Advanced Save Game Six Empires Huge Map and Minor Races

[UesugiKenshin]

To maximize infrastructure and prevent famine and produce the fastest research and so forth I create the following.
About 6 power cells
10 farms
10 factories
10 research facilities
10 intel agencies

When research is complete, I scuttle the research buildings, or else no matter what, the manager function will try to allocate workers to that process, which is a waste.

All this redundancy is terribly expensive, but every building actually helps my commodity manipulation system to work. BotE best succeeds with horrible government spending.

In just about every case, you have to do the opposite of what a frugal manager would do to save money. You do not want to pinch pennies in BotE but spend with wild abandon.

This means while the AI is trying to build a large number of ships and transports and troops to invade the minor races, instead I am focused on infrastructure and diplomacy for turns 1 through 300 which is terribly boring. But it pays off with a very strong economy.

On a giant map with the maximum number of minor races, you are far enough away from the other 5 empires that they cannot easily attack you. So you focus on terraforming and colonization during that 300 time period.

So you build a skeleton crew of starships as fighting space battles is unnecessary at that point, much less actually invading. It would be crazy to attack the 32 space faring minor races until very very strong in technology and not just making ships, but making designed starships through customization.

[UesugiKenshin]

To do all that for one empire to turn 300 can take 2 full weeks and to do that to turn 400 takes two more weeks. That is a whopping amount of time, and much of it very boring and doing a tremendous amount of estimation so profit is maximized and everything is planned. Figure 8 to 10 hours, sometimes more times 30 days.

BotE badly needs a campaign editor and a map editor. I could make wonderful historical time period fully planned out scenarios with all tailored troops and starships on a planned map in far less time.

This is exceptional game software but totally random scenarios and the latter actually reduces the value of the game as a military simulation. Wargames are not compelling when random and that is why mods are so popular.

[UesugiKenshin]

Based on over 7 months, not just playing, but analyzing and studying BotE, I thing if the AI has a modder plan out infrastructure and military units and develop a galactic map, then the AI will have far more power and be a force to be reckoned with. Creating all of that is beyond what the AI can probably do, but if they have it, I think they will orchestrate powerful defense and attacks. This will be especially so with maximized sector defenses with adequate power reserves.

Such saved games would be tremendous fun for multiplayers too.

[UesugiKenshin]

The AI lacks the military force, and particularly probably can't do ship customization, and may be poor at fleet design. However with a modder's help, those all can be dealt with.

The AI on its own should defend and launch surprise attacks by judicious choice of weakly defended colonial sectors by seizing the moment when units are sent to battle fronts. The AI should not kneejerk attack due to diplomacy as that will probably be ruinous.

The player should be unsure if the AI will attack and so second guess their tactics and strategy.
"Hmmm. I wonder if I should commit my forces so far away, as my nearest neighbor will possibly use that as an opportunity to seize my colonial sectors...?"

See, if the AI's empire is planned and has good scanning data and some espionage regarding map accuracy, then why would they not attack if the odds are greatly in their favor? Only to preserve diplomacy and based upon actual sincerity and loyalty.

[UesugiKenshin]

If the AI thinks, "The Omega is going to attack the Rotharians who far to the north. That means it takes a huge amount of time to get there and back, and will be busy rotating military protection details. "

But in this case, the one to best seize the moment is the Heyoun, not the Terrans as part of their empire is deep to the south.

It make no sense for the Khaoran to attack the Omega as they are in the North, but the wise play is to work with the Omega. The Terrans are in middle and so should help the Omega and pick up leftovers and so enlarge their borders.

[UesugiKenshin]

Here is the fundamental issue with all the science fiction shows that demonstrate the arrival of extraterrestrials and or interdimensional beings.

If two nations on the Earth wish to have a diplomatic exchange, they communicate in some fashion and may meet at a 3rd neutral location or at either or both diplomat's nations. No military is involved.

On the Earth, military vessels are restricted such that they are not within the boundaries of nations based on self-declarations of what those boundaries are. The entrance of a powerful military force within those boundaries is an act of war.

And shows like Star Trek knew this, yet conditioned billions with the idea that space exploration was a neutral scientific purpose and so not a hostile act.

Yet it actually is. Which is the absolute justification for a military offensive counter-reaction by interdicting and even attacking the invading vessel. The justification is straight forward regardless that the invaders claim, "We are on a diplomatic mission and doing surveys of stellar phenomena".

Military Defender "Nope. You are spying and you have enter our borders."

[UesugiKenshin]

This is an intentional plot device in tv shows and film in the science fiction genre. It is an intentional contrived formula to produce conflict in BotE.

The reality is any significant capitol ship in BotE has the ability to do bombardment, so that is not a benign diplomatic vessel. A transport ship might be effectively a freighter with natural resources, or it can just as likely be harvesting within a border from stellar phenomena, making an overt claim by establishing an outpost and then later a starbases, or be transporting an invasion force. Even a scout can be spying. A colony ship has no right to terraform just anywhere which is why some empire like the Khaoran see it as a hostile threat that is stealing sectors in their borderlands.

[UesugiKenshin]

Why do we have advance scanning that is able to intercept communications and detect approaching alien vessels, but we do not have a mechanism and a diplomatic protocol to establish relations through hailing other sentient species?

Yet that is what is actually required. Such hails would likely be on diplomatic vessels attached to military escorts. This diplomatic class would not have weaponry or scanning ability only armor and shields. And such small nonthreatening vessels would not have the capability of spying, only hailing. That vessel would ask permission to enter a sector and communicate within a sector.

Attacking such a vessel, who poses no threat whatsoever, would be an act of war.

Alternatively all vessels might have communication equipment with various abilities using a universal series of linguistic protocols unlocked by research. Higher technology would result in more understandable communication. That would allow actual complex interaction by shared ideas and concepts hoping a common ethics exists between species. These vessels would have a diplomatic communication range. So military commanders would judiciously approach cognizant of the sphere of influence of the other sentient species, and then communicate outside that range. Under no circumstances would they enter a sector unless invited.

Inviting an extremely powerful starship into a sector controlled by another sentient species would be a sign of enormous trust and respect. It would be an honor to be allowed in that sector.

[UesugiKenshin]

This proper diplomatic exchange is a valuable game concept.

What happens when such actions occur is the following.
1. Recognition of peaceful coexistence.
2. Recognition of the political claims of the sentient species.
3. The plausibility of trade relations.
4. The possibility of gifts and bribes.
5. The possibility of dialogue and the value of it for storytelling.
6. The possibility of scientific research.
7. The rendering of interspecies aid in various forms.
8. The plausibility of embassies.
9. Cultural exchanges through art forms.
10. Interspecies hosting of anthropologists.
11. At some point, candidacy of species into military academies, and placement on capitol ships as crew assignments.

[UesugiKenshin]

This allows spying to occur in a plausible manner.

It allows disclosure of various aspects of that sentient species in both directions.

It allows economic benefits and the eventual removal of tariffs.

It allows new research to be unlocked that otherwise would take a lengthy period to be learned.

This allows beneficial attributes of sentient species to facilitate the crew. Say you have an Exomer on board who are masterful at communication.
http://birth-of-the-empires.de/wiki/ind ... xomerianer

[UesugiKenshin]

BotE has extraordinary DEPTH and it is a shame not to use the outstanding development of all 156 species in very creative ways to tell their species' stories. Don't just exploit them simplistically to modify an ability through a building.

They are fascinating extraterrestrial or interdimensional beings. A single provisional sentient species on a capitol ship might allow any number of events to occur as they may be the only ones who can communicate. Or their presence demonstrates your empire respect of other sentient species enough to allow them to serve on bridge crews. That is a tremendous honor on a flagship.

[UesugiKenshin]

When various aliens served on the Enterprise or when Riker served aboard the Klingon battle cruiser or when Tucker was allowed to help an alien vessel in distress, that shows tremendous trust, and that cannot be ignored.

Such actions with positive practical outcomes would enormously boost diplomatic scores.

"The presence of your species on board our flagship dramatically enhanced our engineering efficiency. Our species owes your species a debt. We will honor that debt with sincere friendship."

Whole mission may seem inconsequential as your crew fabricated a starship part that rendered critical aid to that crew. That is a totally unselfish act. BotE could be full of events where human players choose to do missions that cost them time and money, but eventually are remembered as sincerity of intent.

[UesugiKenshin]

Scout vessels would effectively become spy class ships that would have advanced scanning capability and would do INTENSE scanning as they passed through a sector and not only map, but evaluate the military capabilities in a sector. That is an overt hostile act of espionage and absolutely essential in war operations. That is what Rangers do: reconnaissance.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regimen ... ce_Company

That is a very dangerous mission and a requisite to invasions.

The unit has three primary tasks: Active Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Direct Action. While performing these tasks, the teams can:

Infiltrate the objective area by parachute (HALO, HAHO, or static lines), helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft, SCUBA, small boat, foot, or other means.

Remain undetected in the vicinity of the objective area up to five days.

Perform reconnaissance operations employing a full range of night observation devices, infrared detection devices, unattended early warning sensors, and photographic equipment.

Perform demolition target analysis.

Operate small watercraft and inflatable boats.

Emplace unattended ground sensors, omni-directional navigational beacons, hand-emplaced expendable jammers, and electronic target designation devices.

Collect combat information to satisfy priority information requirements and mission-essential elements of information. Teams report information by use of long-range, secure, burst-transmission communications equipment.

Perform drop zone (DZ) selection, marking and reception duties.

Report objective area weather conditions.

Perform highly selective, limited attacks or ambushes when so tasked.

Link up with the main body of the Ranger force in the objective area, or escape and evade the enemy in order to return to friendly lines.

[UesugiKenshin]

The Rotharians with their cloaked ships would be all over that kind of ability and so be incredibly dangerous. They would know your strengths and weaknesses.

[UesugiKenshin]

The film Arrival shows powerful starships of unknown ability simultaneously positioning themselves all over the Earth.

That is an act of war despite what Hollyweird says. No sentient species would do such a thing as it would invoke fear. It would not be prudent unless meaning to cause fear.