Slow play

[Cobaia (OP)]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone does the same thing or if I'm the only one playing this way.

I usually start conventional with low terraforming, survey and research modifiers (20%).

In my games before I discover another system I usually spend around 200 years on Sol. I strip mine the solar system, do research, built up the Construction Factories and Mines numbers.

Does any one else play the same way?

Thanks,
Cobaia

[Icekiller]

I think the biggest issue you would encounter if you play that way is that any NPR's that spawn would be MASSIVE. 

EDIT: Just reread and saw you said 20% research.

[Jorgen_CAB]

I usually play with 10-15% tech progression, 5% survey speed and 30% terraforming. I also usually only give humans a gravity tolerance of 0.4 so there are not many suitable planets without low gravity infrastructure in Sol.

It usually take about 30-50 years to go from conventional technology to start exploring the rest of the galaxy, but I tend to focus on that end goal though.

I quite often also lower the tech progression as I advance through the game as technology tend to go faster and faster otherwise to keep the pace a bit more constant... So I might start at 15% and then slide down towards 10% after about 50-100 years or so.

[Froggiest1982]

It really depends. I play very similar to Jorgen (the gravity deviation it's a nice touch by the way) but I would say that you have a huge issue: repetitive play through which I know both myself and Jorgen sort with the RP.

The thing is that if you are not trying to tell a story then you may find yourself in the same chain of events time after time after time.

I have now identified that if I am trying to tell a particular story then I generally start as Jorgen said and mostly very similar to what you doing. And beware that I do so only because I need all characters to actually have an appropriate age group and background before being ready to venture in space.

However, if the above it's not the case then I will just start TN and as I know already how much Research points and construction points I would have sunk in reaching the stage I am ready to jump out of Sol I just SM all the below:

Research
Designs
Add Ships and Ground Units
Adjust factories and all infrastructure
Add another load of Officers
Terraform Luna and Mars to level 0 and add infrastructure and population accordingly
Deplete all minerals from Sol but Sorium, may take some on Mercury, Mars etc if these generates 3/400,000 plus in a particular mineral.
Keep a stock on Earth of 100,000 to 200,000 per mineral (considering availability at start)

The big drawback with the above is that you not have the natural civilian growth that also helps your economy but it is a massive SM kick start that would allow you to quickly catch up in 4 to 5 years.

I call this my sandbox database and I use it to either test strategies, check bugs, etc.

Off-Topic: show

I have to be honest with you I don't understand how people can play Aurora without role play or even control more races because honestly without that the "game" it's not really that interesting.

I think this is the greatest game ever even attempted and made but it does require you and your mind to go with it. If you do that, you can uninstall steam and sell your xbox or playstation because honestly a lifetime wouldn't be enough for you to learn and enjoy the game fully.

Personally only once M&B II will be properly modded and supported I will be able to get off Aurora hook. Currently Shadow Empire was on that path but I wore off that easily as well, because even if it got all elements to be great you cannot drive your own story which it's a shame. It's the same as Rimworld and the Story teller. No matter what people say, you don't drive your story in Rimworld, the story teller does. I love Rimworld but you often find yourself following the events and react to them.

Aurora allows you to be the story teller in a way it was possible only in Dungeon and Dragons (or board games in general).

I think if Steve could find a way to add a sort of random bonus or malus after a component has designed Aurora will be eternal. This will add so much. I know preparation is everything but imagine you design your sensors and there is a possibility that the performance are better than expected of 10% and so on.

Also I cannot wait for multiple AI personalities and improvements on general AI he promised so many times that I believe being true now.

[kenlon]

I also play on low tech speeds - 15% seems to be about the sweet spot - but I turn up homeworld minerals and population. Minerals I do in proportion to how much I've slowed research, population I usually set to around 4B. It works out pretty well.

[Kylemmie]

I also play on low tech speeds - 15% seems to be about the sweet spot - but I turn up homeworld minerals and population.  Minerals I do in proportion to how much I've slowed research, population I usually set to around 4B.  It works out pretty well.

From this thread I learned to slow the game down via Research speed and am enjoying the slower feel of the tech rush.  But even with the slow down, Pop seems to always be my scarcest resource.  I concentrate on making colonies to max growth rate, but still find myself juggling my Industry orders (i. e slow down my RF or CF builds) based on what my current avail workers are.  I'm talking about early game.  Thus my interest in the 4 Bill pop start.  I'm 70 years into my current (which I'm debating restarting since I was unaware the Auto NPC player won't show up unless you use real star names) and just broke 2B Pop across Earth and 4 Colonies.  I'm feeling constrained but pretty sure upping the start pop by 8X will eliminate that factor completely. 

I know this is a subjective question - But as I learned to enjoy the slower Research % once I read about how others use it, I am curious as to other opinions on what start Pop they use, why, and how they feel it changes the game for them. 

[Jorgen_CAB]

Number of POP I think will depend heavily on role-play... but the times I have done a unified Earth start I usually start with about 1-2 billion and a few billions of neutral population to imitate an Earth that has not gone through some huge catastrophe.

I usually imagine that population is the working part of population so actual real population can be as much as twice that number... this is mainly for my imagination and for game balance. I think that a start with 1 billion and another 4 billion of neutral population will get you quite far as you have allot of population for use to fill up colonies.

on the other hand, dealing with population constraints also is interesting, no matter how much you try you will find industry to outstrip population growth no matter what you do eventually.

[roug]

I love slow gameplay, its much more fun, now its rewarding researching faster engine and use it for 100 years before next tech is up, i have played 200 years, i havent jumped out of Sol iet, i am soon done researching Ion drive, and then i need to design them, so im guessing, in 3 - 5 years i got engines ready.

I am low on minerals so i am researching jumptech now.
Also construction, and survey are also slow. below 25% of original.

[Jorgen_CAB]

I am low on minerals so i am researching jumptech now.
Also construction, and survey are also slow. below 25% of original.

I was thinking about lowering the tech rate of factory and shipyard production in the DB for my next play-through to reduce productivity across the board.