From: varneyml@wckn.dorm.clarkson.edu (Mike Varney)
Subject: ALT.GAMES.GB FAQ - Pt. 2/2
Organization: Clarkson University
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 04:02:04 GMT


	This is the second part of the alt.games.gb FAQ sheet v4.0.

	This posting serves as an appendix to the alt.games.gb
FAQ sheet.  It has a series of ten questions asked to several gb
veterans by Mike Varney [and painstakingly edited by me :)] and
their responses.  These questions and their responses are designed
for novice players.  They don't cover many aspects of the game, but
they can be very helpful.

Contents:
PART 1 -- Setting up your race
	Should I choose a metamorphic race or a normal race?
	What type of home planet should I choose?
	How should I spent my remaining points?
	What sector preferences should I choose?
PART 2 -- The Beginning of the Game
	What should I do before the first update?
	What is the first ship I should build?  The second?
	What can I do to increase my resource production on any
		given planet?
PART 3 -- Later in the Game
	Should I colonize the planets in my own system first, or should I 
		focus on arriving in other systems before opponents can?
	What should I do when I see another ship other than my own?

[Editorial comment:  These answers are not all necessarily right.  As 
you will see from the wide range of answers for each question, everyone
has their own playing style and their own opinions on how newbies should
proceed.  In my opinion, there are several misleading and some totally
wrong answers in here, so take these with a grain of salt.  I'm not
saying that all of my strategy tips are foolproof:  I've tried to give
a balanced view of the game in light of all the different viewpoints
I've heard.  Still, I may not succeeded in presenting the whole picture
accurately, and I don't want to pretend to know everything about the
way the game should be played.  In sum...you have been warned.  Also,
I have edited the original responses where necessary to make them more
readable, either by slightly rewording a vague sentence, making the
format more readable, changing grammar here and there, etc.          ]

Key:  FEEP = cfodor@UCSD.edu (Christopher Fodor // Feepness)
      KJM = sigma@ipl.rpi.edu (Kevin Martin // Lestat)
      GVB = gvbraun@vipunen.hut.fi (Toni Kotinurmi aka Keskiolut)
      NR = djewhurs@mira.acs.calpoly.edu (Derek Jewhurst aka Neue Regel)
      GARF = jkoi@niksula.cs.hut.fi (Jari Koivikko // Garfel)
      RN = nesiusra@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Rob Nesius)
      GURU = ccs003@fred.ucdavis.edu ( David Fernandez // Thing )
      MUU = danderse@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Dan Andersen // Muu)
      FNEB = ingram@u.washington.edu (Doug Ingram // Fnebish Legion)
      MICR = solman@athena.mit.edu (Jason W. Solinsky // Microbians)
      TRIB = shire@ecst.csuchico.edu (Shire // Tribbles)
      NB = boutell@freezer.cns.udel.edu ()
      PW = Petri.Wessman@hut.fi (Petri Wessman // TheCulture)
      FGS = d86y@vax5.cit.cornell.edu (Jerry Liu // Froos)
      GRIF = pad@franklin.cc.utas.edu.au (Paul Daniels // Griffons )
      PILL = pad@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au (Scott Donavan // Pillarian )
      TAO = f33054r@kaira.hut.fi (Jukka Sinisalo // Tao)
      EMPI = s35327h@taltta.hut.fi (Samuli Suomi // Empire)
      LB = sbaker@eng.auburn.edu (Link Baker)
      JF = Ferguson@lifesci.lscf.ucsb.edu (J. Mitchell Ferguson)

******** PART 1 - SETTING UP YOUR RACE ********

(1)  Should I chose a metamorphic race or a normal race?
--------------------------------------------------------

FEEP Normal for me.  With high IQ, and try to max out metabolism.

KJM  Metas are more work because they are able to send pods out fairly early 
     in the game.  Typically, they will have a large number of pods out at 
     most times.  Since they need to get ahead early, you really have to
     pay attention to them.

GVB  Whatever, not too specialized race is the main point. If you have a 
     specialized race, you MUST know what you're doing.

NR   Normal 

GARF I prefer normal 'cause i get lot of tech

RN   The concept of a 'normal' race might be more comfortable for a 
     newbie.  There are a number of pros and cons to consider.  The
     normal races, also referred to as 'techies', start out with their
     IQ at a high number.  Their tech then increases roughly at the rate
     of IQ/100.  Which means it grows at a linear rate.  Morph's intel-
     ligence, on the other hand, is based on their population.  So, before
     a Morph can increase it's tech, it must increase it's population.
     In consideration of this, Morphs have the ability to build 'pods' 
     at zero tech, and launch them to other planets, thus letting them 
     expand throughout their home systems at a comparable rate to the 
     'techies'.  Morph's usually have a higher 'fight' than 'normals'. 
     It is possible for Morphs and Techies to be allies.  The game is
     not 'morphs' against 'techies'.
 
GURU If you want to get the higher tech toys first, get a normal race with
     a high int; otherwise, a meta is a better choice.  They start out slow
     but can catch up quickly.

MUU  Well, as a newbie, I would start as a normal race.  They get a
     technological advantage over the meta's right from the start.
     They are also much more straight forward to play.  Meta's can get
     get very complex and very time-consuming in the beginning.
     Also, Normal's tend to attempt to enslave Meta's as soon as
     possible.  Therefore, if you are not very experienced, you will 
     not be able to keep a Meta as a free empire.

FNEB Choose metamorphs if you want to concentrate more on ground fighting
     and a more dynamic (and time-consuming) game.  Choose a normal race if 
     you'd rather experiment with building ship types, with the ultimate 
     goal of finding a good metamorphic ally to do the "dirty work" for you. 
     Both types of races can just as easily win the game, and they're both 
     just as difficult to learn how to play well.

MICR You can have fun with both types of races. I've always found the HAP
     racegen to favor normal races and the GB racegen to favor
     metamorphs, but the universe will always need a mixture of both. In
     my experience metamorphs have represented a considerably greater
     time consumption than normals, so you should take this into account.
     (of course any race will take a long time if you occupy to much of
     the galaxy). On the GB racegen you can create some interesting
     crosses between metamorphs and normals (like races with collective
     IQ's but neither pods nor absorb.) Most of these combinations are
     disastrous, but others (like a collective IQ, no pods Jovian) can
     be both interesting AND playable.

TRIB I would suggest a normal race, they tend to have less ship to worry
     about, and a lot less complications.  A meso to be effective must 
     know about tech investiments, how to maximize population, and uses 
     of pods.

NB   If you want to explore all the nifty ship types of the game, I would
     suggest you not be a metamorph. Also, being a metamorph successfully
     requires either tireless fingers or an understanding of macros!

PW   Depends on whether you want to side with the "Techs" or the
     "Morphs"... Metamorphs can build pods very early in the game, so they
     get a head start on the normal races, who have to wait until they can
     build a shuttle to get off their home world. Morphs have a collective
     IQ, which means that in the beginning their technology level will
     increase *very* slowly. Since your tech level determines what kind of
     whiz-bang stuff you can build, it will take a while until your average
     Morph race gets its first shuttle up in the air. Things even out later
     in the game.

FGS  Depends on your playing strategy.  If you enjoy spending a lot of time
     playing with ships and fleets I'd choose normal.  If you don't want to
     spend a heck a lot of time and don't mind spending your time on
     planet surfaces, choose morph.

GRIF It really depends on the game that you are playing..  If you are
     playing in one of the clakson games it is a must.  With the HAP
     games you really aught to start out with a tech race.  Choosing a
     normal race will allow you to build better ships earlier, in general,
     while the meta races tend to allow you to have nice things like
     higher fighting capability, etc. With the clarkson enroling system 
     the meta's are the strongest races, you can make a meta with the same 
     characteristics as a top line normal cheaper, giving you more points 
     to use for increasing your abilities.

PILL This is entirely up to individual tastes, If you are just starting
     then flip a coin.. try that type then next game swap.. then perhaps
     make a decision as to what you will play...

TAO  I'd say normal.  If for no other reason but because many don't
     like them...  

EMPI It depends of which tactics you are going to use:  if you want
     to be good in man to man-fight, choose meta (because of absorption),
     if you want fast developing tech from the very beginning of the game,
     choose normal ( with iq like 170..) and so on...

LB   I have only played metamorphic races.  I like the fact that they can
     send up pods immediately and don't have to wait for tech.  They are 
     more challenging. You don't have the technology of a normal race.  
     Also, you can take a planet without having to destroy it (absorb). 
     That takes skill.  Anyone can bomb someone into the stone age. 

JF   Normal for the first games, it all makes much more sense.

(2)  What type of home planet should I choose?
----------------------------------------------

FEEP A high resource, low fertility planet (desert or airless)
     You can always icrease fertility later with resources.

KJM  Consider the sector compatibilities which are easiest for a given 
     planet type (they're usually marked with a * by racegen).  Planet
     types such as iceballs and airless are more difficult because they 
     tend to be smaller and have less resources, making your race slower 
     in getting underway.  Note - choosing Earth (Class M) planets may 
     seem tempting, and it's not a bad idea.  However, in some universes,
     there are many Earth inhabiting players.  This means there will be
     more competition against your race for these planets.
     
GVB  Pick a planet that is rather large ( desert,forest ) because you are
     not likely to get many planets in your first game...

NR   Class M / Earth

GARF 1. Desert        2. Forest       3. Earth (you need too many sector 
     preferences to use this planet effectively)
	
RN   This primarily depends on the sector compatibilities you choose.
     Jovian planets (gas giants) are very large, and have the ability to 
     fuel up ships (so I hear).  Half of the sector space in a galaxy is 
     gas.  Jovians are few and far between.  Their resource content is not 
     very rich, but passable.  Whether or not Jovian races should be allowed 
     to terraform sectors to gas is being debated.  Class M's are primarily
     like earth.  Don't be fooled, they have LOTS of water...usually.  If
     you have water as a compat, class M is not a bad choice.  Water
     balls are usually small but not too bad for resources.  Iceballs are
     few and far between (I think) but also not too bad for resources.

GURU Picking planets is tough.  I like to start on a Class M or desert
     since they are usually large.  Large home worlds are good because 
     they can be taxed, and a big planet has more res than a small one.

MUU  I would go for the generic M-type planet.  They aren't the most
     common, but they are really useful.  As another option, you could
     go for a desert planet.  These are GREAT for resources, but are
     generally very rare.  Forest planets are also good, as they produce
     decent amounts of resources and your population will explode.  As 
     for other planets, such as asteroids, airballs, iceballs, and
     jovians, I would not advise choosing any of these as they all have
     problems associated with them, such as smallness, lack of resources, 
     and rarity (for the jovians).

FNEB Choose either a Jovian, a desert planet, a Class M, or a forest
     planet.  All the other types are too small to start with, and 
     you'll find yourself having a hard time producing resources since 
     production on a given planet goes as _the_power_ "number of sectors 
     owned."  Producing resources quickly on your home planet is crucial.

MICR Personally, I like forest and desert planets. They have very good
     resource concentrations and despite much of the documentation, they
     are often quite large. To a certain extent, planet choice is moot
     because planetary size, and atmosphere have a much greater effect on
     the game than the planet type. Just make sure you are compatible
     with the vast majority of sectors that appear on your planet. (One
     reason I dislike class-Ms is because most races don't have enough
     sector preference diversity to colonize greater than 90% of the
     sectors, and the uncolonized sectors stick out like a sore thumb.) 

TRIB To start out with, use either forest or desert.  Higher resources,
     and costs less in racegen; you can thus pick other sector pref's.  
     I prefer a forest planet myself.

NB   I tend toward earthlike planets. Jovians are fun too if you don't 
     mind being somewhat separated from the mainstream of the game.

PW   Again a matter of taste :-)  I personally love desert worlds, since
     they have an extremely high resource content (i.e. you can build huge
     amounts of stuff from them). On the down side, desert worlds are low
     on fertility, so your population increses quite slowly. The "basic"
     home world is a "Type M" (Earth-type) planet, which is pretty even in
     all respects -- a pretty good choice for your first game. Other
     choices are the Water world (not that great), Iceball (avoid!), the
     Forest world (low resources, high fertility), and the Jovian. Jovians
     are unique in that they automatically make your race a gas-breather
     (which rules out any other sector preferences). This make for a
     division in the game between the Jovians and all the other races, as
     neither can use each other's worlds (although Jovians *can* terraform
     normal worlds into gas ones -- this could be considered a bug). You
     probably shouldn't choose a Jovian for your first game, although if
     you're feeling brave go for it!

FGS  Doesn't really matter too much.  Just don't pick an iceball or asteroid
     since those usually are kind of small and puts a constraint on your
     earlier expansion.  Don't choose forest worlds, either.  There aren't
     too many of those.

GRIF It really depends on what you want out of your home planet.  For
     cheap compatibilites, you should choose a forest. For high populations,
     forest or water then earth.  For resources, desert. The best way is 
     to fiddle around with the enrol system until you have enough points 
     to do what you want.  You will find that the cost for compatabilities 
     change as your home planets do.  This cost has eliminated iceballs 
     from being a viable starting planet.

PILL Most choose a class M (All sector types except gas) simply because
     it enables the player to parallel their race against the thinking
     of a modern day situation.

TAO  Maybe earth or forest (if this is asked).  Both have fairly good
     fert and resources.  Not desert, because fert is so low there.  

EMPI In earth-,forest- and joviantype planet your population grows faster...
     In desert-type planet you have relatively greater resources...
     Of iceballs and Airlesses I have no experiences..

LB   Earth type planets. Their size can support a decent population (Meso's
     need population for tech).  They have pretty good resources.

JF   Desert, or Earth. Both are fairly large size planets, have plenty
     of resources, and can be found in just about every system.

(3)  How should I spend my remaining points?  
--------------------------------------------

FEEP Fiddle around, trying different things every game... that
      makes it fun.

GVB  Metabolism is great, at least 1.0, and fight should never be
     below 3 or 4.

RN   IQ will take most of them.  Good IQ is about 150-170, 200 if you
     really want to spend the points.

GARF Raise iq to at least 180 and metabolism to 0.9.  Drop adventurism
     to 0.05, birthrate to 0.6 (or maybe 0.5; it's not important to have
     it high), and get a little fertilize.

RN   Metabolism is a good place to put points.  This represents how active
     your race is.  A race with a low metab(.8 is considered low) will 
     build up fuel, and resources(res) at a slower rate than a race 
     with a 1.0 metab.  You don't absolutely need a high metab.  Lower
     metab is still playable, but it requires shrewder planning and
     foresight on the part of the player.  Birthrate should be high.
     Adventurism need not be high.  It represents the chances of members
     of your race deciding to expand the 'frontier'.  For techies, iq
     is usually a good one to boost up.  Don't take more than 3-6 sexes
     required to reproduce.

GURU Always try and get a metab of 1.00 or great.  I like to have 1 sex,
     since it makes colonizing easier.  Concentrate on either a smart race
     or a good fighter type race.

MUU  A high IQ is nice, as this allows your technology level to increase
     more quickly.  Sector preferences are also really nice.  For a normal
     race, the other stats aren't as important, in my opinion.  A low
     mass is useful, and sometimes you can save a lot of points by 
     reducing your adventurism to as low as possible.  This has the 
     effect of having to move all your population manually...  They will
     not move on their own.

FNEB Get at least three sector preferences, but don't go for the "common"
     choices.  It's best to find an unusual mix.  You'll work much better
     with potential allies since you won't be wanting the same types of 
     sectors. Also, make sure your metab is _at_least_ 1.0 unless you're
     a Jovian race (in which case 0.9 is a good minimum).  If you're not 
     going to spend the points on a high iq, spend 'em on fight or metabolism.
     Don't try to max things out too much...at high levels of any attribute,
     then the cost rises much more quickly than the attribute, but you want 
     something high to give your race a distinct edge, if possible.

MICR It's up to you. Generally, its not possible to take over the
     universe on yuor own, so you should make sure that you have
     something to offer potential allies. A perfectly well-rounded race,
     may not have much to contribute

TRIB For a first time player, try to only add sector prefs, go with the
     default setting for the most part.  They're not great, but they're not
     bad either.  I would try to have these sectors pref's:  Forest, Water,
     Desert, and land.  Also drop your # of sexes to 1.  It make metabolism
     a little cheaper.

NB   Fight ability is good, but I tend to think reproduction (minimizing
     number of sexes) is more important.

PW   Hmmm... depends heavily on the type of play you're going to foll. If
     you're a "tech" then you can downplay the "fight" and invest in IQ,
     and vice versa if you're going to go for the "Wood Clubs & Brute
     Strength" -department :-)  I personally like investing a lot in IQ
     (tech).

FGS  Make sure you have decent IQ (~150), reasonable birthrate (>0.6),
     good metabolism(1 or so), and try to be compatible with as many
     sectors as you can.

GRIF Well that really depends.  To pull out the maximum res you need
     both a high pop and a high metab (res is required for the building
     of ships).  Also Birth is good and so are compatibilities to sectors;
     likewise, someone with fight 10 troops is really nasty to come
     across.  The only way to really tell what you need is by your
     playing style.  That only comes with experience...  Go for a basic
     race that populates well and has 180 tech...  it is a good start
     for a beginner.

PILL Again it depends on what race you chose. If metamorph then fight
     would be useful followed by birth, then sectors (preferences).
     You may wish to sacrifice some of the iq tech level for other things.
     If techie, then perhaps higher iq.  Fight is not highly required but
     a fight of one is a major loss. With such a low fight most techies would 
     be (initially) at the mercy of meso pods. Then you can choose between
     birth and metab.

TAO  I usually drop my fight a little, buy metabolism and then just sort
     of spread the rest evenly (no use taking too much fertilizing or 
     adventure though.  If you won't be able to play in the start, then 
     that advantage might help).  Be unisex if you have the points.

EMPI Take higher fight,metabolism and iq...  IMHO don't waste your points
     to get better fertilization; after the tech-level 5, the Space Plows
     will have the same effect...
 
LB   Metabolism is very important.  After that a meso should go for fight.
     Birthrate is fine at 50 - 60 %.  Spend extra points on met and fight.
     Maybe sector compat. also, but it's expensive.

JF   Desert, or Earth. Both are fairly large size planets, have plenty
     of resources, and can be found in just about every system.

(4)  What sector preferences should I chose?
--------------------------------------------

FEEP Definitely water, desert, land, and mountain.  When playing a "Jovian"
     race, you really can't go wrong since there is a very high percentage
     of gas giants out there.

GVB  Main preference plus one or two another ( take 100%, because they're 
     cheap after the first 30% or so... ). So, maybe a desert and forest.
     Or another good choise: desert, land and mountain.

NR   For a Class M planet, take land, water, and ice.  These are very
     common to the other planets too.  Forest can also be a good choice.

GARF with desert: land/mountain;  with forest:  land/mountain/water;
     with earth: land/water/mount (mount is not important but has high
     resource content).

RN   Recommendations for these are plated, land, and water.  You should have
     compatibility with these three sectors before you choose others.  You 
     don't need 90-100% on every secotr type you do choose.  You can select 
     50% or lower so you can make use of the few odd sectors, or asteroids,
     forest planets, etc. . .  Ice is a good one, since it shows up on 
     iceballs and most classM planets on the poles.

GURU Pick as many sector prefs as you can; get them to at least 25%.  The
     best ones in my opinion are home planet sector, desert, mountain,
     land, forest, water then ice.

MUU  If you don't have a sector preference in a certain sector type, you
     effectively can't live on those sector types.  So, if you can afford
     it, buy some compatibility in all, or most of the sectors.  They
     don't have to be bought at 100%.  10%-20% should do for most of
     them.  Be sure to get one or two sector-types at a high compatibility,
     such as 90%-100%.  If you live on a Class M, I would suggest land,
     water, forest, and a little desert.  Again, if you can, get at least
     a little in all the sector types.

FNEB I mentioned this a little bit before.  Land and forest have the
     highest fertility (I'm not mentioning gas since, if you take a Jovian 
     race, gas is your only viable option), hence can support more population. 
     This is good for races with collective iq.  Mountain and desert have 
     high resource content but low fertility, so they're good for races with 
     high metab.  Ice is useful since it is found on almost all the planets 
     in at least some small amounts, and water is a good choice for a race 
     starting on a class M, though it is generally poor in resource content. 
     Select an unusual mix and you'll find working with allies much easier.

MICR Similarly it's not a good idea to be compatible with every kind of
     sector. MANY alliances are based on sector incompatibilities.

TRIB See comment to question 3.
        
NB   Land, forest, and water are my favorites.

PW   100% for your "home" sector type (i.e. water for water worlds etc.),
     and at least 50% on a couple of others. "Land" and "Mountain" are
     pretty good choices, since they are quite common. Again, this depends
     on your play style. You can either invest a lot in sec. preferences
     and be able to utilize pretty much anything right at once, or you can
     invest in tech and build Terraformers as soon as possible (with
     Terraformers you can change sector types into your own preferred
     sector type.

FGS  Try to include either land or mountain because many of the asteroid/
     iceball type planetary bodies will have one of these two sectors on them.

GRIF Totally dependent on your home planet. The more the better but you
     will find that some sector preferences cost too much due to you being 
     on a planet that does not have the sector much. You will get the idea 
     if you try having a desert home and water compatibility.  Water tends
     to be one of the most common (generally supports high pop but low
     res production).  Forest is the same as water but supports a higher
     pop and is very rare (throughout the universe, that is).  Land,
     is incredibly common with average pop and res production.  Ice is
     common, supports little population but high than average res.  Gas
     is only good if you are a Jovian race: low pop/sector and low res.
     Mountain his high res and low pop.  Desert same as mountain but
     generally more res.

PILL Depending on what race gen is being employed will depend on you avenues
     of decision. These mainly being that you will require 100% of the main
     sector(s) of what ever planet type you have chosen. Ie class M land(*)
     or mountain (^) on the GB enroll system. Variances have and will occur
     in the 2 main race gens available.. (GB's { code, and Clay's port
     driven system).

TAO  I've had quite a good start with starting on earth and being able
     to use water, desert and land.  Deserts could be changed to mount,
     maybe.  That way you can land on most planets, get resourceful
     sectors (desert) and still can spread well on your home planet (water).

EMPI As many as possible so you have wider basement when you start to colonize
     colonizeother planets..... Mountain is resource-rich and quite a non-
     rare sector type, but it costs points.  If you take gas, you don't
     need to take any other sector types..  :)

LB   Water is pretty abundant in the universe.  Forest is rare.  Choose
     water, and then land or mountains.  Stay away from rare sector types.

JF   Besides your planet type sector, definitely choose mountain.  There
     are mountains on every planet, and asteroid.

******** PART 2 - THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME ********
 
(1)  What should I do before the first update?
----------------------------------------------

FEEP Beg for an update.  It doesn't make much of a difference to unload
     people from the government center.

GVB  Unload @, spread the ppl to next-to-@-sectors. Because you NEED as much ppl
     ppl as possible and they do _not_ reproduce without you spreading them.
     Even if you have high adventurism this is recommended.

NR   Get your MIN-SEXES to as many sectors as you can. You will be limited
     by both AP's and total population.  I tend to unload 4-6 people from
     my @ before the 1st update.  Load them back in after the update though.

GARF Unload your @ (load #number c -10).  Depending on your number of
     sexes, that number of people to the highest fertility sectors so
     you have a lot of people after the 1st update.

RN   Move your people around.  It's important to get your planet covered as
     much as possible.  Move them around in small groups so you use fewer
     action points.  Soon, your people will start making resources and fuel.
     HINT:  Use the 'analysis' command to determine which sectors are your 
     most resource rich.  It's probably not a good idea to unload people
     from the government center.  You need people there to maintain
     efficiency, which is a very important aspect of secotr stats.  The 
     more efficient you are, the faster you pump out res.  And the more
     effecient your goverment, well. . . think about it.

GURU On the first update, take enough people out of your @ and move them
     1 space away from your @.  This will help you spread out faster, but
     you will not get as many ap's as fast.  After the first update, load
     the @ to full again.

MUU  The most enjoyable thing to do, and sometimes really useful, is
     to meet all the people.  Potential allies and enemies always pop up.
     You should also look at your position and determine possible routes
     to nearby stars. That's about all I usually do before the update, 
     except for unloading the @.  On the very first update, I usually
     unload five(5) crew from the government center.  I then spread
     them around to five nearby sectors.  After the first update, one
     should always reload the center with crew, as an insufficiently
     manned center does not produce Action Points(AP's), which, as you
     will find out, limits the number of actions you can do.  AP's are
     vital in the beginning of the game.

FNEB Nothing, unless you want to try unloading your government center
     Raising tax rates and mobilizing should come after about the
     6th or 7th updates, IMHO.  If you will be on at the update so that
     you can reload your center after the first update, go ahead and do
     it.  Unloading your center at the beginning, taking 4 crew out, is
     nice because it gives you a head start on your expansion at the
     cost of only a couple of AP's (this is not entirely clear to me
     due to conflicting information, but I'm told that centers probably
     _don't_ produce fewer AP's with less crew inside...still, you 
     might as well keep it fully loaded after the first update).

MICR If you are playing in a game where you start out with 1200 people,
     You probabally want to colonize the four sectors on a diagonal from
     your start sector. (I assume here that all races have six sexes or
     less) If your race has one sex move one person into each sector,
     otherwise move six. This will use your APs most efficiently.  If
     you are playing in a game where you start with one person, you
     might want to unload the government center, but never unload more
     than 5 and reload it immediately after the first turn.

TRIB Drop the # of civ's in capitol by half.  Use extra population on
     the planet.  Rember to load up the cap again later.  Also, spread
     people over sectors, just put your # of sexes in each sector that
     you have ap for.    ample.  I have 1 sex, thus I move 1 pop into all
     but one of the surrounding sectors, I then move all but one in orig
     sector into the one empty sector, then I repeat the process again until
     planet is covered.  If you have over 40 pop in a sector though, move 
     only half.  If costs too much ap to move more than 20 pop.

NB   Not much! Try out commands, read the help extensively, and try to
     communicate via broadcasting with other players.  I've never tried
     to unload my @!  Hey, maybe I'm not all that far from a newbie
     myself.

PW   Unload the crew of the government center (@), and move people to
     nearby sectors that look promising (high resources and compatible
     sector type). Chat with the other players. Try not to think of the
     million other things you should be doing instead of playing this
     (altogether too addictive) game....

FGS  Spread your people out.  I usually unload my @.  For a morph,
     dump off about 3 or 4.  You only have 5 AP's to start out with,
     and it costs one to move one guy, so dropping off more really
     doesn't help.

GRIF Unload your @ and spread the pop out, but don't forget to load the @ 
     back up after the update

PILL First, unload 5 crew from your capitol (ship number of your capitol
     will be equal to your race number)...eg, "load @ c -5" or "load
     #shipnum c -5".  Once you have done this, you spread out the 5 pop
     (one at a time as you have only 5 AP's before the first update.  Make
     sure you don't move the pop onto imcompatible sectors.  This is, of
     course only if you are a one sex race; you would have to modify the
     numbers for how many sexes you have.  As long as you move a whole
     "breeding group" you are okay.  The good point of this:  It helps
     get your pop increasing faster; fert and eff on those sectors will
     already start to increase.  Bad:  You will get half the AP's that
     update, so I suggest after the first update you load your gov center
     back up.  Remember that a capitol or gov center will only produce
     ap in relation to its current level of crew (ie. 100% crew gives
     you 100% ap, etc.).  The next thing you should do is have a look
     at the number and distribution of the planets in your home system.
     Next, go to the global scope and have a look at where you are in
     the universe (this is important as your position will determine as
     a whole your further strategy).  Other things you may consider doing:
     naming your governor, perhaps changing your password, appointing a
     second governor (more for your convenience than anything).  I would
     also (if you are willing to, that is) place your email address in
     your "personal" this helps when you "run" into other races. It makes
     the politics much simpler. However in a HAP game this is regarded as 
     a BIG nono.  Next, I would think about the possible access to a 
     postscript printer.  If you have access to one, then I strongly 
     suggest that you pipe a copy of the stars list to a log file, then
     generate a stars map (the program to do this is available all over
     the place.  I think gb.dorm.clarkson.edu has a mail daemon that
     will send it to you [It does. -ed].  Then I would just wait.

TAO  Not much that you need to do.  Talk to others and ask stupid
     questions...  They'll help you.  I usually unload people from my
     government center and spread them out.

EMPI Use command: help and if theres still something unclear use broadcast 
     and ask it from other players, theres always experienced players around.
     Unload people from your @ so you can start to populate more quickly.

LB   View the maps of your home planet, system, and your location in the
     universe.  Unload @ and spread the people around. Find out how close
     neighboring systems are, which one's you want to explore 1st.  Unload
     all but one crew from your @ so you still get some AP's.  Spread 'em
     around.  Load it back up after the 1st update.  You should have
     plenty of pop unless you have a really shitty birthrate.  Get that
     planet covered A.S.A.P.

JF   Get all but one of your people out of the Gov Center, and
     do spread them around it. Look to see where in the universe you
     are, just for curiosity.

(2)  What is the first ship I should build?  The second?
--------------------------------------------------------

FEEP If you are impatient and have lots of r, you can build a ground
     telescope and survey your system, otherwise wait and build a factory
     for shuttles.

GVB  First to build is F. Modify it to make s's, as cheap and FAST as 
     possible, maybe carrying nothing but 1 cargo (for upgrading later)
     and SEX-number of people plus as much fuel as possible.

NR   Make a factory as soon as you can.  Have it produce stripped down
     shuttles so you can get to as many planets as possible.

GARF One ground telescope as soon as you get tech 5 and 2 res then aim
     at the nearest planets, then a Factory to build shuttles with a
     modified speed of at least 6.

RN   A good choice for a first ship for a techie is a Factory.  Use the
     factory to build a shuttle to send out to the other planets in the
     solar system.  Also, while your factory is fixing itself,(it starts
     with 75% damage and needs time to repair.) build a ground telescope
     so that you can see what the planets in your system are like, and 
     don't send your first shuttle to an incompatible planet.

GURU The first ship you should build is a factory; do not build it,
     though, until you have enough res to turn it on.  Wait until you
     have at least 33 res before building it.  You want the shuttle to
     hold only the minimum number of crew, no guns, no destruct, and
     no resources.  This will let you pay less per shuttle and spend
     more on speed.  If you are a meta, just start building and launching
     pods as soon as you get the res and fuel to do it.

MUU  The very first ship I would build is a telescope.  That way, you can
     examine the other planets in your solar system and see which ones
     you should target for colonization first.  The second should 
     probably be a Factory to build colonization shuttles.  These
     should have 5-10 crew and 10 crew if possible.  Remember, when 
     you construct a ship design on a Factory, you don't have to be
     at the given tech of the ship until you want to build them, which
     is as soon as the Factory comes online (about 3-4 updates after
     activation).

FNEB If you're a metamorph, build pods like crazy until you have the
     tech capability to build shuttles with speed 4 or so (you can
     experiment with a factory to find out what tech you need).  Other-
     wise, build _nothing_ until you've built your factory and turned
     it on.  Don't even build a little telescope.  You want that
     factory turned on ASAP, even if you have to set it to building
     really crappy and cheap shuttles.  Once you have something built,
     you can always modify it later (when you can afford it)...the 
     important thing is getting that F turned on.  Once you've spent
     your res doing this (it costs 23 plus twice the cost of the ship
     design to build and then turn on the factory), you can build a
     telescope to survey surrounding planets in your system.

MICR Pods for a Meso, shuttles for a normal. A lot depends on your
     strategy, your race, your start planet, and (especially with Ts)
     the rules of the game.

TRIB Hmmm....  This is questionable.  It really depends on the race.  For
     the normal player I would say shuttles and then explorers.  Though I've
     designed races to skip shuttle production before.  Remember shuttles are 
     for in system exploration mostly while explorers are for other systems

NB   The first ship is almost invariably a shuttle from which the weapons
     systems and so on have been stripped that can carry your minimum number
     of sexes to another planet in your system for colonization. The second?
     Another one! Later you should build some shuttles with a bit of destruct
     on board, to give you a chance of snuffing out unwanted alien colonies
     at the beginning of their existence.  Of course, if you're a morph,
     you'll build pods first.

PW   In GB a "ship" is anything that you build, so in GB terms the first
     ship you should build is (a) a pod, if you're a morph; (b) a ground
     telescope if you're a normal race.  With this gadget you can view
     your solar system and get some picture of your position so you can
     send your shuttles to the right places.  The second ship type you
     should build is a factory (F).  When you have enough tech and res,
     you can order it to produce shuttles (for instance) and in a couple
     of updates, you can start spreading out.

FGS  If you're a morph, pods. :-)  If normal, shuttle, then maybe explorer.

GRIF Depends on what you can build pods are good for a meso. a shuttle 
     factory for all those who do not have pods.

PILL Again it depends on what race you are.. Meso .. You pod like crazy..
     if you are a techy then I suggest that you build a telescope (gives
     you something to do more than anything) then save up for a factory..
     the second for a meso.. (second type not the second ship) would be
     K's (Space plows..) at tech 5 ..

TAO  First ground telescope to see what planets there are in your system.
     Then shuttles...

EMPI Perhaps the Ground Telescope would be best as a firts ship... With 
     it you can survey other planets in your star system...  Second would
     be a factory to produce shuttles to get colonization to start...
     Dont forget to set your tax to about 5 percent, 'cause maintaining of 
     the ships takes money and if you dont have money your morale drops...

LB   1st) For a meso, a pod. For a techie, a factory (To build shuttles)
     2nd) Meso - pod. Techie - whatever you have the tech for while you are 
     waiting on the shuttles. Domes help the planet and you. 

JF   A factory, for shuttles. Then a ground telescope, to check out 
     your system.

(4)  What can I do to increase my resource production on any given planet?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEEP Cover every sector.

GVB  Build Y's.  Nothing much else.

NR   Build Y's or q's.  Y's have an added effect of producing plated
     sectors which make it harder for any ships landed on that sector to be
     hit.  q's produce extra toxicity but give more resources in the
     beginning.  As your sector efficiency goes up, q's become less useful.

GARF You could use quarries, but i don't recommend it.  They cost res to 
     build and make the planet more toxic.

RN   You can increase resource production with 'quarries'.  Beware, you
     can generate 'toxicity' with quarries, but they will probably help
     you out very much.  Also, I belive Domes can be helpful.
 
GURU To increase res production, use domes (Y), and start out with a
     good metabolism.  Make the domes on sectors that have the most res
     in them; use the analysis command to find out which sector has the
     most res.  Also make sure you can live on that type sector.

MUU  Generally, get as much population as possible.  Cover your
     homeworld as soon as possible.  And build Domes (Y's) on a few
     sectors to get their efficiency up (which affects resource
     production).

FNEB First, cover every single sector you are compatible with.  Next, if 
     you have spare resources, you can build domes to increase the efficiency
     of some sectors, which will increase your overall average efficiency, 
     which will, in turn, increase production without hurting your planet. 
     I've found that quarries are a real waste of time and resources.

MICR Well, you are going to have to wait a while before you get any
     significant production. If you are a non-Jovian and you have the
     tech and resources to spare, you might want to consider domes.
     Either way, KEEP THE TAXES LOW.

TRIB You can build quarries, though I never do.  You can also increase your
     population using K's and build Y's(domes) to increase it's effiency.
     If your real brave you can design your race to have a real high metab,
     like 1.5.  Thus you'd never have to worry about resources.

NB   Spread your population thoroughly (make sure you're compatible with the
     sectors you put people on however), and build domes when you have the
     available time and resources; domes increase efficiency greatly.

PW   Move people to the sectors with the highest resource contents, build
     domes (Y) on the best sectors, and possibly build a space plow (K) to
     increase sector fertility so that more people appear there. If the
     planet has the wrong type of atmosphere or temperature you can use
     atmosphere processors, space mirrors, dust canisters and greenhouse
     gas to good effect.

FGS  You could build quarries, or try to put your guys on high res sectors.

GRIF Increase the average efficency(through doming) or increase the pop
     through space plows etc. 

PILL Well the bets way to increase r productio is to increase you effeciency.
     you can o this by Doming sectors.. Beleive me it is worht putting r 
     into domes!!!!

TAO  Build domes, quarrys, terraformers, space plows...

EMPI You can build Domes after tech-level 5, they increase your sector 
     efficiency on which depends your resource-production....

LB   Get that entire planet covered! After that you'll have to increase the
     efficiencies of the sectors with domes.  Other than that there's not
     much else you can do. That's why it's important to have metabolism.

JF   Wait.  Quarries are overrated.

******** PART 3 - LATER IN THE GAME ********

(1) Should I colonize the planets in my own system first, or should
	I focus on arriving in other systems before opponents can?
-------------------------------------------------------------------

FEEP Concentrate on other systems, except hit the high fertility
     planets in your system at the same time.  An enemy could 
     breed on a class M ten times faster than on an iceball.

GVB  Because you are a beginner, take your own system first.

NR   Depends on how close the neighboring systems are.  I try to go for the
     neighboring systems first and get a shuttle to my own planets after I
     have sent out 2 or 3 s's to the other systems.  If systems are very
     close (< 10K) it would probably be better to get those first shuttles
     to your own planets.  Don't forget to build a telescope and check out
     your own planets.  This can save you a lot of time by not having to
     go to every planet.

GARF Both if possible.  Colonize only the best planets of your own
     system, like those over 40% compatibility and go fast to the
     nearest systems!
	
RN   Try to colonize your own system first, and estabilsh a good population 
     base and fleet.  Throughout the beginning, you may talk confidentially 
     to other players, or publicly to everyone.  If you can get a crypt set 
     up with another player, feel free to ask questions.  Also, God is an 
     experienced player who can give advice, but don't run to him before 
     trying to figure it out on your own.  Otherwise he'd be swamped.  
     It's good to establish friendly relations with other players, and even
     better ones with races who are in a position to mess with you.  
     Try to get on peoples' good side.  Even if you are going to backstab 
     them. :-)

GURU Do both.  Use one ship to colonize the planets in your star.  Use
     a telescope to save time by aiming it at the planets and seeing if
     you can live on them.  Use your remaining ships to colonize the
     nearest stars to you.

MUU  Generally, get as much population as possible.  Cover your homeworld
     as soon as possible.  And build Domes(Y's) on a few sectors to
     get their efficiency up(which affects resource production).

FNEB Use a telescope to check out the planets in your system if you have the
     tech to do it.  Colonize those you are compatible with, but always send
     your first dozen or so ships out of system so they can get a head start
     on the race with the other players to arrive at and colonize unpopulated
     systems.  If waiting to colonize your planets allows some other race to 
     sneak in, odds are it will be quite easy for you to kick that player 
     out since you will have the resources nearby to build the necessary 
     ships to do it.  This is a last resort of course, since you should
     always ally with your neighbors if at all possible.

MICR Contrary to most of the advice I've been given, I ususally colonize
     my home system first. It costs less in time, and after you colonize 
     your home, you can use the same ships to arrive at other systems.

TRIB BOTH!  You start off colonizing your planet until you get enough tech
     to build speed 6-7 shuttles.  Then use upgrade (cs into ship scope have
     resources on ship and use "upg speed 7").  When you can do this then 
     send some shuttles to other systems.  When you can build explorers, do
     so and send them to other systems.  An awesome race would have the
     ability to skip shuttles, go to explorers and thus explore out space
     the same time as it colonizes its home planets, but it's risky even 
     for experienced players.

NB   Colonize your own system quickly! Arriving in other systems early is
     fine if you can build some speed 9 shuttles to zip to the nearest stars,
     but hyperdrive will arrive before your slower shuttles reach places much
     further than a star or two away. If you're a 'morph, of course, you 
     should be firing off pods from the very first updates!

PW   I'd say focus on the other systems. The primitive ship types (pod,
     shuttle) move slowly, so you have to be fast if you want to make
     it to the best spots before anyone alse does.  You'll always have 
     time later to focus on your own system.

FGS  Do your own first.  Easier and faster and it'll give you additonal 
     supplies to conquer other systems with.

GRIF The latter, the more territory that you can gain early the more that 
     you will not have to fight ovewr later

PILL Again everything is relative.. But my answer would be YES! You should 
     colonize your system first. You must at least devote your first inter-
     scope ship to the task.. then work out from there.. if you have close
     neighbours.. and they get to you first.. and you haven't colonized your
     system, you could be inviting dissaster.

TAO  I'd say it depends on what kind of planets you've got.  If you have
     great planets in your own system (the telescope!), send the first ones
     there.  Otherwise sort of divide your forces...

EMPI IMHO, colonize your planets first before somebody else do it...

LB   Everybody should have their own strategy regarding this. 

JF   Usually the competition for other systems doesn't happen for a
     while. Definetly go for your own system first.

(2)  What should I do when I see another ship other than my own?
----------------------------------------------------------------

FEEP Talk first... don't give away too much.  If it's named
     something nice like "Friendly" then you can assume it's going to
     be OK.  Also, if it is a size 1 shuttle you don't have much to
     worry about in any case, but a size 6 d, you should definitely
     make friends if you aren't going to be able to destroy it
     immediately.  Put yourself in the other peson's place (he is
     just trying to colonize and will be pretty pissed if you blow
     away his ship for no reason other than he exists.)  Also keep
     in mind that this person is probably very near you as well.
     A close-in fight like that can be disastrous in a game.

GVB  Talk, negotiate.  Do not shoot first, you'll be losing most probably.

NR   Don't try and destroy them right off.  That person could be your best
     ally later on.  If you see another ship early in the game, it means
     that someone else is close by.  If you start into a war right away,
     you will have a really hard time building up at all.  The other
     players who are not fighting right away have more time to expand to
     other systems.

GARF Try to negotiate armistice if he is in a high place in power list,
     or if you have good allies near then splat that bastard.

RN   When this first happened to me, I pannicked somewhat.  After I calmed
     my self down and thought it out, Irealized that the ships were not
     a major threat, and that they couldn't know I was here, so it's not
     a personal attack on me the player.  Open up a dialogue.  If there is
     a planet you can't use but they can, let them in exchange for
     permission to colonize in their own system.  YOU CAN'T WIN GALACTIC
     BLOODSHED ON YOUR OWN.  FIND OUT ABOUT 'ALLIANCES' AND BLOCKS.  
     THESE ARE WHAT CAN BE DECIDING FACTORS IN WINNING THE GAME.

GURU If you see another ship that is not yours, send a telegram to the
     ship's owner.  If he is hostile, capture it.  If it is in your home
     system, capture it no matter what.

MUU  That really depends on you.  If you want a war, then by all
     means, do what you will.  However, it can be REALLY profitable to
     team up with a Meta, if you are a norm.  They generally produce more
     rapidly, and make great troops.  Be careful, though, they are not as
     easy to supress as some might lead you to beleive.  Thinking of him
     as "my Meta" might just get you into a nasty little fight.  Again,
     its really up to you and the situation.

FNEB Try to find out what player number owns it by using "tact."  If it
     is your own pod and you see the other ship on a map, tact won't
     work, but there is a trick for seeing who owns other ships which
     appear on your map but are too far away for a tactical command to
     work on them:  Use the "highlight" command to run through the list
     of players, generating a new map for each new highlighted player.
     As soon as the other ship lights up, you'll be able to see who
     owns it.  It's best to talk to that person since he's probably a
     neighbor.  If you want peace, don't start by making demands or
     claims of "I was here first."  That gets are no where.  Of course,
     as a general rule, I only let the _most_ trusted allies colonize my 
     home systems.  Players should understand that being allowed to place 
     a colony in another's home system is probably a pretty big act of trust. 
     A lot of full-scale and crippling wars have been fought simply because
     one player refused to leave another's home system.  Deal with this as
     you see fit.

MICR Diplomacy. Declare neutrality if you have the APs and start talking
     to the owner. Look for an alliance and try to ascertain the enemy's
     experence.  Oh, and one other thing. I've done EXTREMELY well in my 
     first two games and the secret to my success has been (with the exception 
     the diety of course) NEVER EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LET ON THAT 
     YOU ARE A NEWBIE!!!!

TRIB Talk first, shoot later.  Besides, the first ship you see will most
     likely be in a place where you can't do much any way.  Allies can be 
     more powerful than enemies.  *grin*  Think about it.

NB   If it's in your own system, or one just adjacent to it, don't shoot right
     away (unless it's a missile - ALWAYS shoot missiles, and be sure to give
     their owners a hard time about it in the future!) Try to communicate with
     the owner. If you're seeing them relatively early in the game, then
     they're probably a neighbor, and you need to negotiate with neighbors to
     avoid counterproductive wars. You may have a planet useless to you that
     would be useful to them - and vice versa.  When pods burst in your
     system, talk to the owners *quick.* If they don't respond, snuff out
     the one - man invasion that results on whichever planet it showed
     up, and do it quickly, because 'morphs reproduce like, well, 'morphs.
     Bunnies can't hold a candle.

PW   If it's a pod it might be a good idea to shoot it down (at least if
     its in your home system), otherwise talking is a *very* good idea.
     Making too many enemies too fast in the game can lead to your home
     planet being turned into a nuclear test site :-)

FGS  This really depends on the individual context.  Try to talk to 
     the owner, perhaps.

GRIF Close to find out who owns it and then try to parley with them.
     Successful parleying can allow you to have a good relationship or
     give you time so that you can backstab later.

PILL Find out who it belongs to (ie tact)!  Then the best idea is to talk to
     the owner (ie email to him) or send him a telegram, etc., then decide 
     between you two what you are going to do.  Then progress from there.. 
     However you have to remember that generating a fair trust level in this 
     game is difficult.. if you mess up explain the mess up.. else you could
     inviyte war at the drop of a hat.. this could be good.. but then again :)

TAO  Send him a message and say Hi!
	
EMPI Try always negotiate first, you need allys to be good in this game...
     And GOOD LUCK! ..we may meet sometime...

LB   Do a 'tactical' on it to see what it is, who owns it, etc . . . If it's 
     an enemy and you have an armed ship around, blast it (fire command). 
     If you are close enough board the ship and capture it (Assault command).
     Any alien ship in your system is a threat. You might want to telegram 
     the person and find out what his intentions are before taking action.
     A pod is trouble; it means a meso is looking to colonize.

JF   Send a message offering them one of the planets you don't use,
     or tell them that you live there already.

------
	Comments, flames, and questions are welcome and should be sent 
to me at ingram@u.washington.edu.  This will be posted monthly or as the
need arises, and I'll email it upon request.  Copies are also available
via anonymous ftp at morticia.cnns.unt.edu (login as the user "anonymous"
and give your email address as the password when ftp asks for it).  Also,
you can get a copy of this via email by sending a null body message to
"menu@gb.dorm.clarkson.edu" with the subject line "FAQ".

Doug Ingram -- Fnebish Legion // ingram@u.washington.edu // "Carpe Datum."


Newsgroups: alt.games.gb