r34 First Tick Setup

[Light]

<Light> 1. Reset your planet.
<Light> 2. Accept Beginner and Galaxy/Alliance setup quests from the overview page
<Light> 3. Take your RESOURCES StartUp Bonus.
<Light> 4. Init 92 of each roid. (Make sure you do this in one go, not in afew tries. All 92 at once)
<Light> 5. Put 1200 research points into Heavy Cargo Trasfers 1 via your startup bonus.
<Light> 6. Put 1600 research points into Heavy Cargo Trasfers 2 via your startup bonus. (Cannot be done at the same time as point 3, must do it after it).
<Light> 7. Form your goverment (note: You can cancel your goverment after you've selected it, if your still undecided on what goverment to pick)
<Light> 8. Set your population.
<Light> 9. Create your own alliance (Note: you can disband it immeditatly after if you like).

<Patrikc> Before you spend your Construction bonus, que 2 constructions you'll want after you use it. This way, your first 2 constructions (which you que'd) will cost you 0k/1k. Rather than using your construction bonus, then setting your construction (where your constructions will cost you 4-9k each).

You may then do the rest of the quests as you please (remember, some quests give you resources, so will be worth doing it now). Also, You're free to spend the rest of your construction and research bonuses as you please but remember you may need to build 2 research labs from it to get the 20% research bonus from them.

Struggling to work out what to do with the startup bonus? Then see this thread:
http://pirate.planetarion.com/showthread.php?t=198246

[Light]

I should have a spreadsheet out by sunday which will let you work out how to spend your bonus and show you the effects of this new protection change.

[Makhil]

The 89 roids of each comes from 100 each you'll be able to mine from hct2 minus the 11 each you get from the quests.

[Crantor]

Originally Posted by Light

I should have a spreadsheet out by sunday which will let you work out how to spend your bonus and show you the effects of this new protection change.

I'm anxiously awaiting the spreadsheet especially since it's for round 44

[Patrikc]

A few things:

a) I'm not sure about this one, think I got this in speedgame once, but if you 'buy' HCT 1, you don't finish that quest, which means you miss out on a few resources/xp (which isn't that much anyway, but who knows it might win you the round >=).
So start it first before buying it.

b) BEFORE you 'buy' constructions, make sure to start/queue two, as they will then only be 0/1000 of each resource.

Also, I haven't started beta at tick 0 so I don't know how many resources you get, but is it still most efficient to initiate up to 300 roids, if you only have 24-34 before the first incs might land?

[Light]

Originally Posted by Patrikc

A few things:

a) I'm not sure about this one, think I got this in speedgame once, but if you 'buy' HCT 1, you don't finish that quest, which means you miss out on a few resources/xp (which isn't that much anyway, but who knows it might win you the round >=).
So start it first before buying it.

Thats a bug that should be fixed before roundstart.

b) BEFORE you 'buy' constructions, make sure to start/queue two, as they will then only be 0/1000 of each resource.

Good point.

Also, I haven't started beta at tick 0 so I don't know how many resources you get, but is it still most efficient to initiate up to 300 roids, if you only have 24-34 before the first incs might land?

Init'ing to 300 wasnt the most efficient way to get resources before. Its just the amount that everyone thinks they can get away with init'ing to without being a huge target. Some people only init to 275 others to 400+.

Im fairly confident we'll see the same amount of roids being init'd this round.. Considering for most people, they're only missing out on 2-4 ticks of roid income when comparing to last round.

Here's some rough numbers for you:
Xan Feud without missing ticks init'ing up to 300 roids in the previous game, would have 829k of each resources at tick 62.
Xan Feud initing 300 roids at tick 0 will end up with 1.8mil resources at tick 16.

Im guessing these numbers are likely to change but as it is.. you'll actually have alot more ships at the end of protection this round than previously.

[Patrikc]

Originally Posted by Light

Thats a bug that should be fixed before roundstart.

True, just remember it in case they don't fix it. (:

Thanks for the work Light! <3

[Light]

Updated the first post to show how to get around that bug, ty Patrikc. Will edit it out if they fix it.

Edit: Cin says its been fixed.

[Light]

Updated main page with the tick-start-calculator thread, feedback on it appreciated

[isildurx]

Very nice work.

[HellKicker]

Thanks Katie!

[Light]

Ty, im going to try and add in a population calculator sometime this week (To automatically work out the best population settings each tick) and expand it to 100 ticks.

[Lockhead]

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hm. Get me the spreadsheet please, light!

[Light]

use the link in the main post

[Lockhead]

Sorry, n00bish & tired!

[LukeyLove]

ty as ever Light!

[ReligFree]

This is still spot on for a startup guide so thought i'd bump it for any new players etc

[Section58]

Thanks. This was really helpful

[Shev]

New round, again useful.

[Light]

This isnt really that important now we have the startup bonus.. as before it gave up almost a 50-80% roid increase on someone who didnt use this method but now its only afew k resources.

Just init -8 of each roid type, then do quests

[Shev]

It's more the remembering to actually do every step in the retardedly overcomplicated startup that I find useful.

[Light]

Originally Posted by Shev

It's more the remembering to actually do every step in the retardedly overcomplicated startup that I find useful.

Thats what i mean, theres no overcomplicated startup now we have the startup bonus.

Take Resource Startup Bonus
Init roids (-8 of each type to the amount you want)
Do quests in any order and take your res/con.

Its the same now.

[Shev]

It's still a pain in the arse when it doesn't need to be.

[Mzyxptlk]

The only things in there that you wouldn't do if you used a conventional setup are posting on the gal and ally forums and mailing a galmate. Not that earthshattering.

[Shev]

I don't like the conventional planet startup period either, if that's what you mean. I think there is more stuff than you should need to take care of beginning a game like this, and it's more spread out than it should be.

I find this useful, others do too given how many times I see it asked for. I don't really care if you disagree - I had to look for it and at least some activity means it's easier if others come looking.

[Mzyxptlk]

I... don't think so? I didn't say "startup period", so I suppose that's not what I meant.

[Shev]

Ah right, my mistake for assuming you would interject into comments about the startup with something along similar lines.

[Mzyxptlk]

Originally Posted by Shev

Ah right, my mistake for assuming you would interject into comments about the startup with something along similar lines.

You're saying words, but they make no sense. What exactly about the startup procedure is it that takes such an unacceptable amount of effort to execute?

[Shev]

None of the individual elements themselves take a huge amount of effort, but there are too many of those individual actions to take. As an example, I shouldn't need to choose to take my startup bonus or to start quests myself.

While we're on the subject of words that make no sense, how about explaining what a "conventional setup" is if it's nothing to do with the startup.

[Mzyxptlk]

Originally Posted by Shev

As an example, I shouldn't need to choose to take my startup bonus or to start quests myself.

Agreed.

I still don't understand what exactly it is that bugs you so much though. It's not like it takes that much time, especially compared to how much time goes into an entire round.

Originally Posted by Shev

While we're on the subject of words that make no sense, how about explaining what a "conventional setup" is if it's nothing to do with the startup.

Everything you do when setting up your planet in a conventional fashion. You're not dumb, you know what that means, so I won't bother explaining to you exactly how many roids to init and how to assign your population.

That doesn't have "nothing" to do with the startup (which isn't what I said to begin with), but the startup period isn't the same thing as setting up your planet pre-round.

[Shev]

I guess it's more of a mild niggle than a major annoyance.

I'd also have usually called my pre-tick setup the startup period, but I can see that being applied to other stages just as easily. I should have specified pre-tick.

[nolezy]

Bump. For the three new players playing this round.

[Mzyxptlk]

Optimist.

[HeimdallR]

ooh i already know two new players, were getting there

[Light]

Originally Posted by Shev

None of the individual elements themselves take a huge amount of effort, but there are too many of those individual actions to take. As an example, I shouldn't need to choose to take my startup bonus or to start quests myself.

While we're on the subject of words that make no sense, how about explaining what a "conventional setup" is if it's nothing to do with the startup.

What happends is the PA Team implement slight tweaks which renders other things useless or bad but they dont alter those useless or bad things. There's afew things wrong with startup now:
1. Resources Startup Bonus: No need for it, Just give planets those resources at signup. Its also rendered init'ing roids pretty useless and people starting on 300-500 roids is pretty lol. Now were starting with more resources, it'd also be wise to give a major buff to asteroids (including cost), so people start with around 50-100 asteroids (but the same income, it has no real effect on gameplay, as capping 10 roids would be the same as capping say 50 roids now).
2. Research Startup Bonus: Its a major problem when you give new players unlimited choice at signup and throw things at them expecting them to know what to do. The point is, that there's very little wiggle room in strategy for the research startup bonus, you need HTC1 and HTC2 (wiggle room maybe for CR rushing), You will also generally get Hulls 1. With the asteroid change, you could give HTC-1 automatically (allows 100 roids to be mined). I'd also change the HTC tech tree to be 100-150-200-300-500-750-1000. I'd slip in an extra HTC between 100 and 200 but make the first HTC extremly quick, this would keep the strategy of init'ing more.
3. Construction Startup Bonus: I'd do it similar to research, give everyone 1 of each factory but change the setup so that it takes longer to build ships and factorys are abit more important. I'd alter research labs, so that they no longer give a % increase, as thats abit too complicated to explain but instead make research labs give a fixed increased of 10 res points per tick. This would make res labs more viable and allow a strategy of spamming them for fast research. You could also make a new construction to increase your construction points as well.
4. Quests should be automatically accepted and changed to be done in order. It would show the current quest without having to click on it (so it wouldnt be hidden).
5. Governments are changable but they incur a cost of 1-2 ticks of anarchy between changes. This would enable more strategys and help reduce the burden of new players being forced to make gamechanging decisions at tick 0.

These changes would make startup easier and add more strategy. The construction/research changes would also have the sideeffect of making upgrades more useful.

When there's one right strategy, something needs to be changed as it makes it boring. You're following a checklist rather than playing the game.

[Light]

bump for anyone who needs it. Same as usual, the only difference this round is that it may be worth getting a early wave amp (for tick 30ish), so you can do the 2 new scanner quests for free landing/dev scans on your first attack.