Armada 2526 Supernova PBEM campaigns

Martok · April 27, 2012, 12:43:12 AM

Your normal Martok service will resume later today (Friday). :)

W8taminute · April 27, 2012, 10:35:44 AM

^Awesome and welcome back!

Martok · May 17, 2012, 06:38:16 AM

By the by, in case it wasn't already clear, I will be away from my PC (and thus Armada) from now through the weekend. I'll be back to resume play on Monday!

DV8 · May 17, 2012, 07:48:31 AM

Is Supernova a true expansion or is it standalone?

W8taminute · May 17, 2012, 09:22:56 AM

Copy that Martok. Have fun!!!

Supernova is indeed an expansion which requires Armada 2526 to play.

Martok · May 23, 2012, 12:20:19 PM

Hey Shelldrake, I'm showing the last turn I received from you was a week ago (May 15). This is for both our campaigns, including the 3-way game with W8taminute.

Have we run into technical difficulties? (Please say no!)

On a separate note, if there's anyone else who has Supernova that's interested in a PBEM campaign (ArizonaTank? Jarhead? Republic?), don't be shy about stepping forward! We've got a small but fun group of players here, and I think it would be great to see us become a little more, ah, self-perpetuating. 8)

If anyone is concerned about being outclassed by us "veterans", and/or that MP matches would be too cutthroat, rest assured very few of us consider ourselves experts, and most of us have a genuinely laid-back playing style. Not that wars aren't fun ( ;D ), but most matches have thus far been played with a combination of role-playing and realpolitik, and so aren't constant knife-fights. (In fact, most of my PBEM campaigns have been pretty quiet so far. Not that they'll remain that way forever, of course!)

Also, I wouldn't mind if we could get a somewhat larger game going if possible. I'm not thinking a ton of people -- just 5-6 players, probably -- but I think it could definitely be fun. I'm already involved in a couple other larger PBEM campaigns like that, and I'll not deny I enjoy them!

W8taminute · May 23, 2012, 01:49:32 PM

Hi guys,

I'm also showing the last turn I received was on May 15th.

Shelldrake · May 23, 2012, 02:58:47 PM

I will check when I get home but I seem to recall the last turn I sent was just before Martok left on his road trip.

EDIT: My gmail box shows a turn from w8taminute on May 15 and Martok's turns on May 16. I thought I played them but maybe not. My bad...turns sent.

Martok · May 23, 2012, 07:38:25 PM

No worries, my friend. And yes, I got both turns now. :)

Incidentally, in our 3-way game, I recently concluded a limited but successful war against the Teyes. I managed to wipe out two of their colonies (and subsequently planted my own flag in both star systems), both of which were uncomfortably close to my homeworld. My only losses were a couple of scout ships, so I definitely came out ahead.

Overall, I was pretty lucky, as I managed to catch most of their fleet out of position. By the time they were able to bring in reinforcements, I'd already done most of the damage I'd intended to, and declared victory. (Hee!)

I'd actually have preferred to prosecute the war still further, as there's yet another (3rd) system the Flock "stole" from me...and which again is a bit too close to my capital for comfort. However, any further action must wait for the time being, as their fleet is just strong enough to threaten my colonies, most of which are still woefully under-defended (and my own fleet can't be everywhere to protect them). Gotta build up planetary defenses a bit more before I consider another war against the Teyes, and that's going to take time. Their day of reckoning will come soon, however... ;D

OJsDad · May 23, 2012, 08:48:47 PM

I see I can get both Armada and Supernova for less than $7, so I may get it and see about joining you guys for some fun. I should note that it is download only from Amazon, never purchased a download only from Amazon before, any thing I should be warry about, or should I wait and buy direct from Matrix.

Martok · May 24, 2012, 01:05:13 AM

Quote from: OJsDad on May 23, 2012, 08:48:47 PM
I see I can get both Armada and Supernova for less than $7, so I may get it and see about joining you guys for some fun. I should note that it is download only from Amazon, never purchased a download only from Amazon before, any thing I should be warry about, or should I wait and buy direct from Matrix.

My only question/concern would be whether Amazon allows you to re-download the game when necessary. Providing they do, however, then I'd definitely say go ahead and get it. That's a great price for the bundle!

Shelldrake · May 24, 2012, 05:51:01 AM

Martok,
In our 3-way game I am just a few turns away from being able to declare war on the Race of Machines,who are hemming me in on the SW. Similarly, the QaQa are in my crosshairs in our other game. Warclouds on the horizon! ;D

W8taminute · May 24, 2012, 02:00:21 PM

I have been struggling getting my economy up and running. I'm still only pulling in 500 credits a turn. I really love this game but obviously I'm having trouble picking up on how to run a profitable empire whilst maintaining a decent defense force.

By the way, thank you for the tech Shelldrake. That's going to go a long way towards helping some of my planets become more profitable.

Martok · May 24, 2012, 08:04:02 PM

@OJsDad: Did you end up buying the game, then? If you did and are interested in a PBEM match, let us know!

Quote from: Shelldrake on May 24, 2012, 05:51:01 AM
Martok,
In our 3-way game I am just a few turns away from being able to declare war on the Race of Machines,who are hemming me in on the SW. Similarly, the QaQa are in my crosshairs in our other game. Warclouds on the horizon! ;D

Let me know when you're ready to move against the Qa-Qa, as they're a thorn in my side as well. I've kept the peace with them thus far, but they have a number of colonies inside "my" territory that I would love to acquire and/or eradicate.

Any idea what kind of timetable you're looking at? I'm wondering how long I have to further build up my fleet before you decide to press the "Go!" button. 8)

Quote from: W8taminute on May 24, 2012, 02:00:21 PM
I have been struggling getting my economy up and running. I'm still only pulling in 500 credits a turn. I really love this game but obviously I'm having trouble picking up on how to run a profitable empire whilst maintaining a decent defense force.

The economy is Armada does tend to be pretty tight -- somewhat less so later on, but even then I've rarely pulled in "Monty Haul" levels of income. It's one of the things I really like about this game; you have to make genuinely hard choices about how and where you spend your money.

The key here is that you have to prioritize things. While that's only me repeating advice given by others, it's still very true: Quite simply, you can almost never build all that you want with the funds you have on hand.

So what exactly does this mean? A few specific tips:

1.) Focus development on just a few key planets (including your homeworld) in the beginning. On the rest of your colonies, I recommend being downright miserly in what you build there -- I myself tend to only build (at most!) a mine, and perhaps a landing station (if I have another nearby colony with a trade/tourism feature). As your income gradually increases, you can slowly begin devoting more money to developing additional colonies...but not too much.

2.) If I have a planet with a trade/tourism feature, I usually hold back on purchasing the facilities necessary to exploit it unless it's close enough (22-24 grid squares IIRC) to several of your other colonies. Otherwise, those facilities won't generate enough income to be worthwhile (remember they have an upkeep cost like every other building).

3.) Aside from perhaps a few light missile batteries to discourage minor raids, don't bother with constructing heavy defenses except on your most important colonies (which should generally also be those few you're concentrating development on).

4.) Likewise, try to be frugal with your navy: Only build Ark Ships for star systems you plan on actually colonizing in the near future. Try not to maintain more than 1-2 battle fleets at a time. Don't be afraid to scrap/retire older/obsolete vessels when appropriate.

I realize you're probably doing most (if not all) of these things already, but I figure it doesn't hurt to mention it again for those new to the game. And even if you are doing everything right, it can still take a good while for your income to ramp up -- believe me, I know! Sometimes, all one can do is wait and slowly nurse one's strength -- both military and economic.

OJsDad · May 24, 2012, 09:44:09 PM

Quote from: Martok on May 24, 2012, 08:04:02 PM
@OJsDad: Did you end up buying the game, then? If you did and are interested in a PBEM match, let us know!

, all one can do is wait and slowly nurse one's strength -- both military and economic.

Not yet. I have about $43 in gift cards from Amazon, but I cannot use them for those downloads. I see they have the Gold addition of Armada for $28 boxed. Am I correct that this edition is both Armada and Supernova? So I'm going to get that, will take a week or so before I get it though.