Shadows Strategy Discussion

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CyclopsSlayer
Posts: 583
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 11:49 pm

RE: Shadows Strategy Discussion

Post by CyclopsSlayer »

Problem I have with befriending Pirates, pay them the asked for protection and they still will Raid you, destroy your bases, etc...
Spacecadet
Posts: 1784
Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2010 5:52 pm

RE: Shadows Strategy Discussion

Post by Spacecadet »

ORIGINAL: PWOFalcon

Yeah, what I have learned is making one or two Pirate factions be your best friend. Its costly but usually I have no choice. I notice they can claim abandon ships (I once got attacked by a capital ship while I barely had frigates). If you have a solar system that doesn't have a lot of basic resources you need, edited it or restart.

My current strategy:

I get colonization tech ASAP and Space construction. SO right when I get warp drive, I can start colonization (I found out that if you don't keep up, other empires will colonize worlds, I found sometime when I 1st colonize a planet/moon, they are on three or more).

I design my warships to weapons I can use ASAP. Usually been missiles. Get a Army on all of your worlds as fast as you can to stop raids.

Befriend one or two pirates. It cost a lot of money at first but the longer your allies, the cheaper the rates. And its one less thing to worry about, then raiding you and destroying your ships and space stations (face it, until you get off your feet, they are stronger).

This could be because of how you're setting the game up.

If you do total Random, that means both the Size and Tech of other Empires could be more than Pre-Warp.





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PWOFalcon
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 4:01 am

RE: Shadows Strategy Discussion

Post by PWOFalcon »

Settings are all right. Probably just a string of bad luck.
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Constantine XI
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 11:29 am

RE: Shadows Strategy Discussion

Post by Constantine XI »

So far my first game in Shadows has been fairly easy. I faced some pirate attacks and invasions early on, but managed to end them off without serious losses. Now they seem to be just leaving me alone. I have just established my first colony in another system. Have had more trouble with ships running off to play with giant space monsters than with anything else. Rather annoying because I am not getting a warning message about that when it happens.

My economy is doing ok, hoping for a big boost from the new colonies. I am learning / relearning quite a bit, so I am sure I have made mistakes, but it is fun. My next big decision is whether or not to go after a pirate base that is between me and the Sol system, which has a nice human colony and some sources. The pirates are really weak and only have 1 ship that I know of. Thinking about trying to capture their base since it might provide good overwatch of the routes between Sol and my home system. Might be tough to crack though so maybe I will bypass it for now.

I have had star fighters for awhile, but can't build carriers yet. I can build Cruisers though. Do I just need more construction tech?
Kadrush
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:58 am

RE: Shadows Strategy Discussion

Post by Kadrush »

After several games as pre-warp empire I found the necessity to employ some new strategies in order to survive. I would like to share my early game strategy and see your opinion.

1-From the start i modify my spaceport to contain only weapons labs, enough to employ me whole potential only on weapons research. At expensive research i can get starfighters in 1 or 2 years.

2-After that i upgrade my spaceport, remove all the weapons labs and go for energy labs, research shields, energy collection, construction (1 level) and go for warp field precursors. I defend my homeworld with 100 fighters, 50 shields, and 30 of each weapon, that usually keps the pirates at bay. Those defenses can be scaled accordingly to your economy, but it seems to work and makes defensive bases and research station unnecessary.

3-On the meantime i dont build anything else, but a few explorers to get the tech ruin for hyperdrive. With the fortress spaceport I stop paying the pirates and dont need a fleet as I got nothing else on my home system. Also with the extra money I set zero tax from time to time to increase my population and i keep a reduced number of troops on my homeworld. The extra money can also be used for tech rush, locking the research and avoiding set back events.

4-By the time I got the warp bubble generator my economy is strong enough for me to hold my home system, then make warp capable ships, build up my bases and set up my power base. By focusing i also got hyper tech much faster.

5-After I finish the gerax hyperdrive tech i move to high tech upgrading my spaceport accordingly (only high tech labs) and research colonization, medical, recreation and combat sensors tech. On the meantime i use my explorers to survey my surroundings.

6-I also bump my research by tech stealing the pirates on hyperdrive and warpbubble.

So?

Bingeling
Posts: 5186
Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:42 am

RE: Shadows Strategy Discussion

Post by Bingeling »

What kind of difficulty is that?

Medium spaceport. 2-3 explorers. 4 frigates. Energy base, and another research base of something. Consider to upgrade to large spaceport. If really eager or bored, build a constructor and put some mine if something is close. Starting on a moon usually gives more early opportunities. Otherwise, try not to doze off while waiting for warp.

Once warp, maybe another constructor, some more frigates. Build mines in the system. Does pirates kill a mine? Rebuild it. Snore until hyperdrive.

Once gerax is there? Grats, the game finally starts and the period of utter boredom is over.

It could be that pirates are a bit more active in the latest patch, though. That have the possibility for injecting some interest into the warp phase.

I have yet to see a shielded MSP or larger threatened before the game matures a bit. But pirates suffered in launch and 9.0.0.1, and my lone start in ...2 may have been in remote enough corners that I got off easily.
Kadrush
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:58 am

RE: Shadows Strategy Discussion

Post by Kadrush »

i only play on hard, very hard and extreme. On extreme I tend avoid, after that last patch, as pirates went nuts with thousand ships in 10 years of game...
Bingeling
Posts: 5186
Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2010 11:42 am

RE: Shadows Strategy Discussion

Post by Bingeling »

I have not tested them much after beta, and things may have changed, but I think race could matter a whole lot in early game. Quameno testing on hard was no party time when it came to economy :) There was a 'bug' with migration that made that one worse, but that did not affect the pre gerax days.
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