A Maso Small Map Guide For All The Family

A Maso Small Map Guide For All The Family

This is a very short guide concerning some possible strategies for playing maso small maps. It appears to work for a diplomatic game with targeted wars. The pleasure of Galciv is that there are many different strategies for every map size and every difficulty level. I refer to all of the Human star systems as ‘Terran’. This guide goes to the mid-campaign. All critiques are welcome.

Pre Colonisation Rush

Maximise Terran’s diplomatic skills. Perhaps: 60% diplomacy (5 points): research 20% (2 points): influence 10% (1 point): economics 10% (2 points). Populist Government is good (20% diplomacy and 20% morale). Those choices provide a high diplomatic rating (total of 80%). The speed of starships is not as important on small maps.

For an easier game, pray that planets are rare/uncommon. Abundant planets make for a harder campaign.

If the Terran Government is Evil (and Evil feels so good), Neutral aliens makes an easier campaign. Although, Evil aliens does mean diplomacy works well, except that my understanding is that they choose the evil path when getting the random choices at colonisation and so get the bonuses such as PQ+. If one alien civ is Pure Good, that alien civ may get picked on by every Evil/Neutral alien civ.

Position in the galaxy

Control+N can ensure a good starting position in the galaxy of course. There are several strategies here. A corner sector of the galaxy is isolated and won’t be affected by influence. And a sector that is almost in a corner, but that has stars in the corner sector ripe for colonisation is good. If the corner sector then has habitable planets, the corner sector is largely protected from alien influence. A middle position in the galaxy core is harder, but may actually attract a lot of trade routes.

Colonisation era

Earth has to go all out in order to win the colonisation rush! In small galaxies, this is over very quickly. So run the economy at maximum (100%) for as long as the Terran budget surplus will allow. Direct funds between research (50%) and shipbuilding (50%) only. Build colony ships, and research direct to Diplomacy. Change government to a Republic when available (diplomacy is now 100%). Build a scout or two in order to explore quickly. Colonise good planets (PQ15 and above). Keep PQ14 planets for later. Much later when the economy allows, colonise PQ13 planets.

When Terrans meet aliens, our great diplomatic skills ensure we can trade techs for their techs. We want to meet every alien civ as soon as possible. Look at the top right map to target where the other major civs are, and send a scout to make first contact. Minor civs are our instant friends.

After colony ships are no longer necessary, switch to building other ships. Earth may want to build freighters if the trade tech is owned. Certainly a scout or two. Perhaps a constructor. About now, building ships becomes less important, and Terra must start to develop infrastructure (to prevent planetwide blackouts).

Terra’s strategies

The Terran Government has some major strategies. They are to:
1. Develop the Terran economy, manufacturing output and influence in order to catch up with the aliens, and eventually surpass them.
2. Stay out of wars until this is achieved.
3. Build good relations in order to stay out of wars.
4. Start and win wars only where a quick, decisive victory is assured, and where any gains will be permanent.
5. Ferment conflict between the aliens to lessen their military strength and economies.
6. Keep up with the research.

These strategies are discussed below.

Development and Research

1. Economists advise that happy people pay more taxes and (ahem) procreate more, which means more investment and leads to faster production and research. Therefore income tax shouldn’t be raised too high. Instead, morale should be maximised for as long as possible (try for 100% for the first year). A bigger population creates more influence too.
2. Freighter trade routes, leads to solid income. Rather than build freighters, try to buy them with a tech trade. Often a freighter can be purchased from an alien civ for a few techs and it is near their planet. Send it back to their planet, and a Terran planet gets an instant trade route (which means instant income without the travelling time).
3. Build early social improvements to maximise morale (Habitat Improvement, Soil Enhancement), productivity (Fusion Power Plant, Manufacturing Centre), and income (Banking Centre).
4. If alien influence is a problem in a sector, keep the voters happy with an Embassy or News Network. If a majority of voters are turning to the opposition parties (below 50% approval), give them an Entertainment Network.
5. Don’t bother trying to build trade goods at this stage.
6. Don’t rush-buy social improvements or ships unless critically necessary. Never buy a tech from an alien civ for credits.
7. Immediately develop the best Terran world (Earth or the highest PQ planet) to become a production giant. Build all of the manufacturing improvements on that world as soon as they become available, even in preference to other improvements. This world will build most of the wonders and trade goods, although only later in the game when Terra’s manufacturing output can compete with the alien civs.
8. Trade techs for trade goods built by alien civs.
9. Research important techs, as well as those that are rarely researched by the alien civs. A good tech can often be traded between each alien civ for several techs, that can be traded on for more techs that can be traded on... This is the way to keep up with the tech war. If Terra rushes to get a good military tech, that can be traded for expensive techs and ships. The alien civs will rarely trade big military techs, so they must be researched. Tech trading is paramount!

Say ‘No’ to war

1. Generally, don’t go to war until the Terran navy is developed and combat transports have been built. This is later in the game. Rarely, a war with a few transports can occupy a planet.
2. Don’t form alliances. These will drag Terra into unwanted wars. Sometimes, an alliance may mean that it keeps an alien civ off Terra’s back until it can be ‘dealt with’: but be prepared for inopportune wars that destroy valuable trade relationships. Or don’t honour the alliance when push comes to shove.
3. When extortion demands are made of Terra, reject them. But then immediately give the alien civ a gift: usually Terra can recover its warm relationship immediately.

Build good relations

1. Develop and maintain good relationships. Give gifts. Try to look sincere. Often gifting a UP vote every 3 or 4 months will warm a relationship. Sometimes a gifted tech is necessary. Aim to get every alien civ into a warm relationship or better.
2. Although not proven, I believe that a good relationship with a minor civ may mean they are more likely to send freighters to Terran worlds.
3. Buy the trade good, Diplomatic Translators, for whatever techs the alien civ demands. The 40% increase in diplomacy is utterly invaluable. If a minor builds it, thank your lucky stars.
4. Target the nastiest alien civ with Terran freighters to keep them off Terra’s back. But this helps their economy too.

War, what is it good for?

1. Go to war when it suits Terra: plan the campaign well.
2. Study the galaxy map. Target the alien civ that makes strategic sense to take out. This can vary wildly. It may be the weakest civ that is about to be destroyed by another alien civ; or the alien civ with star systems closest to a Terran sector; or the alien civ that Terra does little trade with; or the alien civ about to assimilate minor civs through influence.
3. Sometimes, with planning, the strongest alien civ can be taken out. If so, the game is almost won.
4. Alpha strikes are the preferred risk-free way of going to war. They usually require combat transports and at least frigates, but probably dreadnoughts and better. A chapter could be written on alpha strike strategies. For example, if there are 2 Altarian star systems, plan to send enough warships and combat transports to each one, to defeat and occupy each system in the same month. Judge how many combat transports are needed per planetary population. Later in the game, more combat transports are needed because of planetary defences.
5. A failed alpha strike against a militarily strong alien civ is embarrassing. A successful strike means that its vast navies collapse and disappear by the next month because they have no planetary bases to sustain them.
6. If an alpha strike fails, Terra may need to immediately offer peace.
7. Sometimes, declaring war first means that the alien civ will empty its planets of strong ships, which facilitates an alpha strike. Or getting the victim civ into a war with an alien or minor civ first, means it empties its planets of warships.
8. Before going to war with a trading partner, break the trade routes first, or park freighters next to another alien civ’s star system ready to set up a trade route.

Our enemy’s enemy

1. Encourage alien civs to nuke each other. If Terra can get every alien civ at war with every other alien civ, it means they are not trading with any civ except for Terra. That means their economies are shattered or diminished, and Terra is raking in the trade credits. Beware that it also means they will target trade ships and disrupt trade routes to Terran worlds: but it is a small price to pay.
2. If alien civs are allied, they will not go to war with each other. But if one is at war, that will drag the other ally into the same war.
3. However, Terra doesn’t want one alien civ to occupy too many star systems. Sometimes Terra will need to blockade a star system to prevent an armada from capturing it. A blockade with corvettes is a cost effective strategy.
4. A blockade of every minor civ will prevent a major civ from capturing that juicy star system. Alexians fall to influence quickly, so use starbases with influence, or alternatively, invade at Terra’s leisure.

Starbases

1. Many different strategies here. Building constructors is only cost effective from the mid-campaign. Rarely, it is possible to build one early-campaign in order to construct on a juicy resource nearby. The aliens are usually too quick though.
2. It may be possible to blockade a resource and send a constructor at leisure.
3. After a starbase is built, one strategy is to maximise production modules. This has a multiplier effect. More productive planets in the sector build constructors quicker, as well as planetary improvements and warships.
4. Build influence modules in Terran sectors to counter alien influence if it is a problem, or to subvert Alexians.
5. Build trade modules in sectors that have a lot of trade ships passing through.
6. Place a waiting constructor next to an alien resource starbase. During a war, another alien civ will destroy it, and Terra can then build on the resource. Or try to lead a space monster to an alien starbase.
7. For alpha strikes, build a fleet of constructors (about 10 or so). In the month of the strike, construct a starbase in the alien sector with all ship-attack bonus modules. This means the alpha strike will have en easier time destroying a defending fleet.

The Terran navy

1. After the colonisation period, Terra needs to concentrate on research and planetary improvements. Massive fleets cost maintenance too. Divert the Terran economy away from shipbuilding until the mid-campaign.
2. With some alien civs, trade techs for techs. With others that are backwards, and have no techs to trade, try to trade techs for freighters, defensive ships, and even corvettes. It is very hard to trade for warships such as dreadnoughts. Even top up a trade with purchased UP votes.
3. Try to keep the Terran military rating above the bottom 2 or 3 alien civs. If an alien civ is busting for a fight, try to increase Terra’s military rating quickly by buying ships or building corvettes or anti-matter missiles (later in the game).
4. Alpha strikes will require an offensive capacity. An offensive armada will probably need to be built at the same time as combat transports or ahead of them.

Always remember this motto:

Humans don’t react to threats: HUMANS ARE THE THREAT




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