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From: vergis@cs.umn.edu (Anastasios Vergis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games
Subject: Re: Spaceward Ho!
Keywords: Spaceward Ho, ingenious
Message-ID: <1991May24.210612.10004@cs.umn.edu>
Date: 24 May 91 21:06:12 GMT
References: <1991May23.233744.13508@tc.fluke.COM>
Organization: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, CSci dept.
Lines: 99

In article <1991May23.233744.13508@tc.fluke.COM> moore@tc.fluke.COM (Matt Moore) writes:
>
> Has anyone succeeded in beating the "Ingenious" computer players? If so,
>how did you do it?
>
> Peter Commons was nice enough to tell me that the "Ingenious" computer
>players pay less money and metal than a human would for the smae ships.
>I've found that they build huge fleets I can't do anything about.
>
>						Matt Moore
>						John Fluke Mfg. Co.

Well, I bought Spaceward Ho! 3 weeks ago. I haven't lost a game since.
I started with 2 "normal" computer players, then 4 "clever"
and I am now close to winning my 2nd game against 8 "ingenious"!
(By the way, it froze once against 10 "ingenious", but fortunately
only after 10 turns or so -- the file disappeared).
The game almost seems too easy already.
Here's my strategy:

1) Expand - expand-expand!
Don't worry too much about tech initially. (Actually, I was behind in tech
-about 3nd- in the last two games almost till the end.)
Expand.
Get ahead in number of stars and income early in the game. (the idea
being, if you have the money, you can always make tech later).
Get an early start in number of stars! 
In the first few turns,
terraform almost as many planets as your income allows (do not colonize
stars which are expensive to terrafprm, leave them for later).

2) In expanding, get the unoccupied planets! Do not insist on attacking,
as this is too costly. Also, you are going to lose some planets.
Do not try to recupture them (initially!). Instead spend your money
to expand. (Its much-much easier to expand through vacuum).
What you can do after losing a planet is boost the defences of your
nearby stars.

2') Quite early in the game ( after 10-20 owned stars), you must be
expanding in at least 3 directions. This means at least 3 colony ships.
It is a good idea to wait for range tech 8-12 before building your
next colony ship. So invest more on range (and speed secondarily) than
on weapons (initially!).
Later on, invest nothing on these! (range 13 or so is enough).

3) In expanding, you may leave alone stars which are "behind" your line
of occupied stars. You can always conquer them later. It's better
to conquer now stars which are onoccupied, before somebody else takes
them, as it's much cheaper to defend them than to attack them!

4) In expanding, you will have to conquer unprofitable planets,
just in order to advance. Do that. You will be rewarded later
as some juicy planets will surely lie ahead. 
Abandon them after building a sat.
If you can afford it, strip-metal them first, especially if
they are close to the enemy.
(Do not strip-metal planets behind your lines, leave them in reserve for
later, they will always be available!)

4') In playing the "ring" galaxy, I went "through" the local clusters
by simply jumping to unoccupied stars at the periphery of the enemy cluster.
I was in all clusters but two when I started to "really" attack!.
In expanding, I met serious opposition in one of them (2 clusters away from my
home cluster), in which case I abandoned expansion in this direction
and concentrated in the other. Defended the "border" with
this player like hell though! Many an expensive ship did he lose to my
lowly sats!

5) You will be able to attack quite late in the game,
after the expansion phase, or should I say frenzy! ("small" attacks
at about tech 12 and 16 and the serious attack about tech 20-22).
Until your big attack, you will be a lot behind, almost last,
in ship power; this is fine-- you are investing in expansion!--
when you've got the money you'll show them!
Build tech for your attack.
Build a lot of ships (20-30) for your attack. 
(You will still be behind in tech, like 2nd
or 3nd, that's fine! You are 1st in stars and 1st in income,
which means you've got the metal and you've got the money!)
Attack the weak player (tech at least 5 less that yours).
With all the exploring you have done before, you will know the general
area and tech of each player.
Do not lose more than 2-3 ships per attack.
Attack an area which can be used as shield to protect
owned stars (so you dont have to worry about defending them henceforh).
This means do not attack the "center", attack an area which shields
one of your "corners", and which has a short "border" with the strong
players.
By that time, of course, you will have colonies all over the galaxy!


The above are basically the same ideas I've found useful in Strategic
Conquest. (Expand through vacuum, attack after your expanding
phase, attack in strength!) I am winning about 90% against strength 15
in this game. That's why I am already a bit disappointed in Spaceward Ho!,
it seems I will never lose.
Great game though!

-- Anastasios Vergis