Development Speed: How it affects balance and what's your favorite

[Felius]

So, been considering starting a new game, but can't quite decide which development speed to go with, so I decided to start a discussion on how it affects the game beyond the obvious and what's everyone's opinions on them.

In theory I would like slowest development speed, but I feel that might make "get tech" stratagems a bit too strong, and, more importantly, make usual resource deposits run out before I actually manage to get to the point I get the techs for non-exhaustible mining techs (specially with the recent-ish nerf to soil demetalization if I read the beta changelogs correctly).

So, what's your opinions and thoughts on the matter?

[Catsander]

Agreed that get tech stratagems gets more powerful, but how many do you have anyway?

Regarding running out of resource deposits it also depends on the map/planet and its size. Some planets lack some resources and have an abundance in others so I guess the map/planet is an even bigger factor regarding the deposits' sustainability so I guess slower development speeds is more suitable for large maps.

[Slippy]

If you are playing on the beta the speeds have changed.
The old 'Slow' is now 'Normal'
The old 'Normal' is now 'Fast'
The old 'Super Slow' is now Slow
And a new mega slow has been added.

I go for the new 'Normal' (which is 'slow' in the current version) as I believe it strikes a good balance for enjoying the early game units/tech but still allows for progress through the tech tree.

I guess if you are playing T4 or even T5 starts you could go even slower as its less far to get to the 'unlimited' resource techs.

[Persony Person]

For me, I go with the slower speeds. Often slowest. But that is mainly because I play on the largest worlds possible.

By the time you're in a position to attack or push your neighbours on normal, you'll have already discovered most of the tech tree. On Slowest, you get to experience and use most of the tech tree before being compelled to skip a lot of it in the name of efficiency.

In regards to resources, I often reduce production to 25-50% if near max storage or use the stratagem to extend existing reserves.

On smaller worlds, I'd imagine having faster tech would be more appropriate.

[tonechild]

Before beta I used to go slow but now I go normal speed.

For game settings:
- Normal sized worlds (sometimes large)
- Purely random world, oceania and aircraft enabled, tech 3, no armies, normal speed (beta since slow is the new normal)
- Spread apart major regimes and nothing else, though sometimes I enjoy playing with other options from time to time.

I've read that slower speeds tend to give the player an unfair advantage but I'm not certain on that one. I think it's possible in some starts, but the AI gets unfair advantages in other areas (logistics, strategems, minor relations, mth relations, basic expansion) and it doesn't need any more that's for sure.

I've played many games and sometimes slow can feel too slow, other times slow can feel too fast. Not only does it depend on what strategems you get, but it can depend wildly on what kind of leaders you have, your population size, how many cities you have, etc. You can advance very quickly on slow if "the stars are aligned" this is particularly more common on highly populated worlds with lots of ruins and easy neighbors. I tend to avoid those type of games, I never really enjoy the game when it's tons of ruins everywhere for various reasons.

Important to note that my preference change over time as novelty wears off, this game has tons of different experiences to explore. The experience from one random world to the next is so vastly different and part of the appeal.

[coot]

kattsand456님이 먼저 게시:

Agreed that get tech stratagems gets more powerful, but how many do you have anyway?

Regarding running out of resource deposits it also depends on the map/planet and its size. Some planets lack some resources and have an abundance in others so I guess the map/planet is an even bigger factor regarding the deposits' sustainability so I guess slower development speeds is more suitable for large maps.

Mind plus a friendly corporation (aka commerce) lets you speed run the tech tree. This was toned down in the beta.

The biggest bottleneck is the metal economy ! No metal deposit means tech rush demetalization.

For game speed i wish you can make model faster and keeping tech slows.

[Hasefrexx]

Metal feels plentiful in the beta thanks to peripheral mining.

I used to like the current normal. Slow has been fun too, it helps to actually get to play more with early game models like helicopters or early aircrafts, airforce is much more significant before SAMs are developped. Slow does emphasize how good mind is however.