Bored

[Gus Smedstad]

I've run two races up to Ulimate ("hero") now, one on Normal and one on Hard, and I'm feeling like I've seen just about everything the game has to offer.  Even Space is feeling very repetitive.

Space seems to go like this for me:

Look for a nearby world with good color spice.
Plant colony, up it to T1 and start it producing.
Talk to neighbors, run a few missions to get them to Allied status, start trade routes.
Crank first colony up to T3.  When money runs short, run more missions while waiting for spice.
Found a second colony on another, decent color spice world.  Crank that up to T3.
Eliminate nearby Spodist empires.  Force empires can stay, they're not as cranky.
Upgrade any decent planets from the newly captured empire.

By this time, I'm pretty far up the completion guage.  Maybe 2-3 ranks from "Ultimate."  It's not much effort to finish, just plant a few more colonies, maybe buy a few from the neighbors just to get the badge points.

The various personality traits / bonuses seem to have about zero effect on play.  Except maybe the +50% health from Prime Specimen.  I don't bother with the special abilities like Raider Rally.

At this point, it's like the Sims - it requires some restrictive rules like the Devolution Challenge to make it interesting.

 - Gus

[Zazazu]

Return ticket can be incredibly useful when your empire is big or you are exploring far out. The spice one is very useful early on, not so much after you are set for money.

Play differently, or don't, I guess. But yeah, that's about it. I have one race that's playing completely pacifist and maintaining alliances with every other empire they meet. I have another that does whatever, whenever.

[jsalemi]

I kinda think that once you hit space and do all the major stuff, Spore becomes somewhat like The Sims -- no particular goals, you just play it how you want and see where it goes.

[Gus Smedstad]

The real question is how to play differently?

Activities are basically do missions, plant colonies, terraform, crush enemy empires, explore, and maybe collect artifacts.  I've done all of that.  Well, except try to collect complete sets of artifacts, and that's pretty dull and chance-dependent.

I've done the peaceful thing, though Spodists will be a huge income drain if you don't kill them sooner or later.  They'll always demand tribute.

Being a complete xenophobic warmonger doesn't seem viable.  Unless maybe you have the uber-skills of Pescado.  Me, I need alien mercs and few upgrades to take on T2s and T3s, which means making some alliances.  Besides, killing everyone just isn't my style.  Even though I should have done that with the pure-Red carnivore race I just finished.

I've done the hard to do things, like reach the Core and find Earth.  I haven't nuked Earth, but that's not that interesting anyway.

 - Gus

[jsalemi]

I don't know -- explore the whole galaxy? See if you can reach the home planet of one of your other races? Wipe out the Grox and replace them as the bad-ass of the galaxy? Go on a search for the 'disney planets'?

[J. M. Pescado]

You've neatly discovered the fundamental shortcomings of Splotch. Solution: Go back to TS2! There's always something new to make there!

[jsalemi]

There's already been a L&P from Wright that they're working on expansions, but I'm not sure what an expansion can do to fundamentally change how the game is played.

[J. M. Pescado]

Having an entire galactic ARMADA at your disposal would be a nice touch.

[Gus Smedstad]

If past experience is any guide, the first Spore expansion will add a new, incredibly tedious stage between Civ and Space.

 - Gus

[jsalemi]

That's definitely one of the things I'd like to see in an expansion -- the ability to build your own fleet, rather than relying solely on allies. Especially if you can create/chose different ships.  I'd love to have a fleet of big heavy cruisers with some smaller, faster protection/support ships circling around.  Or at least the ability to have different types of ships, like pure cargo and pure military.

If past experience is any guide, the first Spore expansion will add a new, incredibly tedious stage between Civ and Space.

Yea, something stupid like expanding the 'get your captains badge' into a whole stage, rather than a few quick missions. Make you go out and explore your entire solar system first before you can get the interstellar drive.

[Zazazu]

I'm hoping they add fish. As in, the ability to evolve as a water creature.

[Milhouse Trixibelle Saltfucker III]

The little "Patching Files..." dialogue box obscured the latter sentence of your post. Seeing only "I'm hoping they add fish.", I immediately thought "So long, and thanks for all the fish.". Will have to enter space stage as a Vogon now, hunt down the Splotch-Earth, and destroy it.

[jfade]

Return ticket can be incredibly useful when your empire is big or you are exploring far out. The spice one is very useful early on, not so much after you are set for money.

How DO you get that exactly? I got it in my first game but ended up abandoning that one and am on my second space stage, and didn't get it this time. I have no idea how I got it the first time either...

[Zazazu]

Shaman space bonus. At least three previous stages in green.

[Insanity Prelude]

Creatures capable of actual flight would be nice, too.

[Hellyes]

There's already been a L&P from Wright that they're working on expansions, but I'm not sure what an expansion can do to fundamentally change how the game is played.

Will's not going to hang around for the expansions.  He maybe took a short vacation and then working on his next game by now, which we won't know what it is for another four plus years from now.  My money is on that it will be something related to robots.

[kuronue]

Creatures capable of actual flight would be nice, too.

If you have enough jump skill and the good enough wings, you've got creatures that can fly for miles without touching ground. I'm satisfied with that.

[kutto]

There's already been a L&P from Wright that they're working on expansions, but I'm not sure what an expansion can do to fundamentally change how the game is played.

Will's not going to hang around for the expansions.  He maybe took a short vacation and then working on his next game by now, which we won't know what it is for another four plus years from now.  My money is on that it will be something related to robots.

Now I get Lil'Brudder's joke in the god thread.

[sirnh]

While reading through this thread, I had to think at an interview I once read about spore. They basicly said that spore is currently at 1% of what they wanted to do. (Anyone want to guess how many EP's there will be coming?) I think they mentioned something about planning a complete underwater world. (Although, I'm wondering how that wil work for space...). However, I lost my link to the article...

[J. M. Pescado]

Return ticket can be incredibly useful when your empire is big or you are exploring far out. The spice one is very useful early on, not so much after you are set for money.

They're not mutually exclusive. Return ticket is either 3 Green to start, or you can switch by doing a quest in-game. Spice Savant is permanent and can only be had by finishing Civ stage as blue.

Of course, the BEST perk is Zealot, available for 2 red, 2 green, or you can switch. The OPTIMAL path for ULTIMATE POWER is probably BRGB or RRGB, but then your starting archetype is a bit lame, at Bard or Knight. Why is this the best path? Well, Simple:
R: Power Monger, +50% ship energy or B: Generalist, discount to stuff you purchase at homeworld.
R: PRIME SPECIMEN, +50% HP. Also, you get to kill stuff in creature.
G: Gracious Greeter, +10 to all rel
B: Spice Savant, the only perk that apparently functions. Anti-Pirates and anti-Biodisasters appear to be dud perks that do nothing.

RRGB gets you Knight, which does not appear to be available anywhere else in the game, BRGB gets you Bard, which is only so-so. You can, however, convert to Spode and get the Zealot power, which is awesome.

[Gus Smedstad]

That seems doable, though there's a possibility the B (Economic) cities will all be wiped out before you can take one and convert, particularly if you start with the weakest archetype, Religious.

 - Gus

[Zazazu]

Of course, the BEST perk is Zealot, available for 2 red, 2 green, or you can switch. The OPTIMAL path for ULTIMATE POWER is probably BRGB or RRGB, but then your starting archetype is a bit lame, at Bard or Knight. Why is this the best path? Well, Simple:
R: Power Monger, +50% ship energy or B: Generalist, discount to stuff you purchase at homeworld.
R: PRIME SPECIMEN, +50% HP. Also, you get to kill stuff in creature.
G: Gracious Greeter, +10 to all rel
B: Spice Savant, the only perk that apparently functions. Anti-Pirates and anti-Biodisasters appear to be dud perks that do nothing.

Zealot is good if you are going to kill, kill, and kill some more. Prolly the best is to keep close to home as a RRGB, conquering or allying as it pleases you until you're at max level and ready to take on the Grox. Then become a Spodist to get Zealot.

I've done Knight and I don't care for it. Mini-me conks out so early as to be nearly useless and takes forever to recharge.

[jsalemi]

I've done Knight and I don't care for it. Mini-me conks out so early as to be nearly useless and takes forever to recharge.

Even with the AOE repair packs?  I find them very handy for quickly recharging allies and citys under attack, and usually carry a bunch of them (I found an ally selling them really cheap. ).

[Gus Smedstad]

Diplomat is actually pretty strong.  It's fairly easy to take on T2's and T3's if the turrets and defending ships are all stunned.  And unlike the Zealot power, there's no relationship hit.

 - Gus

[J. M. Pescado]

That seems doable, though there's a possibility the B (Economic) cities will all be wiped out before you can take one and convert, particularly if you start with the weakest archetype, Religious.

Winning economically when you yourself are not economic to start is really a pain in the nutsack, yes. To really succeed at this, you need to save immediately when you start the Civ stage, build a 100% speed vehicle and then build as many as you can. Claim as many spice geysers as you can, quite likely nearly all of them because you are so FAST, and raid tribal huts. Sometimes a tribal hut will give you a vehicle, possibly an economic vehicle. If you don't receive an economic vehicle, you'll have to reload and try again, the results are random. If you can pull up two or three economic vehicles, you can initiate economics without an economic city.

To then win economically, find an underdog civilization, probably military, and ally with them: Give them gifts until they go neutral, then provide air support with your military for their attacking forces. You will quickly gain a nice rel boost for "Fought our enemy" and become allies. When they conquer the city, start a trade route and buy it from them to gain +Economic Win rating. This will let you secure an economic win, since Economic Win is depends entirely on how many cities you conquer economically, not how much stuff you kill. As long as you make the ally do the dirty work of blasting cities into rubble for you so you can buy them afterwards, you will get the blue win. Be careful not to proceed too fast! Cities you "conquer" because your allies joined you at the end are conquered in the style of your original start and will detract from Economic Winnage.

Zealot is good if you are going to kill, kill, and kill some more. Prolly the best is to keep close to home as a RRGB, conquering or allying as it pleases you until you're at max level and ready to take on the Grox. Then become a Spodist to get Zealot.

You can create really Godlike colonies as a Zealot, especially early on: Use the Monolith tool to uplift a terraformed T3 planet. It will sprout up to 5-10 cities. Then Trade and Ally with them to gain Trader and Diplomat badges, then immediately eat them with your superpower. Free colony, better than anything you could have made. The Trader superpower is an insuperior version of this because you must still pay $10M to take over the colony, making it non-viable early on, but you can do so without cheesing off everyone within 10pc. On the other hand, you could just kill them. That's what Holy War Against All is all about.

I've done Knight and I don't care for it. Mini-me conks out so early as to be nearly useless and takes forever to recharge.

All archetype superpowers recharge instantly when you reload your game. Mini-Me is probably useful as an ally that no one cares if he dies. Still, allies are...not so useful.

Diplomat is actually pretty strong.  It's fairly easy to take on T2's and T3's if the turrets and defending ships are all stunned.  And unlike the Zealot power, there's no relationship hit.

Static Cling is pretty powerful for that, yes. It may seem undiplomatic to use this power to INVADE them, but hey, phasers are universal communicators! However, there *IS* a relationship penalty for BOMBING people, whereas the Zealot power, while carrying up to -200 "Broke Galactic Code", incurs no penalty for the actual capture itself. You are not penalized for harming their planets, bombing their cities, destroying their ships, or otherwise being mean to them.

Incidentally, the Grox *LIKE* it when you break the galactic code. If you use this power against them, will they like you more for it, even as you steal their planets? This is my plan: To get the Grox buttered up by getting them to be non-hostile-on-sight, then just stealing all their bases while making them love me for it. All your base are belong to us!