Overview
To supplement the “Strategy Guide: How to Easily Win an Alliance Victory on Godlike”, this variation applies a number of house rules, with the same goal to achieve an Alliance Victory. Your results may depend on your skill level; in particular, checking for diplomatic interactions and applying them whenever possible is important. It is not recommended to try this without first completing the original Guide.http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=622615551The following house rules are applied (i.e. mechanics that are available in-game but are not used):1. Used a custom race with all negative traits (the Icemen Resurgence on Steam workshop which is a slight variation on Macsen’s Terran Resurgence, so all credit to him).2. Sensor boats using cargo hulls were banned.3. Pragmatic for 3 construction ships and upgrading them to colony ship was banned. Also, a single ideology branch must be used only, no mixing and matching.4. Strategic resources in ships were banned, so no tiny/small survey ships or military ships with prototype weapons of any kind.5. Precursor Worlds may not be colonised and Precursor Artifacts may not be explored.This is based on my favourite map size, Huge with Abundant for a fun and dense map. This Strategy does become much more difficult on very large maps such as Insane but becomes increasingly easy on smaller map sizes. I would recommend starting on Huge or smaller if this is your first attempt with this Guide. Rare settings also increase the difficulty.
Setup
Create a custom race with -2 to all modifiers, Coercive and Intuitive traits, or use the “Icemen Resurgence” custom race I’ve made available on Steam workshop below.
[link]Turn 1 Actions
1. For the free starting technologies resulting from the Intuitive trait, select Interstellar Travel, Universal Translators and Diplomatic Reasoning (the last one won’t quite finish but varies depending on settings). You’ll continue all the way through to Interstellar Alliances before doing any other research.
2. Go to the ship designer and create a new colony ship design with 1 hyperdrive-plus modules and 1 environmental support module for range “Colony Ship D1 R1”.
3. Go to the ship designer and create a new construction ship design with 2 hyperdrive-plus modules and 1 environmental support module for range “Construction Ship D2 R1”. Some variations with different numbers of components can be very useful. No sensors are needed which helps reduce cost.
4. Go to the ship designer and create a new tiny ship design with 1 environmental support module and 1 interstellar sensor “Scout Mk 1”.
5. Send the Survey ship exploring, prioritise artifacts as a priority as they often provide a free technology.
6. Send the Scout exploring and upgrade to “Scout Mk 1” for 32 credits (keep it in your influence so it takes 1 turn).
7. At your shipyard, rush buy a new “Scout Mk 1” for about 440 credits.
8. Go to the Global Production Wheel and set 50% manufacturing/50% research, 100% social manufacturing (this will then be the default for new colonies).
9. Go to your homeworld and ensure 50% manufacturing/50% research, 100% social manufacturing and ensure “do not upgrade until planet is full” is selected.
10. On your homeworld, build 4 factories in a group and then build 2 research laboratories in another location (if they can’t be grouped no problem). You should have 1 or 2 free spaces, leave them free for later, ideally adjacent to your factories. If set-up right it should take 5 turns per building.
11. Rush buy your first factory for 300 credits.
12. Use the colony ship to colonise the closest world. Build 2 factories in a group and nothing else at this stage. Select malevolent and focus on the motivation line and Intimidating which provides access to Intimidation Centers. Add an Intimidation Center to your homeworld build queue (but not any future colonies).
13. Ensure your shipyard only has your homeworld as a sponsor.
14. Your morale will be terrible, don’t worry about it!
Turn 2 Actions
1. If you get lucky with an anomaly from your survey ship and get a tech boost, move onto Diplomacy Research.
2. Keep exploring with the scouts and survey ship. Your ships will be extremely slow, don’t worry about it!
3. At your shipyard, rush buy a new “Scout Mk 1” for about 440 credits.
4. Rush buy your second factory for 300 credits.
Turn 3 Actions
1. Rush buy your third factory for 300 credits.
2. At your shipyard, rush buy a new “Construction Ship D1 R1” for about 900 credits.
3. Send the Construction ship to a juicy resource location which also helps extend range.
4. Keep exploring with the scouts and survey ship.
Turn 4-20 Actions
1. Keep exploring with the scouts and survey ship.
2. If you’ve found another colonisable planet or two, rush buy “Colony Ship D1 R1” for 900 credits. You will only have funds available for 2 of them.
3. If Diplomatic Reasoning has finished, continue with Diplomacy Research, and then Economic Treaties. Normally with artifacts on abundant you can finish Economic Treaties. If you need to wait for the Age of War before accessing Interstellar Alliance research, select either movement or range technology. Add Embassies to the build query for all colonies.
4. After the second extra colony (or a galactic event) select Relentless from the Motivation line under Malevolent ideology which will provide a production bonus to your homeworld.
5. Once your homeworld completes building an Intimidation Centre and Embassy, switch to 100% military production. Focus on Colony Ships if any planets are within range or else build Construction Ships but build diplomatic starbases that improve diplomacy and also help extend range.
Turn 21-30 Actions
1. With an extra colony or two, you should also get another Malevolent ideology pick, this time ruthless, which doubles military production. Colony and construction ship production should be down to 2 turns each.
2. Most of the time a diplomatic interaction or two will be available. If it’s a minor race, give them open borders and all of your technology, for as much cash as you can get, or the odd technology. If it’s a major race, given them open borders and free trade agreements for as much cash as you can get when available. It will still be very slow at this point, however. Be careful with Non-Aggression Pacts as the AI will charge you through the teeth due to how weak you are so I just ignore Non-Aggression Pacts.
Turn 31-40 Actions
1. Some more diplomatic contacts should open up. When trading with the AI, sell your strategic resources and sell any non-diplomatic technology. Supportive Population is a key technology target for trade as it will massively improve morale. Advanced Construction is an important trade target, build a Manufacturing Capital on your homeworld immediately.
2. With an extra few colonies, you should also get another Malevolent ideology pick, this time the implacable pick, which gives Death Furnaces. Build this on your homeworld as a priority amongst your factories, rush build if you have the cash.
3. You might get diplomatic relations that are trending negative with some races. Don’t worry about it, because the diplomatic modifiers from embassies (which should be rush built if you have the cash) and diplomatic starbases will soon kick in.
4. 8-10 colonies should be enough, then switch to construction ships and building diplomatic starbases.
5. You should enter the Age of War at some stage, switch to Interstellar Alliance research immediately.
6. The AI will likely start to build Starbases in your territory, don’t worry about it!
Turn 41-80 Actions
1. Keep checking every turn for AI trading opportunities and farm as much cash as possible, but don’t give away any diplomatic technology.
2. If you have survey technology from the AI build some more survey ships, again an Artifact focus.
3. Depending on events and number of colonies, you might get another Malevolent ideology pick, this time select unforgiving for an across the board production bonuses.
4. Often, with ongoing exploration, an artifact will be found that will provide Interstellar Alliances and possibly more. Continue through the Diplomatic tech tree all the way to Eminence.
5. You should be rush building embassies and building diplomatic starbases routinely. Diplomatic relations will start to switch to become very positive very rapidly. Diplomatic Districts will become available once you have Interstellar Alliances, upgrade as a priority.
6. There really is no issue trading your military technology to the AI, better to have the cash to rush diplomatic buildings.
7. Exploration treaties will help find the remaining empires. You should be able to afford them from the AI.
8. Everyone will start to see you as weak, don’t worry about it, keep spamming diplomatic buildings and starbases.
9. The Snathi Revenge are often the last to resist. Relations with others will be so positive that you can proclaim friendship and give them credits per turn without a material impact on anyone else.
10. Wait until all races are ready for an Alliance, then Ally with them all in one turn.
11. In the particular game played to produce this guide, victory was on Turn 67, refer to the Metaverse link below.
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