Shadow Empire

[Geezer]

OK, just checked and mine also says the Service Tax is generating the points.  Thanks.

[solops]

Production of everything is done within a zone. Each zone has its own buffer stocks, and and first tries to handle everything with the resources within the zone. The zone requests resources that it doesn't have but needs from the SHQ, and it sends it surplus to the SHQ (Strategic Headquarter).

You can see a detailed balance and update sheet per zone in the Management -> Assets screen when you activate the extension button. Look for red and yellow numbers to see what is not functioning optimal. If you click such a number, it filters the assets that are affected.

The side panel in the Map view with resources are the stocks of the SHQ. The SHQ sends these to units, to zones and it uses them in international trade.

With all those panels you can trace exactly where what is being produced, what are the penalties, etc. The Manage Assets screen is one of my goto places each turn to spot possible new crises before they really hit you.

When you do have bottlenecks, you can mothball, or run an non-vital asset at 25%, 50% or 75% of capacity, to free up some workers or energy and have your critical assets work at full capacity despite global shortages. That way you can repair your bottlenecks more quickly. But when everything runs smooth, you don't have to micromanage anything here.

\\Thanks. But I know all of this. It does not come close to answering my questions about rail point allocation, stopping points, etc.

[Lotti Fuehrscheim]

Production ...

\\Thanks. But I know all of this. It does not come close to answering my questions about rail point allocation, stopping points, etc.

I was answering a question from Geezer about production, not lecturing on Logistics.

[solops]

Production ...

\\Thanks. But I know all of this. It does not come close to answering my questions about rail point allocation, stopping points, etc.

I was answering a question from Geezer about production, not lecturing on Logistics.

Oh.....
Right. I knew that.

[airboy]

On turn 59.  I screwed up one thing - but it is not fatal (I think).

Got my victory up to 33% and control 42% of the world's population.

I (hopefully) can win before my administration problem in the bloated area I allowed to grow too big bites me fatally.

I keep learning new ways to screw up my empire - which means I'm "learning."

[Lotti Fuehrscheim]

(moved from 'I finished it')

I finally won a game of Shadow Empire.

My "win" is embarrassingly meagre.  I played on Beginner level with no other major powers (only minors and unorganized).  This was a small planet.
My tech level and military are supreme.  I've conquered 48% of the world population and about 30% of the planet's surface.  This gave me a victory score of 39% (with 50% needed for an "official win.")

But this one is over after 16 hours of play.

Victory for Czar Panzer!  Miniature Schnauzers Rule!  [At least on the absolute easiest level possible].

My second game, started when the game came out on Steam, is on turn 132. I gathered a large empire, absorbing all minor cities in reach. Now there are three more Majors, which I probably dominate militarily, but my approach to the neighbour runs through a long narrow valley. I am afraid that they will be able to open up flank attacks by building roads through the mountains, which is (still?) free for AI empires. It will be a big, big, operation, and my empire begins to age: all freemen in my developed zones have become citizens, so no growth there. I have still a few small hunter cities that are unlocking new Freemen settlements in the vast unaligned wilderness to my East.

So I started a new game yesterday, trying to apply the numerous lessons I have learned in the meantime. Yhis run I am going to run my policies around the preferences of my best leaders, instead of trying to impose my own ideology. Every policy gives some positive perks, and an harmonious government appears very attractive now.

Also, I stop fiddling with detailed budget sliders, because the hurt from lowering a budget is much larger than the gain when you up it again.
Also, most sliders give profits that go with the square root of the investment, so in the long run an even distribution gives you more.

There are so many interesting choices in this game!

Two weeks ago I started a multiplayer game with three other players. We are still friendly to each other, while fighting the horrors of the planet itself. We are now on turn 32, so we do about 2 rounds per day now. As I was locked in by Nomads, where there is nothing to gain, to the West, the South pole to the South, a human Major to the North, and an AI major to the East, I am now in a serious regular war with an AI major. A whole different experience from fighting Minors. They actually slightly out-tech me, but I am catching up and a little bit smarter. I am in a hurry though, because my only metals mine already ran dry, and the closest replacement is 5 hexes behind the war front, so I must capture that one fast.



I am coming from the West, the metal mine is in Sossen. I just opened a breach with my new blitzers.

[Lotti Fuehrscheim]

Yesterday I made a major error, showing how unforgiving this game can be.

I had just unlocked combat armour on my infantry, so I made that the new regular infantry outfit, putting padded armour on low quality. And I had just enough resources to equip my Northern 1st Inf brigade with the new goodies; they were on the most heavily threatened part of the front.

I just forgot that I had told my brigades that low quality was unacceptable, instead of tolerated, so when the turn came back, all my infanterists in the 2nd and 3rd brigade had been sent on leave to the capital, because they were considered below par with just their padded armour. So there was just a tiny line of lone machinegunners and artillerists on the Central and Southern front.

Fortunately the AI wasn't aware of of this, and they still went ahead with their assault on my good Northern guys, and they got a bloody nose. Next turn all the partying troopers returned to their units.

The stories the game creates for you :-)

[airboy]

Lotti - I'm sure I would get my head handed to me on multiplayer. 

On the scale of this game, I would put myself at "barely mastered the basics on the easiest setting."

[Lotti Fuehrscheim]

Turn 34 and 35 of the offensive: this plays like a regular wargame now



Now the enemy Ziemerholt has a rebellion going on that has taken his second metal mine in Oube near the Mono desert, while my freshly recruited Blitzer brigade takes his other mine: it is undamaged, and ready to produce.



Next few turns I must crank out artillery, for when he retreats on his capital and we enter a siege phase. Disadvantage is that bombardment will destroy a lot of infrastructure that will need repairing when I conquer it.

Of course when a player now attacks me in the back, I am dead, and I see a human major creeping towards my Western border. So we must hurry on this front.

[Sparhawk]

I'm obsessed with this game. I recently conquered a minor regime and am unable to adjust the zone size. I'm currently trying to get a road connected to the zone capital but am bogged down crossing a mountain range and forest. I was wondering if I'm overlooking something concerning zone hex adjustment or is this not normal?

[Lotti Fuehrscheim]

I'm obsessed with this game. I recently conquered a minor regime and am unable to adjust the zone size. I'm currently trying to get a road connected to the zone capital but am bogged down crossing a mountain range and forest. I was wondering if I'm overlooking something concerning zone hex adjustment or is this not normal?

Select a hex in the zone you want to enlarge. If you are in Zone Paint mode, leave and start Zone Paint mode again. Then click on a hex outside the zone, bordering at at least two hexes from your selected zone. The hex will go to the zone. Continue with neighbouring hexes. If you want to remove a hex, leave Zone Paint again, go to a hex in the other zone, and then click on the hex you want to change.

I captured the enemy capital without bombardment, just drove a tank brigade into the defenders.

[solops]

I'm obsessed with this game. I recently conquered a minor regime and am unable to adjust the zone size. I'm currently trying to get a road connected to the zone capital but am bogged down crossing a mountain range and forest. I was wondering if I'm overlooking something concerning zone hex adjustment or is this not normal?

You are using the manual hex transfer utility in the same menu as road building?

[Sparhawk]

Using "Z" shortcut or selecting "zone borders" I always adjust my zones. This particular zone ended up with 2 hexes on a peninsula after being conquered and nothing I try will get the bordering hexes to switch to the selected zone.

[Lotti Fuehrscheim]

Using "Z" shortcut or selecting "zone borders" I always adjust my zones. This particular zone ended up with 2 hexes on a peninsula after being conquered and nothing I try will get the bordering hexes to switch to the selected zone.

Might be because you can't get two hexes from the zone bordering a new hex, if you are on a long thin peninsula.

I would make a bug report.

I assume Vic wanted to prevent you creating a snaking zone, but you can do that anyway by starting wide and then cutting away from the sides. However, in your case, it is unreasonable.

[Lotti Fuehrscheim]

Beginner mode, farmer planet, open water. Nice.

I conquer 1 farmer neighbour immediately, make peace with three other farmer neighbours, push back the 2 nomad neighbours, and conquer another farmer town up in the steppes. Fire up my economy.

Then everything comes to a screeching halt: I have no scientific knowledge to produce Power. So I go into hibernation, put most of my budget in economic discovery, but the lady in charge has limited talents. She keeps on discovering the wrong techs.

Until I start scientific cooperation with the two Majors: bang, first turn they give me Solar Power.

Then my Diplomatic council come online. I make the three farmer neighbours protectorates, then client states, then we all unite into an Empire.

I am now bigger than the two other majors together, and have a huge swarm of militia from all those clients. Privately funded. And only one brigade of professional infantry.

The Commander of that brigade is a V grade genius, yet he caused a serious accident with casualties and I had to reprimand him. But to get on his good side again I gave him a medal of merit and a bonus. That is how we roll here in Markt.

The game makes automatically screenshots at the beginning and end of every turn.

I put them into a video with http://makeavi.sourceforge.net/, a free open source product.

For the best results you will have to end each turn in the same display mode: units on, no unit selected in move mode, same logistics mode, same colouration, because the screenshot is taken in the mode you hit end turn.