Radiance's Guide to Advanced Galaxies--For Beginners

I have much enjoyed leading beginners in team galaxies, and now that we are about to start a new training team galaxy for rank 0 and 1 (primarily), with a few rank 2,3,4 teachers; it is time for a beginner’s guide to Advanced or Ranked galaxies. I have done extensive replay research, and used the results to do very well in several advanced galaxies, including captaining winning teams.

These can overlap–

1. Preparation ((before the start)
2. Colonizing
3. Growing colonies up (maximizing population and deciding on each planet’s role)
4. Early Battles: These are fought to get more planets, so you can grow bigger in midgame, and so you can get more research done faster. In FFA’s look for relatively easy victims that will build reputation—and don’t be one. In team galaxies, work with others using Xmer’s rule: grab planets that are valuable and vulnerable. The first battles often start even before colonizing is finished, especially in team galaxies.
5. Research—it is most efficient to grow planets up, then research scilabs and build 3, then research autofacs and build some and build 6 scilabs and generally 6 of each planet’s role (i.e. 6 banks). However, you will research earlier to speed colonization or defend yourself, or fill your team role.
6. Late Game—survivors battle for final position.

The first decision you are faced with at the start of a ranked galaxy is selection of HQ traits. First-timers usually go for high science, because the beginner guides mention science and your experience in your unranked galaxies has convinced you that science is a key to success. I have done considerable research in galaxy replays on the choices made by top players versus the losers. Good players usually do much more science than losers, and ALWAYS choose the absolute minimum of 25 science on their headquarters. Huh?

The key to high science is not any one planet but having lots of planets with lots of citizens and building lots of universities and science labs. That means you need to colonize! The faster you colonize, the higher you are likely to place in the end (if you do other things right, too). The only place to get colony ships in the beginning is your HQ. So it is a production, shipbuilding planet. You need some food for making troops to man the colony ships, and you need very high production. Many top players also use 2-10 picks to make a huge planet with 360-400 space. That is better eventually, but not as good for colonizing as production. Top players typically have 65 to 75 production.

In a team galaxy, I referred to a 60 science HQ (typical first advanced galaxy HQ—I did it too) as “castrating yourself.” Then I explained why:

The newbies are right about the importance of science. I studied many galactic replays and can tell you that winners do considerably more science than mediocre players.

Of course they do–they have more planets and more citizens. 30% more citizens will do 30% more science. Winners also build 6 scilabs while mediocre players build 3–and that also makes more science per citizen. Which is better: 5% more science from awesome production on one planet out of 20, or 30% more science from 26 planets, and then 60% more science because you got to scilabs quicker?

Do not castrate yourself with a science HQ. Minimize its science to 25.

There are two kinds of advanced galaxies. Free-for-alls (FFAs) are like the Basic galaxy you got your rank 1 in. Each player plays against all the rest of them, making alliances if he wishes. Team galaxies (tg’s) have team captains that sort all the players into two teams. The entire team works together and the team all gets the same fame at the end of the galaxy: 50 points to all members of the winning team and 25 points to the losers.

Next, you must choose civilization traits. The first big difference between top players and mediocre ones is that the good players have discovered that you can get more picks by sacrificing something less important. All traits are valuable, but some much more so than others. Top players commonly choose troop defense, and get 2 picks by going -24% on PD (planetary defense).

Other traits may depend on role in team galaxies (tg’s). There are 48 hours before the start of a tg in which your teammates and location are set. That is the time to choose roles and prepare. It is a critical period for a team galaxy—do not miss it. You need to log in to your team forum several times before the start to choose the theme and your own name, to get the optimal role, and to choose optimum civilization traits. Mining is critical in early stages, but not as much as other traits, so many choose -1 or 2 on mining. I recommend -2 (-24%) on mining. For most of the game, you can mine or buy enough and once you research mining and robo-mining, you will be drowning in resources anyway. In early game, your citizen income buys most of what you need. Some sacrifice on food or income. Going for 8 income may be useful, but the second sacrifice is a greater percentage than the first, and not recommended.

Food is critical for growth. Winners had a much higher trait for food production than losers, and although many top players choose food 12 or even food 14 to get other picks, the great player xmer showed several of us how much faster you could grow with food 6 instead. That trait also improves efficiency for the duration of the galaxy, and in all citizen types, so I recommend 6 food consumption and +21 or better food production.

Which produces more science: 8% or 15% or even 21% more science from civilization science traits–or 30% to 60% more science from the speed of growth to maximum population that comes from +21% or better food production?

Production and science are critical, but not worth spending a pick on, considering what else you need. Ship speed and firepower and troops remain. All are crucial, and cannot be substituted for by more planets or ships. Ship speed is the most critical of the 3, Good players normally have at least +13 ship-speed, and more is recommended. Vanguard players in a tg need more firepower than the other team has in order to win ship to ship combats. Miners and bankers need special support traits, like high income or high mining.

Fleet players might be surprised by my discoveries: production and science contribute little to production and science. Both these need high FOOD production, at least +21, and more is better. Food consumption 6 is also a worthwhile advantage, especially for heavy fleet, but fleet players can sacrifice a bit on income. Income 8 is adequate if Support is good enough. I wouldn’t go lower.

Fleet players must have ship speed. At any given level of engine research the player with higher fleet speed has faster ships and controls the fighting. Ship firepower is also vital–usually, the two players have similar research and if 2 fighters meet, the winner is the one with higher firepower civilization trait–it should be at least 16 and more is safer..

Sacrifice mining and PD and do nothing with production and science to get food, shipspeed and firepower. Troops may take a bonus to help Vanguard conquer, but Heavy fleet can let somebody else make the troops and take a minus on that also.

Support needs food, but not the shipspeed and firepower. The banker gets a strong start with income 14, and miners obviously like mining traits. The game’s champion resourcers are nutnik and Confused, both of whom like lots of PD (planetary defense–turrets and shields). They need this to defend their valuable planets since they get the pick of the planets, and their research path won’t get them much ship defense.

The purpose of your Civilization name is to hide your identity, so you are less vulnerable to attacks. Top players pick a new one every game, but this is not required. Some champions do not bother. Free avatars are available on search engines. Pick one that is 100 x 100 pixels or fewer, or adjust one so that it is. Set this up before the galaxy opens. In a team galaxy, it is most fun to wait until the team picks a theme and then choose a name and avatar in alignment with the rest of your team.

You might think of the period before the start as turn 0. It is a critical set-up period. What do you want your HQ citizens to do, and where do you want to send your colony ships?

The first thing to do is to move your military slider all the way down to start making troops right away. You will need them to man your colony ships, and it never hurts to have extra, as they improve loyalty and thus increase your productivity a bit. Then most players set up a queue of 3 to 5 farms, and then infinity colony ships. Import your saved governors. Watch galaxy replays to learn how the best do things, or work in the Test-Bed building xmer’s governors (see Beginner FAQ) or developing your own, etc.

While fully-grown planets and science are vital, they are NOT the purpose of your HQ during colonization. Leave just enough farmers to feed everybody and produce troops. The rest of your citizens should be workers building 2 to 5 farms and then colony ships. It is best to hand-manage your HQ the first several turns, but let xmer’s growth governor take care of your colonies.

A major key to winning the galaxy is to be more efficient than everybody else. For example, top players do not start research on turn 1, unless they are going for Doctrine: Reproduction. It is more efficient to grow several citizens first, and then complete the research in one or two turns.

Vitally important for a strong economy is to specialize your planets. Most players prefer to build 3 science labs and 3 banks on each of two planets. Those who keep winning the galaxies build 6 scilabs on the planet with higher research and 6 banks on the small planet with no talents. Since each building of a kind costs more to build than the last, most players think the time saved is more practical. It can take 20 extra turns to build those 3 added scilabs after you have the first 3.

If you have, for example, 2 planets with 30 citizens each, four of which are farmers to maintain the population, then you have 26 citizens on each planet to be bankers and scientists. If one planet has more science commodity than the other, then it is easy to realize which planet should be the science planet. All planets have the same banking commodity.

Those who build just 3 science labs say they have twice as many scientists because they have two planets. But they have said the same thing about their bankers. So each planet has 13 scientists and 13 bankers, 26 in all, each producing about 110 credits per turn from the bankers (less corruption) and some science from the 26 scientists. Let us suppose that both planets have the same science commodity of 30, with no universities or science labs. You have researched science labs, and you aren’t going to build any universities because that would complicate the explanation. Each science lab adds +60% to the base science production, or 18 science, so 3 scilabs gives 84 total science per scientist. 26 scientists will do 2184 science per turn, less corruption and wastage, which we shall ignore. The 26 bankers produce 2860 cash, and the 60 citizens produce 22 additional each, for a grand total of 4180 cash per turn.

The wiser player builds 6 banks on one planet and 6 scilabs on the other. Since each building of the same type costs more turns than the last, the first player gains on him for several turns, producing cash and science while the wiser player is building, building, building. This is an investment—and it pays off. With 6 banks on one planet, the wiser player gets 170 cash from each banker, 10 cash from 30 citizens and 34 from the 30 citizens of the banker planet—a grand total of 5740 cash per turn. His 26 scientists produce 102 science each, total 2650 science per turn. It only takes about 10 to 20 turns for the investment to pay off, and in the end, the wiser player is way ahead.

Being a little more efficient than the other team is part of how you win. Here is a new one: efficient builds. After you have researched factories or autofactories, use them to raise the productivity of your workers. For example Tony is building banks and ANT is building scilabs.

Put factories (now) and autofacs (once researched) at the start of the production queue and then order 6-8 banks or 3 scilabs (the other 3 after autofacs is fastest overall) and note how many turns the queue will take. Then raise/lower the total number of factories until you have the lowest total turns. It often saves six turns, and that is enough to cream the other team.

The first phase of the game itself is to outcolonize your opponents, so that you end up with the score, scientists, and shipbuilders to defeat them. Start with your military slider all the way down to build crew for colony ships, build two farms the first two ticks and them make crew and ships from your HQ relentlessly.

In the team Cup, I really saw it: most players are afraid to colonize in enemy frontlines, because the system might be an enemy’s HQ and waste time, or lose a ship. So they spend extra time colonizing a more distant system. That time is critical and can throw the whole game. Colonize closest.

The proper response to your closest being enemy frontlines is to send only one ship at a time to such systems, and be alert as you approach the system. You can often see the system 3 turns out, usually by 2 turns out and almost always by 1 turn out. As soon as you can see the system, choose your target. You will usually colonize 1-2 turns faster that way.

The usual mantra is “colonize forward.” This is a good idea, but I saw that approach cost me a victory in round 2 of the Cup as a vanguard player left a closest system for support and ended up with only 9 planets. He simply could not research nor build the ships needed to repel the enemy invasion. Backlines are fine for vanguard–they provide an anchor.

Just colonize closest and make ships as fast as you can. Out-colonize the enemy and you win. This includes building some fighters to hold systems. The team with the most fighters tends to control the frontlines of both teams. But one can overdo that. In the Training Team galaxy captained by the great tingling and myself, tingling’s team made scouts and fighters in the early game, while my team just colonized as fast as they could. My team ended up way outcolonizing tinglings’s and that won the game.

There are many strategies used by different players. In team galaxies, your research is heavily influenced by your role.

Vanguard Players research Cold Fusion first and then Doctrine: Mobility. Then colonize, and research fighters as necessary. It can be vital to make early fighters to hold systems in a team galaxy so the enemy can’t colonize them.

Miners: Research metallurgy as early as possible. Then cold fusion for colonizing and research toward mining.

Bankers: Research either metallurgy or Reproduction, then Doctrine Trade (only one per team), then colonize.

Heavy Fleet: Reproduction by turn 20 or earlier, then colonize, researching whatever gets you the most colonies fastest. Then research universities and factories, doctrine manufacturing, Science labs, build 3 scilabs, autofacs, build 2 autofacts and 3 more scilabs, then research cruisers, engines to singularity, weapons, then troops, juggernaut, dreadnought, then military academies.

There is some flexibility in these, and top players include plenty of other opinions. In FFA’s you generally do best closest to heavy fleet, but you are want to be gaining planets.

This can be used any time talk within an alliance or team threatens to overwhelm the in-game message system, such as any time there is a crisis. Select the Live Chat tab, and a “join code,” such as “Bloo.” Type /join Bloo in the space for entries. You must get this exactly right, or you will reveal the code to any enemies who happen to be watching. The code can be almost anything. The slash goes in the first space followed immediately by the lower-case word join. Then a space, then your code. Hiding an error: if you do make an error, it can be hidden from anybody logging in afterwards by dots: Radiance: . Radiance: . Radiance: . Radiance: . Radiance: . Radiance: .

It takes about 20 dots to hide everything. Nothing is hidden from those already in the chat room.

Winning the game at last requires colonizing well enough to reach midgame in a strong enough position to attack and conquer, while defending oneself and completing all necessary researches in a timely manner. In the end, winning requires also an ability to handle large numbers of planets and conquer (or ally with) the most dangerous enemies. One will need a methodical plan for seeing to it that ones’ planets are busy and ships are manned and heading to the correct destinations. One needs excellent skills with transport admirals to get troop ships and troops where they need to be. As the game matures, it takes more and more time to deal with increasing numbers of planets, banks, ships, troops, destinations. Signing up for multiple galaxies reduces one’s concentration at that point, and must be avoided if you want to win the thing.