Most dominant setups

[rgp151]

After playing this for years, I think my most dominating setups are the following, of a few different types:

1) Telepath

-Repulsive
-Population Growth
+Unification
+Telepathic
+Artifacts Homeworld
+Rich Homeworld
+Spying +10

The spying I think does help to really get the jump on techs faster. The slow growth doesn't matter that much, as you plan on not building any Colony Ships anyway. Most of your population growth will come from conquest of foreign races. You'll likely be able to pickup Cloning Centers pretty soon anyway via spying.

2) Fast Advancement

-Repulsive
-Population Growth
+Dictatorship
+Lithovore
+Industrial Production +1
+Scientific Research +1
+Artifacts Homeworld

With this, you don't need food, so you can concentrate on Science and Industry. With this you'll be expanding more on your own and building lots of Colony Ships. The slow growth may look bad, but you can easily research Cloning Centers pretty fast. With some good Freighter management and some key Cloning Centers, your population will grow rapidly.

3) Spy Master

-Repulsive
-Feudal
+Telepathic
+Spying +10
+Omniscient
+Warlord
+Artifacts Homeworld
+Large Homeworld

This one can be trick to get right, but is also very powerful. Basically, the Artifacts Homeworld is just to help you get your first tech, then once you do that you won't use any scientists ever again, unless you literally have nothing else to do with your pop. You get get Research Labs first off and after that all you do is make ships and spy. With Omniscient you setup Outpost ships in key locations to quickly get access to all of the AI races and then crank out spies and ships.

4) Creative
-Repulsive
-Ground Combat
+Creative
+Dictatorship
+Warlord
+Artifacts Homeworld
+Rich Homeworld
+Large Homeworld

Creative works best with Dictatorship IMO. Since you get all the techs, you get huge bonuses to Moral. The -Ground Combat is inconsequential due to al the techs you'll have to boost it. You don't need Telepathic because you can so easily dominate ground combat. Don't worry about racial bonuses because you'll be taking over races. With Dictatorship and Alien Management Center they will integrate relatively quickly. Warlord makes it so you can crank out plenty of ships to protect in the early and mid game while still being aggressive. With this you can be flexible. Maybe expand a little with Colony Ships if you get good opportunities or use conquest. Its pretty versatile.

[Sloan]

"Unified, Tolerant, Large Home, Production +1, Repulsive, -10 Ground, -20 Ship Defense"

[Sloan]

Originally posted by rgp151:

Spy Master
-Repulsive
-Feudal
+Telepathic
+Spying +10
+Omniscient
+Warlord
+Artifacts Homeworld
+Large Homeworld

This one can be trick to get right, but is also very powerful. Basically, the Artifacts Homeworld is just to help you get your first tech, then once you do that you won't use any scientists ever again, unless you literally have nothing else to do with your pop. You get get Research Labs first off and after that all you do is make ships and spy. With Omniscient you setup Outpost ships in key locations to quickly get access to all of the AI races and then crank out spies and ships.

hyper spy race
+Omniscient
+Trans-Dimensional
+20 Spying
early visits to home worlds

[rgp151]

Originally posted by frazy76:

"Unified, Tolerant, Large Home, Production +1, Repulsive, -10 Ground, -20 Ship Defense"

For an equal 10 points, Lithovore is way more beneficial than Tolerant IMO.

With the setup you specified you start needing three Farmers. That gives you 5 other workers. They generate 6 Production each and 3 Research each. This lets you produce a maximum of 30 Production and 0 Research or 15 Research and 0 Production. That is a lot of starting production.

However, the "Fast Advancement" picks I specified give the following starting parameters:

0 Farmers. 8 Workers. Each worker generates 4 Production or 6 Research. If you put all of your workers on Industry you generate 20 net Production after subtracting 12 waste. However, if you start with 0 waste you generate 8 Production and 37 Research.

8 Production is still enough to produce a Freighter Fleet in 7 turns. With this you'll have your first Research Lab in about 7 turns as well.

Using the "Fast Advancement" setup with 2 workers on Industry and 6 on Research, I end up building my first Automated Factory in 3501.5, after having researched Research Lab > Reinforced Hull > Automated Factory. At that point, with 2 workers on Industry you generate 14 Production and 48 Research.

If you proceed to Deuterium Fuel Cells > Pollution Processor you can have a Pollution Processor built by 3503.8, at which point you can generate 42 maximum Production after subtracting out 8 pollution, or 20 Production with 0 pollution and 48 Research on your home planet. At that point, I was able to produce a Colony Ship in 8 turns after switching production, etc. or 13 turns from scratch.

To me, a lot depends on how good your starting planets are. Most of the time I don't start out with excellent planets to colonize anyway, so to me, I'd rather speed through research while I search for better planets. If you get lucky and have multiple great planets right around you then sometimes a more production heavy start can be good.

In addition, by taking Lithovore you don't have to worry about settling planets with food, so you can just as easily take a Barren planet as your first planet.

Note that Silicoids, with Litho and Tolerant, start off being able to produce a max of 24 Production or 24 Research.

To me, the high starting prod of your setup seems like it could go to waste if you don't find excellent planets right away, whereas having more Research at the start is a more guaranteed benefit.

[Sloan]

Originally posted by frazy76:

Originally posted by rgp151:

Spy Master
+Telepathic
+Spying +10
+Omniscient
This one can be trick to get right, but is also very powerful. Basically, the Artifacts Homeworld is just to help you get your first tech, then once you do that you won't use any scientists ever again, unless you literally have nothing else to do with your pop. You get get Research Labs first off and after that all you do is make ships and spy.

hyper spy race

Spy+1, unification, telepathic, omniscient, rich HW
Start - average

[Sloan]

Originally posted by rgp151:

To me, a lot depends on how good your starting planets are. Most of the time I don't start out with excellent planets to colonize anyway, so to me, I'd rather speed through research while I search for better planets. If you get lucky and have multiple great planets right around you then sometimes a more production heavy start can be good.

select Lagre/Rich Home world. Sometimes, the game will generate the same worlds nearby.

Originally posted by rgp151:

For an equal 10 points, Lithovore is way more beneficial than Tolerant

with Тоlerant the population on the planet is larger
Farming gives money. Cloning Center will replace "Housing"

[Lost in the Woods]

I use:
+ Creative
- Repulsive
- Feudal
+ Subterranean
+2 Industrial Production

My goal is to capture Antarran ships (using assault shuttles) and scrap them for their tech. I usually pick Sakkra because they seem to be attacked the most by them. I refit my ships with their tech and then Capture Orion to finish obtaining the techs I cannot research. Subterranean gives me double the population for workers and money. Feudalism and the industry bonuses let me pump out ships quickly, while creative gives me all of the tech.

End Game: I use only beam weapons and find that auto-fire Disruptors to be the strongest weapons in the game in fleet vs fleet battles. My doom stars usually have around 42 auto fire disruptors and ship systems using Damper Field, High Energy Focus, Time Warp Facilitator, and Structural Analyzer.

[DesertRose92]

First, you want to create an Organic Rich galaxy or use one of the many map mods.
In Organic Rich galaxies Aquatic becomes a valid pick which greatly increases the variation of good custom races.

Second, I use the revised picks from the 1.50 fanpatch:
https://moo2mod.com/
It makes Unification and Production a little weaker, Democracy stays roughly the same, and Dictatorship and Feudal becomes stronger. Overall production races are not as dominant as in the base game.

.

Pretty much every good custom race needs a Max Pop modifier (Aquatic, Subterranean, Tolerent, (Lithovore)) and 3+ Food production (Unification, Aquatic, +1 Food) or Lithovore.
Max Pop gives you more gain for each Colony Ship, Colony Base and building you produce as more pop use it and more pop growth (as pop growth depends on max capacity). Lithovore indirectly increases you max pop as you do not need farmers.
Your pop also needs to create at least 3 Food from the very beginning, otherwise in the beginning too many of your pop will be farmers and you lack production / research.

.

Strong custom production races:

+ Unification [8]
+ Tolerant [10]
+ +1 Production [4]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]
- Spying [-3]

The infamous UniTol. In the base game and any non-Organic Rich galaxy properly the strongest custom race possible. It's also the easiest one to play.

+ Unification [8]
+ Aquatic [5]
+ +2 Production [7]
+ Artifacts Homeworld [2]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]
- Spying [-3]

In an Organic Rich galaxy maybe even stronger than UniTol. Because they produce 4.5 Food from the getgo they can research Cloning Centers instead of Soil Enrichment, allowing them to produce new pop on their 1-pop planets at an insane rate.
In the base game you can switch Artifacts Homeworld with Large and Rich Homeworld.

.

Strong research races:

+ Democracy [7]
+ Lithovore [10]
+ Artifacts Homeworld [2]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]

Fastest research possible. However you need to make use of your tech advantage and attack early (before turn 100), otherwise production races will eventually out tech you due to having more pop.

+ Dictatorship [0]
+ Lithovore [10]
+ Subterranean [6]
+ +1 Research [3]
+ Large Homeworld [1]
+ Artifacts Homeworld [2]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]
- Spying [-3]

Not as fast research in the beginning, and they develop new colonies slower due to -20% morale, but the few planets they will have will become big.
You could try to go with +1 Production instead of +1 Research and Large Homeworld to develop new colonies a little quicker.

.

Strong production / research races:

+ Unification [8]
+ Aquatic [5]
+ +1 Production [4]
+ +1 Research [3]
+ Artifacts Homeworld [2]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]
- Spying [-3]

Basically the production race from above. Until you have Atmospheric Renewer you won't make much use of that +2 Prod, so the +1 Research might do you more good as you get the important techs faster.

+ Democracy [7]
+ Aquatic [5]
+ +1 BC [7]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]

You will be swimming in money. One of the hardest races you play, as you need to have saved up roughly half of a newly researched building production to instantly build the remaining half with your money (constructions cost 4 times their production costs to buy them initially, and it gets reduced to 2 times once it's at least half completed).

.

Strong Creative races:

+ Unification [8]
+ Aquatic [5]
+ Creative [7]
+ Artifacts Homeworld [2]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]
- Spying [-3]

The biggest weakness of Creative races is the early game as they need Robo-Miners, Augmented Engines, Zortrium Armor, Supercomputer, Soil Enrichment, Battle Scanner and Class III Shield to gain an advantage over other races.
The above combination is one of the quickest way to reach that stage, as they do not need to build morale buildings, and have good food, industry and research production.

+ Dictatorship [0]
+ Lithovore [10]
+ Creative [7]
+ +1 Research [3]
+ Artifacts Homeworld [2]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]
- Spying [-3]

Similar concept to the research races, you stack as much research bonuses on top of each other to allow you to reach key techs quicker.

+ Dictatorship [0]
+ Aquatic [5]
+ Subterranean [6]
+ Creative [7]
+ Large Homeworld [1]
+ Rich Homeworld [3]
- Repulsive [-5]
- Ship Defense [-2]
- Ground Combat [-2]
- Spying [-3]

Designed to make full use of Creative. Properly too weak in the beginning of the game to make it viable, though.

[Sloan]

Originally posted by DesertRose92:

+ Creative [7]
Strong Creative races:
The biggest weakness of Creative races is the early game
+ Creative [7]
+

Creative

[7]
Designed to make full use of Creative. Properly too weak in the beginning of the game to make it viable, though.

The Creative ability is good for the lazy, newbie, and noob.

[Boozie]

Originally posted by DesertRose92:

First, you want to create an Organic Rich galaxy or use one of the many map mods.
In Organic Rich galaxies Aquatic becomes a valid pick which greatly increases the variation of good custom races.

Second, I use the revised picks from the 1.50 fanpatch:
https://moo2mod.com/
It makes Unification and Production a little weaker, Democracy stays roughly the same, and Dictatorship and Feudal becomes stronger. Overall production races are not as dominant as in the base game.

What am I missing here, the game won't let me take more than -10 and repulsive is -6 for me. I tried 1.50 and 1.50 improved.

[nanami]

got this from an older post this is best ship setup



concept is simple the game work with 3 defences , shield, armor, hull, so how to bypass the first 2? and go directly for hull ?


Use Phasors: WITH THIS modifications : autofire (so it hit 3x times) and shield pierce (bypass shields)

Then add on your ships this modules:

High energy focus: x1.5 (50% more energy weapons dmg)
Achilles system: x2 (bypass armor)
Structural analyzer: x2 (double structure damage)
Hyper-X Capacitor: x2 (double weapon fire)

Also when your ships becomes a veteran, each of the
modified phasors will do 180 damage to the enemy ship structure.


Phasors are very early so initially you can go for something more classis- phasors and normal heavy armor, reinforced hull etc, and structural analyzer but your aim is to rush the techs for complete this setup.

Every other weapons in game is inferior, dont get foolish disruptors or death rays dont matter they lack the modifications for autofire and shield pierce and even continuous (another +25% hit rate) this make phasors best weapon in game



Then you can go for a tricky build wich is a cheat tecnically....

Achilles Targeting Unit
Battle pod
High Enegy Focus
Hyper-X Capacitor
Phasing Cloak
Structural Analyzer
Time Warp Facilitator
* a system of your choice


Why is a cheat? becouse you play your turn shooting out of the 2 available, then you put offline your weapons and go cloak, the Ai cant shoot so it auto-pass the turn again to you

So tecnically 1 ship can destroy the entire galaxy

[DesertRose92]

After 10 turns the cloak deactivates, though after that you can be targeted.
It requires Creative, though, as many of those techs conflict with more important techs on that level.

[volbound1700]

I found Creative + Lithivore is a good setup.

Also anything with Population Growth and Subterranean.

Creative really only helps you with a few setups. You want Autofactories, Missile Base, and Heavy Armor all 3 as well as RoboMiners, Battlestations, and Power Armor.

They city upgrades are key to getting if not Creative because the ship upgrades usually have stronger variants further down if you have to skip some.

[DesertRose92]

Originally posted by Boozie:

What am I missing here, the game won't let me take more than -10 and repulsive is -6 for me. I tried 1.50 and 1.50 improved.

It has been changed back to -10 max.
Personally I liked the -12 more as it forced Uni Races to take -Spying, while Demo could avoid it, making the spying war not so loop-sided.

[erhenhart]

I like to play FeudCybProd2Tol.
The obvious weakness is research, so i rush for colony ships as first research priority, and only then research labs/hydrofarms/autofactory.
But on the bright side: the build has unitol production (even better for shipbuilding) and almost lithovore population needs: at turn 100 i have 3-5 farmers out of 50+ population. The basic hydroponic farm can sustain 5 population on toxic/barren/radiated planets, and even without hydrofarm its 2 pop/8 production on newly founded abundant colonies. And with 8 turns per colony ship thats 10-15 colonies at turn 100 (prewarp start).

[volbound1700]

BTW, they changed Creative in this version, it was only 6 points in the version that I played growing up and now it is 8.