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My English is truly awful, but i hope it still readable, yes. Most people do succeed in decyphing it, giving me that hope. You can always point me to a statements with blurry wording, and ill try to rephrase them.
If you think there is somewhat still left to read beside that lengthy explanation of what +Def and Transd are doing on that link - you could post it here, or in PM, ill look. Doubt it worth it, as looks like there is nothing new though. In short - they are quite different picks in effect, and you generally have an idea, what Transd is better (its have a real economic value, beside the sheer combat superiority it offer). You just tend to miss what you can use both, in case +Def would be cheap. And then it come to availablity and effectivness of sure-hit weapons in a certain environment. As it could lead to some very effective race with early undestructible ships.
About warlord. Goal of economic race is, well, economics. Not scrapping some BC maintenance by utilizing starbases. Well, actually that too, as starbase is cheap. You just buld them everywhere, economic race have no problem to do it. And also it have enough of production to tax it into fleet when needed. Thats why i sayd its totally wrong if you trying to use Warlord as an early eco boost. Warlord is something you can mutate into later, when effect would be immediately huge, and also would improve your fleet combat values. While early, and its a common problem with all similar traits - they are doing nothing (when no battles are occuring yet), so your race develop slower, compared to race, what used the picks for some economy traits.
About ship combat traits - this game is already favour blitzing. Thats the nature of turn-based, with little reaction time for a defender. The more desirable you will make the combat stuff - the even more blitzing it will be about, as now defender would have to defend from a blitzer with combat stuff. And if you will take the blitz aside, and play economy - you will never take them at all, untill they would be some insanely cheap (with Transd and HG as some excludes, as they are eco traits too), as your race will be simply worse that way. So you can get them only from Mutation, and its very end tech, so not very important. You dont like +Def - dont take it, like it - take it. If it would be one point cheaper, and you would have to throw that point away - you will be happy?
About your rules - thats good what you do not communicate with AI, and very good you're not using outposts. But the only races what do care about interfering with AI in this game are Blitz races, while your is definitely not one of them. Moreother, as your is some sort of spy race - actually its
rely on interfering with AI somewhat. But again, you describe what you playing it "developing alone, not exploiting AI for a profit". Thats essentially how non-Blitz races are measuring (Blitz ones are measured by how effectively they can exploit AI). How they are perform
alone. And your race is truly awful in it. Its not even nearly to be a worst possible or something, but its very weak in output. Its slow. It means what your race would achieve in turn X some relative value Y (sum of your production, research, fleet power), while other races would achieve it on turn X-Z, and on your turn X - they would have much more. Try to see it that way: youre on a car themed forum, and people discuss cars there. Ferrari, Lamborgini, Rolls-Royces etc. And you jump to explain to them, what Hyinday Accie is the same as they are, as it could overtake a pedestrian aswell, just as they can. Thats correct, and thats obvious, but while the fact what they all are faster than pedestrian, and also can carry a more weight than he can - make them equal only in that unimportant benchmark, thats all, while actual talk is going about something different. Im using that "expressions" to help you drop a pink glasses, and use a time to learn a game, its not so long and hard, instead of bragging about beating AI on impossible. As its some hard point for many players, as they see no need to improve "hey, im almost always win AI, and its Impossible!!1". Thats just a basic skill level, actually. You know the basics already, so have less to learn, thats it. If you care, sure. Reversely, your way to use AI to learn - is to play
weaker and
weaker races, while keeping winning with them. And vanilla had many "playable fun races" aswell, thats for sure.