WARNING - LONG POST!
This is not nearly the perfect experiement, but I have suddenly noticed that I can negotiate for technologies I never could reasonably get from my opponents when negotiating a peace treaty.
I have been able to get 2-4 high end, war related techs to get out of a war with someone (ultimate miniaturization, for example). This is my first with the new patch, and I have never been in a game where I could get a single high end tech from someone I am beating in a war. In the course of 20 turns, with the 4th most powerful fleet and best economy, I have been able to get 15-25 of these high end techs for almost no effort.
There are some new things for me in the game I want to mention for reference. I am in war a lot more than I am used to, detailed below:
- The game is set in a gigantic galaxy, with fewer than average suns and populated planets. This slows down the expansion rush for me, and makes influence and interesting part of the game, but not an overwhelming force.
- I am evil because I got too many tempting opportunities (+28% starfighter bonus on a 28 pq planet), so I eventually gave in and embrased my dark side.
- I am positioned in the center of the map, with 8 races on my borders. (I am the hole in the donut, the galactic stomping grounds, ouch...). Turn 350+, and only one race has been eliminated.
- I have relatively few resource starbases, based on the way the map fell out (1 influence, 1 research, 1 military)
- Because there have been so few turns I am not at war with someone, I forged an alliance between myself, the Yor and the Korx. Someone call GW, because there is a new Axis Of Evil!
- Because I need stable money, and I can't afford dropping trade routes, now all my trade routes go the Yor and the Korx, cementing our relationship, but polarizing the galaxy.
- I play on Tough, tech trading allowed, non-randomized difficulty all intelligent).
- Game was started on beta 1.1, and sometime in the middle I loaded beta 1.1b.
I was really loving this game because it was hard. I couldn't keep up my normal research driven edge, which drives a military and economic advantage that usually keeps the wolves at bay until I can generate an untouchable fleet and wipe them out, all of them. All of this was because I was constantly at war with someone because of my location and because of the alliances, which I had to keep or I would die.
Then...
My allies started declaring war on everyone, which because of their sick and evil nature, seemed o so appropriate. I always agree to help because I need some stability someplace. I would fight where I thought the advantage was mine, and negotiate a peace where i didn't want to worry about war.
It is in these negotiations that I went from mid-level technology in the galaxy--large ships, 2 down levels in miniaturization, only one weapon tree explored (mass drivers, which was being effectively countered now because my enemies were building ships with 40 mass driver defense, ouch), to having all three weapon trees explored, building huge ships, having all the miniaturization, better engines, terraforming, on and on and on. One guy, albeit losing, I took every tech he had, and all his money, and something like 60k influence (no idea how that helps me from trading) before I reached his limit.
So my point in this long post? This game is getting really cool through the betas, but I was disappointed that I was able to get out of my tough game so easily. I am not yet in mop-up mode, but owning 18% of the galaxy with 2 allies, one of whom is equivalent to me, and one who is about half, I feel that the game is quickly heading to mop up mode simply because of the ease of climbing the tech tree with negotiated peace.
I don't know if this was always there, and my eyes are being opened by the new warlike nature of the beta and this game in particular, or if this change is because is a tweak in the beta. But I would like it better if they would give up a bit less. Realistic? I don't know. I could crush some of those guys, but I was at war with 4-5 races, and wasn't really in a position to leverage all my force in one corner of the galaxy. By the numbers it made sense, but strategically, no way.
Anywho, love the game and love where it is going. What a long post you just read if you made it this far. Congrats, I think.
