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Oscilate - Starting Strategies Part II
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#3
by Citizen Def Zep - 5/2/2003 11:06:14 AM
Ralegh,
Oscillation works very well in GalCiv and is, in fact, a key component I continually notice in the strategies employed by the more experienced players.
On a Large/Gigantic map, Loose Clusters/Scattered and Uncommon planets, I usually set my initial spending to 100 and my starting sliders to 100/0/0 (or its variants: 0/100/0 or 0/0/100) and produce my first ship. I then switch sectors to obtain my first tech or social improvement.
It all depends on my starting position in the galaxy. For example, in one game I am in the middle of a cluster of stars right in the center of the map. In this case, speed and defense are going to be crucial, so I set sliders to 0/0/100 to immediately acquire Propulsion and superior ships (BattleAxe's/Hammer's). In another game I am on the tail end of an "arm" of scattered stars in the corner, with another PQ 20 planet immediatly adjacent to me. Here, I go with 100/0/0 (for my first colony ship, to settle the planet and effectively double my starting position), followed immediately by 0/100/0 (to build soil enhancers simultaneously on both planets and keep them the same PQ level, simplifying my subsequent tax/slider calculations).
As noted, I switch off unfinished social improvements freely to build something more useful as soon as I discover it (e.g., Labs or Banks). I will simply return to Med Ctrs, News Ctrs, etc. when I feel the need to complete them. Usually, I'll use these 2 asplaceholders for those planets that have completed everything else; instead of wasting its social spending, I'll let the IU's accumulate until there's "1" or "0" turns left to go, then switch to something else (even "nothing") to prevent the structure from being built (and incurring its maintenance cost) if I don't immediately need it. That way, if in the future I do need something like +10 resistance, etc., I've got it on hand ready to go without having wasted any spending.
One thing to note, however, is that IU's produced at 100% sliders are far more costly (i.e., far less cost-efficient) than a balanced mix. (Play around with your sliders one turn; you will notice your costs increase greatly, while IU's sometimes even fall, for you to get that many IU's all in one single sector.) Be aware of this in the early game, when you are deficit-spending your initial 1000gc treasury. Bee-lining for Republic and Banks can help greatly when oscillating.
      
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#4
by Veteran Za H - 5/2/2003 12:40:14 PM
There is no "inefficiency" for 100% full sliders. You are simply spending more because less production is being rounded off. If a planet can sustain 5 units of production, but you split your spending evenly between three areas, only 3 units will actually be applied and the corresponding cash deducted from your treasury due to round off.
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Za H, there is a point of diminishing returns, but since it's based on a multiple of the planet class rather than the % funded, you tend not to hit it early on.
     
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#6
by Veteran Za H - 5/2/2003 3:38:27 PM
I tend not to hit it forever 
Besides, I doubt that was what Def Zep was referring to. We are supposed to be dicussion the early expansion phase after all.
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#7
by Diplomat Ralegh - 5/11/2003 5:44:03 AM
OK - this wasn't clear enough. Of course I swap the sliders around as the game progresses. Lets talk something more radical!
I am playing some smaller maps at the moment (I want to win at masochistic at each map size) - and I am now adjusting my balance turn by turn in the first year or two to prevent early waste. For example:
- I am buying colony ships, and then waiting for them to arrive. During this process, I am either 100% research, or I turn Spend Rate to ZERO, keeping the bucks.
- once I have the planets, I have a few turns with 100% social (to churn out soil enhancement, and maybe habitat), since early cash is so focused on PQ.
On gigantic, I would "sync" the planets, for three turns of 100% military has all the colony builders churn out a ship, followed by 4 or 5 turns of research while the ships move, then repeat.
On the exonomy points raised in this thread:
- The inefficiency at 100% is unlikely for an early game planet, unless you are leaving earth very full - which I don't. If you are a "big Earther", then you are right to be concerned - 80/10/10 may be better even quite early in the game. But I hate the waste this causes on my other planets in a gigantic game.
- Even split is actually more inefficient, since you have 3 chances to lose money from rounding, not one.
- BEWARE putting taxes over 37%: your Total Active Spend doesn't go up as much for each bc you put in!
    
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