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What is the hardest map size?

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What is the hardest map size?

from Stardock Forums
What do you think is the hardest galaxy size to play on vs incredible AI? Strangely, my impression is that it's medium. On gigantic and huge winning seems to be easy unless you start in remote corner. Just out-expand AI while letting core worlds build up some military in the latter stages of expansion phase.

I had more difficulties with Tiny/Small, because initial benefits of AI are big and conflicts start before human player's better starbase and fleet management comes into play. Though now I've found the fine balance between military/infrastructure/trade goods which allows to survive in the beginning and after that AI's weakness in military tactics becomes decisive.

Medium size is still worst for me. If I go for expansion heavily, when the AI is ready to fight I'm not ready yet and AI is much more aggressive on medium that on a large maps. If I choose more balanced development path, 1 or 2 of AI races grabs too many good planets and I have difficulty closing the gap later.

Large size galaxies also create similar problems, but they're easier, because the critical phase comes later leving more time to prepare.
1,198 views 32 replies
Reply #26 from Stardock Forums Top
Thongor, the ai won't buy anything for 1 bc on maso as of 1.03. Your strat worked in 1.02, but no more.

Abotu dispersion, I think scattered is harder on bigger maps, because there are no natural boundaries, which makes it harder to defend oneself. I say on bigger maps, because on small maps the effect doesn't look so drastic. With a scattered map, no starting position can be as terrible as it can be on tight clusters. This means all of the ai's have a correct starting position, instead of the almost inevitable one or two cornered civs in tight clusters which effectively reduce the opposition from 5 to 3 or 4 opponents.
Reply #27 from Stardock Forums Top
LDiCesare, Thank you for the tips. :)

ImperialGuard, I would think scattered would be harded becuse you have to make more effert to get to it.

At "Tight" all the resuorces (solarsystems} are right there.
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #28 from Stardock Forums Top
hmmm... those are good points LDiCesare and MM77 that I hadn't really though about !!

I based my statement on the experiences where in loose or coupled, I had the AI on me immediately and got clobbered.

I found that with scattered, I had more time to expand, build up and dominate AI, maybe it is my weakness/inexperience in dealing with an AI that is close by....
Reply #30 from Stardock Forums Top
I have a pretty good strategy going on right now. I'm actually playing races as INTELLIGENT on a TINY map and ended up with a starting location that had Sol and 2 other yellow stars in the same sector ;p

BTW: rare planets, tight clusters as well...

I find that heavy trade, starbases, and purchasing tech from other races were key.

My problem now, the Altarians have been more than matching my military strength. Though they did not attack me...they took out every minor race and the Yor. They now have 7 syatems to my 3 on a tiny map. I fear for my future.

Bottom line...EXPAND even on a tiny map before somebody else does. One system can mean the difference between winning and losing.

I'm gonna play this game from the start...next time taking over the minor races earlier.
Reply #31 from Stardock Forums Top
I also found that AI alignment matters a lot on tiny/rare. If the AIs are all good, you can get a peaceful game. If the AIs are all evil, there will be many wars.

Also notice that on tiny/rare, you will never get a colonization event unless you get 3 15+ planets in your starting sector (unless you want to waste colony ships colonizing poor planets) (you never get a colonization event on your first colony, a feature that probably should be disabled for tiny/rare). So, your only opportunities to change alignment will be the non-colonization events. Since games on tiny/rare tend to be short, you will probably still be at the neutral interface, even if you choose good or evil at every opportunity.

Beware being evil on tiny/rare. If you get the "evil races restricted to 2 trade routes" UP event, your game is over.
Reply #32 from Stardock Forums Top
LDiCesare says:

>Why do I get scouts on tiny/rare?

The answer is that I need to grab as many anomalies as possible; an anomaly ship will buy me a few extra turns before tribute demands start. I set my survey ship to auto-survey, and use my scout ships both to discover the AIs and to discover new anomalies. I need to have all AIs discovered by the turn I get diplomacy, so I can immediately sell Aphrodesiac for more than the lease downpayment.

Also note that research production in excess of what gains the next tech is wasted. The scout ships cost less than you think they cost.

LDiCesare says:

>I usually trade with major civs, to make them like me.

I find that when my trading partner is a major civ, I tend to lose to that major civ. Remember that the minor civ planets are higher-class than the major civ planets! Since each civ has only 1 planet, the minor civs have a potentially larger economy! I'm going to have really beefed up trade routes; my trading partner will either be crushing me, beating me to wonders, or paying out its cash in tribute. Plus, if my trading partner is a minor, I don't have to worry about them being culturally absorbed.

The problem is that, if I spread out my trade routes to each major civ, I can't build a trade starbase to max out my trade income. With one or two trade starbases, I can fund at 100% for nearly the entire game, with cash left over.

I find that Phasers aren't finished by someone else before I finish them. Again, I'm only at Intelligent. The AIs probably have researched more at Incredible.

I wasn't sure if Corvettes were good or not. I'm still undecided as to what ship is best to build to deter a war. My goal is to avoid war completely, not to actually win a war. The only wars I fight are 1-turn, civ-eliminating wars, against a civ that was about to be eliminated by someone else.

I don't worry about bankrupting my trading partner via trade. Remember they're going to get LOTS of cash from me. Since they only have 1 planet, they have more cash than they can spend! The AI doesn't seem to rush-build properly, even when it's sitting on 20,000 BC.

I really like the sensor drones. I find that it helps me see when a specific resource starbase is about to go down, plus when the enemy planetary defenses are nearly eroded. If I have a choice between 2 wars, I can look at where the enemy transports are to see which invasion is more urgent.

I'm also unsure if +trade bonus is better than the 3rd extra trade route. I get the trade bonus from my political part (mercantile), so I figured the extra trade route was worth more. I may try out the trade bonus next game, instead of the 3rd trade route. I think that, because I build trade starbases, that makes the extra trade route more valuable than the bonus. I'm not sure whether the racial trade bonus and starbase trade bonus multiply or add.

I usually get a cultural victory, although it really was a military victory. I had several 1-turn civ-eliminating wars. Notice that this strategy ruins my metaverse score, compared with a pure culutural win, because I'm wasting my population and alien propulation.

BTW, how do you quote someone else's posts like that?

I'm only playing Intelligent. I don't feel ready to move up to the harder difficulty. Things may be a lot worse on Genius or Incredible.