Posted January 29, 2015
high rated
Back when the game was new, I had the pleasure of playing head-to-head (still a new and clunky technology at the time). When I was able to win almost every game, my friend asked me what he was doing wrong and I wrote up a few strategy tips. I dug this guide off of an old file archive to post here.
It seems to be too long for one post, so I'll try splitting it in two.
Strategy hints for Rebellion:
A. Starting the game:
1. Change the GID display to Idle Personnel. Find all your people and start them on missions right away. In the early part of the game, Characters and Special Forces have far more impact than ships and facilities. Everyone who can recruit should do so (but see 2 below).
2. If you are the Rebels, get your people off of Yavin. Remember the movie, assume the Empire could be there any minute. Pick a contested sector with some loyal planets, some production (especially training facilities) and some neutral planets (in need of diplomacy) and move everyone to your most loyal/best defended planet there using the Millennium Falcon (i.e., group them with Han to travel). Once they arrive, if there are any shipyards in the sector, start Wedge Antilles on ship research right away. Luke and Han should recruit (as should Mon Mothma at the rebel HQ) and Leia should start diplomacy.
3. Identify your diplomats (Diplomacy 70+) and start them working ASAP. At a minimum, Piett and Jerjerrod for the Empire, or Leia Organa and Dodonna for the Rebels, will be available to convert neutral worlds. Don't be afraid to send a diplomat to another sector if you have too many in one place--you want to spread them out as much as you can. Until 90% of the core worlds are aligned, diplomats should be engaged in diplomacy, period. Consider using Luke or Darth Vader for diplomacy after recruiting is done, also. Don't waste time converting worlds on the rim until the core is spoken for.
4. Identify a base of operations in each core sector. Protect it. If you have no worlds in some sector, get a diplomat (or an invasion fleet) there quickly. See D. below for tips on holding a key world.
5. Start on production. For each sector, consider 1) do you have a training base, 2) do you have a construction facility, 3) do you have a shipyard. Build or convert your way into having all 3 in each sector, preferably on different worlds (if you must share, share construction and training). Your first production concern should be your training facility, start building Special Forces right away. Commandos and Infiltrators can do wonders in the early game; Bothan Spies and Espionage Droids will be needed as well. Guerrillas should be built only where Imperial worlds are found susceptible to revolt; Noghri should be built only after the other forces, since you won't spot any characters for a little while. Construction facilities should start building a second construction facility (it will help a lot, long term). Shipyards should build fighters or transports/galleons until multi-yard planets are available, or remain idle if resources are low.
B. Economics
1. Look at Galaxy Overview early in the game, determine if you have more mines or refineries. Concentrate on converting/conquering worlds which have what you lack. Watch your resource counters as time passes: if you perpetually have zero refined goods, consider idling some production centers (shipyards or construction yards, preferably) until you seem somewhere near even (maybe a small surplus). If this is always zero, ALL your production will be slower as all production facilities will be waiting for resources. If there are any sectors where you have a comfortable lead, reduce production and coast a while so other sectors can build aggressively.
2. Do NOT build mines or refineries until late in the game, they take too long. By the time you build one refinery you may have converted or conquered worlds with a dozen more, and be needing mines. Build only after the core developed worlds are mostly taken and you know what you really will need to build. Also, build if possible on isolated rim worlds with lower energy (under 10), since these will not be major production centers anyway, and distance is no object for mines and refineries. Core worlds are best used for production centers if possible.
3. Specialize your planets. By the mid-to end-game, a world with a single non-advanced facility will be building too slowly to be worth the effort. Identify construction worlds, training worlds and especially shipyard worlds, and build several of the relevant facility there. Leave room for adding advanced facilities later, or be willing to scrap the early ones when advanced facilities are available. If you have the energy you can mix construction and training, but don't mix in shipyards with anything--a world that starts with such a mix will eventually need to have the shipyard or the other facility(ies) scrapped. A world with lots of idle energy should be reserved for a multi-advanced-shipyard center in the later game.
4. In each sector, you should have a mix of training, construction and shipyard capacity. Build what you lack as a high priority, shipping facilities in from other sectors if necessary.
C. Missions
1. Early in the game, sabotage enemy production centers. Start with training centers (so he can't build saboteurs to use against YOU), and quickly add construction facilities (so he can't rebuild). Shipyards go last, since they contribute only very slowly in the early game. Don't try to sabotage ships too often, they are likely to have moved by the time the saboteurs get to the world in question.
2. ALWAYS use decoys. You can succeed without them occasionally at first, but it is better to use them consistently or a sudden increase in garrisons will cancel most of your missions, and lose a lot of special forces. If you know there are few troops at the target, one decoy is enough, but two is better for most worlds with two or more troop units present.
3. Characters do much better than special forces. Where characters are available, let them run the missions and use SpecFors as decoys. Against a particularly tough target, try using ONLY characters, in small groups, including character decoys. It's high-risk but it can work when nothing else will. Remember to identify only characters who are good at a given mission:
Espionage=espionage skill
Sabotage=espionage and combat
Abduction=espionage and combat
Incite uprising=espionage and leadership
Subdue uprising=leadership
4. Inciting an uprising can make a huge difference, not only does it remove that world's economy from your enemy, it sways other worlds in the sector to your side and it can eventually give you that world as well. Often uprisings or successful diplomacy can spark a domino effect, changing several worlds in that sector at once. If an incite mission starts an uprising, keep it in place: it will continue to inflame the people. Even if the world seems totally loyal (though the best candidates are those with divided loyalty), it can be brought to revolt. Each time you get an "Informants provide information" message, it means you have swayed that world's loyalty a little. Worlds can very quickly go from seeming loyalty to revolt, or to neutrality if they have no garrison.
5. Even if you are the Empire, use abduction rather than assassination. Abduction in the game is easier, unlike in the real world. Abducting characters with good combat skills should be attempted only by capable characters, and more than one if possible, not by special forces alone. Weaker characters can sometimes be abducted by SpecFors.
6. Remember that characters and SpecFors can be assigned to fleets, and missions can be run from there as well. Consider using a fleet orbiting a neutral world as a mission base, it will rarely be looked for or found. Or if you are strong in ships but not in troops, blockade the world and run missions there from the blockade fleet, which will eliminate all travel time for the mission.
7. Coruscant is tough. Never underestimate the value of lots of ships, lots of fighters, lots of strong troops (especially stormtroopers, which seem to be good anti-mission troops like Sullustans) and probably a good general assigned to supervise them. Few enemy missions succeed on Coruscant, multi-character missions with the very best characters seem to have the best chance (though the Emperor and/or Vader will intercept any force-sensitive characters you send). The Rebels are best advised to create strongholds like Coruscant to operate from, loading them down with troops, ships and fighters and possibly assigning leaders there.
It seems to be too long for one post, so I'll try splitting it in two.
Strategy hints for Rebellion:
A. Starting the game:
1. Change the GID display to Idle Personnel. Find all your people and start them on missions right away. In the early part of the game, Characters and Special Forces have far more impact than ships and facilities. Everyone who can recruit should do so (but see 2 below).
2. If you are the Rebels, get your people off of Yavin. Remember the movie, assume the Empire could be there any minute. Pick a contested sector with some loyal planets, some production (especially training facilities) and some neutral planets (in need of diplomacy) and move everyone to your most loyal/best defended planet there using the Millennium Falcon (i.e., group them with Han to travel). Once they arrive, if there are any shipyards in the sector, start Wedge Antilles on ship research right away. Luke and Han should recruit (as should Mon Mothma at the rebel HQ) and Leia should start diplomacy.
3. Identify your diplomats (Diplomacy 70+) and start them working ASAP. At a minimum, Piett and Jerjerrod for the Empire, or Leia Organa and Dodonna for the Rebels, will be available to convert neutral worlds. Don't be afraid to send a diplomat to another sector if you have too many in one place--you want to spread them out as much as you can. Until 90% of the core worlds are aligned, diplomats should be engaged in diplomacy, period. Consider using Luke or Darth Vader for diplomacy after recruiting is done, also. Don't waste time converting worlds on the rim until the core is spoken for.
4. Identify a base of operations in each core sector. Protect it. If you have no worlds in some sector, get a diplomat (or an invasion fleet) there quickly. See D. below for tips on holding a key world.
5. Start on production. For each sector, consider 1) do you have a training base, 2) do you have a construction facility, 3) do you have a shipyard. Build or convert your way into having all 3 in each sector, preferably on different worlds (if you must share, share construction and training). Your first production concern should be your training facility, start building Special Forces right away. Commandos and Infiltrators can do wonders in the early game; Bothan Spies and Espionage Droids will be needed as well. Guerrillas should be built only where Imperial worlds are found susceptible to revolt; Noghri should be built only after the other forces, since you won't spot any characters for a little while. Construction facilities should start building a second construction facility (it will help a lot, long term). Shipyards should build fighters or transports/galleons until multi-yard planets are available, or remain idle if resources are low.
B. Economics
1. Look at Galaxy Overview early in the game, determine if you have more mines or refineries. Concentrate on converting/conquering worlds which have what you lack. Watch your resource counters as time passes: if you perpetually have zero refined goods, consider idling some production centers (shipyards or construction yards, preferably) until you seem somewhere near even (maybe a small surplus). If this is always zero, ALL your production will be slower as all production facilities will be waiting for resources. If there are any sectors where you have a comfortable lead, reduce production and coast a while so other sectors can build aggressively.
2. Do NOT build mines or refineries until late in the game, they take too long. By the time you build one refinery you may have converted or conquered worlds with a dozen more, and be needing mines. Build only after the core developed worlds are mostly taken and you know what you really will need to build. Also, build if possible on isolated rim worlds with lower energy (under 10), since these will not be major production centers anyway, and distance is no object for mines and refineries. Core worlds are best used for production centers if possible.
3. Specialize your planets. By the mid-to end-game, a world with a single non-advanced facility will be building too slowly to be worth the effort. Identify construction worlds, training worlds and especially shipyard worlds, and build several of the relevant facility there. Leave room for adding advanced facilities later, or be willing to scrap the early ones when advanced facilities are available. If you have the energy you can mix construction and training, but don't mix in shipyards with anything--a world that starts with such a mix will eventually need to have the shipyard or the other facility(ies) scrapped. A world with lots of idle energy should be reserved for a multi-advanced-shipyard center in the later game.
4. In each sector, you should have a mix of training, construction and shipyard capacity. Build what you lack as a high priority, shipping facilities in from other sectors if necessary.
C. Missions
1. Early in the game, sabotage enemy production centers. Start with training centers (so he can't build saboteurs to use against YOU), and quickly add construction facilities (so he can't rebuild). Shipyards go last, since they contribute only very slowly in the early game. Don't try to sabotage ships too often, they are likely to have moved by the time the saboteurs get to the world in question.
2. ALWAYS use decoys. You can succeed without them occasionally at first, but it is better to use them consistently or a sudden increase in garrisons will cancel most of your missions, and lose a lot of special forces. If you know there are few troops at the target, one decoy is enough, but two is better for most worlds with two or more troop units present.
3. Characters do much better than special forces. Where characters are available, let them run the missions and use SpecFors as decoys. Against a particularly tough target, try using ONLY characters, in small groups, including character decoys. It's high-risk but it can work when nothing else will. Remember to identify only characters who are good at a given mission:
Espionage=espionage skill
Sabotage=espionage and combat
Abduction=espionage and combat
Incite uprising=espionage and leadership
Subdue uprising=leadership
4. Inciting an uprising can make a huge difference, not only does it remove that world's economy from your enemy, it sways other worlds in the sector to your side and it can eventually give you that world as well. Often uprisings or successful diplomacy can spark a domino effect, changing several worlds in that sector at once. If an incite mission starts an uprising, keep it in place: it will continue to inflame the people. Even if the world seems totally loyal (though the best candidates are those with divided loyalty), it can be brought to revolt. Each time you get an "Informants provide information" message, it means you have swayed that world's loyalty a little. Worlds can very quickly go from seeming loyalty to revolt, or to neutrality if they have no garrison.
5. Even if you are the Empire, use abduction rather than assassination. Abduction in the game is easier, unlike in the real world. Abducting characters with good combat skills should be attempted only by capable characters, and more than one if possible, not by special forces alone. Weaker characters can sometimes be abducted by SpecFors.
6. Remember that characters and SpecFors can be assigned to fleets, and missions can be run from there as well. Consider using a fleet orbiting a neutral world as a mission base, it will rarely be looked for or found. Or if you are strong in ships but not in troops, blockade the world and run missions there from the blockade fleet, which will eliminate all travel time for the mission.
7. Coruscant is tough. Never underestimate the value of lots of ships, lots of fighters, lots of strong troops (especially stormtroopers, which seem to be good anti-mission troops like Sullustans) and probably a good general assigned to supervise them. Few enemy missions succeed on Coruscant, multi-character missions with the very best characters seem to have the best chance (though the Emperor and/or Vader will intercept any force-sensitive characters you send). The Rebels are best advised to create strongholds like Coruscant to operate from, loading them down with troops, ships and fighters and possibly assigning leaders there.
Post edited January 29, 2015 by kaphtor