Part 14: Episode II Preview

Ok then. Here's your ending cinematic for the standard/election victory, complete with the least profound statement ever from GNN.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OkVYlRjHAg


I find it amusing that even when you win in the Council, it still gives you the choice to say NO when asked if you accept the ruling. You can actually go to war with the rest of the Council that just voted you in as High Master. It would be incredibly stupid, but you can do it.

So ends Episode I. It was an unusual game, and at a few points we weren't far from losing. In the end, it was the fairly cheesy hit-and-run Sting Raids along with the border skirmishes between the Silicoids and the Darlok, and the rocks general pattern of pissing off the rest of the galaxy with their betrayals and biologicals that was the difference. Had a nice 3-way race going on there for a while. And the Darloks played their usual role of spoiler. Only made it halfway up the tech tree, but that's par for the course on a small galaxy.

Episode II Preview

It's time for the Klackons next, and we'll be moving up to a medium-sized galaxy, with 48 stars. This is usually enough to see some of more advanced elements in the tech tree, but not all of them. The bad news is that we won't be the Psilons this time; the worse news is that we have a 56% chance(5 of 9) every time out of going up against them. There are some who think the Klackons actually better than the Psilons. They are wrong, but this is the only race that has an argument. You could call them 1B to the eggheads' 1A.

Diplomacy: Substandard. They get on ok with the Meklars, Psilons, and Bulrathi, but tend to have issues with Alkari/Mrrshan/Sakkra/Silicoids. Nobody, aside from the peace-loving Humans, particularly likes them.

Economics: This is where the Klackons shine. They have doubled worker production(1 BC instead of 0.5), which gives them a 20% production edge even on fully developed colonies early in the game. On a planet with no factories, that's a 100% boost. This gives them the biggest head start of any race; the bugs are capable of the fastest growth curve. This edge dwindles to less than 7% on a fully-developed planet with maxed-out robotics. That's not nothing, but it's definitely a strength that is best at the start and declines in importance later.

Military: No bonii or penalties.

Research: Solid, but with a major asterisk attached. The Klackons are the Construction experts, so they'll be able to speed up their buildup even more with cheaper factories, get better armors early, etc. However they are Poor in Propulsion, which can cause them some problems. Often the Klackons are either a very tough enemy or a pushover. If they don't have close options for colonization, they won't soon get over the hump because it's more work for them to get the crucial range-extending advancements. This is the top challenge to watch out for. If we start off having to get into research early in order to get our colony ships to habitable planets, it could go badly. If not, the galaxy could prove a land of great wealth and opportunities.

Up next: Episode II begins with the Klackon Opening!