The race is still undergoing changes to make it more balanced and playable. For instance, right now I am testing ditching the Boarding Laser and taking on instead a Minefield Destabilizer (for tactical use) and an Advanced Training center (along with bumped up Trooper and Highguard stats {38 & 50 respectively} and more guest space, of course). Also, for instance, I am thinking about making fighter #1 a quite cheap fighter (currently around $35) since I wanted fighters to be a bigger part of the race than they could currently afford. Also, according to Tim, you do not need to have a Hyperdrive engine to use Jumpgates. Instead, any ship can use them if they have the command code for the destination gate (and are at another gate to start with, of course). While they are expensive, I got Tim to consider taking that $10,000 out of the central bank instead from the ship (which should help).

• Farming: prefer 50, but are good at adapting (25 to 67 range)
• Grow 20% faster than normal, somewhat more crew than Fed, but poor to troop and highguard rations (2, and 1)
• 10% more income, 5% highly mining rate, very happy (170) not more into powers (0 dark, 10 light -> very low chance of getting additional high guard)
• Much faster pods than others (32)
• Even worse than Fed at ground combat (col & crew 8, troop 20, highguard 40) Their troops lose fighting ability (40 for crew, 30 for troops)
• Below normal leadership, lawfulness ratings but average PC and above average public relations
• Their primary contraband are illegal books and VR-6X holochips, but they also like stim-bright pills and handguns.
• No extra buildings, but none missing either.

Strategy suggestions

I have seen the University Alliance referred to as The Mad Scientists. Now ain't that a brilliant name? Also as The Nerds.

Ground Units: Terminator soliders : not very, these are only equivlent to Klingon troops but cost 50 mc each! P21 Anti Aircraft Cannon: Very useful against enemy fighters. S29 Tank: Looks a lot like most tanks to me.

Fighters: Type 2 may be slightly better against fighters than type 1, but the cost differential doesn't appear to be worth it, so I'd stick with type 1. Type 2 really excels at planetary defense, but can you afford many? Type 3 is a bomber: I'm thinking this may be useless to you because your ground combat ratios are so bad it's best to blow up anything biger than a small base from the safety of orbit.

Scott O notes (May 2000): "The race is still undergoing changes to make it more balanced and playable. For instance, right now I am testing ditching the Boarding Laser and taking on instead a Minefield Destabilizer (for tactical use) and an Advanced Training center (along with bumped up Trooper and Highguard stats {38 & 50 respectively} and more guest space, of course). Also, for instance, I am thinking about making fighter #1 a quite cheap fighter (currently around $35) since I wanted fighters to be a bigger part of the race than they could currently afford."

Recommended ship equipment

Tech 1: Watchman Scout: It's what it says it is, however with cloaking and the ability to carry a pod your opponents won't notice you setting up bases right next door. However you can't use it for capturing enemy freighters. (No weapons)

Tech 3: Pathfinder Transport: A lighty armored, faster MDSF. Nice Bioscanners, but the Jump Gate Builder appears to be a waste since your fleet doesn't have any hyperspace capable ships. No - Greg Bahr points out that a Jump Gate Builder is different to a Jump Point Generator, no hyperdrive is needed. Seems designed for Turbo Thrusters, but fuel consumed by them may be inpractical. 2 Turbo Thrusters no generators/1, 3 Plasma Guns, 3 Micro Missle Lauchers -> 37 surplus energy

Tech 4: Hunter Seeker Cruiser: This is actually a very nice Destroyer. (Too many weapons for hull size to be a cruiser; also except for the 3 pod bays, low in internal cargo space and fuel.) Has the odd max ship speed of 150, a minesweeping array and the mysterious probe laucher. 2 Transwarps, 1 Firestorm / 3, 2 Photon Torpedos, 1 Sandcastor, 1 Pulsed Phasor Cannon, 8 Plasma Guns, 4 Micro Missle Lauchers, 2 Interceptors -> 13 surplus

Tech 5: Incident Utility Cruiser: Obviously intended to compliment the Hunter Seeker. Lots of goody ship devices. 40 fighters, 2 FTL-3, 1 Firestorm / 2, 1 Photon Torpedo Lauchers, 5 Plasma Guns, 4 Micro-Missle Lauchers, 3 Interceptors -> 28 surplus Tech 6: XL-5 Weapons Platform: Designed to defend planet. Very prone to early explosions (25% soft spot) 1 GF 7000 / 2, 6 Plasma Guns, 3 Micro Lauchers, 2 Intercepts -> 15 surplus

In real life, for the above ships you probably don't have the tech for Plasma Guns on these; so Pulsed Lasers are prefered and this does away with the need for Generators. (Except the XL-5 of course)

-- Registered only --

Tech 7: Hive Carrier : Also boosts happiness of the task force and can build the fighers and XL-5 Weapons on-the-fly. 792 fighters, 3 FTL-3, 2 Firestorm /3, 1 Sand Castor, 2 Photon Torpedo Laucher, 1 Gatling Phasor, 1 Xeon, 11 Plasma Guns, 6 Micro Missle Lauchers, 4 Intercpets -> 12 surplus

Tech 8: Singularity Class Dreadnaught: In combat these shoud try to close to point-blank with the most dangerous ships [not the base] to take full advantage of the 800 mounts (Turbo Arrays). Very nice to have a minesweeping array, but the usefulness of the boarding laser is highly qustionable for you. Yikes, it also has a 75 attack bonus in addition to max shields and a nice coat of armor, and expected internor shielding. It's tractor beam appears powerful enough to tow a version of itself with malfunctioning engines. I disagree with the author's stated energy problem; Photon Torpedos range has turned out to be so decisive (even with ease of PD to hit) that anything intended for serious combat seems to need at least half it's weapons to be Photon Torpedos to surive of else it takes too many hits before it gets in range of more powerful weapons.) 80 fighters, 7 FTL-3, 3 GF-7000, 2 Firestorm / 5, 10 Photon Torpedos, 10 Turbo Arrays, 20 Plasma Guns, 2 Xeon Beams, 10 Micro Sandcastors. 16 surplus

Tech 9: The Violater: Actually a refreshing approach for the ship's only purpose to be the super-weapon. Might as well have it on in ship combat (target dangerous [duh!]). The double soft spot is actually nice due to the realtively small crew size. 2 FTL-3, 1 Firestorm / 2, 1 Super Laser, 5 Plasma Guns, 5 Micro Missle Lauchers, 5 Intercepts : 16 surplus. Scott O points out: "it takes The Violator to time point ~670 to fire the SL for the first time. In the way combat is currently done, this time is far too long (one nice side, though, is that it DOES fire on all ships in the area, so here is a solution to ships not killing each other. One SL shot. Dead.)."

Tech 10: Merlin (standard)

Anti-UA tactics

Ground Assault! If your troops are even slighty above average, try to board their ships.