Some newbie help

I know this'll make a lot of people chuckle since they play Trancend and all that, but I figure, why not ask...

I've typically only played Citizen, since most of the time, frankly, I suck at these kinda games. I wanna go up one difficulty, but I'd like to know what changes, specifically, happen between those 2 difficulties. Does anyone know?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Drone management is a bit more difficult as 1st appearance of drone happens one citizen earlier. Thats pretty much the biggest effect of the one difficulty level increment.

Once you get to Thinker and higher the AI starts getting production and research bonusses. Drones occur at size 3 for Thinker size 2 for Transcend.

[Kirov]

I'm pretty sure on higher levs AI's are more aggressive. On Citizen one can easily refuse AI's demands without threat of a war, but later...

Could someone confirm that?

[CEO Aaron]

Also, Energy costs for changing SE choices increase with every difficulty level, and the number of bases you can hold before you start creating 'bureaucracy drones' is lower, and the amount of minerals a base can produce before eco-damage starts kicking in drops as well. But by far, the faster drones is the biggest change.

When playing higher difficulties, you may find your game _improving_ because the earlier drones make you crank out more colony pods to shuck excess population, whereas in lower difficulties you can wallow around with just a few bases without encountering a drone problem.

[gwillybj]

Since your inquiry is specific to the change from Citizen to Specialist, here is what is in Prima's strategy guide. I found only a few of these mentioned in the Manual or Help files. I have left out the exact details and the lengthier explanations.
Each of these changes occurs to a degree with every step up in difficulty, but most aren't really that noticeable in just one step.

• The AI is more aggressive and, conversely, less friendly. You will find them testier and less pliable in diplomacy.
• If you are the most powerful faction, the AI factions will be more likely to cooperate against you, and sooner.
• Command Center maintenance cost was 0ec at Citizen. It is 1ec at Specialist.
• At Citizen, your bases never lost population points when attacked or captured. At Specialist, they will lose one population point when the last defender dies, and another when captured by the enemy (or invaded by Worms or Locusts).
• Random Events, if enabled, begin earlier.
• Social Engineering changes cost more.
• AI pays fewer minerals for Production and fewer nutrients for Population Growth.
• Technology discovery rate slows.
• Ecological damage increases.
• Drones appear more frequently.
• You receive a combat handicap (favorable to you, as in golf, and it is both offensive and defensive) at Citizen, Specialist, and Talent, but it decreases with each step (and is nonexistent at Librarian, Thinker, and Transcend).

And don't worry about taking your time moving up the difficulty ladder. I've been playing continually for two years and am still seriously challenged at Librarian (which might surprise a few here (or, then again, maybe none), considering some of what I've posted in this forum). Each player approaches the game differently, and learns at a his/her own rate. It's not fun if you don't know WTH is going on, and, to me, fun is the most important factor in a game.

[Earwicker]

Originally posted by gwillybj
Each of these changes occurs to a degree with every step up in difficulty, but most aren't really that noticeable in just one step.

I agree. If you are succeeding at Citizen you may want to cut directly to level III (forgot name) or Librarian (at which point the human and AI factions are on par in terms of research, production, etc.)

Above specialist, building a colony pod in a size 1 base disbands it.

[Method]

that's talent ear also IIRC, prototypes dont cost extra on citizen and talent, effectively rendering the skunkworks and one of the spartan's plusses useless.

if you're looking to get better, read the velguide. even the old versions are a really big help. got me from specialist to thinker

[Kirov]

Gwillybj, IIRC Ecodamage is increased only on the two last levs (or at least it's written that way in Advanced concepts)