11. Strategy and Strategy Guides

11G. The Fascist Empire

6. Ship Information Sub-Menu

12. Add-on Information

11H. The Privateer Bands

11I. The Cyborg

11J. The Crystal Confederation

THE CYBORG (RACE 6) STRATEGY GUIDE(S):

The Borg

by Derek J. Kalweit

________________________________________

Contents:

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Pros and Cons of playing the Borg

3.0 Ships

4.0 Colonizing

5.0 Planet Management

5.1 Planets near homeworld/starbase

5.2 Planets on hostile borders

5.3 Planets in enemy territory

6.0 Chunneling

7.0 Battles

7.1 Basics

7.2 What ships should I use?

7.21 How should I arm my ships?

7.22 What engines should I use?

7.23 What should I carry in my ships?

7.24 How should I fly my ships?

7.3 How should I strike?

8.0 What allies should I make?

9.0 How should I deal with my enemies?

9.1 Dealing with the Feds

9.2 Dealing with the Lizards

9.3 Dealing with the Bird Men

9.4 Dealing with the Fascists

9.5 Dealing with the Privateers

9.6 Dealing with the Crystal People

9.7 Dealing with the Evil Empire

9.8 Dealing with the Robots

9.9 Dealing with the Rebels

9.10 Dealing with the Colonies

10.0 Minefields

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1.0 Introduction

The Borg are one of the most challenging races in VGA Planets to play. Many newbies make the mistake of trying to play t

hem to early, and fail horribly, and never play the race again. Boy, are they missing out! As long as you go into playing the

race with the tactical knowledge and experience required, they are one of the most rewarding races in the game to play! The

only down-side, is in most games, they can take a VERY long time to play a turn-- at turn #30 in a game I was hosting with 3

other humans(the rest computer-controlled), my turns were taking over 2 HOURS EACH!!! And at a minimum of 1 turn

per day, it was eating my time up! So first of all, if you'd like to master the Borg-- or even just play them respectfully, be sure

you have plenty of time to play your turns! Second, be sure to play another race first-- the Borg is NOT a newbie race by

ANY stretch of the imagination. And lastly, have a calculator nearby-- it greatly decreases the time you spend with your

turn. I normally use VGA Planets Assistant, so some tactics require, or work best with this program(available on my web

site, listed at the bottom).

With this guide, I will expect you to have a decent understanding of VGA Planets in general-- if you haven't read other

generic guides-- or even the documentation--go find some, and then come back to this one when you're done.. I'm writing

this guide, because there is such a lack of Borg information out there. And not because there's a lack of Borg players, either--

they simply don't want to give away their well-kept secrets. I'm a little more willing to share my knowledge of this

wonderful race, as I enjoy playing ALL races(except maybe the Colonies, but I haven't really given them much of a chance),

and not just the Borg. Not to mention VGA Planets 4.0 will be out this year, and this information will be almost useless,

most likely. <G> Most of the information in this guide is self-taught through experience in local(against Dominate), and

self-hosted games(with buddies of mine). Some tactics I have not actually done, but there's absolutely no way they can be

wrong. <G> Of course this is all just my rambling-take it or leave it. :)

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2.0 Pros and Cons of playing the Borg

The Borg are VERY week early on in the game. They can easily be exterminated, but if they are, they must be FULLY

exterminated, or they will grow just as large again with their assimilation-I know of a case, where a Borg player escaped with

nothing but a probe, and he ended up winning the game! Their cubes are some of the best ships in the game, but are VERY

expensive-- in Moly especially. They are NOT an easy race to play, and will take much of your time each day(or however

often you play your turns). They are, however, one of the most rewarding races to play, when played right.

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3.0 Ships

SDSF: Actually this ship is probably more useful to the Borg than to ANY other race! You don't need to take lots of

colonists with you to colonize worlds, so just send off a few SDSFs and drop a few clans and supplies(except on Bovinoid

planets) here and there(I use 40 supplies and 30 colonists on each SDSF), and go on to the next planet, and before you know

it, those planets will have LOTS of colonists on them. And as with most Borg colonizing freighters, they rarely must return

home-- just pick more colonists/supplies up at an assimilated world. <G>

B200 Probe: You should build a lot of these to hyperjump to nearby planets for scouting, and to build outposts-these

outposts can grow huge in no time with your assimilation. I put 8 supplies and 7 colonists on these, and drop all on any

native world, and 1 colonist only on a planet with no natives, beam up fuel(mission-- there's usually enough), and HYP to

another at exactly 350LYs away(340-360LYs using recent hosts).

Watcher Scout: I rarely build these ships. Pretty useful-- possibly escorts for MDSFs if a cloaker is picking them off.

B41 Explorer: This is a decent armed transport, however it has a very low mass and won't hold up against any torp ships.

Iron Slave: This is a completely useless ship-- not only useless to the Borg, but useless to ALL races. It has only two fighter

bays which can't launch enough fighters to take out most medium ships, and a small cargo capacity which is useless for most

purposes. Don't build these!

MDSF: This is just the size when freighters start to become useful to other races, and even MORE useful for the Borg. Use

these for colonizing mostly(why waste a LDSF for colonizing when you can use these?). This is at about the size that an

enemy(especially a cloaker in your space) would struggle with the decision-- "should I leave it alone, or is it worth showing

him I'm here." Most of the time, at least for me, when I'm playing a cloaking race, they'll decide to leave it alone-- however

with an LDSF, they'll usually choose to go for it.

B222 Destroyer: These are quite useful for base defense-- 7 beams are GREAT for burning fighters off carriers. Not useful for much else, though.

Quietus Cruiser: This is a useful ship as well. Can be used as both armored transport and fuel carrier. Will stand up fairly

well against most scouts, due to it's torpedo tube-- use mark4 or mark7.

LDSF: This is the PERFECT ship for mineral trucks. Truck your minerals from nearby planets in the early game, and then

later, once you have decent planets elsewhere, build some LDSFs with low engines(tech 4-6 or so), and chunnel them around--

you can move GREAT amounts of minerals in almost no time using only 50KTs of fuel(each way)! Great for stripping

planets of minerals AND fuel(600 KT of fuel each!).

Firecloud: This is your most useful ship, PERIOD. It allows your ships to move farther, faster, and better than ANY

OTHER SHIP IN THE GAME! With this ship you can chunnel minerals and money around for a better economy, chunnel

battle fleets to any other firecloud on the map, etc. Definitely your most useful ship don't sell this ship, or let it be captured

if you can help it. Offer services only, if you need the money(you shouldn't need money you should have plenty).

ONLY give/trade these to trusted FULL allies.

Biocide: One of the most feared ships in the game. This is your cube ship that launches fighters. Not very economical to use,

however, unless you have an ally where you can get free fighters, or you've met the ship limit, and your ships have to survive

longer, or you won't be able to build another. Great for stripping fuel off planets when your enemy is advancing(retreat

with the fuel-- burn up as much as you can of it, as then your enemy can't use it).

Refinery: This is the fuel refinery-- load half supplies, and half minerals onto the ship, and you have that much fuel the next

turn. I find I rarely have a fuel problem when fireclouds move my huge fleets most of the way, and my economy is in full

swing(early if you're lucky to have nearby natives).

STSF: Super Transport Freighter-- too big for most purposes. You could use these instead of LDSFs for chunnel harvesting,

but it's not recommended, as you must build them on tech 10 hull star bases(most of your starbases only need to be tech 6 hull).

Annihilations: These are your cubes with torpedo tubes. These are DEFINITLY your best ships, but require massive

minerals to build(especially Molybdenum). Outfit these with high-tech beams, and decent tubes-- preferably mark 4 in the

early game, and mark 7 or 8 later on. Build your torpedoes on mineral-rich planets with the mkt friendly code-- NOT your

homeworld-- you need those minerals for more ships.

Alchemy: I find this ship useful in mineral-poor games, as you need a lot of Moly. Don't build one until you absolutely NEED one.

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4.0 Colonizing

The first rule of colonizing with the Borg, is don't bring to many colonists! Filling your freighters up with mostly colonists

is something that the other races must do, but you don't need to do. Instead, fill it roughly evenly with supplies. This will

allow your colonies to start out faster than other race's colonies. On worlds with no natives, drop 1 clan, and head on to

You

another. This gives you a higher score, so it's easier to bluff that you're better off than your neighbors.

little, until you come upon one of your assimilated worlds, and grab more colonists/supplies. Then take another route of un-

colonized planets, colonizing them along the way. In this manner, you can colonize MUCH faster than most other races.

Once you colonize a planet, tax the natives to the maximum that you can for that amount of colonists. There comes to be a

point, where you must use a calculator(or spend hours doing this for each planet with natives!). Multiply your colonists by 2,

and continue doing so, until you get to the number of natives currently on the planets(or just over)-- then subtract 1, and you

know the amount of turns it will take before the world is completely colonized. Now look at the happiness rating. By the

last turn you have natives on the planet, you should be down to 40 happiness points(on the virge of rioting). Therefore, look

at the current happiness points(say, 94), then subtract 40(54), and then divide the number of turns into the number of

happiness points you just came up with(difference from current and 40). Then set the tax rate so that it subtracts that many

happiness points from the natives each turn. By the time you get to 40, you'll have so few natives, they will be completely

gone the next turn, and therefore won't riot no matter what the tax rate is(but you won't get the $$$ either).

With all these colonists, you don't have to worry about them growing on top of that, so go ahead and tax your colonists. On

worlds they will die(arctic and desert), tax them so their happiness points will go down as well never down lower than 50 or

so though, as the slightest military presence, battle, or such at the planet will throw them into rioting. On your HW,

however, you can leave your tax rate at 0%. This will allow you to build the maximum amount of mines and factories(don't

worry about defense-- your HW is quite useless past turn 20 or so, other than building ships). Be sure to chunnel/HYP in

money from assimilated worlds that won't make good candidates for starbases themselves. You should always have TONS of

money on your HW-- 10-20 thousand MC's minimum.

On outposts in enemy territory(or within scanning distance of such), try not to build any factories until you can cover them

with defense posts as well. Hard to do except on Bovinoid planets, but it'll make your outpost very hard to detect, and by

the time they find it, it will be able to defend itself pretty well.

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5.0 Planet Management

This is where the loads of time comes in(as well as with happiness point calculations mentioned in the last section). You must

manage your planets well. You must have enough defense posts to keep from getting detected, enough factories to produce

loads of supplies(especially in mineral poor games, so you can use your Merlins), and mines to mine out the planet quickly,

making it absolutely useless to any other race(once it's harvested). This stuff is pretty standard for every race, however you

get to build every turn due to assimilation(doubling of colonists, and therefore maximum structures).

Knowing what to build, and when NOT to build are the key factors.

5.1 Planets near homeworld/starbases

These planets can be quite useful throughout the game-- you can tax the assimilated colonists and get about 500 MC per turn

usually. After these are harvested of minerals, you might be lucky and get hit by a large meteor (the Borg are the only ones

ASKING for large meteor hits! <G>). Then you can mine it really quickly(you still usually have millions of colonists to

build mines if they were destroyed), and bring it back to a starbase to use. At the very least, these planets are useful to all but

the Fascists, as they'll be stripped of minerals, and most money. The Fascists, however, can pillage you, getting LOADS of money.

5.2 Planets on hostile borders

These planets are the gray area. They're not safe from being attacked, but they're not in constant danger, either, as outposts

in enemy territory are. Usually, if the planet is quite useless, I lower the happiness ratings(usually just colonists) to the virge

of rioting, so if the enemy takes the planet, they'll be rioting(the battle put them there), and be of little use to him for a

while. Also, build as many defense posts as possible at the very least, it will soften up an attacking fleet for your main defenses farther in your territory.

5.3 Planets in enemy territory

These are the planets that you do your best to BURN TO THE GROUND! If there's natives, you do your best to

assimilate them(ESPECIALLY if they're of a good government). Try to put the happiness ratings of both natives AND

colonists WAY into the gutter-- negatives are really good. That way, unless your enemy is the Lizards, they'll have to wait a

good dozen turns or so to get them to stop rioting! <G> This is very satisfactory, and I even do this on my home planets if

I'm being run over by another race, and I stand no chance.

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6.0 Chunneling

Chunneling is your main means of transportation over distances. It is one of the STRONGEST race advantages in the game,

but unlike many other race advantages, it is one that someone else can acquire, as it's ship-specific. You must do your best to

NEVER let a Firecloud get into enemy hands-- they're DEADLY. You must use your Fireclouds for harvesting planets far

from bases of minerals/money and bringing huge fleets into enemy territory(or even just to the border, usually saves

THOUSANDS of KT's of fuel).

One trick that I've heard used, but never actually used myself(I was going to, but the game ended first), is to bring a

Firecloud outside the map about 20-40 LYs farther than the visible setting(check with Host or note first messages of game),

and then travel there, to the other side of your enemy. Then, when he least expects it, chunnel in some cubes, and take him

by beside his BACK side! <G> The only problem with this, is that he'll see it in plenty of time to defend, usually, and you

can't planet hop outside the map.

As mentioned in the original docs, chunneled ships have their shields down when they come out of a chunnel. Therefore, try

to make sure that the enemy doesn't know where your receiving Firecloud is when you chunnel to it he could more easily

take out your fleet if he did.

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7.0 Battles

7.1 Basics

The first rule of war, is to NEVER under-estimate your enemy. When running simulations, unless you're SURE of

otherwise, figure for a maxed-out ship.

Always OVER-estimate what you'll need to take out a battle-fleet or empire, and don't strike until all your forces are in

position-- striking to early with one, and not being able to follow through with the second blow fast enough, will give your

enemy too much time to prepare.

Secondly, NEVER leave your bases un-guarded. A well-planned attack can easily knock out a starbase-- even cloakers. Before

I was ready to play the Borg, I did so, and had my HW taken by Lizard Cruisers very early in the game. If I had a cube or

two there, I could have saved it, or better yet, I could have counter-attacked, as I knew where his, much more important,

homeworld was.

Thirdly, and this might seem contradictory, don't be afraid to take risks. You'll never win by "playing it safe." Weigh the

odds, the benefits, and the consequences of what you do, and make a decision based on that. If there's a lot to gain from

making an attack, DO SO! Even if there's much to lose if you don't win, someone else will probably attack you anyway, and

you'll lose anyway.

7.2 What ships should I use?

Many Borg novices, run simulations of their ships against other ships, and find that the Biocide fairs very well against most

ships in the game. This is true, however, a Biocide with enough fighters costs MUCH more than a few good Annihilations,

unless, of course, you have a nice ally that can supply you with free fighters. <G> An Annihilation also has 100KT more

mass(960 than the Biocide(860). Both are gas guzzlers, and should be mostly transported simply with Fireclouds, unless

you're purposely trying to burn up gas to keep enemies from using it. These ships are the backbone of your fleet, and most

players know it. You must have a good economy going before you can build these(minerals mostly, but also money), so

make economy your #1 priority at the start of the game.

HYP probes are useless in battle-- they will only burn off 4 fighters before being destroyed, and don't cause a lic of damage

against any torp ships. Use these ships only for colonizing, money transporting, and spying.

Fireclouds do pretty bad in battle. They'll burn of some fighters, and maybe be able to throw a few torps if you have them,

but not much else. Also, the chance of them getting captured isn't worth the risk of sending these into battle.

7.21 How should I arm my ships?

Beams on cube ships should be Heavy Blasters at the minimum. The chances that a race will try to use minefields to defend

themselves is high, so you must be able to sweep them. Mark 4 torpedoes are good early in the game, but mark 7 or 8 is

required past turn 20 or so, to do respectable damage, and last through many fights-- especially against fighter carriers. Don't

carry more than 100-175 torps unless you're specifically trying to use up resources on an outpost world-- better that the torps

are wasted, than for the enemy to build them, right? Same goes for fighters-- don't put more than 100-130 or so on a Biocide-

- any more will simply be wasted, and at 100MC a piece, these are quite pricey to lose!!

HYP probes should be minimally armed. 2 Xrays is usually plenty-- better than putting lasers, as lasers will do more to bring

down someone's shields(kill 3 versus Xray's kill 1). Be sure to put 2 Xrays, as you want to be able to capture freighters if you

can-- 2 Xrays will nicely capture a LDSF-- 1 Xray will not.

I usually have Disrupters or Heavy Disrupters on my Fireclouds. This way, I can capture freighters and small ships for my

own use. I usually put on Mark 4 tubes if I can help it, so I can lay minefields or similar if necessary.

7.22 What engines should I use?

On cubes, you should have a minimum of warp 6 or 7. Using Transwarps ESPECIALLY if you're chunneling them in, is

wasteful at 6 engines a ship! That's 1800 MCs per ship!!! Some people use Transwarps on one, and then tow another one-- this

should work fairly well, but don't put less than warp 6 engines on the one being towed, because if the tower is destroyed,

you don't want the other ship to be COMPLETELY abandoned. Also, if necessary, OVERDRIVE your engines. Sometimes

it's better for your enemy to think you have more than you have-- especially if the ES bonus is on, as they'll figure for tech

10 ships if they see you traveling at warp 9! <G>

HYP ships should have a maximum of warp8 engines, and an average of warp 6-7, depending on their specific purpose. If the

ES Bonus is on, I recommend going lower, as you want these babies destroyed, NOT captured!

Fireclouds should definitely have Transwarps, unless they are simply a receiver at a starbase or such. Don't worry about

making it easier for enemies who capture your Fireclouds(knock on wood!), as most competent enemies would be

escorting/towing such a prize anyway, even after they cloned it.

7.23 What should I carry in my ships?

You should always have free room on your cubes, as when you destroy a ship, you get the minerals/fuel from it. However,

don't take this to an extreme, as usually those minerals aren't to useful-- especially on the front lines. It's always a good idea

to carry supplies-- maybe 100-200 per cube, as then if you're hit by a mine or Glory Device, you can repair yourself(1% for

ever 5 supplies), without having to stop, and perform the repair self mission. This is ESPECIALLY important when playing

against the Fascists, as they will do their best to throw as many GDs as possible at you, to soften up your fleet before they

confront you with their warships. You should also carry torps/fighters of course, mention in 6.21, and maybe some

colonists, and even money for making more torpedoes.

HYP ships shouldn't carry anything, except when colonizing or transferring money. If you have multiple probes, try

splitting the money among numerous ships, going different routes back home, so that if one gets destroyed/captured, all of

your money won't be gone. Of course this is only very useful when you're transferring large sums(20,000+). It's not worth

the effort for a measly 5,000 or less.

Fireclouds should carry colonists and supplies, so they can colonize on their way to where they are going. The supplies will

also help against GD hits, mine hits, etc. You might want to carry a small amount of torps as well, so you can defend better

against some of the larger medium warships.

7.24 How should I fly my ships?

Planet hop whenever possible-- give your position and identity away only when it benefits you. NEVER show your heading--

make it seem like you're heading to one planet when you are indeed heading to another, etc. Fly in erratic zig-zag patterns

when flying out in the open. Once in a while, travel just short of your destination in a straight line to simply frustrate a

cloaker trying to intercept you! And always set your primary enemy to privateer! They are the only enemy that can do you

great harm without attacking-- you DO want to pick a fight with them you do NOT want to find your ships and their

ship(s) in the same place in space. Do your best to travel in ion storms to discourage cloakers from trying to intercept

you(especially Privateers)-- so many cloakers forget to figure for ion storms uncloaking their ships! <G>

7.3 How should I strike?

Striking is all dependent on your style of play. I prefer to attack from multiple directions, splitting my enemies defending

forces. The best way, is to send in 3 forces visibly, and then when he sends his ships to intercept, send in a 4th and possibly

5th strike from behind to attack his planets with weaker defenses. This way you win either way if he leaves his ships on his

planets, you can have 5 strike forces to take care of them, and then the planet, and if he leaves with his ships, you can take the

planets with your sneaking strike force(s).

Gorilla striking is very effective-- especially along the borders. Send a few ships in, capture a planet, riot it to death-- maybe

assimilate some natives, and pop back out. Strike in random patterns, at random times.

Whatever you do, do not split your forces, and attack two people at once-- it will severely hinder your chances of winning

each. Try to exterminate ONE enemy at a time. Fighting on two fronts is just to confusing, and risky.

When striking, be sure to set the battle order properly, so that your ships fight in the correct order. Set the friendly codes to

??1 for the first ship, ??2 for the second, etc. ?? can be any letter-- numbers will act as numbers. The lower the number, the

earlier they will fight-- ships with friendly codes of complete letters will strike last.

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8.0 What allies should I make?

The Feds are a fairly good ally, as they can give you LOKIs to protect you from cloaking races-- the Privateers most

specifically. They can also super-refit your ships with all their money-- they'll probably want you to provide the minerals

though. If you give them a Biocide, they will have effectively 13 bays instead of the default 10-- making the Biocide even more

deadly. Terraformers are very useful to you, as many of your colonists die from the climate being too hot or too cold. The

Fed's bioscanner can also help you find more natives to assimilate.

The Lizards are another fairly good ally, as they can also give you LOKIs, give you tons of minerals(200% mining rate!), hiss

your planets if necessary to get more money, give you cloakers for spying and colonizing far into enemy territory. They can

also give you a terraformer to cool down your desert planets. A good tactic to use with the Lizards, is to have an assimilated

world with a LDSF in orbit. Fill the LDSF with colonists, and a Lizard can send ships there, and you can load colonists on

them for them to use in Ground Attacks-- VERY useful for a supply of colonists deep in enemy territory.

The Bird Men are good to ally with for cloakers, but other than that, and information, they're not that useful to you-- but

they'll want to ally for your cubes, HYP ship, and Fireclouds. Beware of sneaky Bird Men players it's very easy for them to

stab you in the back HARD!!!

The Fascist can do you good with their cloakers, Glory Devices, Pillaging (what else are you going to do with 200,000,000

colonists?!?!?!?-- isn't turning that into 200,000 supplies better?!? <G>), and of course the ground attack like the Lizards,

but to a smaller extent. They also can't be attacked using ATT/NUK friendly codes, so they're dangerous enemies!

The Privateers are your worst enemy, so they'd be a GREAT ally. They grab the ships from other races, and you clone them

for him, and keep some for yourself. He gives you Gravitronic Accelerated ships to tow your fleet around with, and you

help him with your Fireclouds and HYP ships. They'll also give you cloakers. Basically, you don't want them on your bad

side, so it's better to ally with them! <G>

The Crystal People those web mines are sure comforting to have around your empire. That's for sure. Plus he can grab ships,

and you can clone them for him like with the Privateers keeping a copy for yourself, of course. They can't offer you much

else, except a terraformer that heats to 100.

The Empire would be a nice ally, but not a great one. They get 5 free fighters per base, which barely covers their ships, so

they can't really give you many. They have the Imperial Super Star Destroyer, however, which is VERY useful! Get a planet

deep in enemy territory, assimilate it, and then get some SSDs there-- you can use that planet as a loading base for colonists,

and capture plenty of enemy planets/bases! Also, why would you want to fight a Gorbie!?!? <G> They can also give you

nearly COMPLETE information on enemy worlds, with their dark sense.

The Robots are a free fighter race, so they're a good ally. They can give you free fighters for your Biocide, and even give you

Instrumentalities for a lighter carrier to guard your planets with. They can also give you 4x minefields to protect your space

with! They can also give you a FULL bioscanner to find more natives with.

The Rebels are also a free fighter race, so they're also a good ally. They can give you the Patriot Carrier which is REALLY

cheap to build/clone, and is really effective when it has a decent amount of fighters. They can also RGA your worlds to

make natives happier, and also can't be attacked by ATT/NUK.

The Colonies are a nice ally due to the free fighters of course, and can also sweep mines with fighters-- even from 100 LYs

away, making them VERY good allies if you have the Robots as an enemy! They can also give you a bioscanner/RAM scoop

ship(Cobol) for finding natives. Their Aries transport makes fuel more efficiently than your normal refinery, and their Lady

Royalle allows you to get 160MC per turn from it if you have colonists aboard-- which you'll have PLENTY of!

====================================================================

9.0 How do I deal with my enemies?

9.1 Dealing with the Feds

The Feds are fairly straightforward to deal with. They don't have much anti-Borg equipment. Just exterminate them with

your cubes, and watch out for possible allies.

9.2 Dealing with the Lizards

The Lizards fear you very much. They can't use their ground attack ratio very effectively, due to your assimilation. Their

cloakers are VERY useful against you, as they can scout out your worlds, but they can't do too much about it, unless they

have enough cloakers, or bring in their T-Rex's and Madonzilla carriers. They also are immune to LOKI's, so getting a LOKI

won't help you. With their excellent and fast-starting economy they will make quick work of you if they find you early in

the game-- try to stay hidden, and don't pick any fights with them early-- you don't stand a chance if they're played

competently. Later in the game, however, they aren't too much of a threat. Just attack them like you would other races.

9.3 Dealing with the Bird Men

The Bird Men are the sneaky, cowardly snakes of the echo cluster. <G> These guys will probe your territory finding

LOTS of info, and selling it to your enemies. Lay minefields if you can to try to capture some of these pests, and exterminate

their HW if you can. They will also try to change your friendly codes on your planets to bum this will beam your money

up to all enemy ships in orbit(cloaked or not). They will then try to run. This can be helped, if you change your friendly

codes every turn use a random generator such as is built into VPA.

9.4 Dealing with the Fascists

These guys, to tell you the truth, are scary-- those Glory Devices can hurt you, but carry those supplies to protect yourself.

Their ships don't stand a chance against a fully-functional cube of any type. They can also pillage your planets, however,

which can be VERY scary-- getting a good 1000-2000 MC from each pillage! One good reason not to keep colonists on your

planets needlessly-- kill them off if the Fascists might come and pillage you! They'll also be cloaking throughout your empire,

spying on you, taking your freighters, pillaging where you least expect it, etc. I'd prefer to ally with them! <G>

9.5 Dealing with the Privateers

Run like hell! <G> These guys are even worse than the Fascists. They will steal your ships, and use them against you! The

tactics for robbing ships are very easily figured out, and used VERY easily. Try using the beam-up-fuel method, and never

move your ships in a straight line they will cloak-intercept you, and steal your fuel, and then your ship! Also, when

launching attacks against these filthy barbarians, be sure to send your ships separately, as they will easily intercept your ships,

and drag them away-- REMEMBER-- NEVER EVER EVER send them in a straight line! The good part about these guys, is

their planets are very easily defeated-- they're power is in stolen ships.

9.6 Dealing with the Crystal People

These are a HARD race to attack. Those web mines-- once you get stuck in them, it's VERY hard to get out. Especially if

you didn't listen to my advice above, and put high-tech beams on your ships! This race's ships aren't particularly powerful,

so they're fairly easy to destroy, but getting there is the hardest part. many Crystalline players will even use web mines as an

offensive measure, making movement VERY hard. However, with chunneling and HYP probes, it effects you less than most

other races, so be happy! <G> Try towing a Firecloud into the web field-put just the fuel you need on your towing ship,

so that it can't lose much. Then next turn, transfer that much more onto it from the ship being towed(which can't be hit by

the mines), so that it can go another turn. If you're towing a warship, set it to mine sweep, so you at least can destroy SOME

of the mines.

9.7 Dealing with the Evil Empire

The Evil Empire is a formidable opponent. Unlike you(when you have a good economy), they suffer greatly from lack of

fuel. As well as lack of colonists for use in their SSDs. Take advantage of this. If they are advancing, strip all planet of fuel,

and retreat. Then, when they come forward, and are, hopefully, stranded on a planet without fuel, move in for the kill! An

Annihilation with merely Mark4 tubes, and Heavy Disrupters can take out 3 loaded SSDs with only 75-90 torps, and

without taking ANY damage. Better torps, means fewer torps, and even less damage to the shields. Their Gorbies, however, are terrifying!

9.8 Dealing with the Robots

The Robots suffer from a sever lack of Duranium-- they require an EXCESSIVE amount of it in all of their ships. Therefore,

when fighting with the Robots, be sure to deprive them of as much Duranium as possible. Not to mention Moly and

Tritanium, as they need that for their fighters. The Robots have many decent carriers, however, and stand a good chance of

wiping you out. I still can't understand why this is Tim Wisseman's favorite race, though. <G>

9.9 Dealing with the Rebels

Like the Fascists, the Rebels can not have their ships attacked by planets with the NUK/ATT friendly codes. They have the

Rebel Ground Assault which is even more dangerous than pillaging, but at least it doesn't help the Rebels any(except the

destruction of us, of course). They also have HYP ships to HYP into your space, and RGA a planet or two, and HYP back

out. They excel at gorilla warfare, so beware. Their carriers are formidable opponents as well.

9.10 Dealing with the Colonies

The Colonies have good carriers like the Robots and the Rebels, as well as Lady Royale ships to make money with. They can

be VERY dangerous when played right sweeping your minefields from 100 LYs away, attacking with Virgos, etc. Not a fun

race to deal with, but definitely not your worst enemy.

====================================================================

10.0 Minefields

Many expert Borg players use minefields extensively. The use of minefields depends greatly on your neighbors, however. A

Robot neighbor will easily exterminate your minefields by placing his own to destroy them, at 1/4 the price or your's. A

Fascist has many beams on their ships, and will easily clear the minefields. The trick with minefields is knowing where to

place them, when to place them, and when to scoop them back up! In a recent game, I had an Annihilation come out of a

wormhole, and by chance, it was in Empire territory, right next to a SSD heading for one of my outpost planets. I laid a

minefield right there, and ended up hitting the SSD twice! It was crippled to over 80% damage! I then struck a couple planets,

and scooped up the minefield. I meant to lay it again, but instead was destroyed when I attempted to strike a planet that was

to heavily defended(quite probably, the former Fed HW). You MUST scoop up your mines using the msc friendly code

once your enemy knows about them-- otherwise, he'll simply sweep them unless he's a newbie, he won't fall for getting hit

by a mine in the same minefield twice.

And remember this:

He who knows the enemy and himself

Will never in a hundred battles be at risk;

He who does not know the enemy but knows himself

Will sometimes win and sometimes lose;

He who knows neither the enemy nor himself

Will be at risk in every battle.

Sun Tzu, the Art of Warfare

Note: Sorry for the "lack of humor" that my friend who test-read this mentioned, but I just can't come up with jokes for a

lot of these things! <G> I hope you at least learned something-after all, that's what all this fun is about, right? Learning? <G>

Derek J. Kalweit

dkalweit@eznet.net (Email me anytime--especially if you want to play a plain-vanilla VGAP game!)

Collective Consciousness: Autarch?s Guide to the Cyborg

Contents:

Chapter 0: Intro.

Chapter 1: The Cyborg

1a.) Race description

1b.) Player mindset

1c.) Settings

Chapter 2: Advantages

2a.) Assimilation

2b.) HYP Probes

2c.) Chunneling

2d.) Cube ships

2e.) Debris Beam-in

2f.) Cloning

2g.) Repair Self

Chapter 3: Disadvantages

3a.) No Medium Warships

3b.) Early Game Strength

3c.) Ship Costs

Chapter 4: Ship List

4a.) Ship Armament/Engines for:

4a1.) HYP Probes

4a2.) Fireclouds

4a3.) Cubes

4b.) Freighters

4b1.) Small Deep Space Freighter

4b2.) Medium Deep Space Freighter

4b3.) Large Deep Space Freighter

4b4.) Super Transport

Chapter 5: HYP Probes

5a.) What they are

5b.) Strategies for HYP Probes

5b1.) Money carrier

5b2.) Spy

5b3.) Freighter Hunter

5b4.) Escape Pod

Chapter 6: Chunneling

6a.) The Firecloud

6b.) What Chunneling is

6b1.) How it works

6c.) Chunnel Points

Chapter 7: Your planets/Bases

7a.) Planets

7a1.) How to colonize them

7a2.) How to manage them

7a3.) Planetary Strategies

7b.) Bases

7b1.) Where to build them

7b2.) Defenses

7b3.) Upgrading your tech levels

Chapter 8: Other Races as Allies and Enemies

8a.) The Feds

8b.) Lizards

8c.) Bird Men

8d.) Fascists

8e.) Privateers

8f.) Crystals

8g.) Empire

8h.) Robots

8I.) Rebels

8j.) Colonies

Chapter 9: Summary and Information

Chapter 0: Introduction

Greetings once more. My name is Autarch, author of (by now) two

guides, concerning the Crystals and Robots. I have an Empire one coming

soon.

I noticed that there was not a whole lot of stuff out there, and

decided to make my mark in the VGAP community. So I sat down, and wrote

the Guides for the ?Forgotten Races.? And the Cyborg seem to be an almost

forgotten race as well. There isn?t a whole lot of info out there on

them, and so I figured I could write ?just one more? Guide.

I personally use VGA Planets Assistant (VPA), and this Guide is

based on Host 3.22.023. I don?t think that there have been significant

changes, especially concerning the Cyborg. If you like the Cyborg, you

are not alone. However, I do not claim to be an expert at VGAP, and your

using anything I say is, of course, at your own risk.

Chapter 1: The Cyborg

1a.) Race Description

==================================

Let?s see what the docs have to say about the Cyborg (Borg from

now on), and some abilities they have.

The Cyborg are a half humanoid and half machine race. The

Cyborgs have many small scout ships and probes. These come in very handy

in finding their enemy's home world. The Cyborg battleship is the size of

two Birdmen battleships.

All damaged Cyborg ships can stop and repair themselves at a rate

of 10% per turn. The Cyborg are able to assimilate natives into

colonists. The assimilation rate can be configured by the host from 0% to

a 100%

The own one of the most feared weapons ever seen in the echo

cluster, the Firecloud Class Warp Chunneler, a ship that can deliver a

fleet of combat vessels to any point in space.

The Cyborgs have some of the most powerful starships, the Cyborg

Cube ships.

The Cyborg ships are able to repair in space at a rate of 10% per

month. A Cyborg ship that is repairing

cannot move.

When a Cyborg ship destroys an enemy ship the hull debris and

fuel is beam aboard in the form of minerals.

Cyborg colonists that are placed on a planet that has native

population will be assimilated into Cyborg

colonists. The natives are converted to Cyborg at a rate of one native

for every Cyborg on the planet.

==================================

1b.) Player Mindset

The Borg are a race that is perhaps one of the most difficult to

play. They lack medium warships. They assimilate natives, and you have to

capitalize on the natives if you want to build a base with good tech

levels. Their economy, in the beginning, is one of the worst. You are

easily destroyable in the first 10-18 turn of the game. You must have

time to coordinate your forces, and manage your planets. If you don?t

have time to do your turns, don?t play the Borg.

Once you survive, though, you have some of the most powerful

ships in the game. You can move anywhere in the Cluster. You can

exterminate anybody you please. So the Borg have some good pros, and

really bad cons.

1c.) Settings

Here are some settings you should pay attention to:

Hyper Drive Ships: YES

I wouldn?t play the Borg without this. you need your HYP ship

to explore and grow like mad.

Firecloud Warp Chunnel: YES

I wouldn?t play the Borg without this either. you need this ship

to link your vast empire, and to move cubes,

freighters, and other things around.

Cyborg Assimilation Rate: 100%

this means that for every Borg on the planet, one native is

turned into Borg.

Ships with one engine can tow: YES

this lets your probe, upon discovering a freighter in orbit, to

tow it out and capture it. Handy to have, but not

life threatening.

Climate Limits Population: ???

Depends on what you want. this means that if you get a desert or

Arctic planet, you assimilate, and the your people die off from

the climate. It would be nice not to have this, and anyone could survive

anywhere, but you can live with it turned on.

Ship Cloning: YES

this is helpful if you have allies who will give you decent

medium warships (something you lack.)

Chapter 2: Advantages

2a.) Assimilation

Stated simply- you find the natives, you turn them into Borg.

This is where your assimilation rate kicks in. So you get a Siliconoid

Representative planet, with 8 million natives, you turn them into 8

million Borg. You have 200 clans, next turn, you have 400 clans, provided

that there is enough natives. If the number of Borg outnumber the

natives, next turn you will have no natives. You cannot assimilate

Amorphous Planets.

2b.) HYP Probes

This lets you, with your assimilation, to spread all over the

Echo Cluster. More on HYP probes in Chapter 5.

2c.) Chunneling

Chunneling lets you move massive fleets and unlimited amounts of

stuff anywhere in the Echo Cluster. I?ll explain the benefits of

Chunneling in Chapter 6.

*One thing to point out- you cannot chunnel if anyone (even

yourself) has a tow lock on your Firecloud.*

2d.) Cube Ships

You have two of the most powerful ships in the Game- the Biocide

and Annihilation Cube Ships.

The Biocide is your fighter carrier. It has a mass of 860, but

the fighter cost is expensive, even for you.

The Annihilation is your torpedo boat. It has a mass of 960, and

is more efficient than the Biocide, unless you have allies who can

provide free fighters.

All in all, you have two big, tough, and heavy ships.

2e.) Debris Beam-In

When you fight, and win, you usually blow up a ship. Most races

go ?Huzzah!?, and get a PBP or two. You get a PBP, and all the minerals

that made the ship up. Even if it?s fuel. Nice to have deep in enemy

territory, or on the borders of your space.

2f.) Cloning

You can clone those medium warships and cloakers that you get

from allies or from the plunder of war. Handy to have, to fill the gaps

in your fleet.

2g.) Repair Self mission

The Borg can regenerate their ships (not crew members though) at

10% per turn. You don?t move when you do this though, so you can be a

sitting duck too.

Chapter 3: Disadvantages

3a.) No Medium Warships

You have your Cubes, and your Firecloud. Fireclouds won?t hold

their own in a battle, and Cubes are expensive in the beginning. The

closest thing you have is the Quietus Cruiser, with 1 torp tube. But

that?s it.

3b.) Early Game strength

For the first part of the game, you are relatively weak because

of what was stated above. Here is where diplomacy kicks in- making sure

you survive the first 10-18 turns or so.

3c.) Ship Costs

Your ships are pretty balanced mineral and cash wise. It?s just

that this balance is HUGE. You could easily build starbases for the costs

of your cubes. Steep, eh? And with no medium ships, well... you get the

point.

Chapter 4: Ship List

Here I am going to lay down the basics of your ships, and what to

put on them in regards to engines/weapons afterwards. These are the

default ship designs, as I know that there are more out there. Freighters

I will discuss next, but onto the warships:

B200 Probe (Beams: 2 Cargo: 15)

This is your HYP ship. Useful booger. More on these guys in the

next chapter.

Watcher Scout: (Beams: 2 Cargo: 50 Fuel: 270)

Not a bad ship, with a good fuel tank. Lack of beams hampers it?s

effectiveness. I don?t build ?em.

Iron Slave: (Beams: 1 Bays: 2 Mass: 60)

Do NOT build this ship. It is too light, and has no offensive

capabilities. Waste of a shipslot.

B41 Explorer (Beams: 4)

No use to build this either. Eat gets eaten easily by anything

with torps.

B222 Destroyer (Beams: 7)

Use this to burn fighters off the big carriers or starbases. It

is light, but the beams come in handy.

Quietus (Beams: 4 Tubes: 1)

This isn?t a bad ship. A local patrol boat, interceptor,

minelayer-it can be used to fulfill many roles. Arm it well.

Firecloud Class Cruiser (Beams: 6 Tubes: 2)

The key to the Borg?s success. I will get into the specific

functions/uses/strategies of the FC later on. Let?s just say,

this ship lets you go anywhere it is, in one turn, with only **50** kts

of fuel burned. And remember- ANYWHERE. Your enemy is going to

pick them off, and these cannot fight. Guard them.

Biocide Class Carrier (Beams:10 Bays: 10)

Nasty ship. It?s your fighter carrier, can fight a Gorbie and

occasionally limp away. Very useful against the Torp races, and

fighters shouldn?t be a problem with the ton of mines/colonists

(read:cash) you have *later* in the game.

Annihilation Class Dreadnought: (Beams:10 Tubes: 10)

The Baddest Torp ship around. Only Fed Nova comes close. A fully

stocked Annie can be devastating, and way cheaper than a fully

stocked Biocide.

4a.) Ship Armament/Engines

4a1.) HYP Probes

Your HYP probes are mainly for exploration. They can be used to

zap enemy freighters, so put x-rays on them. Put crappy engines on them,

so you don?t waste money.

Especially if the E/S Bonus is on, you don?t want non-HYP races

getting a HYP ship. Big whoop you say. Cloned, a little probe can be a

nuisance. Especially in the hands of the Fed- super refit that puppy with

big weapons and you got a planet killer.

4a2.) Fireclouds

The key to your survival/conquest. Put Transwarps on these guys,

and send them out. Watch them though. I usually put Disrupters and MK4s

on board to zap freighters, or protect it in a fight. But you don?t want

these guys in a fight. Run if you have to, chunnel away if absolutely

necessary. But don?t sacrifice the front line because a Cygnus is chasing

your FC.

4a3.) Cubes

Big and Bad. Gas Guzzlers too. I put HeavyDrive 6s at most on

them. Transwarps rarely, unless I have a ton of gas to use. You?re going

to be using the FCs to transports them.

As for weapons, the Annies should get Heavy Blasters. They are

going to be using them to smash ships and

such. The Biocides only need plasma bolts to shoot down other fighters,

or Heavy Blasters to kill torp ships. Take your pick, and remember to

use the right Annie/Bio for the job.

4b.) Freighters

You really can use any freighter in the game.

4b1.) SDSF (Small Deep Space Freighter)

Handy to you, probably more than anyone else. Fill with half

colonists, half supplies. These guys are nice, but you should use MDSFs

instead.

4b2.) MDSF (Medium Deep Space Freighter)

The best in the early stages. Good for moving decent mineral

truckloads around, and most cloakers want bigger targets (LDSFs, or

STSF). Put Transwarps on them, and use them for colonizing too.

4b3.) LDSF (Large Deep Space Freighter)

Don?t colonize with these. You?ll assimilate to quick if you dump

1200 clans on a planet. Use them for mineral trucks, because you?re going

to need them. You can save and not put Transwarps on some, since you?ll

use the Fireclouds to move them. Guard them ,because they are prized by

cloakers.

4b4.) STSF (Super Transport Space Freighter (or something like

that))

Build these if you absoluely NEED to. For most cases, LDSFs

should suffice.

All in all, remember to use the small/medium for colonzie, and

LDSF/STSF for minerals major colonist transport. And guard them- a Swift

Heart or less with X-Rays and your ship is toast.

5.) HYP Probes

5a.) What they are

HYP probes are handy little ships that can carry a small amount

of clans/colonists. They can ?jump? 340-360 lys (with the newer host

programs). In any direction, and only burn 50 Kts of fuel. That means if

you do it right, you can HYP from planet to planet, unseen. Without them,

the Borg are doomed. But because you assimilate, if you escape, with one

clan, you can come back. (And win, it?s happened!) Without the HYP, you

can?t expand the way you need to. But anyway, here are some basics:

5b.) Strategies for using the HYP Probes

5b1.) Money Carrier

Think, 350lys away, you have a planet making oodles of cash. But

normally, it?s 4 turns away ONE WAY. Not with the HYP probe around.

Calculate, and ZIP, she?s there. And ready to carry up to 10,000mcs if

necessary (10 grand being the limit in the game for any ship). No way

someone can get it, unless they are attacking you at the same time your

probe drops out of hyperspace.

5b2.) Spy

Test your enemies defenses. Put blasters on your ships, and send

a fleet into the heart of his empire. You kill freighters, get planets,

and start assimilating. He?ll freak out, thinking of all the natives

being turned into Borg (read: less cash when he gets the planet back).

Can really screw up an economy.

Shoot a couple into his space, and set mission to mine sweep.

They sweep (scan and shoot down mines) before HYPing out. And HYPing

ships can?t get plastered with a mine. Also, you make the enemy

uncomfortable to see enemy ships in the heart of his space.

Physchologically damaging.

5b3.) Freighter Hunter

Put X-rays on the boogers and send them out. To the planets. They

see a ship (pray a freighter) and nail it. Very nice if the ship had a

ton of colonists on them, because they are all Borg now. Ground attack

your enemy, or assimilate a planet faster (especially good government one

(Monarchy, Unity)) or a race (Avian, Insectoid, Bovonoid).

5b4.) Escape Pod

The Borg are weak in the early game. You are Number 1 on the

?must destroy early? list. So everyone (if they are smart) will go for

your throat.

Use the HYP probe fill it with cash a lot of supplies, and a few

clans. Have it ready to go in case all else fails. Then RUN. Bide your

time, and seek revenge later on.

All in all, a multi-purpose ship. They help the Borg grow, and

without them, the Borg wouldn?t exist.

6.) The Chunnel

6a.) The Firecloud

In order to use the Borg?s BEST ability, you must build Firecloud

Class Cruisers. They aren?t armed well, but that isn?t their function.

They initiate a warp chunnel, allowing you to send ships anywhere.

6b.) Chunneling

Chunneling requires two Fireclouds, some gas, and a warp factor

of 0. The docs explain it:

6b1.) How chunneling works (emphasis mine):

Chunneling is the process where a Firecloud Class Cruiser uses a

temporal rift in the subspace time continuum. This rift is a maelstrom

of tachyon energy formed in the shape of a tunnel.

To open a Warp Chunnel a Firecloud needs to have at least 50 KT

of fuel. It then selects its friendly code to the ID number of another

Firecloud. This causes a targeting subspace signal to be generated. The

Firecloud then projects a stream of accelerated tachyon particles that

cause a rift in the subspace time continuum. The generation of this high

energy beam **uses up 50 KT of fuel from the projecting Firecloud.**

This rift is anchored to the destination Firecloud.

Once the Chunnel is generated the Chunneling Firecloud moves into

the Chunnel. This causes the Chunnel to collapse. As the Chunnel

collapses it pushes the Firecloud (and any other starships that were in

the same point in space as the Firecloud) along in front of it as it

collapses. This movement expends uses no fuel on the Chunneling

starship(s), since they are being pushed along by the collapsing Chunnel

(subspace temporal rift).

Needless to say, traveling through a high energy rift comprised

of tachyon particles can have an adverse effect on your starship systems.

**Any starship completing a Chunnel will exit subspace with its shielding

systems inoperative.** The Chunnel, in effect, strips the starship(s) of

their shields for that turn. By the next turn the shielding systems will

be functioning again.

And now the how to:

How to Initiate a Chunnel

To start a Chunnel, as stated above, the traveling (or

initiating) Firecloud needs to set its friendly code to the ID number of

the Firecloud it wishes to travel to. Both Fireclouds need to have their

warp factor set to zero (0).

If the warp factors are not set to zero or the ether of the Fireclouds

are under tow the Chunnel will not occur.

For ID numbers 1 to 99 place leading zeros in front of the

number. I.E. 001, 023, 099.

Chunneling happens as part of the movement phase of the host. It

is the last segment of the movement phase. So it is possible for

starships to move TO the Firecloud before it Chunnels and then move with

it, shutting down the warp systems during the Chunnel.

Cloaked starships moving through a Chunnel will remain cloaked.

A ship belonging to a race other than the race of the Firecloud

opening a chunnel at the same point in space as the Firecloud must have a

warp speed of 0, be cloaked, out of fuel or have a friendly code that

matches the friendly

code of the ship opening the chunnel to enter the chunnel (way point

setting does not matter). The chunnel ship's race can enter the chunnel

at any warp speed as can cloaked ships or ships with matching friendly

code belonging to all races.

If fleet of enemy ships that warp onto a planet that is hiding a

Firecloud with its chunnel engaged only the enemy ships with a warp speed

of 0 will enter the chunnel. The only ships that can move onto a planet

with a warp speed of 0 are ships that are being towed. None of the ships

that moved their under their own power will enter the chunnel, but any

ships that they are towing will.

A pair Fireclouds can not use a chunnel if ANYSHIP with fuel locks a

tow beam on it, the warp speed and waypoint setting of the ship locking

the beam does not matter.

Minimum range of chunnel: 100 LY

Maximum range of chunnel: 5000LY

(Only works with HOST Version 3.20 or Better)

So look at the benefits. You can go ANYWHERE, for 50kts of fuel.

You can chunnel as many ships as you want. Your cubes ships need this,

since they suck gas only a little less than a Gorbie.

The bad sides are that you come out with shields down. Fireclouds

can?t fight, so your enemy will definitely hunt your FCs down. Any ship

that puts a tow lock on your FC nullifies the chunnel. But the uses and

benefits in maneuvering outweigh the cons.

6c.) Chunnel Points

The easiest way to chunnel fleets, is to have chunnel points.

I usually have crappy FCs in orbit around planets as catchers.

They don?t chunnel, they are just anchors to chunnel back to. I set up a

planet or waypoint in space to have all my ships meet.

If a planet, a crappy one, since I don?t want to chunnel my fleet

of Merlins away by sheer accident.

If in space, outside a planet?s warpwell, say 4 lys. This way, I

am close by, and not sticking out to much.

I then activate the chunnel when everyone arrives, and go. Then

when I am done, I use the bad FCs as anchors, and go home.

Easy, simple, and that way, your key planets are linked through

the possibility of a chunnel. You can move cubes around effectively to

protect or advance.

7.) Planets and Bases

Everyone likes to have huge fleets of ship cruising around

beating people up. You can?t do that if your economy stinks. Planets and

Bases are major parts to the economy scheme.

7a.) Planets

You start off with a planet, so that means you gotta expand.

7a1.) Colonization

Most races send out LDSFs in every direction to conquer planets

well, and get them up and running. Not you. All you really need is the

SDSF. Why? Because of your assimilation, of course! One clans turns into

two, into four, and so on. So while most races run around dumping tons of

cash, supplies and colonists, you need very few colonists, some supplies

and some cash.

Take a SDSF, and fill it with 40 supplies, and 30 clans. Put some

money if you think you need it.

On no native planets, put one clan down. Just to take the planet.

On native planets, dump the colonists. Next turn, you have

double, and you pick up a full ship again.

Of course, you are beaming down supplies. Cash if you think you

need it. Not a lot of supplies or cash, but just enough to get the planet

up and running. The cash you?ll get from assimilating natives. Re-Read

how to use the kinds of frieghters you have.

7a2.) Managing your planets

This is the time consuming part for any Borg player. You have to

figure for max taxes. And build supplies, mines, and watch your native

population (if applicable). Watch your defense post numbers, and make

sure you don?t get scanned.

This usually doesn?t take long. But when you have 50-90 planets

to worry about, then you have time consuming stuff on your hands.

So, figure for max taxes. Watch your mineral count. Raise defense

posts. Watch the native growth, and see what you have left and are going

to have next turn.

7a3.) Planetary Strategies

Assimilate native planets first. Come back to the empty planets

later. This way, you get the key plamets (and economy) running. Build

your factories, mines, and Def posts. They?ll all be colonists soon

anyway.

Or:

Capturing enemy planets. You get them, and if they have natives,

you start assimilating. Right away.

Yank the taxes to 100%. The natives will riot, but you?ll keep

assimilating. So if the enemy gets the planet back, the natives (now

hopefully decimated by assimilating and killing each other) will be of no

use to either of you. Any clans you (or him) put there will be chopped up

in two seconds.

Use the HYP probes to do the same. HYP in, capture planets, yank

taxes, and assimilate.

What if the enemy is invading? Do the same, but leave the amount

of colonists on the planet. It?s not like you don?t have enough. Riot

them. Have them chop up all those beautiful mines and factories to

prevent their capture. If hopeless, do it to all your planets. Use your

escape pod (HYP probe) to run if you even want to try.

7b.) Bases

If you think you can do with one base for the whole game, good

luck to you.

7b1.) Where to build them

The Borg have a dilemma when it comes to bases. They assimilate

the natives, and if you build the base after the natives are gone, you

lose the race ability (if applicable). So they gotta build bases early.

But they lack the minerals early, and need to save them for the cubes.

So if you are going to build (which you have to), get those

minerals there before the natives are gone. I build bases if I can get

the race ability, or the minerals are good.

7b2.) Defense

Your HomeWorld is really useless after turn 20- you have probably

bigger amounts of colonists on other planets nearby. But other planets

(i.e. StarBases) are useful, and are last-line protection.

You have the cash to buy fighters, so do so if you feel it is

necessary. Keep your bases in top shape. No one can ground attack you-

especially with 6 million colonists. So they have to beat you up. A Cube

nearby is always handy, too. Raise your defense posts, and increase base

defense as well. You can huge ground defense posts with your astronomical

colonist figures.

7b3.) Upgrading

You can upgrade as you feel free to do so. Adapt to the

situation.

Some ideas:

Build HYP probes-they never out live their usefulness.

Crappy FCs are only *tech 6*.

Cubes I build on my HW. Sometimes other bases if I have enough

minerals and cash handy.

Be flexible- the Borg lost in Star Trek because they just came in

guns blazing, smashing everything. The crafty humans wiped their butts

all over the Sol System. Learn from that.

8.) Other Races- Allies and Enemies

Other races inhabit the Echo Cluster, and depending on their

leaders, they may be friendly or hostile to you. With the Borg, they are

NEVER indifferent.

8a.) The Solar Federation

Based upon the Federation in Star Trek, the Feds have a decent

fleet, made up of mostly medium warships that can do many different

things. However, the key word is medium. The biggest ship they have is

the Nova, which can spank almost any ship besides yours and the Gorbies

by itself.

As allies: They are good ones. They can super-refit your cubes,

which is very handy. They have the KittyHawk, a medium carrier. They also

collect 200% taxes from the natives they make contact with. Very helpful

to you in the game, when you are done assimilating and all you have are

colonists left to tax. The Feds have good torp ships, something you lack.

They have Lokis, which will decloak the Fascists, Privs and everyone else

(save the Birds and Lizards). They also have terraformers, which are

handy for those assimilated cold or hot planets.

As enemies: The Feds are not very powerful in the first part of

the game, like you. They know this, but they know you stink early too. If

you can get your economy rolling quick, you can run the Feds over. They

will have many empty hulls, for super-refit later on.

They will throw a combo of ships at you. Their Thor is deadly- 8

torp tubes. It?ll go in first, knocking your shields out, followed by a

KittyHawk. Then the Nova comes in and cleans your cube up. Try using cube

pairs, or get some cloakers (watching for Lokis) and find their key

planets. Try to get the Feds before they can get you. They will try to

outbuild everyone early on so they can sacrifice the ships they have to.

8b.) The Lizard Alliance

The Lizards are based upon the Gorn of Star Trek. Very big,

powerful, and nasty.

As allies: Very good. They can mine at 200%, which they can give

you the minerals you desperately need for your cubes. They can give you

cloakers, Lokis, and a terraformer. Their HISSS mission is nice- they can

HISS your planets, and squeeze that last bit of taxes out.

As enemies: You frighten them. They have a ground attack of 30:1,

but that is useless with 6 million colonists. They can cloak, so

interlocking minefields are the key to stopping their cloakers from

attacking planets. Their ships lack many beams, so sweeping for them is

pretty much limited. Their Madonzilla and T-Rexes are their ships of

choice when fighting your cubes. They?ll use a Rex-Madon-Rex combo to get

your cubes. They can produce these ships rapidly since their economy is

incredible. Put Heavy Blasters on your HYP probes, and shoot them out.

Chances are he?ll have a terraformer or Serpent Scout HISSSing, and you

toast it. The high tax rate will cause rioting all over.

8c.) The Empire of the Birds

The Bird Men are based upon the Romulans of Star Trek. Quiet,

invisible and sneaky.

As allies: OK. They have cloakers, and their Resolute is very

nice. They?d like your Cubes to back their fleet up, since DarkWings

aren?t the strongest around. They have a cloaking carrier for you, very

handy. They have cloaking torp ships for surprise minefields. Other than

that, not much.

As enemies: They can be devastating to you. Their economy is not

great, but that doesn?t mean he can?t eliminate you. Their Resolute and

DarkWing don?t use fuel to cloak, so they?ll wait at your chunnel points

with cloak on and warp 0. Move your chunnel points. Or setup a chunnel

point, and have the real chunneler somewhere else. Then move your fleet

to the real chunneler. He won?t move, because he can?t intercept cloaked

and he won?t know where you are going. Send in your cubes and attack

mercilessly. They?ll use their DarkWings since that?s all they have. And

that isn?t much.

8d.) The Fascist Empire

The Fascists are based upon the Klingons from Star Trek.

Bloodthirsty, ruthless, and suicidal.

As allies: Very little use to you. They have 3 cloakers, which

you can get from the Bird Men (or similar ship designs). They have Glory

Devices, ships which are like suicide runners. They can blow up when they

detect a cloaker, or he can send them as missles toward ships, planets,

etc. The Gds turn Amorphous worms into supplies when exploded. Very handy

to clear the planets out. They can pillage your people, and split the

cash with you.

They get more- Cubes, FCs, and HYP probes. Fascists are immune to ATT/NUK

codes.

As enemies: A hassle. They can cloak, and pillage your people.

They can?t be attacked by planets, so unless you have a cube there, they

can play cat and mouse. They?ll throw GDs at your ships. GD?s do about

10-11% damage to a Biocide. Carry supplies with you, to heal the damage,

and use your repair-self mission. They?ll use Glories with their

Victorious (tech 10 ship) to get you. Zig zag your ships to evade the

Glories, and run him over. His ships are no match for yours. (I know, I

played the Fascists vs. the Borg. I got clobbered. Though I gave him a

bloody nose. )

8e.) The Privateer Bands

The Privs are based upon the Orions from Star Trek. They are the

last of the cloaking races. Sneaky bandits.

As allies: VERY useful. They have gravitronic ships, which travel

at twice the speed you can do. The MBR is the best of these grav ships.

Nice fuel tank, so your cubes can get towed from l62 lys away. You can

clone for the Privs, and they could always use FCs. They lack heavy

ships, what they get for those, they steal. Their ships cloak on top of

it all, so you can have a fast surprise mine layer.

As enemies: The Worst for you. You lack heavy anti-cloaking

equipment. So they will steal your cubes blind. There are so MANY Priv

tactics, I recommend going on the Web and looking at some VGAP sites and

reading up. I won?t list any here- there is just too many.

So how do you combat them? Top off your fuel tanks. Use

minefields like crazy. Have mission to beam up fuel (he robs, you beam,

you have fuel, he?s uncloaked, he gets slaughtered). Again, read up on

Priv tactics. Use more mines, and see if you can get some anti cloaking

equipment (Lokis, GDs, web mines, etc). Ride in Ion storms- that goes for

any cloaking race (except the Birds- Resolutes and Dwings don?t decloak

in them (ion storms)). Watch your back.

8f.) The Crystal Confederation

The Crystals are based upon the Tholians from Star Trek. Known

for their webs, small ships, and rudeness.

As allies: OK. They can cover your butt from cloakers with their

web fields. Their Thunders is an okay carrier, and they?d like your

cubes. You?d like their Emerald or Rubies, which are very good torp

ships. They have a terraformer, but it heats to 100 degrees. They cannot

clone, so they need you for that.

Web mines are the best selling point. They make 10% damage as a

normal mine, but suck gas. When they (a ship) hits a web mine, they lose

50kts of gas or 1/6 of their fuel (which ever is more). Sitting in a

field, a ship loses 25kts of fuel. The effect is cumulative, 2 fields,

50kts of fuel. 3- 75kts of fuel. Colonies can?t sweep them (webs), so you

are protected- it?s like having a wall.

As enemies: A nuisance. Get them while they are small. The

Crystal economy is bad, and they need the money planets. Find them, and

knock them out. Put heavy beams on your ships, and sweep as you go. Don?t

go far into a field and risk the chance of hitting a mine. Once you are

in a web, he?ll increase the size or make an overlapping web field,

sucking more gas. Ouch.

Be patient. Sweep thoroughly, and hit his money planets. He?ll

use Flame/Thunder combos to take out your cubes. I use a

Flame/Flame/Thunder combo to toast a Gorbie. Wasn?t easy, since Crystal

ships are not strong. If you need Crystal knowledge, I can send you my

guide: ?Glistening Gems; Autarch?s Guide to the Crystals.?

8g.) The Evil Empire

The EE is based upon the Empire from Star Wars. All knowing, all

seeing, all bloated.

As allies: Not the greatest. They get 5 free fighters per base,

per turn. Hardly enough to sustain a fighter fleet. Their economy is, bar

none, the worst in the game. They have the Super Star Destroyer (SSD). It

has an Imperial Assault mission, which lets you beam 10 clans to any

planet, and it?s yours. Even Homeworlds. The ship cannot be attacked by

ATT/NUK codes. They have the Gorbie, the ultimate weapon in the game, but

you have your cubes. 5 free fighters doesn?t cut it for your Biocides.

They can Dark Sense everyone (save the Rebels) and find out where your

enemies key planets are.

As enemies: A nuisance. As stated, their economy stinks. Their

ships aren?t the best combat wise. But the Gorbie is a pain. However, you

both won?t be able to produce your heavy hitters until later, and you can

deal with a Gorbie by sending 2 Biocides at it. The first might win, but

have the second around just in case.

Their SSD is a pain, but lay surprise minefields and damage the

ship. Some damage, no Imp Assault. The SSD won?t have a full fighter

compliment of fighters, because they need the clans to perform the

Assault.

They will use their HYP probes to find your planets by Dark

Sensing, and will go for your throat. Lay some fun traps for the Imps,

since you can guess where he?ll be going. Once his Gorbies are

neutralized, walk on him.

8h.) The Robotic Imperium

The Robots (or Cylons) are based upon the race from BattleStar

Galctica. Nasty and efficient.

As allies: Their are pretty good. They have carriers, and one

torp ship. They can make 4x the number of mines as anyone else. They can

make fighters in space, which you can use to fill your Biocides. Their

Golem is nice, and their Automa is one of the wickedest ships around.

They?d like your FCs, and any torp ship you have. Their Pawn Baseship has

a full bioscanner and will scan ALL planets within 200lys (host default).

As enemies: A nuisance. Their ships are big and bad, but your

cubes can nail them. Sweep the huge fields that they have. Be patient,

just like you would fighting the Crystals. He?ll use his Golems and

Automas to attack, but having a few cubes nearby will take care of that.

They need Duranium like mad, so pull it from planets. Pull either

Tritanium or Moly (or both) to prevent their fighter building too.

Deprive them of their basic economic needs and assimilate the Bots. Read

my guide (?Dittering Diodes: Autarch?s Guide to the Robots?) to get a

basic grasp of the Bots. I?ll send it to you if you can find it in a web

site.

8I.) The Rebels

The Rebels are based upon the Rebels of Star Wars. Small, light,

fast , and deadly.

As allies: They can give you free fighters to. They have the

Falcon, a better HYP ship. They have decent torp ships (Cygnus,

Tranquillity), and they?d like your cubes. They have a Rush, which is

pretty good in itself. They are immune to the Dark Sense, and can use

their Rebel Ground attack (RGA) to destroy enemy planets. They are immune

to ATT/NUK codes.

As enemies: A pain. Their RGA is effective (-50% HP), and you?ll

soon find 6 million Borg rioting all over. They?ll use their Falcons to

do that. Have a Quietus or something sitting in orbit and get them. Send

in the Cubes, and hit them. Locate their fighter factories (Bovonoid

planets with a Gemini in orbit) and get them. Pull the minerals needed

(Tri and Moly) from the planets to stop fighter building. It?ll be

bloody, a knock down-drag out fight. But you should come out on top if

you hit him quick and sweep him away, before massive RGA can occur.

Otherwise, he is a great economy killer, and can do you in fast.

8j.) The Lost Colonies of Man

The LCOM is from BattleStar Galctica. Self-sufficient, betrayed,

and deadly when provoked.

As allies: They are good. They have the Cobol, which makes fuel

as it goes along. The Aires converts minerals into fuel on a 1:1 ratio.

They can build fighters in space. They can sweep minefields from very far

away. The Cobol has a bioscanner too. They, with the Rebels, have the

Patriot carrier, a torp nightmare. The little ship is nasty, with 6 bays.

Nice little carrier for you. They have their Virgo, and basically, don?t

need you, except for your FCs. And maybe HYP probes.

As enemies: And since they don?t need you, expect war. Don?t

waste time with mines, you?ll lose them when they sweep with their

fighters. They?ll be towing their Virgos into battle with their Cobols.

If you disable the Cobol, the Virgo becomes a forlorn gun platform.

They?ll send Patriots too, so beef up your defenses on your planets. Get

some decent torp ships and fight the Pats. Attack them with Cubes, in a

big push in. He?ll throw Virgos at you. Keep sending Cubes, because you

need him gone. Go right for the throat, his HW. If he?s smart, he?ll have

several huge planets with tons of colonists. Get them second.

The Colonies are everyone?s worst nightmare. Help the Cluster-

get rid of them.

9.) Summary and Information

I cannot stress enough to read up on your enemy. Look at and read

his tactics. Play his race. Know thy enemy.

Read some basic books on warfare strategy. They will help you

immensely. They have for me.

Use your minefields.

Know the Order of Operations and Actions.

Make friends and TRADE. You need decent ships, and you could wipe

someone out with a few cubes. Don?t beg, but don?t be a idiot either.

Get a cloaker and clone it. Very helpful. Never use them until

they are DEEP in enemy lines. So when you attack, you use them too, to

screw up his home economy.

Get yourself down into a pattern with Chunnel Points. Streamline

your whole operation. The Borg are efficient, and you need to be to

manage the number of planets you?ll get.

Run Simulations constantly. Experiment.

And some info:

As for this Guide, feel free to read it, and pass it on. Don?t

change anything, and don?t let anyone make you pay for it. It?s free.

I have written two other guides, one on the Crystal, and one (the

only Guide for the race, that I know of) for the Bots. I?ll send them to

you if you can?t find them. I am working with a friend on an Imperial

one, but college calls, so it?ll have to wait.

I started the Federation League Of Admirals, a little group of

Fed players, who talk about many interesting things. You might learn a

thing or two. The Head Admiral is Donovan , and he?ll

explain it to you.

I trust you enjoyed the Guide, and please let me know what you

thought. I welcome any questions, comments or complaints. I am more than

willing to assist new players.

My e-mail address is on the bottom. If you cannot reach me, my

friend Derek will know where I am. He?ll tell you.

Good luck in playing, and may we meet on the field of battle. And

may I lose to the tactics I have taught you.

Autarch, League Of Admirals

ewesta@juno.com

For the enlightenment of the young, and the wisdom of the old.