I don't use BC for 99 turns. I will give nice large sums of money like 1,000 BC in the beginning or small empires, 5,000 for medium sized empires and 10,000 BC for large empires and if they are a massive empire I will give then anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 if I have it.

Little generous loopcub. They actually like small amounts over a long period of time and as you have just read you never really have to pay because the game will be over before the tribute expires. Play around with it and see if you don't end up with happier AI's and more money in the bank.

I would say that going back to the menu is cheese too, just slower cheese. My rule of 'anything that wouldn't work on a human opponent is cheese' applies here. If it was me versus you, would you allow me to keep generating maps until I got one that gave me an advantage?

Where possible, I bribe with techs. It's cheaper.

arghhhh..... ctl-n is jusat the same as quitting and starting again... no difference... Are you trying to tell me that you never ever quit a game that your loosing.... and then start a new game
... sheesh

what is cheese however is
starting a game
saving it
activating cheat mode
pressing Ctl-U (to view the map.. and take not of where things are)
then reloading your save game and using that data you wrote down or memorized ..

but there is nothing to stop you from doing that... so thats cheese... and it then makes the playing field a little more even as you know where the good stuff is too just like the AI playerrs do. as AI players know where every PQ15 planet is etc... etc..

so its not the keypress itself thats ceesy.. but how some players use it... I myself don't use this form of cheese because i don't need too... LOL .. after all I am the one and only J.T.Qwerk.. LOL

There's nothing wrong with resigning when in a hopeless position. But that's not the same as giving up and starting again immediately just because earth is only PQ16 even though the game would probably be perfectly winnable if you gave it a try.

Anyway, just because I say Ctrl-N is cheese doesn't mean I don't use it.

OK, here is the game that I play. Everything I can think of that might be "cheezy":

-Start with all AI Pure Evil
-All AI set to Incredable except the Altarians at Genius
-Ctrl N and Ctrl U starts
-Reload from last save if I've done something (or forgotten something) that really messes up the game.
-Reload from save to rush build a wonder or TG (I don't use this one very often any more, but I used to.)
-Buy things from the AI for 99 turn payments (I almost never bribe. When I do, it's almost always a tech.)
-Once in a while, I will bribe the AI to go to war
-Drag the game out until at least '90 to avoid the 1/2 score hose
-Sometimes drag the game out longer to get more techs and TG researched
-Terror Star Alpha Strikes for the end of game

I have 3 mods loaded - Mini Colony Ships, Micro Colony Ships, and the Guardians Political Party. Of the 3, the only one I actually use is the Mini Colony Ships. Just too lazy to go pull the other ones back out.

So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how cheeszy are these tactics? I welcome your input, but if you want to play, put yours up too
[Message Edited]

I will give it a try on my next game.

Rate it a six. I use or have used everything you have except mods.

But you got the spirit GH. Most of everything else so far is strategy, your using some good old stinky cheese. I'm proud of you.

I have used the sneaky diplomats party the past week. Are mods cheese if they are approved. Would unapproved ones be more cheesy. :notsure:

No they just have a more pungent stink!

Thanks... I think... :notsure:

Not necessary if you play with high diplomacy (like research.inc with +50 diplomacky taken from the 10 starting points). Giving tech can do the same thing (giving alliance has at some point move aI from neutral to friendly). but you need to be able to tell them taht those aren't the droids they are looking for ...

Not to offend anybody but I believe making a political party to give bonuses for your direct playing style is a bit cheesey.

If the negative bonuses you give that party dont effect you because of your game style, then they are not really negative.

Having said that I have made a pirate party that I am now experimenting with

Weapons +20
Speed +1
Trade +2
Trade Routes +2
HPs -20

LOL LOL LOL Sure but us in our place.

I won't tell you mine till Cari has fixed that exploitable bug... then if your still interested i'll tell you...

As I'm the only really active player in Starfleet it would be to my detriment to give away my secrest and or tactics or even really smelly cheese

I'm glad they are fixing this. Time to find new cheese! LOL

Of course if you join StarFleet then it'll be a different story.. I'll share all my secrets if you want them and if you email me

Note: I have to be sure that your committed (or should be committed like i need to be.. LOL really insane here) to the furtherment / improvement of the empire

Star Fleet is falling into disrepair, pretty soon they wont be able to pay your wages.

Turn rogue and join the Pirates.

PS Bring your secrets LOL LOL

SOME GOOD OLD FASHIONED EMPIRE RECRUITING!

IZ THERE NO END TO THIS STINKY CHEESE!

LOL

Of course, The Guardians share all their secrets openly (now, what is an open secret) LOL

I don't know if this is cheese but I usually pick 1 race as my main trading partner and then surround their 1-3 planets(galaxy set to rare) with freighters. Their ships can be launched but their enemies can't take their planets militarily (as long as I am not at war with my trading partner's enemies). Of course, they can still be culturally flipped but there are the usual ways of addressing that problem.

Having the rare setting for habitable planets makes trade a large part of my economy.

How many freighters does it take to surround a planet. My guess would be 4. Sounds like strategy. Like the US putting troops in Korea as a trip wire. Attack my friend, you attack me, so think twice.

I would pick a minor to do this. As your trade partner recieves equal benifit from the trade agreement and minors are much easier to trade tech with. You could benifit both ways.

8 Freighters

Does it matter much if the AI does take their planets? Unless you're at war with the conqueror, the trade should continue.
I have used the surround technique, for the new minors appearing later in the game who tend to get conquered before I have a proper chance to exploit them.