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   This page contains information that could help you become a better Space Empires player.
   It has been taken from some of my experiences, postings to the discussion board and notes
   sent to me from other players. Read it and use it.

   The First Turn

   Successful implementation of your strategy begins with how you take your first turn. Usually
   you will have $300 to spend on some combination of factories, speed and battle power.
   Factories will produce ships. A factory built on turn 1 will produce 20 ships by the end of
   the game. A factory built on turn/day 2 will produce 19 ships by the end of the game, etc.
   So the sooner you build factories the sooner you will begin to amass your fleets and strength.
   However, at the beginning of the game you only have your home world, so if you build there, it
   makes your home world even more of a target for your enemies. If you wait to build ships,
   you will lose production, but you will have factories where they might not be easily found or
   closer to your outlying borders for quicker movement (but easier detection by your enemies).
   Deciding when to buy Speed and/or Battle Power is much more complex. Both of these attributes
   affect all your ships and thus, are more expensive. While Speed and Battle Power have distinctive
   advantages, buying them early in the game denies you factories and limits the growth of your
   fleets. You have to come up with a plan to optimize the use of your funds and maximize your
   expansion possibilities. Examine the map and your position and come up with a plan before
   you spend your funds.

   The Maps

   There are two different Space Empires maps (so far). The first map was the "donut". This map
   has a series of worlds in a circle around (usually) an empty space in the center. Player worlds
   are located around the inside and outside edges of the map approximately equi-distant from
   each other. The second map is the "circle". In this map there is no "donut hole" in the center
   and all player worlds are located on the ouside edge of the circle. In addition, the game is made
   complicated by the fact that the value of worlds increases as you move closer to the center of
   the map. This map is more challenging since you must acquire more valuable worlds in order to
   increase production, but as you move towards the center you expose your flanks to your neighbors
   on each side. Each map presents opportunities for different strategies.

   On Planning

   Don't OverPlan. To insure victory, the Japanese played a series of refereed games to simulate the
   attack on Midway. In one, the American Fleet discovered the carriers as the planes were on the
   decks rearming and refeuling. The referrees found this so improbable that they disallowed the
   outcome. Having no flexibility in the plan, when the improbable happened, the fleet was doomed.

   Whether you are attacking or defending, remember the saying by that great American
   philosopher-felon "Iron" Mike Tyson - "Everyone has a plan, until they get hit".

   Strategies

   Here are some of the strategies I've seen players use. Read them - forewarned is forearmed!

   1. The Blossom

   This is a starting strategy and is the most common. I call it the blossom because it looks like one
   on the map. Your home world is the center and as you conquer worlds around it, it looks like a
   flower blossoming. Note: If you do this without setting up alliances or non-aggression pacts with
   your neighbors you could find youself over-extended and with your fleets too far out for
   protection leaving your home world open for an impalement.

   2. The Impalement

   This is a very risky but very rewarding strategy when it works. You simply send all or most of
   your ships straight at your neighbor's home world. If he's doing a blossom, there won't be enough
   ships nearby to defend himself, and his home world will be yours along with a big jump in
   production. Note: Depending on how far away he is and how many of your ships you send, you
   could; a.) be leaving your own home world open, b.)not be grabbing worlds near your own, or
   c.) end up owning just a few, yet rich, worlds - an inviting target for your neighbors.
   Use with caution.

   3. Viper's Gambit

   In Game 52 with a Circle map Viper was on my southern flank. He moved out slowly, let me
   advance past his forces, and turned back into my rear and Death Probed my home world. This
   was a modification of the impalement and was designed to eliminate me. Unfortunately for him
   my home world was not a production world and he used up his valuable beginning funds on a
   Death Probe instead of production so I was able to eventually defeat him. Still, a good game.

   4. The Liar

   Not really a strategy so much as a way of playing. The Liar quite simply can not be trusted. He
   will enter into multiple conflicting relationships and send sincere messages to both sides until one
   is stronger and then attack or delay defending the other. Note: Liars tend to repeat themselves
   so check out the Discussion Boards for other's experiences with your "new friend".

   5. The Fish

   This is the "nice guy" who does things that are in the best interests of other people rather than
   his own and then gets stomped. Note: Always make sure the actions you take for your "ally"
   help both of you. And remember the old saying about playing cards - "Look around the table,
   if you don't see the fish, you're the fish."
   Note: You're the fish if no one has responded to your requests for agreements and alliances...

   6. The Hibernator

   The most despised strategy a player can follow is to sit on his homeworld building up fleets and
   then break out late in the game to take the thinly defended worlds around him. This is a losing
   strategy because a.) you miss the enjoyment of moving everyday, b.) a breakout is not
   economically sustainable, especially against a much larger opponent, and c.) in games with
   many experienced players worlds that even look like hibernators get nuked (Death Probed)
   within the first few days.

   7. Hunt-and-Peck (from Monsta).

   My own little strategy against a mighty opponent has proved to be effective. Once you have
   probed a guy a few times in different places, you can figure out his routine, or how he
   approaches building his empire. This is very helpful if you are waiting on fleets to back up your
   big strike. I send out small convoys to stars farther out than my opponent's known production
   centers. By taking unmanned stars with just a few ships, I keep my opponent going in circles by
   forcing him to come back after those stars and wasting lots of ships and time. Note: A greedy
   player with lots of stars will often leave most of them unprotected. Probing with even 1 single
   ship can cause him to backtrack and recapture those stars. Never leave a star you don't want
   to lose unprotected.

   8. Modified Blossom or Reverse Blossom (from Batman).

   Another strategy I've seen: a sort of modified blossom, or reverse blossom, where instead of
   going for the nearest planets first, the player ignores the close ones for a while and rushes out
   toward his neighbors, grabbing up the stars closer to the neighbors. This establishes front lines
   much closer to the enemy than to one's own home star. Only after this is done does the player
   then sweep up behind the lines, taking the closer planets, and ending up with a larger number
   of planets than the neighbors. This is especially effective if you're a lying weasel and you first
   establish non-aggression pacts with the neighbors so they won't be able to do anything about
   your rapid expansion. Then you just break the pact later.

   9. The Probe

   It is cheaper and often more effective to send out single or small groups of ships to probe the
   worlds beyond your borders. Many times, especially later in the game or against an inexperienced
   player, you may even take the world with the probe. The major drawback of this strategy is that
   most players consider a probe to be an attack and respond accordingly. Use with caution against
   players you are not yet at war with.

   10. The Dutch

   There are a group of players, referred to by some as the "Dutch", who due to their geographic
   location, are awake and alive just before and when the production turn occurs. When playing
   against U.S.A.-based players, these players can defeat attacks sent before bedtime and launch
   early strikes before other players awake. This problem may be addressed in a later version of
   the game, so until then "Know Your Enemy". (Note: With the change of the tick to 11:00 AM
   EST and the addition of standing orders, this strategy has been somewhat compromised.)

Have your own additions to this list? Send them to Shrike@raqbox.com .
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