What's the point of playing a Trilarian?

[xil3]

Other than how they look, or if you simply want a challenge - what is the point of playing them?

They seem very underpowered to me, when you consider their abilities compared to the other races. Am I missing something here?

[Blah]

Just one of many of the weaker races, although they're not the worst they do get to upgrade Tundra planets (D Class) to Ocean planets (B Class) skipping one process in the middle and their speed boost is handy too.

[frdnwsm]

They're a lower tier race. Better than the Mrrshans (everybody is!), about on a par with the Darlocks, Psilons and Gnolams. Stick augmented engines on your ships and your ships are as good as theirs wihout wasting any trait picks.

Play them for the challenge. Stick augmented engines on Trilarian sips for extra speed. It's about the only edge you will get with them.

[Exoclyps]

Because you like yourself a challenge, no? But yeah, I kinda get ya, the Aquatic trait have no long-term bonus since your best biome is still Gaia. But do not underestimate the advantage of early good biomes.

[Red Earth]

Even if it is a challenge, I prefer challenges to make the game more interesting. Uncreative creates a challenge and changes the way you play. Simply lacking advantages is a challenge but it doesn't change the experience all that much.

[frdnwsm]

Speaking of challenges, I'm making headway with my Totally Negative custom race. Took three tries, mind you, to get the technique down. This time around, I made sure NOT to take the shapeshifter trait. Made a huge difference. But I'm up to the point where I have drawn the attentions of the Antarans.

Ummm ... yay?

[seabo_76]

Originally posted by frdnwsm:

They're a lower tier race. Better than the Mrrshans (everybody is!)

Don't care what anyone says...I love my kitty kats <3

And how exactly does your negative custom race work?

[frdnwsm]

You can win with the Mrrshans, of course; you just have to overcome the wretched starting home world. A bit of an extra handicap. You just like the sexy leader. Mrreeeeoow!

My Maximum Negativity racial build is simply taking every possible negative racial trait, and then trying to get a decent enough combination of positive traits to overcome the handicaps. The first time I tried it, I took both Telepathic and Shapeshifter, which turned out to be in conflict with each other, and totally screwed up my assimilation of conquered populations.

What it comes down to is being hugely handicapped at the start, but strong in the long run if you can survive the opening. Telepathic is the big positive, since it eliminates any assimilation time. The newly conquered planet is instatntly fully ready for use, AND, their population does NOT share your drawbacks.

Spam some frigates and troop transports and whack your nearest neighbor ASAP, while they're still busy turning out colony ships. A few conquered planets will do your research and production for you.

[frdnwsm]

This was my first such build. As I mentioned, Telepathic and Shapeshifter conflict badly. The second time, I left Shapeshifter out and it went a lot better, although I still lost to the damnable Meklars.

Using a huge Galaxy on very hard level, I took:

Uncreative
Small Home world
Poor home world
Low gravity race
-50% Population growth
-25% Production
-25% Food
-25% BC
-25 Beam defence
-25 Beam attack
Repulsive

I get 43 pick points to go wild with. So, I picked the following positive traits:

Telepathic
Cybernetic
-20% Ship cost
+30% Command points
Trader
Diplomatic (Morale bonus)
Trans Dimensional
Warlord
Artifact world
Shapeshifter

I forget what I took instead of Shapeshifter for the second attempt. I might have gone with Great Traders instead of Traders.

[frdnwsm]

One benefit of this build is that the AI races inevitably are ahead of me early on, and are the ones to get hit first by the Antarans.

On the third (and current) attempt, it took me something like 250 turns to actually attract the Antaran's attentions. The first 3 times they attacked, they whacked the Klackons, while I was lagging behind in the power ratings.

I need not have worried; they are total wusses. BTW, the computer rated the battle as "unfavorable" for me, which is why you should NEVER let the game auto-resolve combat.


http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=851370703

My total losses were ... 2 frigates, with one cruiser severely damaged. I authorized a memorial plaque dedicated to their brave crews' sacrifice, to be erected on the planet they so valiantly defended.

[Captain Keen]

Originally posted by frdnwsm:

You just like the sexy leader. Mrreeeeoow!

Who doesn't?

I'm not sure any of the races are 'weak'. I'm pretty sure they're designed to be 'strong early', 'strong late' ... and so on.

However, 'strong early' means you beat the crap out of another race early, and that helps you make you strong late too - provided you play that way. I, for one, don't.

I'm also pretty sure if you build to the strenghts of the mrrshans, you get some pretty unkillable ships late game. Maybe I should go test that? A frigates and destroyers only game?! Hm.

[frdnwsm]

>>"I'm also pretty sure if you build to the strenghts of the mrrshans, you get some pretty unkillable ships late game. Maybe I should go test that? "<<

What the heck strength that they have does anything whatsoever for their warships? You will get good warships with any race if you research and design properly. Mrrshan traits include warlord, militarist and diplomat, which have zero bearing on their ship combat capability.

The blurb on militarist says they want to maintain a strong fleet, but the trait itself does nothing to promte this; it gives a bonus to ground combat, not space combat.

[Captain Keen]

I may or may not have been thinking of the aklari. Birds, cats, who's counting, right? Other than that, I think the point still holds :p

[frdnwsm]

The Alkari have a big bonus to ship combat; there's quite a difference between them and the Mrrshans. Also, they don't have nearly as crappy a starting home world as the Mrrshans. All in all, they are 1 tier up on the Mrrshans. They'd be 2 tiers up, except that their combat bonuses apply only to beam weapons, and we all know that missiles rule early on. If the Alkari benefits applied to missiles as well, they'd easily be rank 2.

(For me, there is only one first rank AI race, the Meklars; I rate everyone else as 2, 3 or 4).

[seabo_76]

That is definitely an interesting strategy frdnwsm.....
I tend to like playing stock races over custom anyways, kind of a nod to the Devs for the work put in I guess....don't really know for sure. Just MO
Currently playing a game as Mrrshan on VH Large Map and going for the Alkari Eliminated Achieve. If I can pull it off I will try to get a screen shot.

On the subject of Antarans I'm going to be attacked....in another 33 turns.... O.o
They spawned exactly Galactic Center and I'm on the northern fringes. Was 59 turns to their target planet when they first showed. I am currently building the mother of all space fleets and will enjoy whupping them. Also planning on Star Fortress, Missile Platform and Orbital Batteries to be built. Will try to get a screenshot of that tomorrow as well lol

[frdnwsm]

The Antarans are designed to spawn 3-6 moves away from their targeted planet. Someone else earlier reported a game where they showed up at Galactic Center and took something like 60 turns to reach their goal. This is clearly a bug of some sort, as you can probably double your fleet strength and bushwhack them if you are given 60 turns to prepare.