Tasting the fruit, or "why I play the University."

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Author Topic:   Tasting the fruit, or "why I play the University."

Schoop posted 04-20-99 03:46 PM ET
This is #6 in a series of posts about the individual factions. Please comment and respond, but please stay on the topic of the faction.
The University is a favorite of many of the posters on this forum, and it is easy to see why. Many players are obsessed with having the best Tech on the Planet, and I agree that that is a totally valid way to play. The University can usually have the best Technology.
RESEARCH!
At +2 research, the UoP can get its advances quickly without pluggging as much energy into research. Free Network Nodes bump this up even more. As a result, it is often the University that nets the first Tech advance, and usually grabs Secrets of the Human Brain, too.
the HEAD START PROGRAM...
bonus tech at the beginning of the game: always a plus, no matter what you get. Especially if you get Centauri Ecology, Biogenetics, or Social Psych. The first lets you get out those Terraformers you need, the second give you even one more leg up on that first Secrets.
Definitely build:
THE HUNTER-SEEKER ALGORITHM!
With the UoP already weak to Probes, and Knowledge values causing even greater vulnerability, building this nifty toy negates the University's Social drawbacks.
the HUMAN GENOME PROJECT
The University has trouble with Drones. This provides a little extra buffer.
THAT DARN DRONE...
UoP has a Drone problem. Best solutions are to SE your Police rating up, or to pour money into Psych, if you can spare it from research.
Natural Rival: The Believers
They like Fundamentalist, you hate it.
You like Knowledge, they hate it.
Miriam will NOT be your friend. Solution is to attack her, not wait for her to come after you. Chances are you've got better weaponry than they've got armor, and the Believer's attack bonus won't help them there. Doing so also takes out the best Probes in the game, and good riddance!
TRANSCENDANCE!
The UoP can rocket up the Tech Tree, often being the first to nab any secret project, including Voice of Planet and hopefully Ascent to Transcendence. Even if someone else manages to finish AscTran first, you should still get a tidy big score. But who likes to lose??

JT 3 posted 04-20-99 04:40 PM ET
Okay, some things you forgot to mention, I'm a UoP pro, let me say them.
First: VIRTUAL WORLD. If you don't get this, take some serious consideration into starting over. Unless it's in another Faction's base closeby(hint: start building those troops).
Second: Effeciency=Much better UoP. I am in a game right now, and because of the +2 effeciency of Green, I got 23 bases built before that beurocracy screen came up(and it said "as your Faction swells to over TEN bases"! Hah!).
Third: If someone ticks you off in the early game, crush them. This is the best oppurtunity to win wars. They most certainly will be using no armor/hand weapons, or, if they're lucky, synthmetal/laser. You, on the other hand, should have Plasma/Impact. Also in my current game, I totaled Morgan because I had Impact at about 2125(could have gotten it sooner, but I wasn't researching in that direction). Because of this, the Jungle was all mine.
Fourth: PACTS. Make lots of them. Treaties, at least. You want as much commmerce as possible. The extra knowledge means you get more from this than they do. Make good use of it.
All for now. I'll probably post more later.
Q Cubed posted 04-21-99 06:15 PM ET
It often works from the isolationist standpoint as well. I often take my continent, build up my infrastructure, and get as many cities I can with high energy. Then, I'll be getting techs (even at the highest levels) at brisk paces, such as 1 every 4 or 5 turns (of course, the coffers suffer a little bit...)
After I've discovered all the technology, I'll be over 20 discoveries higher than the next advanced faction...which is when everything gets switched to industry and energy.
You'll be able to quickly build up your coffers and your military, and go out and vanquish those who thought you were immoral before.
genietAThomePOINTse posted 04-22-99 01:22 PM ET
:Natural Rival: The Believers
:They like Fundamentalist, you hate it.
:You like Knowledge, they hate it.
:Miriam will NOT be your friend. Solution is
:to attack her, not wait for her to come
:after you. Chances are you've got better
:weaponry than they've got armor, and the
:Believer's attack bonus won't help them
:there. Doing so also takes out the best
:Probes in the game, and good riddance!
Dont't start a war before you have the HS Algo. Especcially not if you are UoP vs. Believers. Miriam will just send some probe teams to the base you just conquered from her and steal your techs. Then she will take the base back with a probe team. The result is:
* You lost your army
* Miriam now has for example Air Power and Mind/Machine Interface, which means that you will have a lot of irritating things flying arout soon
* You didn't get any of her bases
Wait for the HS Algo. and beat her like hell with superior technology instead.
This is a useful warning for oter factions too.
Terran_Republic posted 04-26-99 09:13 PM ET
Lets just put it this way:
The University is the Best Faction!!!!!!!!
Lo_11 posted 07-29-99 11:21 AM ET
Back to the top...
Lo_11 posted 07-29-99 12:15 PM ET
I am currently playing the University with alot of bases. After about 35 land bases, the names of the bases became:
Alpha Sector, Beta Sector, Gamma Sector, etc.
What are your favorite UNIVERSITY STYLE basenames (especially ones you thought of yourself)?
Lo
Technocrat posted 08-02-99 01:03 AM ET
Astropolis (English of Cosmograd)
Intelligence Node
Neutrinopolis
Archaeology Academy (for placement next to Borehole Cluster or the Manifold Nexus)
University of Chiron
Gattaca Memorial
Psionic Science
For all those UoP players out there, what SE choices do you make? Usually, throughout the early, middle, and late stages of the game I stick with a Demo/Green/Knowledge or Wealth/Cybernetic or Eudaimonic system, but I was wondering what approaches others take. Does anyone else consider Free Market to be rather crippling (unless you have certain SPs)?
Technocrat
NotBrady posted 08-03-99 09:41 AM ET
I like the University very much too. For social eng. choices (I have not gotten to future choices yet) I started with dem., FM, and of coures Knowledge. I tried social engineering 40,20,40, but because of the burden of certian facilites I had to go to 50,0,50 and adjust my workers at the base screen. The PK were really out growing me and founding sea colonies all over my territory (I really hate this!). It is time to take some territory so I take a few Believers Cities and "invade" PK territory with sea colony pods. But now I really need a better strike force than I my social choices will allow, so I change to Police State. By now I have the HSAlg., Command Nexis (my first), and some other SP's. (Sorry, I can't remember all the SP names, but also important is "network nodes help drones," "+2 support", "BioE center", more). Unfortunatly the PK called for Uniting behind as SL" and has Miriam as a Pact Sister. All that is left is Spartans, and PK has truly made them Spartan. My reputation is only respectable I think, as rather than loose a conqured base to Mirmiam I obliterated it and cancalled Pact Brother with Morgan when he only had 1 base left, and also with PK because of the increase in sea colony pod invasion. Anyway, the game seems to be going well execpt that I really don't have the forces to make the first strike on PK and take and hold a city. Oh well, kind of rambled but UoP maybe is the best.
Technocrat posted 08-03-99 01:01 PM ET
If you a 4 efficiency or higher, you can have different values for your SE percentages (like 40-10-50 or 50-10-40) without any penalty, just so you know.
NotBrady posted 08-04-99 04:22 AM ET
Yeah, but as I understand it, only increases in 20% increments helps physc.
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Author	Topic: Tasting the fruit, or "why I play the University."
Schoop	posted 04-20-99 03:46 PM ET This is #6 in a series of posts about the individual factions. Please comment and respond, but please stay on the topic of the faction. The University is a favorite of many of the posters on this forum, and it is easy to see why. Many players are obsessed with having the best Tech on the Planet, and I agree that that is a totally valid way to play. The University can usually have the best Technology. RESEARCH! At +2 research, the UoP can get its advances quickly without pluggging as much energy into research. Free Network Nodes bump this up even more. As a result, it is often the University that nets the first Tech advance, and usually grabs Secrets of the Human Brain, too. the HEAD START PROGRAM... bonus tech at the beginning of the game: always a plus, no matter what you get. Especially if you get Centauri Ecology, Biogenetics, or Social Psych. The first lets you get out those Terraformers you need, the second give you even one more leg up on that first Secrets. Definitely build: THE HUNTER-SEEKER ALGORITHM! With the UoP already weak to Probes, and Knowledge values causing even greater vulnerability, building this nifty toy negates the University's Social drawbacks. the HUMAN GENOME PROJECT The University has trouble with Drones. This provides a little extra buffer. THAT DARN DRONE... UoP has a Drone problem. Best solutions are to SE your Police rating up, or to pour money into Psych, if you can spare it from research. Natural Rival: The Believers They like Fundamentalist, you hate it. You like Knowledge, they hate it. Miriam will NOT be your friend. Solution is to attack her, not wait for her to come after you. Chances are you've got better weaponry than they've got armor, and the Believer's attack bonus won't help them there. Doing so also takes out the best Probes in the game, and good riddance! TRANSCENDANCE! The UoP can rocket up the Tech Tree, often being the first to nab any secret project, including Voice of Planet and hopefully Ascent to Transcendence. Even if someone else manages to finish AscTran first, you should still get a tidy big score. But who likes to lose??
JT 3	posted 04-20-99 04:40 PM ET Okay, some things you forgot to mention, I'm a UoP pro, let me say them. First: VIRTUAL WORLD. If you don't get this, take some serious consideration into starting over. Unless it's in another Faction's base closeby(hint: start building those troops). Second: Effeciency=Much better UoP. I am in a game right now, and because of the +2 effeciency of Green, I got 23 bases built before that beurocracy screen came up(and it said "as your Faction swells to over TEN bases"! Hah!). Third: If someone ticks you off in the early game, crush them. This is the best oppurtunity to win wars. They most certainly will be using no armor/hand weapons, or, if they're lucky, synthmetal/laser. You, on the other hand, should have Plasma/Impact. Also in my current game, I totaled Morgan because I had Impact at about 2125(could have gotten it sooner, but I wasn't researching in that direction). Because of this, the Jungle was all mine. Fourth: PACTS. Make lots of them. Treaties, at least. You want as much commmerce as possible. The extra knowledge means you get more from this than they do. Make good use of it. All for now. I'll probably post more later.
Q Cubed	posted 04-21-99 06:15 PM ET It often works from the isolationist standpoint as well. I often take my continent, build up my infrastructure, and get as many cities I can with high energy. Then, I'll be getting techs (even at the highest levels) at brisk paces, such as 1 every 4 or 5 turns (of course, the coffers suffer a little bit...) After I've discovered all the technology, I'll be over 20 discoveries higher than the next advanced faction...which is when everything gets switched to industry and energy. You'll be able to quickly build up your coffers and your military, and go out and vanquish those who thought you were immoral before.
genietAThomePOINTse	posted 04-22-99 01:22 PM ET :Natural Rival: The Believers :They like Fundamentalist, you hate it. :You like Knowledge, they hate it. :Miriam will NOT be your friend. Solution is :to attack her, not wait for her to come :after you. Chances are you've got better :weaponry than they've got armor, and the :Believer's attack bonus won't help them :there. Doing so also takes out the best :Probes in the game, and good riddance! Dont't start a war before you have the HS Algo. Especcially not if you are UoP vs. Believers. Miriam will just send some probe teams to the base you just conquered from her and steal your techs. Then she will take the base back with a probe team. The result is: * You lost your army * Miriam now has for example Air Power and Mind/Machine Interface, which means that you will have a lot of irritating things flying arout soon * You didn't get any of her bases Wait for the HS Algo. and beat her like hell with superior technology instead. This is a useful warning for oter factions too.
Terran_Republic	posted 04-26-99 09:13 PM ET Lets just put it this way: The University is the Best Faction!!!!!!!!
Lo_11	posted 07-29-99 11:21 AM ET Back to the top...
Lo_11	posted 07-29-99 12:15 PM ET I am currently playing the University with alot of bases. After about 35 land bases, the names of the bases became: Alpha Sector, Beta Sector, Gamma Sector, etc. What are your favorite UNIVERSITY STYLE basenames (especially ones you thought of yourself)? Lo
Technocrat	posted 08-02-99 01:03 AM ET Astropolis (English of Cosmograd) Intelligence Node Neutrinopolis Archaeology Academy (for placement next to Borehole Cluster or the Manifold Nexus) University of Chiron Gattaca Memorial Psionic Science For all those UoP players out there, what SE choices do you make? Usually, throughout the early, middle, and late stages of the game I stick with a Demo/Green/Knowledge or Wealth/Cybernetic or Eudaimonic system, but I was wondering what approaches others take. Does anyone else consider Free Market to be rather crippling (unless you have certain SPs)? Technocrat
NotBrady	posted 08-03-99 09:41 AM ET I like the University very much too. For social eng. choices (I have not gotten to future choices yet) I started with dem., FM, and of coures Knowledge. I tried social engineering 40,20,40, but because of the burden of certian facilites I had to go to 50,0,50 and adjust my workers at the base screen. The PK were really out growing me and founding sea colonies all over my territory (I really hate this!). It is time to take some territory so I take a few Believers Cities and "invade" PK territory with sea colony pods. But now I really need a better strike force than I my social choices will allow, so I change to Police State. By now I have the HSAlg., Command Nexis (my first), and some other SP's. (Sorry, I can't remember all the SP names, but also important is "network nodes help drones," "+2 support", "BioE center", more). Unfortunatly the PK called for Uniting behind as SL" and has Miriam as a Pact Sister. All that is left is Spartans, and PK has truly made them Spartan. My reputation is only respectable I think, as rather than loose a conqured base to Mirmiam I obliterated it and cancalled Pact Brother with Morgan when he only had 1 base left, and also with PK because of the increase in sea colony pod invasion. Anyway, the game seems to be going well execpt that I really don't have the forces to make the first strike on PK and take and hold a city. Oh well, kind of rambled but UoP maybe is the best.
Technocrat	posted 08-03-99 01:01 PM ET If you a 4 efficiency or higher, you can have different values for your SE percentages (like 40-10-50 or 50-10-40) without any penalty, just so you know.
NotBrady	posted 08-04-99 04:22 AM ET Yeah, but as I understand it, only increases in 20% increments helps physc.