Who has won Galactic War on Absurd difficulty?

Discussion in 'Planetary Annihilation General Discussion' started by metabolical, June 16, 2014.

  1. igncom1

    igncom1 Post Master General

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    I haven't played Wargame.

    And id like more functionality, but as it is, it ain't bad.
  2. thetrophysystem

    thetrophysystem Post Master General

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    I am very happy for you GW too. As a first pass, it has as much pop as any other first gen game.

    Also, ****, power went out, was at purple faction leader, was winning charlie sheen. Seriously. Check the twitch. Thats **** up.

    If I would change anything personally:

    1) I just realized, "loadouts" start you with 1-3 cards basically. Would be nice if it literally just started you with the cards though. Maybe the "scarcer ones" would leave you with more slots. Those more slots couyld be traded for tech found. I suggest this because it would be more "open system", because it is essentially starting cards and perhaps even slots, it is like a "first hand dealt", and if it were just cards instead of a loadout, it could be opted to be "randomly generated", it could be changed to be anything, and any cards added could be added to loadouts too. The downside, is it scraps the current loadout system, which is basically programming development time.

    2) WYSIWYG. That term is argued a lot. Well, I just played a blue faction leader on a single planet. Stronger than any 3 other AI I fought yet. I suspect this is because he has huge eco boost techs, I can literally gut his whole economy, and off 1-2 mexes and 1-2 pgens he still sustains full production, because those have to be suped up eco efficient structures (build arms, ect). Well, I lost that one a lot (restarted, technically cheating, but I suggest it as a feature later), and only after a few attempts realize that I can't gut his economy, I don't even have a chance 4 minutes in. He is guranteed a victory unless he experiences random commander death. My only chance, was build 10 infernos, 10 stingers, and 4 minutes in to rush WITH MY COMMANDER to the SOFTEST OUTSIDE spot of his base and STAB INTO HIS COMMANDER with attrition, ignore all my losses at the trade of his one commander. I lost my whole base 4 minutes in, I lost my radar 30 seconds later, I lost every inferno and stinger, you can watch the video, but I got the commander kill with the last of my ompfh. LONG STORY SHORT: I think it is very necesary to know enough to have a chance to win especially in that situation, to require knowing the enemy's tech. Even in an AI GW, knowing the AI tech is the difference between using certain units, and those tech upgrades are invisible, you don't know if he can t2 and which units so you have countertech, you don't know if his commander is faster than tanks or stronger damage, you don't know if his eco is stacked buffs and gutting his eco will not be effective. Those are things you can't even expect all at once.

    3) Easy, Normal and Hardcore, like mincraft, terraria, starbound, ect... Where in easy mode you can "restart at last successful battle", normal you "restart at last successful battle but lose a tech", and in hardcore "annihilation is final" as is now. This is already doable, because if you quit out a game before the end stat screen, even right after commander death, the game doesn't save and you restart at last save. I would just like it to be doable without "jypsing" it, to be automatic if chosen from start. Maybe add the stipulation that "hardcore" saves before game and if a game isn't reported it assumes it a lost, which means a disconnect is a loss, but you can always opt not to.
    Last edited: June 26, 2014
  3. phantomtom

    phantomtom Active Member

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    Come on, its not really that hard. Its easy. One time when i was playing mr absurd he told me he really likes noobs and they are so delicius. Then we made a deal, i will feed him all my conqured noobs and in return he would forever be mine to control, best deal ever. Now i call him Bernt
  4. thetrophysystem

    thetrophysystem Post Master General

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    I did it, now all it's galaxy are belonging to me!

    Note: I had retries on losses, but it was a "training wheels" attempt, and I did learn a lot, so it was worth it. It definitely was not a genuine win, I don't think I could get a genuine win without a assheaping amount of lucky tech. That being said, I did it as proof that this game for it's price has a full and badass singleplayer.

    10/10, plan on replaying with different non-tank-only tech.

    Tech I got: Vehicle armor buff, vehicle damage buff, vehicle armor/damage/speed buff.

    This is the first faction leader. He is by himself, on a large planet, but has HUGE eco buffs. You cannot destroy his eco before he gets t2, you cannot strip his eco enough once he t2's. My solution, rush him with by first 10 inferno units, with my own commander, ASAP. Lose my entire base, score a commander kill just barely.


    After this game, I find a neutral star system deep in enemy territory. Is that supposed to happen devs? Anyway, this was a pretty standard yet lucky planet-bait-and-switch.


    This is the last faction leader battle, by this time I got a single tech slot and commander build arm buff. Overall, manage the capture of landing body, and the staged capture and control and snipe of 3 other bodies while preparing risk of planetary loss in case of a smash. Even more luck, I played unsuccessfully hours the previous day, got it first try this day. Prepared for planet smashes, didn't happen this time around. Got really REALLY lucky on landings, where I landed right within reach of enemy commanders, and where I land and avoid my own commander's death but just barely outside of the death-zone.
    Last edited: June 28, 2014
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  5. mjshorty

    mjshorty Well-Known Member

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    (since Uber limits to 1000 characters(lol i broke that limit...big time), ill post several times...but i really do think its important! dont get SPAM mad on me lol its your choice to read it or not!)

    Hi, i know this thread is quite old, but i recently completed the Galactic War on Absurd difficulty on an Uber sized map with a vehicle commander (since it was my first time playing GW so i didnt have any other load-outs) and i want to share my thoughts and stories on it. I did not play any easier difficulties, and i touched on the Smaller sizes a couple of times. got through a couple on medium and nearly beat Large, and lost on the very first battle on the smallest size 3 times (more on that later)

    Please note these are just things that i noticed and have seen and may not be true.

    also note, balance isnt completed and i think that the galaxy warfare was easier for me since i was fighting AI who used bots as front line combatants rather then raiders.


    First off, good job...Galactic War has SO MUCH POTENTIAL and can be easily integrated, no sweeping changes are truly needed. and the first pass on such an endeavor is very excellent.


    Now i want to get these points acrossed

    1) playing on an Uber sized galaxy is much easier then playing on smaller galaxy

    2) Sub-Commanders are amazing, but they tend to be a little to simple to acquire and are essential to winning

    3) Boss Battles, they are a little to simplistic and easy compared to normal battles

    Other) Other stuff, like Data Banks and getting new load-outs for new Galactic Warfare, and defeat
  6. mjshorty

    mjshorty Well-Known Member

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    Number 1) Galaxy sizes


    -On larger sized maps you have many neutral planets where you can easily tech up and start fighting, on smaller maps you end up having to fight from the get-go, and it seems to me that difficulty ramps up by the percentage *%* of planets taken rather then the amount *#* of planets taken. In smaller maps you are constantly facing more and more commanders and can barely keep up with technology, while on bigger maps you are already ready for the next difficulty jump.

    I suggest that it should be indeed be by amount of planets taken to ramp up difficulty. I was practically snoozing through some of the missions not doing anything and letting my sub-commanders run free since they work with the tech that i have...(which is TOTALLY COOL but it still means that they are much more powerful in large sized galaxies because you have much more time to acquire tech)

    so in short, the difficulty should be consistent with the size of the galaxy you use, getting harder and harder, however in smaller sized maps it is nearly impossible to start and end with unless you get very lucky with tech and enemy commander placements, while on bigger maps it starts off as a little bit challenging but quickly gets easier and easier.

    I selected Uber size, i should be seeing insane games near the end (not just boss battles, normal fights) with my 6 sub-commanders that i acquired by that time against 8 or 9...yes 15 or 16 commanders at once. But thats what your asking for when selecting a bigger galaxy, your going to have longer and bigger stuff while people might want to run through smaller and quicker galaxies with an end of 2-3 against 3-4.


    -Enemy Commanders, they have all tech unlocked and i think they have a faster economy rate.

    why dont individually they also get better as well? the difficulty seems to be preset and the only way games get harder is when 3 things happen, 1) multi-spawn planets start appearing (no comment, you should be prepared with tech later in the game) 2) Water planets are added (it should warn you the amount of water is on it, "Small amounts, half of it, most of it" in my opinion) 3) more enemy commanders are added.


    But what could be added is that hey! we are getting better! our tech is getting more fleshed out, why dont individual enemy commanders get more difficult? like build rates, units are stronger, factories build faster...or 2 at a time xD, or enemy commanders get buffed (more health, meaner Uber cannons, ...can fly...?)
    wondible likes this.
  7. mjshorty

    mjshorty Well-Known Member

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    ill post other sections later because i feel like an idiot for writing so much (called passion...i should destroy passion...passion makes me do weird things)
  8. zweistein000

    zweistein000 Post Master General

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    THe problem I have on higher difficulties is the inlusion of additional AI commanders. It makes it impossible to win without sub commanders becuse at some point the amout of harass and pressure 3 absurd (or vene 2 hard) AI commanders with economy bonus can sustain vs 1 player becomes impossible for any 1 player to handle. I tried and you simply cannot counter every straegy without expanding (and you cant do that becsue planets are usually too small for even 3 players, let alone 4) so a game becomes how long will you last with 5-7 initial mex before you get overrun. You NEED subcommanders to take the pressure off you and if you don't get at least 1 by the time you've explred every free-to-take system you might as well start over. Any even then, if the AI's decide to bounch up on you or your sup commader gets bugged you are dead and you've wasted 2-5 hours on it. That's the reson I'm waitig for the second pass on the galactic war. Hopefully that one will be less rouguelike.
  9. SikkeSakke

    SikkeSakke Member

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    Copy that, zweinstein000.

    I tried to play small rentless GW's but I found it was imbossible to win without subcommander. Playing bigger size galazy (uber or epic) is pretty easy if you get at least one subcommander. The difficulty step is quite huge and it's all because of subcommander. I tried out once absurd/huge with one subcommander and lost pretty badlby - need to try that out again.

    Edit. Hmm. Played first absurd battle without subcommander. Got vehicle commander and vehicle upgrades. I was facing two AI's and managed to win - first one I killed when he was trying cowardly escape in astraus. It was two planet system and I managed to get foothold on a moon and when second AI commander arrived there, I was waiting.

    Looks like key is to use static defenses at start (AA-turrets and Lasers) and be as aggressive as you can - don't give them time to set up their absurb tech advantage. Not sure thought - my first game and it was hard even I won. Need to test more to see was I lucky or not...
    Last edited: July 9, 2014
  10. Jaedrik

    Jaedrik Active Member

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    I'm too addicted to actually getting good drops now to try anymore, sorry Metabolical. :D
  11. mjshorty

    mjshorty Well-Known Member

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    Odd, at first i was mostly fighting 2 commanders, in Uber size that is fine because you are pretty much ready with your tech, on lower galaxy sizes it should be 1. look, i know Uber wants to create a challenge by having 2 commanders instead of 1 because i just played through some of the easier difficulties and you start of by fighting 1. in absurd...it should be a 1v1, the AI is still going to outpace you in terms of econ, thats called absurd difficulty, but it should start at the very first 2-3 fights as a 1v1
    Quitch likes this.
  12. mjshorty

    mjshorty Well-Known Member

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    Number 2) Those Sub-Commanders!


    -ok, sub-commanders are by far the best tech that you can acquire, and its painful when you get a sub-commander and its 'duplicate tech'. they also use tech that you have WHICH I LOVE but that can get a little insane later, since enemy commanders dont seem to ramp up in difficulty individualy because on one of the last planets i was playing, we got multi-planet spawned, me and 5 sub-commanders ended up on one with 1 lone enemy commander that we rofl-stomped...and our lost sub-commander alone...with 3 enemy commanders, HE HELD OUT! and nearly killed one of them (the others started getting some serious holkins and catapults by the time we arrived). cmon, i can understand 1v1, but a 1v3 is getting a little to funny for me on the hardest difficulty of the game.


    Sub-Commanders are good early game and provide a real distraction to enemy commanders because they are hard to completely wipe out, good stuff, props to Sorian

    >if your wondering, i have no problem with how AI functions, besides planet invasions, dont send the commander first! D= Sorian does an excellent job and the AI makes the best use with what they are given and i love seeing how visibly they improve with new tech that i got. Enemy Commanders are also decent, besides planetary invasion, there is nothing to comment on.


    <ok this is more of a suggestion>

    -sub-commanders, they are instantly strong and make a world of difference when fighting the enemy.

    why not introduce an experience rate where each battle the commander gets better and better? like when you first acquire commanders, they start of like 'easy AI'

    (hope AI difficulties have ben properly implemented, but lets assume they are)

    then after each successful win, the AI gets better and better, 5 is a nice number to work with, from easy to Uber difficulty and are now apart of your crazy sub-commander army. (should have a number to show how much experience each commander has over their tech card)


    This would eliminate the banking on sub-commanders to win everything early on and make you fight those evil enemy commanders yourself and experience the intensity before moving on to more epic fights, it also promotes training your commanders before fighting a boss.
    wondible, Quitch and cptconundrum like this.
  13. mjshorty

    mjshorty Well-Known Member

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    (Odd, people are actually liking my posts, ok heres the next one, and in my opinion the most lacking part in galactic warfare sadly)

    Number 3) The bosses


    BOSSES ARE TOO EASY!

    THERE IS NOTHING TO DIFFERENTIATE THE BOSS COMMANDER

    FROM HIS UNDERLINGS OTHER THEN A NAME!

    BOSS DIFFICULTY SHOULDNT MEAN THAT THERE ARE MORE SUB-COMMANDERS TO FIGHT, BUT THE ACTUAL BOSS ITSELF


    -for the fact that there are only 3 enemy bosses in each game...they come out...disappointing, the only difference i notice is that there is 1 more sub-commander then then the normal fights.

    Bosses themselves are no different then sub-commanders then a small name change.


    -Here is what bosses need, they need a different color scheme, their Unit/Icon colors should be slightly darker then the other sub-commanders to differentiate whats the bosses units and which ones are the sub-commanders


    This is a boss fight, you have prepared for that boss, the boss commander itself should be more...menacing...like maybe an aura around the commander, the commander 25% bigger...Definitely should have more HP and an evil boss Uber cannon...that fires rockets as well as a ball of death...that sort of thing, and should taunt you like back in Supreme Commander.


    -The bosses units should have more hp and attack damage, these are no ordinary sub-commander rifraff, these are the fighting force of the faction leader!...and maybe the units should have different skins like i dunno...added spikes? and war paint? just stuff that shows these units are THE FACTION LEADERS VANGAURD...that includes buildings because why not?


    -dont add more enemy commanders, just the normal amount at which you usually fight...this is about the faction leader...the BOSS!


    -also...what do you gain? a random tech...nothing special nor uniquely powerful, or no extra choices or extra data banks...kinda dissapointing, but then again i guess the excuse is that you get all those planets that where once under the faction leaders control...still, dont like the excuse


    the last leader that i fought, my Sub-commander AIs tore them apart (since i had 6 and there where only 4 commanders to fight, which needs to scale in comparison to galaxy size and amount taken already, like i mentioned above) so it was pretty depressing


    i must note that it is Odd that ALL of the planets under the faction that you beat just...leave...like wouldnt some drift over to the other commanders? some go for vengeance? like its ok to have some commit suicide or fade away, but a quarter of the galaxy just...gone for the taking? i feel that there is to much a focus on taking out a faction leader to get all the tech that is now readily available, and misses the point of Galaxy domination, instead of faction leader 'sniping' like...50% should fade off of course and commit suicide (god dont i have a dark sense of humor?) but 50% should still be contested.
    wondible and Quitch like this.
  14. wondible

    wondible Post Master General

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    On that note, I was thinking it would be better if each system fed the boss - say +5-10% eco per system, to throw out random numbers. The more systems you take out, the easier the boss fight becomes. You can work around to weaken, or charge in for the extra challenge.
    mjshorty likes this.
  15. zweistein000

    zweistein000 Post Master General

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    That's the first game. Remember that the longer oyu play the more bonuses and brains the AI gets. Also try absurd. I couldn't even get static defences up by the time a bomber hit me, and then and anther and then another 5 and then the entire army was barring down on me.

    Difficulty needs to be something else than just how many commander you can cram on a planet vs 1 player. I don't mid them getting econ bonuses (or maybe even unfair scouting), but more commanders on tiny planets just meant I can't expand and will lose because of that.
  16. Geers

    Geers Post Master General

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    Won is the currency of South Korea.
    Starcraft II (a strategy game) is very popular in South Korea.

    There's a joke in there...somewhere...
  17. mjshorty

    mjshorty Well-Known Member

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    thanks for reading my stuff, this is my last HUGE post, this is the....
    >OTHER STUFF< (AKA: not to be taken as seriously)


    lol, that was a lot of stuff up there, but those where my main points...this stuff is just things that i have also noticed and suggestions...


    -Death...ok sometimes you get unlucky and lose to an SXX Laser snipe and your sub-commanders cant salvage the situation like mine did...twice (such a noob arent i?), or just miscalculated and invaded a system with water...without navy tech...stuff happens

    The thing is, when dominating a galaxy and loosing to a fluke or bad planet spawning, it sucks...hardcore...you lose everything.

    What i suggest is to implement that 'crap, you lost the battle, but the game isnt over! just harder! because your trying to salvage a loss right?

    every loss will take you back to the system that you attacked and you lose randomly lose 4 tech...

    (i say 4 for absurd, because in absurd everything must be in absurd =D, for easier difficulties the amount of tech lost should be 1 for easy and more going on up.)

    No more tech to lose? simple...you lose the game, that simple...but this way, you can pick yourself up and attack a different system that wont have the accursed water systems...and build yourself back up from there.


    -Mini-bosses.... heres a cool idea, i thought it was kinda tiring since there where only 3 faction leaders and in an UBER sized galaxy...theres a lot of planets in between. Mini-bosses arent as strong as faction leaders...but they still prove a harder challenge. just makes thinks more interesting as you explore a galaxy, the planet you just conquered will light up 3 different planets and 1 of them states *Mini-Boss*...i dunno, just doing sort of the same thing over and over got boring, and could use more variety besides the planets themeselves. Mini-bosses could offer several choices in a tech, (as in 3 choices, but only selecting 1 mind you...or you could just take 3 tech all at once xD who knows) or stronger then normal tech...and a free additional data-bank...that sort of thing, or guaranteed sub-commander...who knows =D very nice that there could be so many options


    -Sub-Commanders...I personally think there should be a different way to acquire sub-commanders because they are essential later in Galactic Warfare and since they clutter up your data-banks so much. heres my thought...*you explore the galaxy, and you see a nearby system has a >Distress< notification...* A >Distress< Notification will tell you that it is a rescue operation and that you need to save the neutral commander from the evil faction bullies...these missions require that the neutral commander MUST NOT DIE, or you will not get the sub-commander who decides to join your cause to fight the evil tyrannical rule of the faction leaders.


    This way Sub-commanders wont clutter your data-banks and its more meaningful to have sub-commanders, because you saved them! and it also allows sub-commander pacing which means you wont insta get like 4 in the beginning of the game, but will be a gradual pace that will coincide the amount of enemy sub-commanders that you fight over at once in a system



    -Data Banks...why must a data bank be apart of something you acquire? its just like a sub-commander and to important. Maybe a different solution to acquiring Data Banks like, every 5 or 10 systems you conquer you get a databank? Mini-bosses (as mentioned above) and faction leaders that also give data-banks...


    -Tech pacing...what i mean is that some tech is really strong, others arent and are insta rejected (like bots and storage, and some that give complete...say vehicle stuff as apposed to 2 techs that give you basic and advanced)

    Heres the thing. early game, you have the same chance to get the same tech as apposed to late game...this in my opinion is not good, because later in the game the fights will be longer and more brutal...and there should be a reward for taking out more difficult systems, like instead of having 1 tech option...you get 2! (you can only take 1, but you can now decide between which ones, which can also be rough at making the "Best" decision)

    also tech being better...like early game vehicle tech will give you 20% damage...but later in the game that tech will be stronger and give you 50% damage...just stuff like that...where you are continually improving your loadout...not just hoping to get lucky early game


    But, all is well, Its a great first release and is pretty solid. cant wait for further improvements from Uber.
    wondible likes this.
  18. SikkeSakke

    SikkeSakke Member

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    Well, I played absurd and whit a little practise, it's not so hard. Without subs, it's hard but doable at start. But mistakes are costly - played 3v3 and one coward managed to escape to another planet. Changed my plan and was going to test nukes but forget to protect my commander against orbital attacks. Damn, that cost me few hours of my precious galactic time :). Need to try it again.

    btw. Is there any way to save progress so you don't have to start at very beginning every time?
  19. Geers

    Geers Post Master General

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    Save and Exit.
  20. SikkeSakke

    SikkeSakke Member

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    Hehe. I ment if you die, can you start where you died? Now if you die, you have to start at the beginning...

    But I found that ragequitting (shutting down PA with hammer, throwing your PC out from window or just shutting down PA via system manager) before your commander is dead helps - you can start that battle again.

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