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Shadow Empire

Started by Jarhead0331, April 08, 2020, 04:02:19 PM

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Pete Dero

A great source for info on the game is DasTactic.

His tutorial playlist (20 videos !) : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGB6RkFB7ZmPoXDAaR8FbM3xujwMsDgEv

He also played a number of games on his Twitch channel : https://www.twitch.tv/dastactic/videos?filter=archives&sort=time

Rayfer

Quote from: Pete Dero on July 15, 2020, 08:21:41 AM
A great source for info on the game is DasTactic.

His tutorial playlist (20 videos !) : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGB6RkFB7ZmPoXDAaR8FbM3xujwMsDgEv

He also played a number of games on his Twitch channel : https://www.twitch.tv/dastactic/videos?filter=archives&sort=time

He just added this one today which covers the significant changes in the most recent update.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2xL5wk6uGY

FarAway Sooner

Good stuff, Pete!  I've watched one or two videos on the game, and I've been awful intrigued by the mechanics I've seen.  DasTactic basically showed me how to play Distant Worlds: Universe.  He does good vids.

That is an impressive list of titles from Vic.  Thanks!


jamus34

So after struggling through probably a dozen if not more restarts over the past week I've finally started "getting it".

Logistics is still somewhat of a mystery besides "build more truck depots" if I see any bottlenecks.

My current game has me with 6 zones, 2 minors won via diplomacy, 2 minors conquered and creating a new zone that was way out on it's own with nothing around.

over the past week I've probably put in 20+ hours.

I think it's safe to say I'm hooked.
Insert witty comment here.

CJReich46

Das is doing a play through, but he has a link to a flag mod on his You Tube playthrough

:)
" He either fears his fate too much
Or his deserts are small,
Who dares not put it to the touch
To win or lose it all."  - James Graham 1st Marquis of Montrose

Father Ted

Quote from: jamus34 on August 18, 2020, 12:49:06 PM

I think it's safe to say I'm hooked.


I'm "stuck" 40 turns into my first play through.  That represents a fair few hours.  I was really smitten at first with the strategic, economic and (of course) logistical mechanisms on show, but my game is developing at a really slow pace.  Maybe I need to go back and try a smaller world...

jamus34

#171
Quote from: Father Ted on August 20, 2020, 04:17:12 PM
Quote from: jamus34 on August 18, 2020, 12:49:06 PM

I think it's safe to say I'm hooked.


I'm "stuck" 40 turns into my first play through.  That represents a fair few hours.  I was really smitten at first with the strategic, economic and (of course) logistical mechanisms on show, but my game is developing at a really slow pace.  Maybe I need to go back and try a smaller world...

It does slow down...I'm still taking over minors at a good clip but I currently have all councils at this point and my tech research speed feels glacial.

I also am metal strapped so that is limiting my growth and expansion. There were very few initial deposits so that has hurt. I am mostly using infantry and MG infantry with 1 brigade of light armor and a battalion of motorized artillery to push on the capital city of whomever I am at odds with at the time. I'll use MG infantry to defend a border if I have multiple fronts until I can swing my armor around to deal with the interlopers.

I'm on turn 78 and I'm still in the first two advanced tech areas. Although I did start my game at tech 3 so I had to research all the basic techs.
Insert witty comment here.

solops

Really, really addictive. Hoping the UI improves. Frustrated with borders.
"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly. - Winston Churchill
Wine is sure proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. - Benjamin Franklin

solops

#173
I cannot quit playing it. I wake up sometimes thinking about this game...it is interdering with other games I want to play. The two biggest roadblocks I have run into are:

1. When to create a new SHQ

2. When/how are my logistics bad, i.e. troops not getting replacements, etc.

The answers are naturally related. D'Turtle helped on the Matrix forum. I quote him below and add my own bits.

1. New SHQ: 

When do you need a second SHQ?
When your logistics can no longer handle pulling everything to a single SHQ and then pushing it out to all the zones and units. When exactly this happens can vary by quite a lot:
Terrain (mountains making it impossible to build rails or paved roads), metal availability ( allowing you to build rail everywhere), physical size (at some point even rail has limits, roads obviously a lot faster), size of economy (with a few large cities you can reach production numbers that are not really possible to push around each turn), cut off areas (maybe taking over a minor far from the rest of your cities via diplomacy), etc.

Is there a limit or penalty point on how many cities an SHQ can handle?
No, but in reality probably yes. Remember, everything a zone produces that it doesn't need itself gets sent to the SHQ and from the SHQ to different zones. This can require a huge amount of logistical points.

How many troops and OHQs can an SHQ handle?
As many as your logistical network can support. Use the bottleneck to see how much of a buffer you have with your current logistics and use preview mode to get a feeling for how many logistical points units need. You can also take a look under Stats-> Unit logistics to get summary values of the amount of food, fuel, energy, and ammo your units need every turn.

2. Logistical Supply strangulation
Take a look at the bottleneck overlay of logistics. It is the left-over logistics divided by the initial logistics (so basically the spare capacity). When this starts dropping below 50% or so right outside the SHQ hex you should look into upgrading truck stations or rail stations. At some point you will reach a point where you simply can't keep up with updating them, or it gets prohibitively expensive to upgrade.

You can also click on the SHQ and take a look at the supply tab. It shows how many of the available logistical points (for the SHQ) were used to move everything from the SHQ to zones, from zones to the SHQ, from the SHQ to units, and for replacements.

So, when you start getting a bottleneck/restriction near your SHQ, you need to either bump up the trucks/rail capacity at the SHQ or make an new SHQ. The bottleneck is caused by supplies/replacements/materials coming in as well as going out. Making rail/truck centers at other cities relieves some of the pressure and extends ranges, but a lot of the stuff has to come from your SHQ, as it is the center of it all, the main depot, especially for supply and replacements and the volume restriction will be worst there. Supply depots also help with network extension, but not much with volume.

There is not a single supply report that summarizes all of this.

"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly. - Winston Churchill
Wine is sure proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. - Benjamin Franklin

solops

#174
Third big problem - Research. There are two types of research -  linear and binary. Binary is a topic you spend points on and then you get "it" all at once..research finished. Linear research is progressve, i.e. you get better at what you are researching over time as you put more points into it turn after turn. So you almost NEVER can get to 100% and if you are not watching it, you wind up going 30 turns and realize, Hey! Nothing is happening and i am behind on all my R&D because I have been pumping poiints into a black hole to get an extra 1% of proficiency.

sadly (aggravatingly) the choice screen for what to research inexcusably does NOT tell you if a topic is linear or binary. AFTER you have chosen it, the next turn you have to go to the appropriate directory council detail and read through it to see if the item is linear or binary. This is an easily fixed item that the dev has not hinted at addressing. Arghh.
"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly. - Winston Churchill
Wine is sure proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. - Benjamin Franklin

W8taminute

I agree the research screens could be a bit more clear in explaining what category will lead to inventions and what categories will lead to other theories opening up.

Took me about 5 games to memorize what does what but that was only for the early part of the research tree. 
"You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend."

Romulan Commander to Kirk

MOS:96B2P

Quote from: solops on October 02, 2020, 12:25:16 PM
I cannot quit playing it. I wake up sometimes thinking about this game...it is interdering with other games I want to play.

:)  This is one of the most complimentary statements I've read about a PC game.  I also read somewhere that its going to be released on Steam in December.  I might end up getting this one. 

Sparhawk

I've been waiting with great anticipation for the release on Steam. There are few games I will buy before a sale and this is one. My money is burning a hole in my pocket.

Jarhead0331

Quote from: Sparhawk on October 16, 2020, 10:44:57 PM
I've been waiting with great anticipation for the release on Steam. There are few games I will buy before a sale and this is one. My money is burning a hole in my pocket.

Why not just buy it now from slitherine and then when it releases on steam get the free steam code from slitherine?
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


jamus34

One thing I feel the game is missing is any kind of air or navel element.

That  said I'm not sure either would work well with the scope the game is presented in.

Insert witty comment here.