Stars! Official Strategy Guide

1   2   3   Int   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   A   B   C   D   E


Chapter 1
Whole Game Strategy

In this chapter

What is Whole Game Strategy?
Simple Expansion Strategy
Hyper Producer Strategy
Hyper Growth Strategy
High Technology Strategy
The Big Picture


Chapter 2
Basic Race Design

In this chapter

Apply a Whole Game Strategy
Choose a Primary Racial Trait

  • Hyper Expansion
  • Super Stealth
  • War Monger
  • Claim Adjuster
  • Inner Strength
  • Space Demolition
  • Packet Physics
  • Interstellar Traveler
  • Alternate Reality
  • Jack of All Trades
  • Personalizing Your Race
    Choose Lesser Racial Traits
  • Improved Fuel Efficiency
  • No Ram Scoop Engines
  • Total Terraforming
  • Cheap Engines
  • Advanced Remote Mining
  • Only Basic Remote Mining
  • No Advanced Scanners
  • Generalized Research
  • Low Starting Population
  • Ultimate Recycling
  • Bleeding Edge Technology
  • Mineral Alchemy
  • Regenerating Shields
  • Where and How You Live
    Specify Habitability
    Make Production, Factories and Mines Efficient
  • Resources per Colonist
  • Factory Settings
  • Mine Settings
    Choose Research Settings
  • Energy
  • Weapons
  • Propulsion
  • Construction
  • Biotechnology
  • Giving Research a Boost
    Spend Leftover Points
  • Surface Minerals
  • Mines
  • Factories
  • Defenses
  • Mineral Concentration
    Choose Breakpoints and Bargains

    Chapter 3
    Building a Monster Race

    In this chapter

    Beware the Monster!
    Balance Your Lesser Racial Traits
    So You're Choosing Immunity?

  • How Do You Decide?
  • And the Recommendation is...
    Two Immunities
  • Which Should You Ignore?
  • It's Not a Hard Decision
    Grow!
    Economic Considerations
  • Factory Efficiency and Cost
  • Mine Efficiency and Cost
    Research and Monsters
    Hyper Growth example
  • Lesser Traits
  • Habitability and Terraforming
  • Resources, Factories and Mines
  • Research
    Hyper Production example
  • Lesser Traits
  • Resources, Factories and Mines
  • Research

    Interlude
    The Stars! User Interface

    Organizing Your Display

  • Screen Resolution
  • Layout
    Making Effective Use of the Controls
  • Mouse Cursor
  • Keyboard
  • Scanner Controls
    Miscellaneous Tips
  • Setting Waypoints
  • Measuring Distance
  • Selecting Among Multiple Objects
  • Replying to Messages


    Chapter 4
    Exploration and Expansion

    In this chapter

    Exploration

  • Send Out Your Scouts
  • Read the Map
    Expansion
  • Choose Worlds with Potential
  • Determine the Colony Size
  • Design Colonizers
    Expansion Strategies
  • Pick Your Worlds
  • Feed New Colonies
  • Create Breeder Worlds


    Chapter 5
    Ship Design Basics

    In this chapter

    Scouts

  • Scanning Power
  • Range
  • Speed
  • Cost
  • Advanced Scout Design
    Freighters
    Remote Mining Ships
    Warships
  • The Optimal Hull
  • Torpedo Ships
  • Battle Speed, Initiative and Weight
  • Beam Weapon Ships
  • Overall Strategy
    Minelayers
    A Last Word on the Cost of Ship Design

    Chapter 6
    Early Resource Management

    In this chapter

    Population Management
    Building your Resource Base

  • Population
  • Factories
  • Mines
    Managing Your Production Queue
    Managing Your Minerals
  • Germanium
  • Remote Mining
  • Ironium
  • Boranium
    Building Only What You Need
    Research
  • Energy
  • Weapons
  • Propulsion
  • Construction
  • Biotechnology
  • In a Research Nutshell

    Chapter 7
    Getting to Know Your Neighbors

    In this chapter

    Introduction to Diplomacy
    Allies
    Specifics of an Alliance
    Technology Transfer

  • Pop-Drop
  • Wolf-Lamb
  • Scrap
  • Summary
    Trait Swapping
    Enemies
  • Defense
  • Offense
  • Skirmish
    Ultimate Goals


    Chapter 8
    Some Basics of Battle

    In this chapter

    What causes battle?
    Battle Orders

  • Attack Who
  • Primary Target
  • Secondary Targets
  • Battle Movement
    Range, Speed, Initiative and Weight
  • Range of Movement
  • Speed
  • Initiative
  • How They Interact
    Weapons Types and Combined Arms
  • Torpedoes vs. Beams
  • Capital Ship Missiles
  • Shield Sappers
  • Gattling Weapons
  • Range 0 Beams
  • Standard Beams
  • Tailor Your Designs
    Odds, Stacking, and Per-Slot Damage
    Electronics in Battle
  • Capacitors
  • Battle Computers and Jammers
    Conclusion


    Chapter 9
    Intelligence

    In this chapter

    Scouting and Planetary Scanners
  • Scout Designs
  • What to Build and When
  • Scouting Techniques
    Other Information Sources
  • Enemy Ship Designs
  • Player Scores
  • Information from Other Players
  • Trait Information Sources
  • Determining Racial Traits
    Your Place in the Universe
    War Time Intelligence
  • Offensive Intelligence
  • Defensive Intelligence
  • What is your enemy doing?
    Ultimate Goals of Intelligence


    Chapter 10
    Border Management

    In this chapter

    Securing Borders
    Agreeing on Borders
    Border Defenses
    Getting Past a Border
    Securing Borders
    Agreeing on Borders
    Border Defenses
    Getting Past a Border


    Chapter 11
    Reducing Micro-Management

    In this chapter

    Surprise!
    Ships
    Repeat Orders
    Autobuild Orders
    Reports

  • Battle Summary Report
  • Planet Summary Report
  • Fleet Summary Report
    More About Fleets
  • Map Filters
  • Reminders
  • Fleet Names
  • Fleet Routing
  • Idle Fleets
    E-Mail
    The Long Haul


    Chapter 12
    Operational Stars! by Example

    In this chapter

    Part One: War Strategies
    The Mahan Strategy
    The Blockade Strategy
    The Mao Strategy
    Choosing Your War Strategy
    Why These Strategies?
    Part Two: Making Your Strategy Work

    Defensive Measures

  • Fortification
  • Evasion
  • Attrition
  • Resettlement
    Offensive Measures
  • The Wartime Economy
  • Attacking with Bombers
  • Attacking with Mass Drivers
  • Fleet Strategy
    Impacts of Operational Successes
    Saxon Methods and Reasoning
    Part Three: Operational Details

    Initial Information
  • Epworthian Fleets
  • Saxon Fleets
    Opening Moves
    Position Two
    Position Three
    Final Moves
    Part Four: Conclusion and Final Comments


    Appendix A
    Super Stealth

    Advantages
    Armor
    Scanners
    Hulls
    Cloaking
    Race Design
    Lesser Racial Traits
    Ship Design
    Strategy
    Defense


    Appendix B
    Interstellar Traveler

    Advantages
    Disadvantages

    Lesser Racial Traits

    Tactics


    Appendix C
    War Monger

    Advantages
    Ensuring Success

    Disadvantages

    Lesser Racial Traits


    Appendix D
    Space Demolition

    Advantages
    Minefield Expertise

    Offensive Strategies

    Race Design

    Lesser Racial Traits


    Appendix E
    English-to-German Translation of Stars! Terminology

    PRT
    LRT

    Diverse Abkürzungen und Begriffe

    Gegenstände und ihre Originalbezeichnungen

  • Strahlenwaffen
  • Torpedos
  • Minenverteiler
  • Bomben
  • Panzerungen
  • Schilde
  • Elektrisches
  • Mechanisches
  • Scanner
  • Triebwerke
  • Bergbau-Roboter
  • Im Orbit
  • Gebäude
  • Terraforming
  • Raumschiff-Baupläne
  • Raumstationen