Just bought SotS complete collection on Steam.

[Gudo]

I've got some questions on SotS1. What is a good strategy with regard to technology? I've been playing as Hivers (I know, bad juju for a starter race. I just love their fleet movement too much to give up.) I've only really had a chance to vs bots and I've been winning by virtue of superior numbers. I can usually outnumber my foes by like, 5 to 2 or better but I find myself researching engines, terraform tech, cruiser and industrial tech so much so that I'm still rocking starting weapons 50 to 70 turns in. Not that it seems to matter when I'm ramming 30 cruisers and escorts into a 20 destroyer system. Any veteran hivers have a better, more balanced strat?

I'd be down for some SotS multiplayer.

Let's get coordinated! We need to know: Who wants to play and when are they available? Who can host? Like I said, I've got a vent server we can crash so we can work out the fine details on game day/voice chat in game. Or we could do IRC or something.

Possible Players
Gudo - USA West, has a mic
Available: Friday, Saturday, Sunday morning any weekend

Count Casimir - USA West, has a mic
Available: most weekends and a Fridays

CptWinters - USA West, has mic
Available:anytime after 12 in the afternoon, except on Wednesdays

Adar Zan'nh - USA West, has mic
Available:Thursday after 1pm, Friday sometimes after 1pm or 7pm, Saturday afternoon or 8pm onward

Sorus - USA East
Available: TBD, hardware issues.

Karst45 - Canada East
Available: some weekends

[Count Casimir]

I'm gonna be available most weekends and a Fridays, though I DID just start NaNoWriMo, so that might take up a bit of time.

I do have a mic.

[Adar Zan'nh]

I'm down for some SotS multiplayer, I have gotten it a while ago before it was on steam, but finally getting back to it, so relatively new to it also but I love the game.

Im USA West, has a mic, dont want to host (upload speed isn't good enough)
Available: Thursday after 1pm, Friday sometimes after 1pm or 7pm, Saturday afternoon or 8pm onward.

Side note: I have recently found this comic and like it so far.

[CptWinters]

I'm US West, and I have a mic. Usually I'm available anytime after 12 in the afternoon, except on Wednesdays.

Hivers: Generally I go straight for AP Mass Drivers and missiles. They're good weapons, they compliment each other, and don't really get outclassed for quite a while. After that, I generally focus on improving armor and industry. Engines... aren't that important for Hivers, at least not until you start getting into cruiser tech. Biggest thing to remember is that it's all situational. If the map's big, engines are going to be more important, and you'll want to focus on getting the higher tech stuff earlier; things like ram scoops will be vital to expansion. On a small map, strategically, you're going to want to spend more time getting your industry up and running. The best advice I can give is just to be flexible; adapt to the situation while still maintaining a focus on Hiver strengths: industry and defense. Taking territory away from the enemy can be hard, given the slow speed of your fleets, but once you're dug in, you're very difficult to dislodge. Expand in force, not piecemeal, you don't have time to scout out a potential colony; you have to arrive with enough force to colonize and secure the site. To be honest, though, as far as your strategy itself, it sounds to me that you're playing hivers like they're supposed to be played: build up an overwhelming fleet, send them out to give the boot to the bastard who's squatting on your colony, and set up shop. Saying "this is mine now, bitch" is preferred, but optional.

Okay, so maybe not that last part....

[Adar Zan'nh]

Any advise on strategy with Liir when starting, like what tech areas to start in, besides Trashmans logical advise on defend colonies well because of slow breeding and biotech? I have played some as Humans, but want to try other races at the moment.

[Sorus]

I love (love!) SotS.

I'm US East, though. And my main PC needs a replacement power supply at the moment. Assuming I can get all that handled I would more than happily play some SotS multiplayer.

[TrashMan]

And if ye likes humans, there are some mods available. One of them mine
Changes models and adds new stuff. Makes human ships more modern-looking. (google Phoenix Mod)

Other pointers:
More colony ships = good. The more starting colonists you have, the faster the colony grows.
Capturing Asteroid Monitors is a great boon.
EMP and disruptors work wonders on single-section ships (alein menaces)..And photocnics are nice too if you want to keep your distance.


On SOTSII.
Yeah, bad launch. Some massive snafu and bad luck. But Kerberos will fix it. I know of no company that has such great support for their games.
Suggest you wait for 2-3 weeks till they iron everything out.

[Karst45]

Canada East mostly the weekend depending if i go see my family or not.


Were still talking about SOTS 1 or the 2? because if it the 2 i wont until a few month.

[Adar Zan'nh]

Its definitely SotS 1, SotS 2 is quite unplayable for multiplayer in its current state.

I have done those first 2 pointers in my current game playing as humans vs 7ai on an 82 star stellar nursery map on turn 135 with dreadnaughts researched recent and the 2nd tier of plasma weapons with a lot of research in biotech for colonizing. I figured that the more colony ships you got to settle means better development, mayber turn 50 ish I captured an asteroid monitor, thats been quite helpful. Between turns 80-110 i was at a trade bottleneck of 50k, captured a planet trade went to 400k ish over several turns. Right now I am dealing with 3 morrigi backstabbing and gaining up on me, but I am prevailing slowly. currently have about 10-12 planets.

[Nemo]

I wouldn't put too much stock in dreadnaughts. Yes they're big and bad, but I would rather have a shielded cruiser fleet with superior weaponry than a smaller bunch of mid tier weapon dreads. I don't usually go dread until well, well into the AM era.

[Gudo]

Looks like good tips all around. Regarding that multiplayer game, what do you guys say we get a start on it this weekend? Any day works for me, but looks like Saturday would probably be best. I'm thinking about 9 PDT (12 EDT) or a few hours later (11 PDT/2 EDT). If you'd like a different time or day, just say so I'm also down for a time in the eve if you guys would prefer that.

Still need a host though. I can't do it (turns out my game freezes about half the time I command a battle D:) and Adar Zan'nh doesn't want to. Fortunately, ping isn't that big of a deal and we're all in the Americas so pretty much anybody could do it.

Below the Ventrilo server info. I'll be most of Friday and Saturday (Sunday too, if that turns out to be game day.) It would probably be the easiest way to work out the finer details (map shape, star count, etc.) Even if you don't have a mic, feel free to jump in and listen in. There's text chat too.

Vent Server
IP: chlorine (dot) typefrag (dot) com
Port: 57587
Pass: makeitmoo

Look for Gudo. I'll be lurking in Diff. Game or maybe Muzic Chizzle.

[Adar Zan'nh]

Thats 9am right?

I haven't actually tested if I can host SotS 1 properly, I have only been practicing in single player to make sense of some strategy. I know from other games such SoaSE that people complained of some delay/lag from me hosting, not sure if it was true, ran fine on my end.

So basically I can try if no one else wants to host.

[Gudo]

Yeah, that's 9am Pacific, 12 Eastern. (I wonder why it's not called 'Atlantic'...)

[Count Casimir]

Yeah, that's 9am Pacific, 12 Eastern. (I wonder why it's not called 'Atlantic'...)

We're just really peaceful over here.

EDIT: I might try hosting. It doesn't take anything beyond the game itself, right? Don't have to do server setup or anything?

[Gudo]

All you need is the game. Might have to forward some ports or something but there's no special software you'll need.

[Adar Zan'nh]

Yeah, that's 9am Pacific, 12 Eastern. (I wonder why it's not called 'Atlantic'...)

Yeah that definitely works for me on Saturday.

[Count Casimir]

All you need is the game. Might have to forward some ports or something but there's no special software you'll need.

Don't really wanna mess with the router, since I live in a house with a bunch of people...

[Adar Zan'nh]

All you need is the game. Might have to forward some ports or something but there's no special software you'll need.

Don't really wanna mess with the router, since I live in a house with a bunch of people...

Well if we need to mess with port, I can do that since I done a bunch of port forwards with my router before

EDIT: Well I don't think I can make it to the the 9am PDT game on Saturday, found an open house at a college that I want to transfer to that starts at 9:30 am and won't get back till 11:30 am, I can join mid game if its possible or when we plan another one.

[halftea]

/delurk

Yeah, that's 9am Pacific, 12 Eastern. (I wonder why it's not called 'Atlantic'...)

Probably because there already is an Atlantic Time zone. Just not with a ton of folks occupying it. Some small part of Canada if I recall correctly, (Might be Newfoundland Time instead though) but for the States, only the territories of the U.S. VI and Puerto Rico use it. And since they don't use DST, they are on the same time as Eastern until this weekend, when the rest of us move back an hour while they stay the same.

And I would love to participate, being in the US Eastern myself, except I am overtasked with the spawn... Nonetheless, I wish you all well, and on th eremote chance the spawn and spouse are otherwise occupied, I might drop in, if nothing else, just to chat.

/relurk

[elorran]

I'm in the UK on GMT 0 time (our clocks just went back from summer time +1).

I know kushan_pilot also has the game, hes somewhere around texas. Not sure of the time zone of the top of my head but no doubt he could be coaxed into a game.

The mission concept is odd at first, I'm still getting my head around it. I've not touched the game much since the initial release and big fubar on steam. I do prefer direct control over the ships but it seems a reasonable game mechanic.