most of it is not... but hell its just kinda fun to read anywayVaporizer
August 9,1998
When you are newbie..use those turns to the max...saveing money ...after you find a good trade route....save save save...Don't upgrade your ship till ya can max out the new one..weps..drones ..shields.. armor..gunz the whole thing...Don't just join any alliance..join 1 that helpz you...cash and learning wise...Don't trust anyone!!!!.Don't stay out in the open even with a good ship ...find a brotherz fortified planet or fed protected area...think...think..save enough turns to get to a safe haven...if you alternate buying.. selling ..saveing..along with alwayz getting to a safe haven properly you'll be fine...Cry babbies that get waxed ...get waxed because they didn't prepare and take the right precautions...Good Luck..May your Temper Remain Cool an you Lazer's Hot!!!
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Speef
Wednesday, September 23, 1998 05:14 PM
Okay, people don't seem to realize the value of low level goods. Here is a bit of information. This may explain to you how I do pretty well in the standings
First, the prices on low level goods do not change fast. This is a great source of experience.
Second, low level goods improve the supply/demand of intermediate goods. Likewise, intermediate goods improve the demand for advanced goods.
The strategy is that you work the low level goods until you hit 6k supply demand for the intermediate goods. This gets you the best price for intermediates. Then work the intermediates to up the demand of the advanced goods to 6k. You can return to low level goods to keep the demand for intermediates high which also keeps the profit margin high. Once you get the advanced goods to 6k, trade them down, or keep the process of maxing it before doing your next trade. The low level goods will still pump your experience while keeping your profit ratios high. Personally, once I get the advanced goods to max, I trade it as close to 0 as possible since it is more cost effective than always working the low level goods.
However, if you find that your route of computers/luxury items has been traded out, you can work the low level goods and intermediates to pump up the demand levels for your goods so you can trade at least a few of them.
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Warped
Sunday, September 27, 1998 11:20 PM
I've been around for a few weeks and a few characters now, and I've found a few winning strategies.
1.Keep a log of your transactions. I know many people do this already, especially veterans (whatever that means in a game still in its beta stage.), but I've seen lots of people go just on 'gut feelings' but I can tell you with all 800+ exp of mine that I've gotten in 600 turns (no kills...yet) that keeping logs works well.
2. Join an alliance. Find someone to share a planet with and develop it as much as possible as soon as possible. Once you have a place to return to every night, it makes the game much better for you.
3. This is probably the most important one I've seen so far, and the most overlooked aspect of the whole game: There are more things to trade than JUST LUXURIES. I'm not saying that you shouldn't trade them, but today I saw a Lux trade route of mine that I went to every once in a while go completely dry! (Yes, 0 supply/demand) Thats just ridiculous. You get easier exp and more profit if you trade things with more S/D than if you trade the big ones anyways. My personal favorites are Machinery, Ore, food, and wood. (I've got the wood and food calculations down to where I can get full exp each time...but i won't give away ALL my secrets...)
Thats all...hope it was helpful. Have phun!
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Ananke
Friday, January 15, 1999 03:37 AM
This is an account of one way for the Leadership of an Alliance to proceed in making their Alliance great. This requires a ton of organization from the Alliance Leadership and a lot of effort from all members. These proposals are not for the faint of heart (or wallet). If implemented well, they will take an Alliance to glory.
Note: This was originally posted on the Warriorz Webboard, so that was the original intended audience.
***
Part 1: Specialization
Some ships are good for some things but no ship is good for everything. So the functions of players should be specialized. Some of the players should be Traders, some Fighters, some Hunters (Fighters who target specific players), some Planet Builders/Takers, and some (probably only one) an Explorer.
The Explorer would map the Universe for the Alliance. This is a horribly unglamorous thing, so the Alliance would pay the Explorer a lot of cash once the Exploration was complete (unless the Explorer would then become an Intelligence Gatherer). The Exploration would be done in an Alskant Speed-Demon (cheapest ship with max speed). After the Exploration is finished this player stays in his Alskant Speed-Demon and acts as an information gatherer... checking out opposing planets and determining what players use what trade routes (thereby helping out the Fighting Sector)
Planet Builders are players in perhaps Creonti Warriors or Death Cruisers whose job it is to restock weapons/shields/drones for the Alliance's planets and to activate construction for the planets. Until the Alliance gets a lot of planets probably only one of these players is necessary.
Planet Takers are players in FUs or ITACs (those in FUs can double as Fighters/Hunters) whose job it is to take Planets. These players are listed under the Fighting Sector (which I will give details on later in this post).
Fighters are players whose job it is to look for good kills and then execute the kills. Often it is specified (by the Fight Leader, details on that later) to the Fighters what kills they should be making or *where* they should be making them.
Hunters are similar to Fighters, except that they go after very specific players, often enemies of the Alliance or those who need to be lowered in XP. Whenever Hunters are not Hunting they are considered Fighters.
Traders will constitute most of the Alliance. These players should spend their entire (or near entire) time trading. These are the players who FUND all the other players in the Alliance... the Planet Builders, Planet Takers, Explorer, Fighters, and Hunters. These are the only players who are TAXED (more on that later).
Also... Planet Builders will lay any Scout Drones or Mines that the Alliance needs in various locations (especially by the primary trade routes).
Part 2: The Three Sectors and their Leaders
Going along with Specialization, the Alliance will be comprised of three distinct Sectors. These are the Trading Sector, the Fighting Sector, and the Miscellaneous Sector. Each Sector will be led by a player who has a lot of knowledge and experience in what constitutes the sector (whether it be trading, fighting, or exploring/planet building)
I. The Trading Sector
Probably 60% of the Alliance (in times of peace even more) will be Traders. These players should max XP and gets lots of cash, and should be in PSFs or in Thiefs if there is a lot of killing going on (the PSF is much less capable in fights than the Thief and is much worse in all non-trading aspects than the Thief, including trips to the bank, your planet, and fed space).
Some of the cash attained by these traders will (as is mandatory) go to fund the activities of the Fighting and Miscellaneous Sectors in the form of TAXES. Taxes will be a certain amount of cash due weekly required of each player in the Trading Sector, which they will need to deposit in an Anonymous Account and then tell the Alliance Leader the id code to access the Account.
If a player in the Trading Sector is unable to pay the required taxes, he is most likely booted from the Alliance. He can also be put into service in the Fighting or Miscellaneous Sector, although since these Sectors are considered "special" a player who can't cut it in the Standard Sector would not likely cut it in the Special Sectors.
There would be a Trade Leader for the Trading Sector, who would assist all Alliance Traders with attaining max XP and a high amount of cash from their trades, along with alerting traders to the trade routes which are not frequently by killers. The Trade Leader would also negotiate with the Fight and Miscellaneous Leaders for the proper level of taxes.
II. The Fight Sector
This Sector would include Fighters, Hunters, and Planet Takers. As Fighting is ALL that a Fighter does, he will be unable to generate much cash. Therefore the tax revenue generated from the Trade Sector will go to fund the ships, replacement shields/armor, and weapons of the players in the Fight Sector. Also... any cash that IS received by the members of the Fight Sector must be turned over to the Alliance, as all funding of the Fight Sector is done through the Fight Account.
The Fight Leader coordinates attacks on players and on planets. He works with the Information Gatherer (what the Explorer does after finishing Exploring) to see where players are who should be attacked and where attackable planets are located.
The Fight Leader also gives advice to and teaches players in the Fight Sector about all aspects of Fighting, so the Fight Leader should be a veteran successful fighter against both ships and planets.
III. The Miscellaneous Sector
This Sector includes the Explorer/ Information Gatherer and the Planet Builders. The key here is information. The Planet Builders have to know what planets need what stuff and how best to stock each planet. And the Planet Builders will also be laying any Scout Drones and Mines, so they need to know where to do that. This sector could also include players who specialize in intelligence (knowing what other Alliances are doing at any given moment).
The Miscellaneous Leader should have thorough knowledge of the game universe and know a lot about how to build up planets, as well as having knowledge of the other top Alliances.
Part 3: Taxation and Bank Accounts
Only players in the Trade Sector will be taxed. Only players in the Trade Sector will be allowed to keep any money in private accounts. This is so the Alliance Leader can determine how much the Fight Sector and Miscellaneous Sector spend.
Taxation will be low in the beginning of every game, as the Fight Sector should be completely inactive in the beginning of every game and the Miscellaneous Sector should only need to buy an Alskant Speed-Demon (maybe, or maybe the Explorer buys it himself), and the Planet Builders do not need to be operational for at least a week, maybe two.
However, taxation should begin IMMEDIATELY at some low level to get Traders used to being taxed, and to start up the Fight Account, Miscellaneous Account, Trade Account, and General Account.
Traders should work on maxxing XP and upgrading their ships. When many traders have PSFs the tax level can be raised greatly.
There are four Alliance bank accounts. The three Sectors each have their own account, and there is a General Account which can be used to augment any of the Sector Accounts in the case that the Alliance Leader wishes to overfund a Sector Account.
The Alliance Leader (with input from the Fight Leader, Trade Leader, and Miscellaneous Leader) determines what percentage of tax money goes into each account.
Each account is an anonymous account, the id of which is known only by the Alliance Leader, in order to secure the funds. This DOES mean that the Alliance Leader must be a very honorable and trustworthy person, since financial power is placed entirely in his hands.
While players in the Trade Sector can keep any money in their private accounts above and beyond that which is required by taxes, no other player can keep any money in private accounts. This is so there isn't any "secret funding" going on.
In the case that a member in the Fight Sector or the Miscellaneous Sector transfers into the Trade Sector, he will be given money (probably taken out of the General Account), the amount of which is determined on a case by case basis, based on how successful the player was in his prior occupation and the duration of time spent in that occupation. This recompenses the player for being unable to establish a private account during his tenure in the Fight or Miscellaneous Sector.
In the case that a player in the Trade Sector transfers into the Fight or Miscellaneous Sector, all cash from his private account must be given to the Alliance, which will be given back to the player (in its entirely plus 3% interest) in the event that this player goes BACK to the Trade Sector after his service in the Fight or Miscellaneous Sector.
---CONCLUSION---
The player layout for a top Alliance using my guidelines might look like this...
20 total Alliance members (Ships they are in in parentheses)
Trade Sector: 11 Traders (PSFs)
Fight Sector: 3 Fighters (DCs or FUs) 1 Hunter (DC) 2 Planet Takers (ITACs)
Note that ALL members of the Fight Sector could get in on Planet Attacks if need be.
Miscellaneous Sector: 1 Explorer/ Intelligence Gatherer (ASD) 2 Planet Builders, Mine/Drone Layer (DCs... these players could also be Fighters when not needed in their other duties. Also, ITACs are very nice for bringing Drones to planets).
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WarZone
Saturday, March 06, 1999 09:39 PM
10-20 million of traded good should take a port from level 1 to 9 (or just buy 1 wood for 20 million like I do, hehehehe)
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Galactic Grim Reaper
Wednesday, March 03, 1999 11:36 PM
I didn't intend this to be as long as it is, so if your know what your doing already, just skip it.
Being a hunter/killer/scavenger/"fill in derogatory comment here" I might be able to offer some advice to those having a hard time making the cut in a cutthroat environment. Here are some rules/guidelines to staying alive(and perhaps even prosper).
1. Never ever trade in a route with a scout drone in it, if the drone's owner is online. Some guys use them for specific targets, others use them to find easy kills. A good habit to get into is check the current player list every couple of minutes to make sure a potential threat comes online. If the owner is not on, trade there only as a last resort, there are a lot of trade routes out there.
2. If your ship can hold drones, ALWAYS carry at least one drone. It may not seem like a lot but it may be the difference in the attacker having to hit you once or multiple times. If you are zipping through your trade routine you might just be able to run.
3. Don't do anything else while you are trading, don't send messages, read messages, read news, check the webboard, etc. It is good to have at least one other browser open to check the current players while you trade.
4. Before you start you days trading, read the news, if there has been a lot of action in or around your trade rounds within the past couple of hours, either wait or use a different route. Hunters usually have a set pattern that they check for kills on routes. The make their "rounds" so to speak just hoping to find a nice juicy kill. If you avoid heavy traffic areas, you'll be that much less likely to be put in a pod.
5. Under no circumstances should you EVER run out of turns while unprotected, my policy is to save at least 15 turns extra(in a PSF) in case of an emergency where I have to flee my route. If you logged out unprotected and you aren't number 1 in the game, go ahead and kiss your ship good bye. Never take anything for granted, like thinking "oh I'll be safe here for tonight, no-one ever comes around here" wishful thinking.
6. Set yourself up scout drones a few sectors around your trade lanes(not in them), if while your trading you get a message, don't read it, run! So what if you waste a few turns, your alive, in your ship, with your cash, consider yourself lucky.
7. Use mines to your advantage, by this I mean only have them planted in a route while you are there trading, never when your not using the route. You can ;) people off if they are just passing through and they run into a minefield, there goes one more person you have to look out for.
8. Get a cloakable ship, even if you only have a few thousand exp. that's a whole lot less people you have to look out for. Again, never assume your invincible(unless your number 1, then this advice probably isn't any good to you anyhow
), I was number 2 in Arms Race, I got cocky and didn't think the one person who could see me would find me, I was wrong and I paid the price (Thanks Warrior, I learned a lot from that). The cloak is powerful, but even it has a weakness. 9. Vary your trade lanes and times, skilled hunters will study when and where you trade, if you make it random it will be a lot harder for them to calculate where you will be the next day. Always keep them guessing, that's why you should always have a few back up route's you can use, so what if they don't trade anything except low level goods, they will upgrade eventually (quicker than most think), if your "main" port is drained, you have someplace to fall back on.
10. Last but not least, use your head. If your trading on a route with a handful of level 9 ports that all compliment each other, expect hunters to find you and find you often, we look for stuff like that. Why bother wasting turns checking the small ports a bunch of sectors away from fed when all the traders we can kill trade right outside of fed space.
Hope this helps somebody out there, I'll never make it easy on the new guy, no-one took it easy on me, I don't see any reason why I should take it easy on someone else. Some things you just have to learn the hard way (usually the way I learn everything), may not be nice, but most things aren't.
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Elvis Fett (Raven)
Monday, April 19, 1999 11:01 PM
In Arms Race when I died I bought a salvene striker that had 3 hard points and bought my 3 BDTs 2 sectors away so when i went and bought a new FU i didnt have to waste 20+ turns coming back to buy the 3 BDTs. granted its a slight money loss. but a smart tactic.
#1 being the treasurer sucks, i know i have wasted atleast 1/4 of my turns since the start of the game running to the bank atleast twice a day. being in a wagon at the bank was probably the best thing while you did that job Brooke.
#2 an alliance is formed on trust. can you really trust 60-80 other people? especially once the dying starts and you get members needing new ships.
#3 each alliance member needs to pull their own weight plus 10% if the alliance is going to work.
#4 alliances have to pick their enemies as a whole, not just because one or two want to go fight certain others. too many hot shots running around and next thing you know you have a dozen alliances after you.
#5 if an alliance member dies put them back into a trade ship until they earn twice the amount of value of the ship they lost.
#6 alliances are ussually only good for few things. #1 maps #2 more people to raid planet, and even then temporary alliances can be formed. #3 not killing each other, the only true NAP. #4 faster ship upgrades if the alliance cooperates as a whole.
#7 an alliance should have a few key leadership or duty positions. #1 the leader #2 treasurer #3 a mapper (begining of the game mostly #4 a planet upgrader, someone who runs to each planet ad upgrades it. #5 fighters these are the only members who do the fighting #6 the traders, these guys supply the fighters with the cash for repairs, planet raids, rebuilding defenses after raids.
#8 its alot better to send a player cash to repair a ship than to lose the ship. the resale value is alot higher than the insurance payment.
#7 try one of two strategies, either a few from a bunch of races so you can all get nailed because your in one area. or all go same race and dominate that galaxy. if your members are good enough for councils or presidents you can accomplish alot through politics.
#8 if you make a NAP (non-aggression pact) find out EXACTLY what the terms are and what the consequences of breaking it will be for compensations. also make the alliance vote on breaking or making NAPs, and wait atleast two days for replies. thi will give players time to think about the idea.
#9 dont name planets as anyone's HQ etc. its just plain advertisement on where you live.
#10 live long and prosper
Elvis Fett
j/k