Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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UesugiKenshin
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Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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We all have an ethos and then as we age become realists. Ridigity of outlook means having a poor way to cope with the vagaries of life. Man is the creature that adapts versus creatures who cope with their environment.

In BotE, likely one of the empires will appeal to some innate aspect of your soul. So that is typically your first choice. Something about that empire's history and culture resonnates with your own life. That poses challenges and no extraterrestrial is strong in every attribute, so you adapt to whatever limitations imposed. But learning tech and acquiring raw materials and so making credits then allows improvising and adaptation.

One of the empires has zero appeal, and so as a personal challenge, then you play as that empire to prove that you could survive or worse just exist as that species albeit as a miserable existence. If there is no joy, then why play? The point of a game is always partially about producing satisfaction and contentment as a reward for hardship.

So you can play along a continuum and make it as any empire in BotE without a question, but likely for a limited time without encountering another empire.

In war, then empires don't crush everyone else. Not really. They are able to wield power and be apex predators, but are always toppled even if only from within versus from without by other empires.

Empires can't 100% project power into others, as soldiers get diffident when they wonder, "Just what the heck are we doing so far from home in this pointless war?"

Even without that, it becomes a question of supply chains versus the profit of constantly waging war. And this isn't just economic but producing satisfaction. Every soldier has to feel their potential sacrifice for their empire was worth their lives. The civilians of empires cannot fully understand this in their safe warm beds.

Just because an empire is written a certain way does not mean a player is fixed to roleplay that way. The Omega Alliance are written in such a way, that I found them reprehensible. Instead I play them as they could be and so peaceful and conquering. That is very gratifying.

The Heyoun could similarly be played in an honorable fashion, but totally lack an adequate way to wage war, so as a personal challenge, a true tactician and strategist would have to gain the trust of minor races and customize ships without having any of their own to rely upon. It's why to me they are the toughest.

It takes so long to make that work. It takes so long to play peacefully. It does pay off for very patient players.

I recently read an article discussing MMORPG games. In it they discussed that in their analysis, 20% of players were tactically and strategically gifted and so conceptually understood warfare, what the Japanese call Budo, and so could consistently win. And 80% couldn't figure out how to win or got bored or disgusted as they realized the game was a scheme to seperate fools from their money.

Personally I think it's centrally a veteran soldier versus civilian issue. It's also an ethos issue as if you have to win using tactics that are repulsive to your outlook, then no satisfaction is generated, thus the game fails to appeal to you.

A modder is inherently an optimist. Most likely soldiering appeals to them as well. They understand that all people will fight and win when forced to exist. They believe in a certain 4X game and that no matter what, this game could allow victory if properly adjusted.

An ugly secret of humanity is that soldiers and civilians so love victory that they will sacrifice youth, wealth, and even friendship and romance to achieve her. That is why War will never be eradicated.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qHwckk01AAU

Never has jaded Hollywood so poignantly portrayed an actual truth so well. And the point of victory is to then have an end result of peace so what General Maximus calls "a simple life", then possible as a life for all citizens of a republic.

Conquering well leads to peace, but can never last, because the jaded don't understand victory comes at a terrible sacrifice.

Caesar "Don't call me that. Let us speak as simple men."

Caesar is tired of fighting for victory as he is dying and realizes he will not see the end result which is the restoration of the Republic through waging peace...finally. And he realizes, the average person, a civilian, will see him as a tyrant, nothing more.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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The real ultimate aim of victory...

The Things That Cause a Quiet Life
by Henry Howard

My friend, the things that do attain
The happy life be these, I find:
The riches left, not got with pain,
The fruitful ground; the quiet mind;

The equal friend; no grudge, no strife;
No charge of rule nor governance;
Without disease the healthy life;
The household of continuance;

The mean diet, no dainty fare;
True wisdom joined with simpleness;
The night discharged of all care,
Where wine the wit may not oppress;

The faithful wife, without debate;
Such sleeps as may beguile the night:
Content thyself with thine estate,
Neither wish death, nor fear his might.

Everything that Maximus personally achieved...before he went off to wage war. But it only is able to exist because of the Roman republic, even as corrupt as it now is, does not have to stay that way.

Caesar wants that life for all citizens of Rome. Ultimately Caesar is a philosopher who will not see that goal achieved, and neither will Maximus.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBahXHv0l6M

The civillians want death as a spectacle as a perverse shadow of victory as they don't understand the purpose of victory. That is why Maximus as a general is disgusted by the life of a gladiator and why Caesar banned the games.

If war has no goal of peace for all, but becomes just a spectacle, and a game, then it's pointless.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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To be in the 20% who achieve victory, you must be like General Maximus, who as a genuine soldier fights strategically and tactically to win his freedom and be at peace by waging war, not just fighting as a gladiator alone for fame.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uQQZR-Skftk
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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When the average citizen see this, they don't understand as they see the spectacle of war, not understanding the cost of victory, and so that 80% cannot wage war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVLGwTggO8U

Yet the soldiers respect General Maximus knowing that some of their comrades in arms will die achieving victory, not for fame, but personal sacrifice that will lead to peace for the citizens of the Roman republic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXiSp9aJYN4

General Maximus will not waste their lives to achieve fame. He fights among them to risk his life for all.

That is the motivation for choosing an extraterrestrial race to achieve true victory and waging peace.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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Germania had naturally gifted warriors just like the Khaoran. That is not enough, but it will give you a tremendous advantage.

An empire who conquers must manage the mundane aspects of building an economy and raise up an army. That is mustering the troops even when the extraterrestrials you choose are not naturally gifted but have other abilities.

This means you have to compensate more out of your bag of tricks. Whatever the player knows, they have to add that to the arsenal of the extraterrestrial they choose even if it's just the Heyoun.

So the Terrans have diplomacy which means they can then muster minor alien ships and make it work by customizing those ships too.

The Heyoun have financial ability, so you spend money efficiently and outclass the others. The fall of the Roman republic happened when the citizen soldiers who became elite professionals, then instead tried to make money so they could buy mercenaries. Yet those mercs came from the very people they conquered. That is not wisdom. There isn't a personal commitment to sacrifice out of honor.

The Cartare have excellent ships and troops and subterfuge, but terrible diplomacy and money making. If you lack those latter abilties, you likely will not win.

The Rotharians have excellent cloaking and medium class ships and troops, decent diplomacy, and fine subterfuge, but terrible colonizing. It's challenging to win playing them.

The Khaoran should win, but utterly lack guile, so are configured to lose due to sabotage. You can make some money with them, and gain the trust of some minor aliens by being their protector/benefactor. They are not naturally gifted at anything but soldiering.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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The Omega Alliance when played diplomatically and peacefully is lucky as they are "jacks of all trades".

They can skillfully make money under wise and sound business exploits.

They have good troops and starships.

They have good espionage and sabotage.

As written, they are not liked or trusted so you have to charm the minor alien races, and you cannot do that unless they exist. So you have to configure the galaxy so there are lots of them.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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Those Roman legionaires averaged a height of 5 feet seven inches (170 cm). They were not naturally gifted physically. They were long acquainted with war though and continually enhanced military technology and made income through trade. They orchestrated what they had by their physical location to make money, and persistently improved armor, cavalry, artillery, their navies, tactics, etc so they became a war machine. That happened by thriving through commerce.

To make the Rotharians and the Heyoun succeed requires those adaptations.

If Rome was in Britainia, I doubt they would have made enough money or had centralized access to many regions, to build up enough income, to invest in technology, and muster their soldiers to wage effective war.

Never underestimate the galactical location of your home sector. The maxim that "all roads lead to Rome" won't be true if you are on the periphery of the galaxy. However it means that the enemy cannot attack you from all sides.

Maybe it's better as the Heyoun to be isolated like that and manipulate resource values long enough to have safety and security and massive infrastructure and use numbers to win. Use the hyena approach to waging combat.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mESuu8PK3Pc
20 hyenas face down 1 lion.

This time, these hyenas using tactics pulled it off against a pride of lions.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bwFVrJh7NrQ
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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The hyena uses psy-ops as tactics to impose fear of being swarmed by a nipping tearing pack, who seperately are no match, but synergistically can annihilate, but only under wise leadership.

A lion does not have to bluff. You don't fear the mouthy bully. You fear the quiet strong capable warrior ready to throw down the gauntlet without any qualms.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_05TC-EMVus
Master Sergeant Todd always is aware of fear and discipline as discipline manages fear.

Why? Because of the chaos of war that only be managed by discipline and tactics and strategy.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lTcRx7vd8HU
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx5J0dW2rh4
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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If numbers won battles, then Master Sergeant Todd cannot win against 17 genetically enhanced fresh recruits. Except he is a killing machine battle hardened veteran made through the crucible of fire.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx5J0dW2rh4

He doesn't just theoretically know tactics, but has used them over and over successfully.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NU99J6VRwgE
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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Meditate upon this. All great leaders have trusted advisers to tell them where they are strong and where they are weak. They need honest counselors who criticize their actions, not "yes-men". So identifying weakness means you then act to reduce weakness.

This is the Achilles heel in the empire choices as technology would ultimately be focused on whatever is the weakness in an empire like the Khaoran, and then they can win because they are no longer artificially impeded.

They would develop countermeasures to sabotage. Then also consider that sabotage is intentionally frustrating and unrealistic to make the Khaoran lose.

Whatever is your weakness will ruin you if you choose an empire that is also unable to cope in that regard.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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If you can't manage finances, then playing as the empire who is most challenged financially, will then be exacerbated when playing as there is such a thing as economic warfare. I proved that by manipulating prices artificially low to reap GIGANTIC total credits,but crippled the resource value to nothing. So essentially I got out and no one else could sell their resources. It was beautiful and elegant and waging war.

Imagine selling titanium at 1500 and cashing out so greatly that it falls to a 1. Then all empires can't afford to sell. It would bankrupt them.

War is not just shooting torpedoes.
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Re: Choosing an empire vs making an empire work for you

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Imagine you are a struggling actor. You have to take acting gigs to eat and pay the rent, and the jobs are not always want you personally want to represent. So you actions are not aligned with your personal ethos.

http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... Moral.data
Believe it or not, as a player, you are an actor with the role written to portray the part a certain way as the major race, as a group, has a morality which is not the same as what humans hold as moral, as they are not human. They are extraterrestrials whose culture and society formed as a result of corporate hardship. That formed who they became as a vital major species that had a chance to express power, and so have some degree of control over their part of the galaxy.

Look at the chart. It's really a chart based on philosophical quandries and then one is rewarded with popularity when one conforms to a largely shared ethos,but penalized with lowered morale when going against the will of the major species that you are representing.

BotE is a deep thinking person's program, and as a leader, you do actions to benefit ypur people and so gain popularity...high enough,that you can make some unpopular decisions, and get by with them. Because a leader...leads. He or she is not a follower, but guides their people by doing what best helps them grow and be safe and able to manage conflict resolution.

If you can't do that, you will do exactly what the People want, and you really are a representative, not a leader and so you are a puppet following the will of the People. It is not wise to follow the mob as their choices can be ugly...even reprehensible.

If you roleplay, some of the major species are horrible as they revel in doing immoral things. Some players like roleplaying evil creatures. I don't, but lead the People in my charge, and so gain their trust, and they then support my decisions, and so I can do the opposite of what they want. Maybe I know better than the mob. Maybe no one should be a puppet.
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