become a portal for Cube Warships to flood out of. A Cyborg player usually will end up having a form of reliance on their Firecloud Cruisers to continue to remain highly mobile. Each one you destroy limits the amount of angles a Cyborg player can move with. It is sometimes better to attack the Cyborg earlier before they become very dangerous then to wait and let them grow to become nearly unstoppable. However, the Cyborg can have small pockets across the entire sector and be all but impossible to stamp out.