On this page:
- 3.3.1 How do I deal with non-strategy elements?
- 3.3.2 Do the aliens wait for the missions to be completed before developing their empires?
- 3.3.3 How do credits, energy, morale, buildings, production and similar interact?
- 3.3.4 What role does technology play?
3.3.1 How do I deal with non-strategy elements?
Imperium Galactica may drive hardcore strategy fans mad fairly quickly. The early part of the game is exceptionally linear, and gives very little warning of impending threats, as DuaneVP comments: "This game will unfold the same EVERY time unless you do something wrong like the time you let a merchant ship spread the virus and had to quarantine two planets when you weren't expecting it. You play this game until you encounter a problem. It doesn't matter what direction you take because eventually you will have to back up. You'll never be able to anticipate problems because you've already been taught that the game will NOT give you any clues as to what you might be facing. You revert to earlier saves and proceed in a fashion that will allow you to overcome the problem you now know you'll face in the future."
If this is proving a problem, try approaching the first part of the game as you would an adventure or puzzle game: Saving frequently, and being prepared to try different parts of the plot several times before you succeed. Do not approach the first part of the game as a pure open-ended strategy game, where you expect to make mistakes which you can recover from in the course of the game. Imperium Galactica normally won't allow you to take heavy loses early in the game and come back, but it will expect you to be able to deal with huge new threats that appear with almost no warning.
3.3.2 Do the aliens wait for the missions to be completed before developing their empires?
No. From Stormcloud: "The main concept you should know about Imperium Galactica is that it's realtime and dynamic. This means, that while you're pandering away to complete your allotted missions, all the other races are increasing their strengths - settling on empty planet, building space fortress, ground based space cannons etc." All other things being equal, the longer you delay the early missions, the greater advantage your competitors will have. Aim to progress to rank Commander as fast as possible. There are reasons why you might wish to delay the last two ranks slightly, as discussed in the Walkthrough.
3.3.3 How do credits, energy, morale, buildings, production and similar interact?
The basic premise of resource management should be familiar to those that have played other strategy games. It is worth noting what resource is needed for what, and which things require upkeep and which do not. In summary:
- Credits: Needed for investments in infrastructure, fleets, equipment, and research, and repairs to damaged infrastructure. Raised via taxation, trade income, and potentially sales of excess equipment. Held in a single galaxy wide treasury. Credits are not required for general upkeep.
- Colony Energy/Power: Allows colony buildings to operate. Created by colony power stations. Under-powered buildings may have reduced output, and chronically under-powered buildings will be shut down completely.
- Colony Workforce: Allows colony buildings to operate. Created by having a large enough population in the colony. Population appears to grow so long as basic needs are met and morale is reasonable (see below). Rates of growth are far greater than natural reproduction might suggest. Under-staffed buildings may have reduced output.
- Colony Basic Needs: Primarily living space, food and hospital cover, in order for population to grow. At high population levels, other items such as Fire Brigades may be required. Met by provision of certain basic buildings in the appropriate volume.
- Colony Morale: This includes both taxation morale and support for your actions by colonists - both tend to change for similar reasons. Higher morale allows higher taxes to be levied, makes the planet less likely to rebel, and means the population grows faster. Met by lower taxes, morale boasting buildings, Police Stations, and/or ensuring basic needs are met.
- Factories: Increase the speed at which military units and equipment can be created. Those units allow significant defense, and conquest.
- Development Centres: Allow additional levels of research to be accessed, which allows certain technology to be researched, and allows new and improved units, equipment and buildings to be used.
3.3.4 What role does technology play?
You start the game technologically backwards. Early engagements with aliens will be hopelessly one-sided. Research (available at Commander level and later) requires you first to gain additional planets, since you can only build one research facility (Dev. Centre) on each planet - this is covered in more detail under Research. So, in order to develop you *must* expand, but expansion will increasingly require aggression, and aggression benefits from technology. Aliens seem to make few, if any, technological developments, so eventually you will become technologically superior to them, at which point the battles get a lot easier.